The Watford and District Snooker and Billiards League has provided the men and women of Hertfordshire with competitive Snooker for many years now, and continues to do so as one of the largest League's in the country.
Records tell us that in the 1949-50 season there were only 10 teams in the league, the highest break was rewarded with the princely sum of fifteen shillings, and 500 result cards cost the extortionate sum of £1 and 10 shillings!
A final statistic from that season was that the League finished the season in the black to the tune of Ten pounds, One shilling and five and a half pence.
As time has progressed the League has moved forward positively, and has peaked at a membership of some ninety-six teams, giving us a Premier division, and five other divisions of sixteen teams, and it had a waiting list on top of that! These were the days of uninterrupted Snooker, from September all the way through to April.
There have been many excellent breaks, and until 2022 the highest break for many years was 128 - held by both Tim Norris of The S & L Social Club and Andy Lavin of Rickmansworth British Legion. Both Tim and Andy both went on to try their luck in the professional game. Then, in the 2021/22 final of the Singles Championship Andy Lavin won the title, helped with an outstanding 136 break to claim the highest break record in his sole name.
Today, as with so many other sports, the League has suffered greatly with changes due to club closures and a severe lack of young players taking up the sport. Although reduced to just two divisions, the League remains stable and will hopefully remain so for many more years to come.
Here is a link to the official snooker rules page:
WPBSA Official Rules of the games of Snooker and Billiards
Important:
The "miss" rule does not apply in our league.
