Kent A 1987 + Snow

When it comes to 8 ball pool in the 1980s Sheppey were top draw Half The Kent A team was made up from Sheppey players, Even the Kent Ladies had at least two Sheppey ladies in their team, Phyllis Perkins, and Alison Davies, In 1986 Alison Davies was Kent Ladies singles Champion and representing Kent in the Region 7 Finals to be played at two venues in North London, Islington & Highbury, Now many people will remember this particular Sunday in January 1987 that was the day Sheppey got Snowed in,The EPA were holding Trials for the England Team, Once again we hired a mini bus and i took the Sheppey men, Along with Alison Davies & Kevin Her Husband up to London,The Men's Trials were being played at Islington, The Ladies finals were at Highbury, Although they had arranged to play the Ladies single FINAL at Islington,There was a lot of pool played that day and Tony Gray came with in a whisker of being selected for England but didn’t quite make it ,Some say he should have done as he had won most of his games, However The Ladies had returned to play the final of the singles and Alison was in the final, It was now about half past eleven

we were watching the news on the telly and seeing the snow pilling up on Sheppey, Alison won that final to become Region 7 Ladies single Champion to add to her Kent title, At least we were coming home with a Trophy, We left London about one in the morning not realising just how bad it was going to be, When we hit the M2 it was chaotic abandon cars and buses everywhere we weaved our way through and just kept going you could not see the exit from the motor way on to the A249 so i just guessed it and got it right, had to go the wrong way round the Queenborough roundabout as it was strewn with abandon cars to drop Farbee off’ Next stop halfway drop off Alison & kevin this is where the police stop us and wanted to know where we were going i told them Eastchurch Warden bay & Leysdown They just laugh at us and said there’s no way your going to get through to Eastchurch never mind Warden Bay, They were right we got stuck on Minster hill we turned the bus round and came back to halfway the police were waiting for us and just Laugh their heads off, So we went back to Farbee’s house he was not best pleased to see us after all he had not long been married but we stayed there the night, next morning i called

Jimmy ( muppet) Mumford knowing he had a long wheel base,four wheel drive range rover, We just waited in QSC for him to pick us up and take us home Good old Jimmy, I phoned the garage we hired the bus from and told them where it was they just said bring the keys in when you can.

. picture attach only one i have of Alison Davies she is standing between Rob Curtis And G. Miller, photo Sheppey 1987.