Day 5 - The heat is on

By the time I arrived for my match at 1pm my friend John McIntyre had already lost to the strong potter from Israel Ygal Pagliari. It leaves things difficult now for John, and he needs to secure a victory quickly. I had a good match against Gilles Grzeskowiak of France. My cue action felt light and effortless and for the first time this week I started to see the balls better. It was just as well because my opponent is a very strong player, as he demonstrated in the first frame which he won easily.

The second frame was a tight affair and could have went either way. In the end it came down to the pink ball and Gilles played a good safety with cue ball in baulk around the green spot and the pink just below the right hand middle, tight on the cushion. I instinctively saw the opportunity for a 'double' into the left corner and deliberatly punched the cue ball with some top and right hand side to make sure the cue ball ended up in a safe position. The pink thundered in not even touching the sides of the pocket, 1-1. This allowed me to get into the match and I won the next two frames comfortably enough. That's now played three with one defeat and two victories.

It was then into the city for dinner and we stumbled upon the famouse Ale House in Sofia, where you litterally do away with the bartender and pour your own beer, at the table. The beer was good, the food disappointing.

Euro Snooker - Day 1

Such a long day, all for the love of snooker. I started this morning at 2.45 am with a quick shower, shave and on the road to Dublin Airport, arriving just before 5am tired but excited, snooker cue and holdall in tow, ready for another European Adventure.

Have to give credit to Air France, breakfast of coffee and muffin on the way to Paris, then another 'snack' on the connecting flight from Paris to Sofia. Credit to EBSA Mr Fix It aka Jim Leacy for laying on a welcoming party in Charles De Gaul Paris, a nice chap escorted us from arrivals to the departure gate, although outgoing EBSA secretary Pete was quick to take the credit for this one.

The Hotel we are staying at, the Dedeman Prince Sofia & Casino met the Irish group at the airport and following a brief drive, we arrived at the hotel in good spirits, and greeted by secretary Maxime Cassis. It was good to see so many familar faces from previous European tournaments.

Now it wouldn't be a European 'Adventure' without the odd incident or strange goings on, and it didn't take long. I took a quick stroll over the the Central Station, and had slice of pizza and beer (cost was 4 Lev, or about £1.50) and returned to my room for a freshen up, so I was only gone about an hour. On my return, on the table in the corner of our room was a tasty looking dessert with the words '45 Years' presented in chocolate on the plate.

Now I know I'm not 45 yet, and can say with some confidence my room-mate is a 'little' older....lol It turns out our 'Hotel' is 45 years in business today 6th June., and we all received a little birthday cake to celebrate. Well done Dedeman.