Scotch Turns

Playing Scotch doubles can be confusing - which partner's turn is it at the table to shoot?  You'd think it'd be easy to remember, but after you watch your opponents shoot for a while and then it's "our" turn, whose shot is it?

I don't recall this as an issue in previous years.  Maybe it's only on my mind because two distinct instances about this came up this year in Vegas BCAPL Nationals Open Scotch Doubles.

In our very first match at 9am on Friday morning, my partner and I find ourselves down 0-3 in a race to 4.  We easily crawl back 3-3 because we were the better team.  At one point in the final game, which was a messy chess match, the male player of the other team contemplated a shot for a long time.  We never heard him say what he intended to shoot, but he made a ball, yet that's not what he meant.  My partner and I were confused at what just happened, and we were thrown off our game a little bit because we didn't realize it was our turn at the table. 

My partner walked to the table and while he got down on his shot, the female of the opposing duo says, "It's not your turn.  I don't want to have to call a foul on you, but it's not your turn."

We looked at each other and started to go visualize who shot what last and whose turn it was.

She was right, it was my turn.

I thanked her several times, as did my partner (she didn't have to do that), while her male partner shook his head.

We didn't get out and neither did they in one inning - there were many more trips to the table by each team until we finally won 4-3.  The male was so ticked, he wouldn't shake our hands.  :(  I am not sure if he was upset because they were ahead 0-3 and lost, or because she had said something.  Either way, with the way the balls were tied up in that final game, they couldn't have run out with ball-in-hand anyway, even if they had called a foul on us.

It's a weird feeling when someone on an opposing team helps you out like that.  I felt in awe of her honesty and help.

Fast forward in time about 12 hours and we are playing our 8th match at 10pm the same day.  We are playing a team that plays pretty good, but we are still ahead in this match.  Even though my partner and I tried all day to remember whose turn it was at the table (esp after that first match), we messed up again.

After my partner shoots a great shot, the male partner of the opposing team says, "I need to get a ref.  That's a foul."

We look at each other in disbelief and then look at the table thinking, "WTH, that was a legal hit!" 

Then he adds, "You played outta turn - it's her shot, not yours."

We again stood there, running through our tired minds who shot what last while we looked at the table to try and remember and sure enough it was my shot, not his.  We told the opposing team they didn't need a ref, lol, it was a foul.  The guy told us, "I didn't notice, she did" (referring to his partner).

At this point, I get a tad upset and disappointed.  Really?  Come on now.  But in reality, those are the rules and we played out of turn.  We won 4-1 so it was no issue, but it's amazing how differently WHEN the opposing team chose to tell us we played out of turn. 

I wonder what I would do if I ever noticed my opponents playing out of turn?  I honestly think if I noticed it before they shot, I would say something.  If I'm still trying to figure it out after one of them shoots, I would prolly call them on it.

The difference I see is in the second instance, the female deliberately waited til we shot, which again, is legal.  But I think it's funny how her partner threw her under the bus and confided, "she noticed it."  lol.