Tenball

Not to be confused with ten-ball, a professionally competitive pool (pocket billiards) game.

Tenball is a cue sport that (with some minor modifications) is played on the same table and with the same balls as snooker, its rules and gameplay being a mix of those of snooker and of pool. The game and the ITV/LWT TV series Tenball focused on a tournament of it were created in 1995 by a team consisting of managers Russ Lindsay and Peter Powell, entrepreneur Barry Hearn, and snooker and pool player Steve Davis. The series was hosted by Phillip Schofield and its set was designed by Andy Walmsley. The sole season, in 1995, had Jimmy White win the tournament, while Peter Ebdon achieved the highest break of 122 (out of a possible 200).

The hybrid snooker/pool game the show revolves around is not regularly played outside the show, and features a pack (Rack) of 16 object balls in a diamond configuration, 15 reds worth 1 each and a black-and-yellow 10 ball, as well as various colour balls with differing point values, on specific spots. The pack is not racked at the top of the table behind the pink spot as it would be in snooker, but, unlike in any other form of pocket billiards, racked in the middle of the table on the centre spot.

Results

Quarter-finals
Best of 5 frames
  Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames
  Final
Best of 5 frames
England  Steve Davis 1  
Malta  Tony Drago 3     Malta  Tony Drago 1  
England  Jimmy White 3   England  Jimmy White 3  
Northern Ireland  Alex Higgins 0       England  Jimmy White 3
England  John Parrott 1       England  Ronnie O'Sullivan 1
England  Ronnie O'Sullivan 3     England  Ronnie O'Sullivan 3
Scotland  Stephen Hendry 3   Scotland  Stephen Hendry 1  
England  Peter Ebdon 1  

References