It seems such an easy task ..
1 drop all the reds into the triangle
2 lean on the triangle and push it forward until it hits the Pink spot
3 Lean on the reds and squeeze them together so that they all touch each other with no gaps
4 Lift the triangle out of the way and drop the Pink ball on its spot
Alas, we have just managed to damage the cloth to the point where it may no longer roll true, at the most important area of the table top yet!
So what went wrong?
1 Never drop the balls into the triangle. Instead, roll the balls to the top of the table and form a triangle with them using your forearms. Then roll them forward a little and lay the triangle over them. This way, we dont create dimples in the cloth.
2 Put the Pink ball alongside its spot, about an inch to the side. Lift the back of the triangle a little off the cloth so that you are not scraping it along the cloth against the nap and roll it forward until, using the Pink ball as a marker, you judge that the ball at the head of the triangle is just behind where the Pink would be were it on its own spot.
3 At this point put gentle pressure between the back row of reds and the rear of the triangle. Note that there is no requirement in the rules for there to be no gaps within the pack of reds .. in fact that would be impossible with a set of balls with a few miles on them. So there is no need to do even this, it is just a courtesy.
4 Bend down and visually line up the reds down the centre of the pack with the Blue and Brown to ensure that the reds are square to the table properly.
5 Holding the rear of the triangle, lift the nose off the pack of reds and then lift the triangle clear. The Pink is almost in place, so go around the side of the table and roll it directly onto its spot
Now the reds and pink ball are properly spotted, the cloth is still flat and free of dimples, the table is properly squared up and the players can play confident that you have done a good job.
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Here is a trick for your club to make it easier to properly position the reds behind the Pink:
Lay one of the cheap plastic triangles on a level surface and, mark one corner approx 1 1/16" above the surface. Then cut the nose off the corner starting at the mark you made, back towards the bottom at 45 - 60 degrees. Sand off all sharp edges, corners and splinters.
Now place the Pink on its spot. With the new 'nose' at the front of the triangle, roll it forward until it touches the Pink ball. Lift off the triangle and you will now consistently have the requisite 'close to but not touching' gap between the Pink and the front of the reds.
Here is what the new triangle should look like:
1 drop all the reds into the triangle
2 lean on the triangle and push it forward until it hits the Pink spot
3 Lean on the reds and squeeze them together so that they all touch each other with no gaps
4 Lift the triangle out of the way and drop the Pink ball on its spot
Alas, we have just managed to damage the cloth to the point where it may no longer roll true, at the most important area of the table top yet!
So what went wrong?
1 Never drop the balls into the triangle. Instead, roll the balls to the top of the table and form a triangle with them using your forearms. Then roll them forward a little and lay the triangle over them. This way, we dont create dimples in the cloth.
2 Put the Pink ball alongside its spot, about an inch to the side. Lift the back of the triangle a little off the cloth so that you are not scraping it along the cloth against the nap and roll it forward until, using the Pink ball as a marker, you judge that the ball at the head of the triangle is just behind where the Pink would be were it on its own spot.
3 At this point put gentle pressure between the back row of reds and the rear of the triangle. Note that there is no requirement in the rules for there to be no gaps within the pack of reds .. in fact that would be impossible with a set of balls with a few miles on them. So there is no need to do even this, it is just a courtesy.
4 Bend down and visually line up the reds down the centre of the pack with the Blue and Brown to ensure that the reds are square to the table properly.
5 Holding the rear of the triangle, lift the nose off the pack of reds and then lift the triangle clear. The Pink is almost in place, so go around the side of the table and roll it directly onto its spot
Now the reds and pink ball are properly spotted, the cloth is still flat and free of dimples, the table is properly squared up and the players can play confident that you have done a good job.
-------------------------------------------------
Here is a trick for your club to make it easier to properly position the reds behind the Pink:
Lay one of the cheap plastic triangles on a level surface and, mark one corner approx 1 1/16" above the surface. Then cut the nose off the corner starting at the mark you made, back towards the bottom at 45 - 60 degrees. Sand off all sharp edges, corners and splinters.
Now place the Pink on its spot. With the new 'nose' at the front of the triangle, roll it forward until it touches the Pink ball. Lift off the triangle and you will now consistently have the requisite 'close to but not touching' gap between the Pink and the front of the reds.
Here is what the new triangle should look like:
If using a professional rack (like the Riley shown here):
First note that the pointer at the front is exactly 12 3/4" from the rear edge of the frame, so that if you place the back of this frame against the top rail, the pointer at the front will be hovering over the Black spot. Good for checking.
As before, form the reds up in a triangle first, roll the triangle forward and then place the frame over it.
Pull the frame back and position it so that it rests eveny against the top cushion and the pointer is over the Black spot. Now roll it forward (without pressing down on it) until the pointer hovers over the Pink spot. Lean down to ensure that the reds are square with the Blue and Brown balls. The reads are now perfectly positioned. Holding the back or the frame, lift the BACK of the frame up and roll it FORWARDS from the reds, then lift it off the table.
As before, form the reds up in a triangle first, roll the triangle forward and then place the frame over it.
Pull the frame back and position it so that it rests eveny against the top cushion and the pointer is over the Black spot. Now roll it forward (without pressing down on it) until the pointer hovers over the Pink spot. Lean down to ensure that the reds are square with the Blue and Brown balls. The reads are now perfectly positioned. Holding the back or the frame, lift the BACK of the frame up and roll it FORWARDS from the reds, then lift it off the table.
