The Expat pool League Jakarta
I'll be honest with you, I've never really taken At the swimming pool. These are all the rules that I can not handle. You know, those regulations that say you can only use one end of the tail to hit the ball, or if you hit the wrong ball you are punished, or put the wrong ball in a hole, you punished. Put the ball right into the wrong hole, you are punished, and worse, if applicable ball goes to the table that you get punished! Seriously, it is worse than being in school!
It is undeniable that, at least when it comes to Jakarta, I am in the minority. Here, people seem to love the game and take as seriously as others take trainspotting and collection of diseased air sacs. The expat scene is no different. I remember not parading my skills in a bar known for his serious attitude to the game and oh boy, the looks I am local hustlers! I felt like I was standing on the Kop in Liverpool wearing a shirt of Manchester United.
So if ever the city was ripe for a pool league, he was Jakarta. It is an opportunity for local fans to meet and prove their mettle through the city against the souls of mind as in a social atmosphere, friendly possibly fueled by the entry of the golden nectar.
Discussions began for the league in 2002 and now, over a decade later Wednesday night pool is an essential part of the social scene expatriates for many people. Sixteen teams compete in two divisions; Expat League and the International League of Women.
Ten bars came in 2014 with some enter more than one team and the current season, which started in February, is approaching the business end of the campaign and at the top of the table, things get serious.
After the matches played on 23 April, this way the league Expat look:
Expat League Table
As you can see, things are very exciting at the top with perhaps the best seven teams, all with a chance to get first place at the end of the season.
Purely for research purposes, you understand, I dragged myself up for their game with Cazbar Killers Murphy. I knew that the Knights have struggled this season; I read the comments of regular misfortune in BuGils newsletter Every two weeks so I wanted to see if they could earn their first win of the season against Killers Murphy.
Downstairs the bar was quiet. But upstairs, where the pool table was, things were another matter. The atmosphere was almost football-like. The teams and their hangers-on and drinking partners were gathered in separate areas and, let's be honest, they were loud drunk butts!
While players of the respective teams stood at the table, chalking their cues and look seriously, they were encouraged by their own support with a mixture of "woah", "come on" and "yay" , which look much tamer in the press that what they do when bellowed in a smoke-filled bar.
There appears to be a close game with player trading game in equal measure. The first was a tie, but Murphy took the lead in the second game up. Knights responded by winning the third game by letting the ready uniformly 1-1 midterm. the skipper of knights, Foppe Kok, took the lead in his first match, but was pegged back to another draw and the next game followed the same pattern.
The final match saw the opposing team, roared their followers drunk, take the lead, but it did not last. Knights leveled in the final game and the game ended in a draw. Both sets of players celebrated like they had won the World Cup and it took me a few minutes to work that had actually won!
In fashion journalist, I approached the captain of the local team, Foppe. "We did not win but it was a good result," he pasty. "What was good about tonight is that it was a good laugh. We do not take ourselves too seriously and neither do", indicating the opponents.
In the ladies game, killers defeated the Knights 2-0, but as was said Foppe, who cares anyway. It was the middle of the week and it was a good evening. The Cazbar Knights remain winless after 10 games, but this draw saw them move above Outlaws Cowboy 15 e place.
For serious players, they have their own event to wait. 10 e May, Jakarta After Hour, a pool hall / bar Sarinah building on Jalan Thamrin sells its beer in frosted glasses, welcomes Asian expatriates challenges featuring Indonesia teams, Thailand, Singapore, China and Vietnam. In fact, such is the interest in the case where the games are beamed bar direct return in the cities being represented.
If you are interested in more information on the Expat Pool League Jakarta check their website for devices and upcoming events. http://www.jakartapoolleague.com/
For more information about Asia Expat Pool Challenge their website is http://asiaexpatpool.com/