Monday, January 25, 2016

Shooting Pool in Yuen Long

Over the weekend, we discovered that there were pool tables in the Sir Denys Roberts Squash Courts near Long Ping MTR Station.

I've been looking for a pool place for ages…and a pinball place for ages…

But, discovering the pool tables right in Yuen Long was pretty awesome.  It was not only located in one of Hong Kong's public facilities, but it was also smoke-free!


How to get to the Sir Denys Roberts Squash Courts:
1.  From Long Ping MTR Station Exit B2, walk down to the street level

2.  Ma Wong Road should be running along the MTR track and Chun Yin Square will be on the left

3.  Walk along Ma Wong Road until you hit Ping Wui Street 

4.  Take a left on Ping Wui Street and you'll see the Squash Courts in a few seconds on the left



Location
1 Ping Fai Path
Ping Wui Street
Yuen Long

Contact
2479 - 2950 or 2443 - 0143

The squash court has more than just a squash court.  There are also table tennis rooms, available activity room spaces, and American pool table rooms.  There were two pool rooms.  We paid 30 HKD for an hour, which was pretty darn good!  We also got the time slot of 10 am - 11 am, which was not that bad…a little pool after breakfast.


The tables were quite beaten up, but still usable.  I think this place must be popular with a lot of the kids in the area because the tables were really well loved.


The room was nice and spacious…and private…which was the great thing.  It totally reminded me of back in college.  There was a pool table at the basement of our dorm.  My friends and I would go down there and ease the stress of finals week with a few games.


I haven't shot pool for a few months…and before that a few years!  So, it was nice to get some games in and see how far I've strayed off the path of good aim and intuition!


After a few games, we walked around to check out the amenities of the squash courts.  Being only 11 am, all the rooms were filled…both pool rooms were booked, the table tennis rooms were booked…and people were using the activity rooms too.

How nice to see people booking and using the public facilities on a Saturday morning!


When walking into the entrance…the lobby area looks like below.  You have to checkin/register with the women behind the counter to get the pool balls and sticks.  They also have an automated announcement "bell" that lets you know when your time is up (so convenient).


It's quite easy to book the room, just go online and book it.  You can also head down to the squash court and use the kiosk to reserve the room.  Like most places in Hong Kong, you can use your Octopus Card to pay the fee.


I'm continually finding some pretty awesome things right in my own neighborhood (like a darts joint!).  Lately, I have been thinking about how convenient it is to live in Yuen Long…and now I'm branching out and finding all sorts of facilities where I can bum away a few hours of my weekend.