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Carrom in Ldn & Sth East
080521 Hello
David, I got your name from Mr Bharat Katwa and also have seen your name from
this site. I am very much interested in playing carrom. I have played a lot
in India, but have not played for last 1 year after coming to UK. I live in
Hemel Hempstead, do you know of a club near my place? It would be great if you
could suggest one. Thanks & regards, Sampath Swamy
080525(2) reply to 080521 Hi
Sampath, Sorry to say there are no carrom clubs that I know of in the Hemel
Hempstead area. Support for carrom clubs have reached an all time low and none
of the UKCA clubs operate any more. I am currently considering closing down
the UKCA website. As an alternative try accessing www.carromshop.com you may
be able to join a club there. I've also passed on your email to the guy that
runs CAUK. Hope you find a regular venue. Cheers (David)
080516 Dear
David, I was looking through you great web site and spotted on the bulletin
board section that there was a player living in the Southampton area that was
looking for other players. There was no date attached to this information request
but I am assuming it was fairly recent. I am a novice at this game, although
having played with others in the distant past, I would be interested in starting
to play again. Is it possible for you to forward my email address/contact details
to him on my behalf as there is no way I can do this via your site and he is
not listed in your main contact playing list. Most people I now know are not
really interested in giving this game a go so it could be good to get something
going again. My details are - xxxxxx I am not worried too much who sees this
information, but would prefer all the contact details to only go to specific
interested people and not put on general display. Looking forward to hearing
from you. Regards, (Michael)
080525(1) reply to 080516 Hi
Michael, Unfortunately, enthusiasm and support for this game is dwindling through
the UKCA. All the UKCA carrom clubs have closed and I'm considering closing
down the UKCA website. I've cc'd this email to the carrom player living in Southampton
so that the two of you can make contact. Cheers (David)
080108 Good
morning Mr. McKertich and Mr. Katwa, I am writing to you from USA. After almost
5 years of gap, my wife and I will be re-visiting my cousin Mayur who lives
in Mill Hill (NW7 3BH) area. We will be there from 9:00 AM, Feb. 6th to 9:00
AM, Feb. 12th. In the afternoon of Feb. 12th, we fly to meet up with other members
of the US team who will partake in the WCC events in Cannes. However, I will
be participating ONLY in the Krishan Sharma Open for one day on Feb. 15th. After
missing it out for 28 years of living in the USA, I finally discovered carrom
playing here in 2004. Now, my hunger to play carrom compells me to find fellow
carrom family members wherever I travel. Practicing occassionally in the last
four years has helped me improve my game up to a level of.... slighly above
average - as per US standards. I will appreciate very much if you can give me
names and contact info of some experienced carrom players within 100-150 miles
radius of London. I see that Mr. Katwa is not too far from where Mayur lives.
Moreover, if possible, I would love to play with some members of UK team who
may be going to Cannes. Since I have been in the UK many times, I can free up
myself to play carrom there, practically, at any/every available opportunity.
I don't mind 2-3 hours of travelling --each way-- for playing as many hours
of carrom. More is merrier, of course (overnight sessions, with occassional
hot tea, are the best :-)). I am quite familiar with the tube and other railway/coach
systems in England. My contact there will be my cousin's phone numbers, which
are: Residential #: 0208 959-3983 Mobile #: 0774 555-9476 Thank you very much,
in anticipation of your kind help -- for the love of carrom :-), Atul Kharecha
Cell: (610) 393-3672 Res: (610) 258-5760
080108(2) reply
to 080108
Hello Atul Nice to hear from a fellow-finger-clicker! You have no doubt seen
our website which gives a lot of details of our style of play. The main differences
are that we play forwards only i.e. no back-shots or thumb shots are allowed
and also we play on polished boards not powdered boards. The UK Carrom Assn
is now largely dormant except that I organize an annual tournament (deemed the
national championship) at Wembley in October/November each year. I would have
been happy to give you a few rounds of carrom during February but I am afraid
I am on holidays in India at that time. Good luck. (Bharat Katwa)
080109 reply to 080108
Hi Atul, Thanks for your email. As per Bharat's reply you can see we, at UKCA,
play a slightly different style and follow different rules but that doesn't
mean we avoid entering tournaments organised by other associations. However,
I'm not sure if any of the UKCA players will be entering the WCC events in Cannes.
I've put your message, Bharat's reply and this reply on our Bulletin Board in
the hope that someone will contact you for a game whilst you are in the UK.
I'm not in favour of sending out email addresses of carrom players so I've also
bcc'd some carrom players with this email. If they are interested they will
contact you. Cheers (David)
070102
Hi David, i came across this website a while ago, but have been looking for
carrom leagues/clubs ever since an extended trip to India (10 years ago now!)
I live in Southampton, and would love to play other people. Over the years i
have got various friends interested playing (fleetingly) but want to play others
who are more accomplished. If you get any more interest in the Hants area then
maybe I can look into setting up a local group, great site btw regards (Keith)
070104 reply to 070102 Hi
Keith, If you send me your details I'll put you on the carrom register, this
may generate some contacts in your area. Cheers (David)
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Carrom
in the East
070609 "I went to an exhibition at Alexander Palace
about 9 years ago and saw Carrom for the first time. I had a demonstration and
played a game and was immediately hooked. Within a year I bought a Carrom board
from Karum and my fascination with the game has continued to the present day.
In fact, the more I'm able to play it the stronger my addiction has become.
Unfortunately there is no one in my area who seems to know how to play it and
I have to depend on visits from family members to get a game going. I'm a retired
headteacher and a member of the local U3A. I run a Mah-jong group every Thursday
but would love to set up a similar, regular Carrom session - not necessarily
with someone from the U3A. Is there anyone in the North Norfolk region who would
like to play on a regular basis. If there is they can contact me on 01263761566
or e-mail me at trevdenniss@tiscali.co.uk"
070612 reply to 070609 Hi Trevor,
Even though you are retired, you must have a lot of contacts. Have you considered
coaching youngsters in playing the game. Cheers (David)
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Carrom
in The North
070802 Hi David, I live in newcastle
and I was wondering if you could give me advice on opening up a carom club.
I have not done much planning yet. I am applying for funding and have got a
support worker from a a voluntary organisation and it is very likely that I
will be getting around £1000 of funding. I will be locating in a community venue.
Target beneficiaries will be:
young people aged 11-25
Black and Minority Ethnic Groups
Refugees/Asylum Seekers
The club will be setup as a voluntary organisation aiming to help the local
community. Could you send me any information on setting up a club and how you
have setup tournaments in the past. Any help on the matter will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, (Monju Meah)
070803 reply to 070802 Hi Monju, For
a carrom club to be well supported you need -
1. Good carrom boards
2. Knowledge of the rules
3. A few experienced players
4. An accessible venue that is not totally isolated
5. Means of attracting and retaining new players
6. Regular club sessions
You are fortunate in having some funding, a support worker and a venue at your
disposal. Most clubs start up with a group of players bringing their own boards
and persuading a pub landlord to use their premises.
1. Good carrom boards. This is a must. There are some cheap boards around
(about £25) that start to warp making the carrom pieces travel in the direction
they were not intended to. Use some of your funding to obtain about four decent
boards (about £100 each). There are different types of boards available. Those
that require a surface powder and those that are highly polished and don't require
any powder. The powder less ones are more expensive (about £300). Be also aware
of the type of pockets. Tournament boards have pockets that are inwardly rounded.
You will need these if you are going to run major tournaments or want to get
your players used to them if you want them to compete in tournaments. The boards
and pieces need to be stored securely in a dry environment and maintained on
a regular basis. Have a look at the Bulletin Board messages under 'Carrom
Equipment'.
2.
Knowledge of the rules. You need a rule book so that everyone knows what
rules to follow. What rules does your club intend to follow? There are several
different organisations with their own set of rules. I know of at least three.
The main differences being the use of backshots i.e. striking directly the pieces
that are on or behind the players striking lines. The site supports the UK
Carrom Association rules. I can provide you with booklets of these rules
at £2.50 a booklet. Have a look at the similarities/differences
with the other organisations.
3. A few experienced players. It is important that you have experienced
players from whom new players can learn. Although new players don't want to
be bombarded with all the rules, they need to be aware of those things that
they should not be doing. Obviously allowances have to be made in the early
stages of learning otherwise the new players may consider this game to be too
complicated to master.
4. An accessible venue that is not totally isolated. Because you are
using a community venue it should be easy to get to and not down the beaten
track. Some of your funding may be towards the venue. However, making a token
charge for making use of the games facilities is not a bad thing. Most players
won't object to being charged the equivalent of the price of a pint. The money
collected could also be used for competition prizes. Don't have your club sessions
behind closed doors. The game needs exposure to non players. Secure storage
facilities for the boards at the venue will also be very useful rather than
having to transport the boards before and after every session.
5. Means of attracting and retaining new players. Without the influx
of new players and the retention of existing players the club will just die.
The club sessions need to be well publicised. New players must feel that they
are welcome, shown how to improve and enjoy themselves during the club sessions.
Involvement is the key. Don't try and run the club on your own. Get a minimum
of three or four others to help you. Perhaps you can rotate the help provided.
Try to avoid cliques being formed.
6. Regular club sessions. Most clubs tend to have sessions once a month.
If you have it once a week then players know that if they don't turn up this
week they can always catch a session the following week. But if it's just once
a month then they know that they will have to wait another whole month before
they can get a game. All players like to be competitive and prove they are better
than the next person. However, don't try to start running leagues as you will
need the commitment of every player to turn up at every club session. Start
with a simple 'ladder'. Each winner is placed above the person they beat. Eventually
you will have a list of players in order of ability. By all means have a club
tournament periodically. This needs organising to run efficiently. Most tournaments
are run under the Swiss System. Under this system if there are 32 or less entrants
every entrant will get to play 5 games even though they lose every one of their
games.
Other advice can be gleaned from messages under 'London &
the South East'.
Let me know how you get on. Cheers (David)
070803(2) reply to 070803 Hi David, This is some
fantastic stuff you have sent me. I am really excited about opening up a carrom
club where I live. I have a brilliant market. The 5 streets next to the venue
I am setting up in (which is free by the way) are 80% Bengali and Pakistani.
But I have some friends from Burma and Sudan who say that they have played carom
before and want to join the club when it is open. I want to promote the club
and the game of carrom across all nationalities and all ages. I attended a few
meetings today with some community groups and they pledged their support if
the club was to open. Could get up to £300 sponsorship (fingers crossed) from
these organisations plus free promotion through their offices, email networks,
newsletters, company magazines and their events. It's looking really good. We
are going to write up a constitution, open a bank account and draw up some budgeted
accounts. I have 3 other guys helping me and will form the management committee.
We are gonna be using powdered boards and will most liklely get about 5 or 6
boards, roughly £60 each. I am hoping to promote at the Newcastle mela and other
similar events in Newcastle. I can also use these opportunities to raise some
funds. e.g. a mini tournament, or get 3 shots in and win £10 - 50p a go. Thanks
David, you have been a big help. I'll be in touch. (Monj)
070804 reply to 070803(2) Hi
Monj, With most of your players coming from different parts of the world, make
sure all of you play to one set of rules. I was born and brought up in Burma
and played carrom at school to a different set of rules e.g. the Queen was not
covered but had to be pocketed on the last shot on a rebound. Cheers (David)
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Carrom
in Wales/South West
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Carrom
Equipment
070215 Hi David I just read a message saying that
polished Carrom boards are no longer sold commercially in the UK. As far as
I know they are sold through Compendia in Greenwich Market (Tel: 020 8293 6616)
with best wishes (Geoff)
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Site
Comments
070102
Great site (Keith, Southampton)
061107 Hi, Fantastic site! There's nothing else like it around (Will)
050328
Hi
David: Saw your site while visiting my brother on Exmoor - very nice.
(Alan
Martin) Visiting
Canadian player.
020928 Hi
David, thanks very much for your great site.
(Karen)
Note message
continued under Carrom Boards/Powder.
020913(1) David,
may I suggest that the additional details (or new details) which are included
in the website updates be highlighted with some other colour than the present
red - it blends with the background brown and hardly visible with the naked
eye. (Bharat)
020913(2) reply to 020913(1)
Bharat, thanks for pointing out the viewing problem. It doesn't show up as a
problem on my monitor.
When I first designed the website what I was trying to achieve was a view of
the screen that looked like a carrom board i.e. a dark wood coloured frame around
the outside and a light wood colour background. However, I soon realised that
viewers want to see good content and not flashy gizmos and wasted space. This
is why the dark frame background never got passed the drawing board and the
dark strip down the left is all that remains.
I also realised that not all computers are to the same specification level and
colours have to be chosen from a narrow band. That is why I couldn't use a light
wood with a wood grain effect. I also followed the unwritten standard colours
that exist when displaying data. Black for normal text, blue for unused links
and red for used links. That is why I didn't notice the problem as the links
were blue but after use they changed to red.
Anyway getting back to your point. To change all the links colour would be a
major effort. So what I have done is change the background colour of where the
biggest problems are i.e. the initial splash page which highlights the latest
changes to the website, and the column of names/email addresses on the Directory
of Players.
I wish more viewers were as observant as you and highlight problems or suggestions
for improvements. Cheers (David)
020510 Well
done with carrom.org.uk ... how did you draw the big board on the homepage ?
(Marco Herbst)
020512 reply to 020510 The
big board on our splash page was drawn using Fireworks from Macromedia. It wasn't
intended to but has now become our logo. The board used in the Flash (Macromedia)
animation was an earlier version. The large carrom pieces, with text and links
to the rest of the site, shown on the home page was drawn using Fireworks and
so were the navigation buttons down the left hand frame. (David)
010813 Paula
and I were just browsing the web site and both enjoyed it thoroughly. Glad to
see things are still alive with fresh names and venues. Best of luck for your
continuing success. (Ram & Paula)
010814 reply to
010813 Good
to hear from you. Its not the same without the two of you. Nobody wants to get
involved anymore. (David)
010722(1) Great
web site!!!! (Guy Moreton)
010401
Hi
David, have a look at http://members.tripod.de/CFBGL. Greetings (Jörg)
010404 reply to 010401
Hi Jörg,
I had a look at your site but, unfortunately, I don't know enough German to
appreciate the information on your site. Thanks for providing a link to this
site, I've set up a link to your site. Cheers (David)
010405 Hi David,
thanks for your answer. Maybe I can play Carrom on Monday, 09 April, at Chiddingly
during my holiday. Nice greetings from Germany. Cheers Jörg
000503
Great
web site. I'll update my links as soon as I can. Are any of you joining us for
the next Eurocup in Italy? I used to enjoy receiving your club's magazine is
it still going? Regards to all, (Elisa Martinelli)
000504 Reply to 000503 Yes
we will still have a magazine which will be called 'The Pocket'. An Acrobat
Reader version is attached which I hope you can access. Cheers (David)
000501 Nice Homepage you made. I will put a link on my carrom site… (Carlito Bollin)
000429 Congratulations on the public unveiling of an exceptionally good site. It is difficult to believe it is your first. Well done… (Bottleneck)
000428 Looks really great. You're an expert… (David Cunliffe)
000419 Congratulations on the birth of a new site. I have only just looked at the website, and I am very impressed. You have clearly put a lot of effort into the production and it will act as an excellent shop-window for UKCA… (Trevor Munns)
000406 New site is really good. Well done… (Ram Chatlani)
000405(1) It looks great! Although, I would have thought that you might have placed some carrom music and some animation oh well I guess it can't have it all...... Just kidding looks good all of the URL's work fine, did you generate the graphics?? … (Mark Hetherington)
000405(2) Now had a longer look at the website and it looks great. Keep up the good work. (Peter Sweeney)
000404
Congratulations! The set-up is excellent with all useful links to other information.
Well done David! (Bharat Katwa)
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Contacts. If you have any questions you would like answered then please do contact any of the UKCA committee members or local club organisers.
| Chairman | Stephen Daws | Stephen |
| Membership Secretary | Terry Moldrich | 27 Hornchurch Hill, Whyteleafe, Surrey CR3 0DA |
| 'The Pocket' Newsletter | Trevor Munns | Trevor |
| Webmaster | David McKertich | David |
| Croydon CC | Tim Kirkby | Tim |
| Sussex CC | Mick Aldridge | Mick |
| Thames Valley CC | Trevor Munns | Trevor |
| Wembley CC | Bharat Katwa | Bharat |