It was six long days (counting the two qualifiers at Pool Sharks) for me with very little rest, but it was worth it, as we had a very successful event. I'd first like to thank John Kutcher at Pool Sharks for all his help in pulling off two very important qualifiers that brought a total of seven players into the main draw. Once again it was a long day (we started at 9 AM) and there were some difficult decisions that had to be made along the way. John gave us his complete support and made sure we had the best equipment to play the matches on.
It was my first time working with Nigel Rees, Matchroom's long time head referee, along with Michaela Tabb. He was simply outstanding every step of the way! Nigel is not only an excellent pool referee, but a consummate professional who garners respect from all the players. Nigel and I had to deal with an outstanding field of world class players (sixty four total), who were all itching to take down the title. The competition was fierce and it required both our attentions for many hours each day.
On only one day, was our "break" long enough to sit down and eat. The other days we caught a bite whenever we could and raced for the bathroom every few hours. I had total confidence in Nigel, when I did need to step out of the tournament room. I knew he could handle whatever came up. I would place him among the best tournament officials I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
Behind the scenes, laboring equally hard for Matchroom are two unsung hero's in the pool world. I'm speaking of Luke Riches and Sharron Tokley who take care of EVERYTHING, so that the event runs smoothly. These two (along with Michael Emons) handle all the little details (and some very big ones) that go into making an event like this happen. If anything comes up or I find something amiss, I need only tell either of them and magically it gets handled. Sharron and Luke are the facilitators for Matchroom from the inception of the event until it's completion. And they both have been with Matchroom since the beginning!
Two other very important people who work for Matchroom are Paul and Ranier, who oversee the arena floor and everything in the competition area. If I noticed a problem I only needed to ask either of them and it was quickly taken care of. Usually they noticed the problem before me! All these wonderful folks made my job a lot easier, as I could concentrate (along with Nigel) on the smooth conduct of the matches.
One other person who adds immensely to the tournament is the emcee and host John MacDonald. He livens up the crowd with his quirky witticisms, that are always pertinent to the moment and the situation. All his "material" is original and he never fails to energize both the fans and the players. More than one time I was on the floor awaiting a very critical television match to begin, wearing my most serious face, and John would say something that would crack me up and I couldn't hold back the laughter.
One more thing that you should all know about Matchroom. When the players were eliminated from the tournament and had money coming, it was handled IMMEDIATELY! Not tomorrow or next week or next month, but right then in the tournament office. Players were either paid in cash or money was wired to their bank accounts. That is how Matchroom does business.
It was truly a pleasure for me to work with such a great group of people. Thank you all!
It was my first time working with Nigel Rees, Matchroom's long time head referee, along with Michaela Tabb. He was simply outstanding every step of the way! Nigel is not only an excellent pool referee, but a consummate professional who garners respect from all the players. Nigel and I had to deal with an outstanding field of world class players (sixty four total), who were all itching to take down the title. The competition was fierce and it required both our attentions for many hours each day.
On only one day, was our "break" long enough to sit down and eat. The other days we caught a bite whenever we could and raced for the bathroom every few hours. I had total confidence in Nigel, when I did need to step out of the tournament room. I knew he could handle whatever came up. I would place him among the best tournament officials I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
Behind the scenes, laboring equally hard for Matchroom are two unsung hero's in the pool world. I'm speaking of Luke Riches and Sharron Tokley who take care of EVERYTHING, so that the event runs smoothly. These two (along with Michael Emons) handle all the little details (and some very big ones) that go into making an event like this happen. If anything comes up or I find something amiss, I need only tell either of them and magically it gets handled. Sharron and Luke are the facilitators for Matchroom from the inception of the event until it's completion. And they both have been with Matchroom since the beginning!
Two other very important people who work for Matchroom are Paul and Ranier, who oversee the arena floor and everything in the competition area. If I noticed a problem I only needed to ask either of them and it was quickly taken care of. Usually they noticed the problem before me! All these wonderful folks made my job a lot easier, as I could concentrate (along with Nigel) on the smooth conduct of the matches.
One other person who adds immensely to the tournament is the emcee and host John MacDonald. He livens up the crowd with his quirky witticisms, that are always pertinent to the moment and the situation. All his "material" is original and he never fails to energize both the fans and the players. More than one time I was on the floor awaiting a very critical television match to begin, wearing my most serious face, and John would say something that would crack me up and I couldn't hold back the laughter.
One more thing that you should all know about Matchroom. When the players were eliminated from the tournament and had money coming, it was handled IMMEDIATELY! Not tomorrow or next week or next month, but right then in the tournament office. Players were either paid in cash or money was wired to their bank accounts. That is how Matchroom does business.
It was truly a pleasure for me to work with such a great group of people. Thank you all!
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