Weekly Update - 11
Winter Season Update – Week 11
Our first update of 2026 and no negatives, this week we had no issues reported from any match.
The League have always had a player registration cut off point, this is usually 4 weeks of the season remaining and has always had some flexibility, however we are now setting a fixed date, this will be the 8th February, no new registrations or transfers will be permitted after this date.
We will also begin a recruitment drive where we will be seeking out new teams to enter the league, if anyone plays in another team or league, or if you know of any pubs/clubs looking for a pool team to join the FSPL please advise either James or Simon to discuss.
Rule Clarifications: we have had some calls over the last week about clarifying certain rules, we have always anticipated these particular questions so added links to videos from Professional Referees advising on the correct calls, these can be found in the Rules Clarifications section on the website.
Deliberate Foul: while a deliberate foul is subjective there are instances where this is not the case, for example forgetting which colour you are, in this example the term deliberate will still be the case as it is a direct action of hitting your opponents ball, regardless of whether it was accidental or not. here is an example:
Player A is on yellows and forgot their colour choice and potted a red ball, the Ref called Foul, ball in hand - the ref determined that this was a pure accident and not intended as a deliberate foul and exercised discretion and playing the game in a sportsmanlike manner, however, while this is commendable this is the incorrect call and should be loss of frame, intent and advantage should no longer form part of the decision, if the player directly/deliberately played the wrong colour then loss of frame should be called. please refer to Rule 6f (1).
Coaching: any player deemed to have been coaching during a match will be given a first and final warning, any further coaching and a Standard Foul will be called and the player will be asked to leave the match and venue, if the player refuses to leave the venue then any further calling out will be deemed as coaching and result in a Standard Foul for every offence.
Refereeing - Breaks
After a foul on the break, it is the referee’s duty to advise the incoming player of cue ball placement:
· If the white is potted, the call is: Ball in hand from baulk (i.e. behind the line).
· If the white leaves the table, the call is: Ball in hand (anywhere on the table).
The referee may call this at any time prior to the cue ball being struck. This is not considered coaching - it is the correct procedure; we are also allowing both captains to advise the player of either team that this is incorrect, this should only be done if the referee has not called it, if the ref makes the correct call and the player still places incorrectly and someone calls out then this will be coaching and the coaching rule will apply.
Foul Break - resulting in a re-rack: this is specifically for pairs matches
If the break does not meet the legal requirements and a re-rack is needed the option to break is handed over to the opponents, if you choose to put the team back into break they have the option to change who breaks, this is because the frame is restarting.
Refereeing: The Referee does not need to make any calls during a match, unless announcing a foul, touching ball/cushion etc., they should not tell any player which colour they are on, whether they are doing this for both teams or not it will be considered coaching, players cannot ask the ref which colour set they are so the ref should not say this when play turns over.
picking up the white ball
After a foul the referee will call Foul, ball in hand; the player is then free to:
· pick the white ball up
· play from where it lies
· ask the referee to hand them the white ball if they feel moving it could impact balls nearby
the referee does not need to immediately collect the white ball.
All players are required to have a good knowledge of the rules and not knowing certain rules is not an excuse for mistakes; such as handling balls after the black is potted from the break or not knowing where the white should be placed after a foul from the break or not knowing when to nominate colour choice.
Both Simon Stevens and Tony Clarke are qualified referees and can assist at any time with any rule anyone is unsure of (please be aware that both are actively playing and referring on match days so calls/messages may not be answered immediately).
Pairs Matches: players may only talk before their initial shot and must stop talking once either player touches the table, this includes putting chalk down, leaning on the table, touching the cloth or handling the cue ball during a foul. If you do talk you will be given a warning for Coaching, a further warning will result in Loss of Frame.
When a player pots a ball and walks away from the table and they or the team-mate say 'good shot', 'sorry for the poor position', or anything of this nature are not classed as talking/coaching as it is not telling the player anything, only commenting on the outcome of the shot, obviously if they say 'sorry mate i meant to leave you that ball but now you can tuck him up', then this is coaching and a warning should be given.
Spectators: Any spectator, whether a player or fan, should not be calling out during any match except for encouraging any player or commentating on a good shot, however, we have had several questions on what is coaching from the crowd, calls such as 'think about it', 'take your time', 'it's all there', is not coaching as these are open to interpretation and not direct advice, calls such as 'tuck him up, 'flies in up the top', 'pot it in the middle' are coaching as they imply a direct shot or action.
Competitions
We have had questions about who can break in Pairs matches, this has never changed; any player can break, this means the same player can break every time it is their turn, their is no order to the matches once each game ends, it is a reset and you can choose to change who players after each player.
Re-arranging matches; the League has always set fixed dates for competitions but allowed players to play whenever they can before the fixed date, players are free to ask to reschedule but the players are not obligated to re-arrange, players will always try to be accommodating but the League cannot force it or allow matches to extend passed the fixed date, unless extreme circumstances prevail.
