BAPTO Amateur Weekend

Welcome to the 48th Annual BAPTO Amateur Pool Tournament

Important announcement: The cost of hosting our event at the Norbreck is increasing significantly, as the Britannia group are insisting we pay room hire charges for the arena, regardless of the guest numbers staying at the hotel. We are calling this the Norbreck tax, as it is completely out of our control. This is a decision from the head office of the Britannia group, and is standard policy for any event that now uses the Norcalympia room – the going rate for this room is currently £5,000 per day.

We could move to an alternative venue, but there will still be similar room hire charges, and finding a suitable venue is very difficult. Our event works well at the Norbreck; the arena has proven to be the perfect venue for us, having hosted many memorable tournaments over the years. The beer is good value and we get use of a quality sound and lighting system. The hotel staff know our event well, making it easier for us to work together and set up the arena, with all the table lights and seating etc. So rather than move to an alternative venue or call time on the tournament, we are asking players to pay a bit extra to keep the event at the Norbreck. 

Amateur team entry fee will be increasing from £100 to £200 for 2025. The extra cost this year works out at £20 per player for a 5 person team and will be added to the team entry fee, so that all teams contribute towards the new cost. If you have 6 players per team, then it is only £16.67 per player, and with 7 players in a team, the extra cost  is only £14.29 per player. 

We previously got the room for free, as brought enough guests to the hotel. But their room is now in high demand, especially with many Pontins sites closing and other event organisers are wanting to book it. 

The iconic BAPTO amateur pool weekend is the UK’s longest established tournament, now in its 49th year and with a £19,000 guaranteed prize fund!

Any lady supporters that are with their team for the duration of the weekend, are invited to enter the Ladies Singles and Mixed Doubles, with just their spectator bands.  Sorry, but we cannot allow lady players to  enter the ladies singles and mixed doubles events, if they are not with a team.  Anyone entering, must be accompanying a team and be part of the weekend event. 

We are planning to do some Speed Pool over the weekend, with a fastest time table. More details to be announced closer to the date.

New dress code update – plain black trainers are now allowed, as are tailored shorts. Same dress code as Golden 8 Ball, to keep things simple. 

Event Summary

• The top 2 teams from each group in the Saturday round robin stages will go through to the Sunday knockout stages, to give 32 teams in the Plate knockout and 32 teams in the Trophy knockout.
• Teams will not be seeded and the ruthless race to 6 will remain, to help the lesser skilled teams progress further.
• Blackball shootouts will decide teams that are tied on points in Sat group stages – frame difference will not be used. All teams to play at least 48 frames of pool before being knocked out.
• The team entry fee is £200.
• The weekend has £19,000 prize fund, with a massive £2,000 cash prize for the Team Champions!
• Men’s Singles pays down to the last 64, spreading more prize money to the lower ranking players.
• The ladies prize was increased in 2024 to £2,400, with £1,000 to the champion!