Tenball
{{Short description|1995 snooker tournament in London, England}}
{{distinguish|text=ten-ball, a professionally competitive pool game}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox individual snooker tournament
|tournament_name=Tenball
|logo=
|dates={{Start and end dates|1995|04|8|1995|05|20|df=y}}
|venue=Methodist Church Hall
|location=London
|country=United Kingdom
|Total prize fund=
|winners_share=£20,000
|format=
|winner={{nowrap|{{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White}}
|runner_up={{nowrap|{{flagicon|ENG}} Ronnie O'Sullivan}}
|score=3–1
|previous=
|next=}}
Tenball was a cue sports tournament that was staged only once, in 1995. It was a hybrid of snooker and pool rules and gameplay, played on a snooker table with snooker balls. An ITV/LWT TV series Tenball, hosted by Phillip Schofield, ran for one 1995 series, forming an eight-man tournament, ultimately won by Jimmy White.
Rules
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;float:left; margin:1em 2em 1em 0em;" | |
| Colour | Value |
|---|---|
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Red ball|Red}} | 1 point |
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Green ball|Green}} | 3 points |
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Brown ball|Brown}} | 4 points |
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Blue ball|Blue}} | 5 points |
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Pink ball|Pink}} | 6 points |
| 14px {{Cuegloss|Black ball|Black}} | 7 points |
| 14px Black-and-yellow | 10 points |
File:Snooker Tenball table drawing.svg
The game and the ITV/LWT TV series Tenball focused on a tournament that was created in 1995 by a team consisting of managers Russ Lindsay and Peter Powell, snooker player Steve Davis who devised the rules and entrepreneur Barry Hearn who was asked to do the promotion for the event to add razzmatazz to the show. The series was hosted by Phillip Schofield and its set was designed by Andy Walmsley.{{Cite web | title = TENBALL – ADAM'S NOSTALGIC MEMORIES | work = ADAM'S NOSTALGIC MEMORIES | accessdate = 2018-05-21 | url = https://adamnostalgia.wordpress.com/tag/tenball/ | url-status = live | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180523090716/https://adamnostalgia.wordpress.com/tag/tenball/ | archivedate = 2018-05-23 }} The sole season, in 1995, saw Jimmy White win the tournament, while Peter Ebdon achieved the highest break of 122 (out of a possible 200).
The hybrid snooker/pool game the show revolves around is not regularly played outside the show, and features a {{Cuegloss|pack}} ({{cuegloss|rack}}) of 16 {{Cuegloss|object balls}} in a diamond configuration, 15 {{cuegloss|red ball|reds}} worth 1 each and a black-and-yellow 10 ball, as well as various {{cuegloss|colour ball|colour balls}} with differing point values, on specific {{cuegloss|spot|spots}}. The pack is not racked at the {{cuegloss|top|top of the table}} behind the {{cuegloss|pink spot}} as it would be in snooker, but, unlike in any other form of pocket billiards, racked in the middle of the table on the {{cuegloss|center spot|centre spot}}.
Games competed over for ITV's Tenball series featured best of five frame matches. However, unlike in regular snooker, the first potted colour in a break associated the score for every colour potted in that break thereafter, rather than the score of the colour that the ball that was potted.{{Cite web | title = Tenball - UKGameshows | work = ukgameshows.com | accessdate = 21 May 2018 | url = http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Tenball | url-status = live | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170702044844/http://ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Tenball | archivedate = 2 July 2017 }}{{Cite web | title = Tenball - mix between pool and snooker | work = euronet.nl | date = 25 July 2013 | accessdate = 21 May 2018 | url = http://www.euronet.nl/users/cor/tenball.html | url-status = live | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170408095500/http://www.euronet.nl/users/cor/tenball.html | archivedate = 8 April 2017 }} The series also promoted {{cuegloss|ball in hand}} similar to pool if a foul was played, or could receive ten points for each foul shot. Three consecutive fouls from a player would cause them to lose the frame.
Prize money
File:Jimmy White PHC 2016-1.JPG won the tournament, defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.]]
A potential £30,000 was on offer in the tournament (plus potential losers/appearance money that was not divulged), with £10,000 for a {{cuegloss|maximum break}} of 200, and £20,000 for the winner (Jimmy White).{{Cite web | title = Who Remembers Tenball? | work = thecueview.com | accessdate = 2018-05-21 | url = http://www.thecueview.com/who-remembers-tenball-.html | url-status = live | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180523090716/http://www.thecueview.com/who-remembers-tenball-.html | archivedate = 2018-05-23 }}
Results
Eight players competed in the Tenball tournament. In the semi-finals, Jimmy White defeated Tony Drago with a score of 3-1, while Ronnie O'Sullivan triumphed over Stephen Hendry with a 3-1 victory. The final saw Jimmy White emerging victorious against Ronnie O'Sullivan with a score of 3-1.{{Cite web |last=Monique |date=2020-03-28 |title=Blast from the past … Tenball |url=https://ronnieo147.com/2020/03/28/blast-from-the-past-tenball/ |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=Ronnie O'Sullivan |language=en}}
{{8TeamBracket-Compact | RD1=Quarter-finals
Best of 5 {{Cuegloss|Frame|frames}}
| RD2=Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames
| RD3=Final
Best of 5 frames
| RD1-seed1=
| RD1-team1={{flagicon|ENG}} Steve Davis
| RD1-score1=1
| RD1-seed2=
| RD1-team2={{flagicon|MLT}} Tony Drago
| RD1-score2=3
| RD1-seed3=
| RD1-team3={{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White
| RD1-score3=3
| RD1-seed4=
| RD1-team4={{flagicon|NIR}} Alex Higgins
| RD1-score4=0
| RD1-seed5=
| RD1-team5={{flagicon|ENG}} John Parrott
| RD1-score5=1
| RD1-seed6=
| RD1-team6={{flagicon|ENG}} Ronnie O'Sullivan
| RD1-score6=3
| RD1-seed7=
| RD1-team7={{flagicon|SCO}} Stephen Hendry
| RD1-score7=3
| RD1-seed8=
| RD1-team8={{flagicon|ENG}} Peter Ebdon
| RD1-score8=1
| RD2-seed1=
| RD2-team1={{flagicon|MLT}} Tony Drago
| RD2-score1=1
| RD2-seed2=
| RD2-team2={{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White
| RD2-score2=3
| RD2-seed3=
| RD2-team3={{flagicon|ENG}} Ronnie O'Sullivan
| RD2-score3=3
| RD2-seed4=
| RD2-team4={{flagicon|SCO}} Stephen Hendry
| RD2-score4=1
| RD3-seed1=
| RD3-team1={{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy White
| RD3-score1=3
| RD3-seed2=
| RD3-team2={{flagicon|ENG}} Ronnie O'Sullivan
| RD3-score2=1
}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
- {{Cite web | title = Wildcat Lanes and Game Center | work = weber.edu | accessdate = 2018-05-23 | url = http://departments.weber.edu/wildcatlanes/billiards/rules/ten.htm | url-status = bot: unknown | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141114022246/http://departments.weber.edu/wildcatlanes/billiards/rules/ten.htm | archivedate = 2014-11-14 }}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.andywalmsley.com/show.php?project_id=63|title=Set Design|website=Andywalmsley|access-date=2 December 2023}}
}}
{{Snooker season 1994/1995}}
Category:1995 British television series debuts
Category:1995 British television series endings
Category:1990s British game shows
Category:1990s British sports television series
Category:Defunct snooker competitions
Category:British English-language television shows
Category:London Weekend Television shows