Typical match lengths for various 14.1 leagues around the United States (those that I'm aware of) are all loosely based on the player skill level of how many balls (on average) can be made per inning, with a race to either 75, 100, 125 or 150 being the go-to numbers with the better 14.1 players being in the 150 group.
Looking back over 50+ matches in our local league over the past year, all skill level groups are averaging approximately 45 seconds per point total, meaning that in a race to 125, if the winner reaches 125 and the opponent has 115, the total is 240 total points. 240 points at 45 seconds each equals 10,800 seconds or 180 minutes - which is 3 hours exactly. This is the total "match time" from the opening break shot until the winner reached 125 points. On average, this included any bathroom break "pauses". In a typical match race to 150 with the opponent getting to 120, the total time would average 3 hours 23 minutes. Using the same averages, a race to 75 for the first season players would typically run 1 hour and 45 minutes.
HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS:
1) Do higher level players that average twice to three times the balls per inning average (BPI) really need to be racing to 125 and 150 points and taking 3 hours or more for a league match to be considered a fair test between two opponents? Would a race to 100 for all regular season levels be reasonable?
2) What other reasons do you all see to make or keep the race point levels higher as skill levels increase and thus match times longer? Championship and pro-level tournaments are typically 150 for the finals with qualifiers being 100-125. Do we really need 125 and 150 point races to determine the best match player that day, or could races to 100 be as effective?
3) Any other suggestions for match length considerations from experienced straight pool league players or League Directors that would help keep interest and enjoyment high for a season lasting 4 months for all skill levels?
Match lengths pushing beyond 2 hours has been a consistent complaint amongst potential new league players when they ask how much time they would need to allow for play during the month - which led to me wondering if some improvements or changes could be made to future league structuring for all levels of play.
Thanks everyone!
K.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Looking back over 50+ matches in our local league over the past year, all skill level groups are averaging approximately 45 seconds per point total, meaning that in a race to 125, if the winner reaches 125 and the opponent has 115, the total is 240 total points. 240 points at 45 seconds each equals 10,800 seconds or 180 minutes - which is 3 hours exactly. This is the total "match time" from the opening break shot until the winner reached 125 points. On average, this included any bathroom break "pauses". In a typical match race to 150 with the opponent getting to 120, the total time would average 3 hours 23 minutes. Using the same averages, a race to 75 for the first season players would typically run 1 hour and 45 minutes.
HERE ARE THE QUESTIONS:
1) Do higher level players that average twice to three times the balls per inning average (BPI) really need to be racing to 125 and 150 points and taking 3 hours or more for a league match to be considered a fair test between two opponents? Would a race to 100 for all regular season levels be reasonable?
2) What other reasons do you all see to make or keep the race point levels higher as skill levels increase and thus match times longer? Championship and pro-level tournaments are typically 150 for the finals with qualifiers being 100-125. Do we really need 125 and 150 point races to determine the best match player that day, or could races to 100 be as effective?
3) Any other suggestions for match length considerations from experienced straight pool league players or League Directors that would help keep interest and enjoyment high for a season lasting 4 months for all skill levels?
Match lengths pushing beyond 2 hours has been a consistent complaint amongst potential new league players when they ask how much time they would need to allow for play during the month - which led to me wondering if some improvements or changes could be made to future league structuring for all levels of play.
Thanks everyone!
K.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk