THE Wiltshire Ladies pool team are dedicating the finest achievement in their history to the memory of the man that set up the county association.

In April 1997, the Wiltshire County Blackball Pool Federation marked their formation by playing teams from the England Pool Counties Federation at the Foresters Arms pub in Melksham, with father-of-four Paul Rodgers behind the county’s new organisation.

Rodgers was tragically stabbed to death in Trowbridge in May 2002 but earlier this month, Wiltshire Ladies A Diamonds paid tribute by reigning supreme at the English Blackball Pool Federation National County Finals in Selsey, Sussex.

County manager Rachel Tucker was part of the original Wiltshire teams formed almost two decades ago, as was vice-captain Vicki Mills, and she says that Rodgers was at the forefront of her team’s minds after they beat Lancashire 11-8 in the final.

“It’s kind of gone full circle because myself and Vicki were there on the very first day when Paul Rodgers founded Wiltshire Pool,” said Tucker, who sank a dramatic ‘cocked hat’ shot off three cushions to win the decisive frame for her side.

“He founded blackball in our county and put together two sides. Paul tragically died but he started the whole thing.

“(The win) was for him, really. Me and Vicki are dedicating this to him because without him, we probably wouldn’t have got involved in playing pool.

“He put us on that path and what we want to try and do is recreate the Wiltshire Festival of Pool later in the year and get the England teams back at the Forresters Arm in Melksham, where it all began.

“Vicki has played every single year for 20 seasons and she’s the only player that’s been there the whole time, so it was very, very poignant because it was me and her left at the end.

“For me to sink the winning black, it was like the whole thing had come full circle. We’d come back together and won a national title in our 20th year.”

Wiltshire’s youth, U23s and masters (over 50) sides all also reached their respective quarter-finals in Selsey.

Tucker added: “That has created a lot of interest now in Wiltshire pool.

“It’s just grown into something a lot bigger than where we started, which was in the local pub, if you like.”

The county pool federation are looking for new youth players, for more information, contact secretary Marcial Paterson maricel102582@hotmail.co.uk.