Monthly Archives: April 2026

Yes, the SAM Balmoral pool table features a “ProActive” cushion system designed to emulate the performance of steel block cushions found on professional snooker tables.

These are £4499.00p on john parrot sports web site , my client says the cloth is a bit bobbly so it will require a re-cloth . although no rips are in the cloth . it was just the wrong choice of cloth when fitted .

Or if you are happy with it use it as is for a while as it is , if you wish just to buy it then save for a re-cloth at a later date .

My client is looking for just £1500 for the table A BARGAIN PRICE for one of these as it stands on site .
NOW REDUCED TO MAKE A REASONABLE OFFER !

I relocated this table for my client a couple of years ago from his fathers house .

And noted then it was in extremely good condition .

As an extra a re-cloth can cost anywhere between £350 and £450 depending on cloth grade and colour .

The price of the table is as it stands on site with its original cloth on it , the buyer is responsible to organise the dismantle and loading onto their van to take away .

This table is a free play table finished in Oak .

See photos for shade of oak finish cabinet and legs .

7ft

Exterior Dimensions – 214cm x 122cm

Slate Dimensions – 186cm x 94cm

Weight – 250kg

Even if you paid for a re-cloth the price would still be below £2000

and a whopping saving of around £2500 from new price .

Sam pool tables are built like a tank , where more lower cost UK tables are made from low cost materials , these SAM tables made in Spain are made from the best materials , and therefore cost over twice as much as say a supreme winner the market leader here in the UK , you may even see these SAM Balmoral tables for sale over £5000 , but John parrot was the lowest price I could find of £4499.00p

I have a few clients who swear by the quality of their Balmoral or Atlantic 7ft pool table .

The Balmoral in my opinion is made for the Home with its modern rounded look , while the Atlantic with its sharper angled lines and faceted diamond chrome embellishments is for industrial pool hall use .

The Atlantic looks more fun fair bling table

The Balmoral just sits right for in the Home .

If you would like a bespoke dismantle loading , traveling unloading and erect on site with a re-cloth of choice , then GCL Billiards will quote for this Ground floor to Ground floor only .

The table is located close to Loughborough / Leicester area . and is on a ground floor room .

I have the best Hainsworth cloths in stock even stock Ultimate pool in teal .

PLEASE NOTE , the cost of a re-cloth and removal delivery and set up is not included in the £1500 price of the table , for a quote for these extras please contact Geoff at GCL Billiards for a quote giving post code in full and NO STAIRS .

Been local very close to Belvoir Castle to renovate the Riley Snooker table of Mark , a returning client .
A table I moved from a neighboring village to him and owned then by a well known Sky TV sports reporter .
of which I moved the table for him also a few years back .
Well the cushions where a bit dead the last time I relocated the table , having had some inferior cushion rubber fitted to it around the early 1980s .

The best snooker / billiards rubber to fit to a table is Northern Rubber , used to be made in Retford Nottinghamshire , but now manufactured all in house out in Malaysia but still to the old Nottinghamshire N.R. based specification , and owned and run by Hainsworth a UK Leeds firm .
Photo above my gluing board , allows all 6 rubbers backing to be covered in glue in one go .
Rubber is sanded to give a key to the gluing surface , before glue is applied .

The cushions stripped and cleaned of old rubber and glue , rebate sanded to give a key to surface
and coated with glue .

Cloth of choice and asked for by this client was Strachan 6811 Tournament 30 oz weight .
all pure new wool .
I do give my Clients a choice of cloth and colour and grade and advise then to the play to expect
form the different brands and thickness and grades and cloth mix .
2 main cloth firms I use are Strachan and Hainsworth …both I am please to say UK manufacturers of the highest grades of Billiards cloth .

Mark standing , looking at the finished table , he was delighted in the cloth colour , and the workmanship
The table is located in a out building .

Looks very nice with the new nets and leathers .

Centre pockets flush to slate fall , some fitters do struggle to achieve this , but you will find that Time served fitters do work to this high quality .
We have seen some shocking work by so called fitters , based all around the UK , so be careful who you employ to dot he work for you , I was sent one photo only this week by a fitter and he found a shocking attempt to do a re-cloth and pull the cloth nice and neat down the fall .

As an example of what we may find on a table from previous fitters work .

To finish off , Mark was that pleased with the work he let me fit one of our GCL Billiards name plates on the Black ball end of the table .