Knobble Hill’s most notorious pool player, Jeff McBain, has suffered a defeat, after losing his case against former employer Afrox Gas, who dismissed him for spending more time at the pub than at work.

McBain, a senior sales rep, was best known for two things: his legendary pool skills and his habit of whiling away working hours at Crossways Pub with his mates.  Armed with his own pool cue, he would hold court over the pub’s pool table, sinking balls and pints with enthusiasm.  However, his branch manager Ian Collingwood was less impressed with his potting skills and more concerned about his chronic absence from work.

His downfall came on a fateful Friday afternoon, when his branch manager decided to investigate exactly where McBain was conducting his “sales calls.”  To no one’s surprise, instead of chalking up new clients, McBain was found chalking up for his next shot at Crossways Pub.

When confronted, McBain argued passionately that he had already worked a full day and had merely left the office early.  He also claimed that he regularly worked longer hours than required, though there appeared to be no record of these so-called extended shifts- unless they were conducted between frames.

“Jeff spends more time here than the bar staff.”

Court documents state that Afrox did not have a flexitime policy, and McBain was already on a final warning for abuse of sick leave.  Given his tendency to magically fall ill on days that coincided with pool tournaments, management wasn’t buying his defense.

During arbitration at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA), McBain’s case rested on the argument that the previous branch manager had allowed a more relaxed approach to drinking during working hours.  Knobble Hill News has also uncovered that McBain’s previous manager was Peter English, one of McBain’s drinking buddies.  Unfortunately for him, the new manager took a firmer stance, and McBain had been fully aware of the change in policy.

The commissioner ruled that the company’s prohibition on drinking during work hours was reasonable, and that McBain had not been honest about when he knocked off that day.  As a result, the dismissal was upheld.

Crossways Pub regulars were shocked but not entirely surprised by the verdict.  One longtime patron, who wished to remain anonymous, remarked, “Jeff spends more time here than the bar staff.”

Though he lost his job, McBain remains undefeated in the Crossways Pub Pool Championship, where he now spends even more time honing his skills.