Pub 32, Day 11 – The Graduate

The Quest for the 50p Pool Table 
Volume Two: The Two Black Balls   

By A. R. R. Wilson

This blog is the second in a trilogy of posts. Together, they detail our epic search for a 50p pool table and all the adventures along the way.

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After the opening chapter of our trilogy, we decided to rethink our tactics in pursuit of The Holy Grail. A student pub, we reasoned, would bring us more success – its inhabitants are eternally skint, and quite often have absolutely nothing to do with their day, making cheap pool the perfect distraction. With this in mind, we took our odyssey deeper into Middle Sheffield, to The Graduate by Hallam Uni. What's more, as it was just 2pm, we hoped to catch it before the students arrived for breakfast.

As a kid, on holiday in sunny Scarborough, I remember finding a pool table which cost just 20 pence to play. Such an outcome was but a distant dream on this dreary day in Sheffield. Things were simpler back then...

However, as I had only recently moved back to Sheffield from Howden, I was determined not to be beaten. In sleepy Howden, all pool tables were 50p a pop. Suddenly, on my return to the big city, I was faced with paying twice the price for the same product. No other commodity doubled in price after my relocation – I shudder to think how much a game of pool costs in London.

“I hear the landlord's thinking of putting the pool table up to tuppence a game.”
“Ridiculous! Who's gonna pay that?”

The Graduate is a good-looking pub, with a modern feel and an inviting layout. Located by the beautiful Tudor Square, it is an excellent venue to sit outside and watch the world go by (if the weather permits). The pub is part of the Stonegate Pubs chain, and so has a semi-Spoons vibe about it, but at the same time comes across as much trendier. This is proven by the absence of bearded middle-aged men, a staple of the Spoons diet; in their place are energetic tables of students.

The beer selection though was not the most exciting – ales were sold, but they were all so familiar as to make us turn to lager. A pint of Estrella was selected – a Catalan beer which I once became somewhat addicted to while on holiday in Barcelona.

Upon heading over to the pool table, we were immediately met with disappointment: £1 per game. However, at least The Graduate gives you a bit of added value: bizarrely, the table spat out two black balls, in addition to the requisite reds and yellows.

Not wanting to waste our free ball, we decided to position it behind the triangle (as you would in snooker). Having to think on our feet, we adjusted the rules slightly: only once you have potted all your colours can you begin potting the blacks. The blacks can be potted in any order, but whoever pots the final black wins.

This turned out to have a levelling effect on the game – Rob stormed off into an early lead, but dallied potting the first black. By the time he managed that, I had caught him up, and duly sank the second black to claim victory.

Unsure if we had invented a new sport or ruined an established one, our thoughts once more returned to the objective – to find a pub in the city centre which charges just 50p a frame.

All out of ideas, we turned to the place all Sheffielders visit during their hour of need: the Sheffield Forum. There, a heroic user pointed out the name of a pub we hadn't even considered...

Graduate Pool Score: Andy 1-0 Rob

Pubquest Pool Score: Andy 8-3 Rob

Pub: The Graduate (Surrey Street, S1 2LH)
Rating: 6/10
Pint: Estrella Damm
Brewery: Sociedad Anónima Damm (Barcelona)

NEXT UP: The trilogy concludes, at the Star & Garter...