OVER 300 players representing 11 countries and islands will be in Jersey later this month for the European eight-ball Pool Team Championships.

Jersey is hosting the Championships for the first time and the event will be the the biggest ever pool competition staged in the Channel Islands as 20 tables, imported by French company St Bois, are to be set up at the Hotel de France in St Helier.Two men’s teams of Channel Islands cueists will be competing against teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Belgium, France, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Malta and the Isle of Man.Organiser Paul Bolton said: ‘It promises to be another excellent few days of competition.

All the Jersey players are looking forward to rubbing shoulders with leading players from around Europe again and hopefully our teams will give a good account of themselves.’Last year’s event in Ireland was a tremendous success and everyone will be out to topple England as they won everything.’The Channel Islands will have two five-man teams taking part, the A-team will be made of Guernsey players while the B-team players will be from Jersey.Channel Islands teams have also been entered into the ladies and juniors events.The playing format is the same for each group.

All round-robin matches will be the best of 15 frames with the top four teams in each section then playing in semi-finals for a place in the grand final.Action from one table will be beamed around Europe as a webcam is going to be set up at the Hotel de France.Jersey players representing the CI in the European tournament are the men’s B-team of Alan Humphreys (captain), Gary Cooke, Chris Melville, Adie Bougourd, Aaron Canavan and David Snell; ladies Rhy Brooks (captain) and Lisa Devlin and juniors Christian Moriarty (captain), Carl Dix, Clive De Sousa and Andy Stentiford.

The Europeans are being staged between 22 and 26 February.Champion’s challengeThe Channel Islands men’s B team will be getting in some extra practise on Thursday night at the Tipsy Toad Town House in St Helier.

World BAPTO champion Ross McInnes, who is competing in the Jersey Festival of Pool at the Mayfair Hotel next week, will pay £20 to any pool player in the Island who can beat him.The CI team players will start the challenge at the Town House at 8 pm.