The final result may not have been for the a winning one for the host Saskatchewan team but the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #60 in Estevan still hosted a memorable Dominion 8-ball championship last weekend.
“We had excellent players, good pool, good sportsmanship, good camaraderie,” said legion member Jim (Frosty) Forrest. “It ran smoothly. We had no delays in the tournament at all. It ran like it was supposed to.”
Forrest said the comments from the people playing in the event, who were all legion members, were overwhelmingly positive.
“Maybe the best one they've been at when it comes to Dominion tournaments so we were more than happy with the outcome,” he said.
The Saskatchewan team was all from Estevan, with Doug Cairns, Burva Connor, Burt Blondeau and Jim Barnstable on the team, but a team from Alberta won the event, which attracted 28 players from out of the province for 84 matches Saturday. There were no bad pool players at the tournament here and although the local players didn't have the success they would have liked to, they had a good time at the tournament.
“All the years we've been doing it, Saskatchewan hasn't brought home the queen championship yet. We are going to do that at some time,” Forrest said. “I can't speak for them but I think they had a lot of fun and enjoyed the pool. They certainly appreciated the level of competition.”
And from an organizational standpoint, Forrest said they had zero problems or delays.
“The draw master called out their names and they grabbed their cues and went to the table and played their matches,” he said.
Before the games started, they used the same ritual as any legion meeting and they were followed by the banquet and awards presentation.
“At the beginning, we march in the colours and go through the act of remembrance and everything and at the end of it, the president of the branch does the closing ceremonies and we march off the flags and the colours,” he said.
The legion branch is applying to host the 2019 provincial cribbage championship.
“I think we've proved to Legion command that we're capable and we are a can-do branch and we can host anything and make it a success,” Forrest said. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of volunteers and a lot of people putting in hours... When that all happens, it turns out to be a success.”
