Ball Awash

Sir,—I wish to complain about the terrible organisation of the Tournament Ball. There was first the confusion over the different colour tickets, although I admit that as things turned out there was no need for tickets anyway as there was apparently no doorman. We wandered in at 10 and I might just as well have brought a cable-car ticket.

Whoever "planned" supper should get a few lessons in crowd control. I can't comment on the food since I never actually saw it, but it smelt okay. I spent most of the afternoon at the drinking horn wedged against the bar, but the crush was nothing compared to the scene in the supper anteroom. I hate to think what would have happened in the event of earthquake or fire.

The grog setup was disgusting. There were no soft drinks available, only beer on tap served in jugs; by one, parts of the floor looked worse than the aftermath of a Weir stag party, and that, I assure you, is something. To cap things off, one of the barmen was wandering around the hall picking fights and being generally objectionable.

In my view, beer, especially tap beer, is out of place at a ball; it is too messy and requires large quantities for effect, this in turn necessitating frequent retreats to the gents. I think a ball should be a smooth affair, not an extension of the drinking horn. I am, etc.,

P. T. Norris