Snooker: Jacksons cut Blinders' lead at league summit to four points

Hurricanes close by in third position

Report by Mike Crook:

Jacksons cut Blinders lead to four points in the Mac’s Builders Merchants snooker league after both teams were involved in deciding frames. 

Malew 3-2 Cue Zone Blinders

Blinders looked in control after, James Goodwin 76-100 Nick Stephens (24 break) and Tony Cubbon 62-71 Brandon Forrester (25). Then Tony Pring found some form to pull one back, beating Conor Mahon 65-26. Alec Oates had a 70 start on Darryl Hill and it was quite a cagey frame, neither player able to get a decent break with Hill conceding on the colours, 93-47. To a decider it went, Mark Quinn vs Calum Gardner. Quinn needing the win to achieve a personal low handicap and Gardner wanting it for another important point in the title race. Quinn led 57-52 with just two balls remaining. Both players managed to go in-off the pink before Quinn knocked in a fairly long pot to take frame and match 69-58. 

Port St Mary Legion 2-3 Jacksons

Report by Terry Boyle:

Matty Astill 22-60 Mike Reddington - Mike very handy potted solidly, Matty made some good reds but alas too few colours. Marc Morley 27-70 Lee Gale - Marc didn't do a lot wrong but Lee was simply outstanding, he had a 20 break and his long potting was superb, a pleasure to watch. Phil Joynes 74-65 Richard Hillier - Best frame of the night, good potting from both players down to the colours. With three balls left and the black over the hole, both players needed two pots. Richard got the blue and after a long safety battle on the pink, Richard left it up and Phil gratefully took both remaining balls. Dave Pickersgill 63-24 Alex Sinclair - Alex started well but mid-frame his safety deserted him and Dave playing well, took full advantage for an easy win. Terry Boyle 64-70 Dave Welsh - The decider included some memorable misses on the colours. Terry needed blue to win but missed it and potted the pink! Another miss from Terry left Dave just needing the pink, he left it up and after a safety battle on the black Terry missed and left it over the middle, frame to Dave and to be fair he deserved it. 

The Hurricanes 2-3 Finch Hill Rockets

Report by Graham Ashton/Paul Smith:

Darran Creer 68-48 Marek Kenny - An outrageous fluke on the last red by Darran, which also pushed the pink over the green pocket gave him seven easy points to further his lead. Marek, left needing a snooker did achieve a great one and could then win with the last three balls, however Darran made a good long blue plus pink for frame. Jamie Wilson 36-60 Graham Ashton - A very long bout of safety to start, Jamie didn’t really catch fire and small breaks from Ashton were enough, the concession coming on the brown. Paul Smith 9-75 Sean Murphy - Sean played well, but Paul was, ‘terrible’ and kept leaving Sean in and he took full advantage. 63 up with three reds left there was no way back. Ste MacDonald 36-33 Jonny Hogg - This was something of a lowlight for referee Smith with the score at 15-14 with only three reds left! To be fair, the high colours all went safe early on. Some well laid snookers by Jonny was pretty much the only way to score with colours so safe. Ste edged it with the final blue then a great pink to middle, cueing from the black cushion. Steve Munk 38-47 Paddy Delaney - For once Munky couldn’t bring it home for the Hurricanes. He went for a long pot on the final blue, missed, leaving an easy pot for Paddy, followed by pink to win the frame and match. 

Finch Hill Reprobates 2-3 St Olaves

Reprobates will have to find some big wins in their five remaining matches to stay in contention as St Olaves ended an unusual string of defeats. Reprobates’ Dollin Mercer and Rhys Moore are now struggling a bit with their low handicaps as their respective opponents, Travis Bignell and Dan Crawley, ’played like they were on television!’ Bignell had a 21 break and two teen efforts before Mercer got on the board and Crawley hit the two highest breaks of the week, 33 and 32. Frame scores: Danny Russett 42-55 Dave Kelly, Rob Callister 62-27 Paul Smyth, Mercer 14-120 Bignell, Paul Tangeman 94-57 James Kerr (24) and Moore 51-103 Crawley. 

Finch Hill Musicians 3-2 DSB Wannabes

Two in-form teams and only the most unlikely fightback from Zain Abideen, a great 22 clearance after obtaining around eleven snookers in frame two denied Wannabes an eighth win of the season! Frame scores: Mike Doherty 84-56 Steve Cowin, Zain Abideen 77-71 Jason Campbell, Pat Maher 41-68 Fred Corris, Dave Hanlon 92-70 Paul McKinstry and Vic Rigby 43-52 Dave Corris. 

Cue Zone Masters 1-4 Peel Legion

Masters duly slumped to their twelfth defeat in row, though Peel weren’t that good either but potted the balls that counted, winning two frames on the pink and two on the black. Brendan Clague 43-64 Don Humphries - Never more than a few points in this until Humphries made a tidy 22 clearance. Paul Russell 50-51 Tom Randall - Good potting from both but Randall tucked away a lovely long black for frame. Martin Rigg 41-60 Mike Crook - All went swimmingly for Crook until the colours, with Rigg needing four snookers, he got three to be able to tie with pink and black. At the umpteenth attempt, Crook managed to drop the pink into the middle. Jez Hill 45-48 Geoff Hall - Hill stayed ahead but Hall nicked it with a pink, black finish, the latter being a fine cut and relying on luck that the white didn’t drop in as it careered across the super fast cloth. Ivan McMaw 68-31 John Kelly - Performance of the night from McMaw, he saved the whitewash with a good display of potting, a 21 break for an overdue first win of the season. 

Top League Standings

Cue Zone Blinders - 57 points
Jacksons - 53 points
The Hurricanes - 52 points
Finch Hill Mob - 50 points
Finch Hill Reprobates - 50 points

Individual League Standings

Lee Gale - 13 wins
Scott Campion - 12 wins
Shaun Roberts - 12 wins
Dan Crawley - 12 wins
Brendan Clague - 12 wins
Tom Miller - 12 wins

High Break League

Tom Miller - 43 points
Peter Crellin - 37 points
Darryl Hill - 33.5 points