Playing Test 1

Found the updated Quiz and test routines on Martins Site. Thought it best if I start working my way through them.

Test1.
(The playing test begins with the pot red into the middle to leave a middle cross loser, the opponent's ball being off the table. From this middle cross loser aim to bring the red for a middle pocket loser. You should then play middle pocket losers until you either miss or leave the red short. Assess yourself over 20 attempts and record your results noting breaks of 12 or more.

Tried this 20 times and recorded the results.

I failed to pot the red 3 times.!!!!
I potted the red and failed to get position for the middle cross loser 3 times.
I failed to get the middle cross loser twice.
Failed with the middle pocket loser twice.
On 3 occasions I managed a 9 break.
On 3 occasions I managed a 12 break.
On 2 occasions I managed a 15 break.
On 1 occasion I managed a 24 break.

The hardest part was getting the initial red as I seem to have forgotten how to pot.

I will try the second test this weekend it’s my last snooker match tonight for the season but I haven’t got time to practice so we will just have to take a chance. I am not going to change my grip at all during snooker. I will play with top and follow through on all shots and see how it goes.

Last league match tonight, played Darren Shields who was giving me a 50 start, another ex-circuit player who didn’t quite make it. Started off well my safety play was inch perfect and managed to get a long shot to nothing then played some nice little billiard shots to tuck him up behind the brown. He missed these which put me 60 ahead. I potted a couple of long straight reds and got pinks, missed a black which went into pack and safe. 74 ahead with pink and black tied up, nice position for me.

The frame went messy and I managed to pick him off a little getting 90 in front. He potted a long red and got 38, missing a simple red which I potted and got the blue.
We got to the colours he needed 6 snookers, but I ran in the yellow, green and brown for an easy win. The nice bit was my cueing felt nice and loose I never hit a hard shot and I played some lovely shots I had practised in my billiards, some half ball safety shots and some cannons off the green to tuck up behind the brown. Maybe Billiards will be good for my snooker in the long term.

I feel I am now getting used to the aiming point on the object ball with my new glasses. For shots near the cushion I am raising my head quite high to focus but now I am accustomed to it things seem quite natural. I felt a little sorry for him as I used to be on -15 in the league until my eyesight went but now I am playing as well as I used to with these new glasses.