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| OHCC LIVING | OCTOBER 2024 | 37 Our August tournament was "English Billiards," a unique game using only three balls - a white cue ball, a yellow cue ball, and a red object ball. You make points by sinking a ball, or by hitting both balls with your cue ball (a carom), or by scratching! It's the only game I know where scratching is a good thing. You don't have to call shots, so it can be a wild experience with a fair bit of luck thrown in. Fun! We played to 30 points with the "B" skill players starting with a 40% handicap of 12 points. By 1:15 pm we had seven "A" skill and 3 "B" skill players trying to figure out the rules. These 10 players were randomly divided into two round-robin groups of five players. Each player played the four other players in their group. The players with the best record in each group played for 1st and 2nd place. The second-best players in each group played for 3rd. Thanks to David Key for his knowledge of the rules and to Janice Pelcher for managing the tournament and keeping all the matches moving along. During play, Cal Roe got only one shot before Harris Golden ran 32 points for a remarkable 1st round win. In the first group, Harris and Charlie Payne both had three wins out of four matches. Here's Harris shooting and Charlie hoping. Charlie had 98 total points vs. 97 points for Harris! Damn close, but Charlie went to the finals. In the second group, Doug Murray and Hazel Bobach also had three wins each. Doug had 92 points, and Hazel had 91 points! Couldn't be closer, but Doug went to the finals. Charlie and Doug had the most points in their groups, so they played for 1st ($50) and ($25). Charlie won on a streak of lucky shots. Hazel, a "B" player, fought Harris in the game for 3rd place ($10). Harris had another great run but missed a shot to open the door for Hazel. Hazel missed the shot she had planned, but her cue ball rolled into the far corner pocket for an unexpected two points. Scratches are good, remember? That allowed her to continue shooting and to win 3rd place. Written by Charlie Payne Billiards Mahjongg Club If you have been keeping up with your emails from the OHCC MahJongg Club, you are aware of the meeting coming up in October. At the meeting the election of officers for 2025 will be held by the nominating committee, we will conduct a little business and then break into groups for some fun. This meeting will not be a luncheon. The club will provide something to drink and plan to have snacks contributed by volunteers. This event is sponsored by the club so you will not be asked to submit a check. In order to provide facilities management with our table setup requirements we do ask that you register. A registration form was emailed to all members and the front desk should have some on hand. All members are welcome to coordinate a group of your favorite players. If you choose to come as an independent player, you may join with other members to form a group in real time. Here is a suggestion for the distribution of labor for your group: one person drives, one person brings tiles, and players three and four bring an appetizer to share with the room. Registrations will be accepted at the front desk through Oct. 1. A new American MahJongg Basic class will begin Oct. 2 from 3 to 5 pm and will continue each Wednesday afternoon in October. Students must register at the front desk to be included. MahJ On! Written by Dawn Edwards

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