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Snooker: Two points separating top seven sides

Finch Hill rockets clinging on to top spot

Report by Mike Crook:

With a third of the season to go, just two points now separate the top seven teams in the Macs Builders Merchants snooker league. After some rather barren weeks, it was good to see sixteen 20+ breaks made, Darryl Hill’s 58 topping the list. 

 

DSB Wannabes 4-1 St Olaves

Report by Paul Smyth:

St Olaves had won their last eleven matches against Wannabes and got of to a good start taking the first, Harry Minor 10-57 Dave Kelly. Kelly settled first in this scratch match, with a 16 break then pushed on for the win. But from then on, chasing large handicaps St Olaves came up short. David Callister 92-55 Paul Smyth, Smyth giving 49 away, got in first with a long red to the yellow pocket, black and red. He then got a horrible kick on the easy black trying to close the gap. Callister capitalised on the miss, potting a couple leaving Smyth needing snookers. Smyth laid six tough snookers but Callister escaped them all. Dave Corris 79-72 James Kerr, Corris started well with a few pots to extend his lead to 68 ahead, Kerr closed the gap with a few high teen breaks, then cleared the colours to force a re-spot black. Both kept the black safe for five minutes before Kerr’s safety came up a tad short leaving a very tricky long black which Corris sank in style. Paul McInstry 87-82 Darrell Thacker, Thacker giving away 70 start, got off to a flyer with a 34, and 23 and a couple of teen breaks to close the gap to 2 points. The frame got scrappy then as McKinstry battled hard. Thacker eventually got a decent chance on a straight forward pink but missed and stuck it up for McKinstry to take frame and match. Fred Corris 80-35 Dan Crawley, Corris using his experience kept Crawley under a tight rein whilst potting a nice teen break to extend his lead to around 60. From then on it was only single pots and safety play with Corris getting the lion's share to slightly extend his lead and get the extra point for a great home win.

 

Peel Legion 2-3 Jacksons

A first away win of season for Jacksons after five very close frames, four ending on the pink and one on the black. Barton Beaumont 42-59 Alex Sinclair, a very unlucky in-off blue cost Beaumont early on as Sinclair struggled to make any inroads into Beaumont’s start. Eventually, Sinclair did find some decent form, though did need a fluky final blue followed by pink to take the opener. Don Humphries 64-74 Kam Virk, a spirited effort from a confident Humphries who had drawn level by the colours from 42 behind at the start. Virk had also shown glimpses of form with some fine long pots. Humphries didn’t have much of a look in on the colours and left a regulation pink for Virk to make it 0-2. Mike Crook 67-52 Mike Reddington, with Reddington needing the last three colours to win, he doubled in the blue the length of the table and had a golden chance of a snooker behind the black. However, he left enough of the pink on show for Crook to tuck away a missable pot down the side cushion with the rest. John Kelly 49-62 Lee Gale, two players that probably prefer an open game, but the reds all got in each other's way and both showed some good patient safety play. Gale’s stronger potting left him 22 up with only 18 on, but Kelly made some great attempts to snooker behind the black which was on its spot and eventually succeeded, and Gale fouled. Kelly took blue and pink but sadly went in-off when having a ‘shot to nothing’ on a long black.  Geoff Hall 68-53 Tony Dhadwal, some fine potting from Dhadwal, but silly fouls kept Hall in touch. Hall took a crucial last red, a long pot at a crazy angle that no one was expecting and with the pink hanging over a corner he went ahead. Hall finally took mid range frame ball pink after a good scrap on the colours.

 

Finch Hill Mob 3-2 Malew

Report by Peter Crellin:

Malew were another team, winless away and were denied by the Mob who came back strongly from 0-2. Tom Miller 53-76 Mark Quinn, a slow start from Miller, whereas Postie potted some good balls early doors. Miller hit back with a 21 break but was still 15 behind on the final green. Miller laid a snooker behind the black that was tough to hit, but Postie played off the grunts of the corner pocket and potted the green in the yellow pocket, a shot of the season contender! Peter Kirkham 70-106 David Quayle, the balls didn't run kindly for Kirkham starting 84 adrift and Rads potted some good balls to win on the green. Steve Finnegan 85-57 Eric Drinkwater, Finn with a 20 break was always in control of the 56 chase, as Drinkwater didn't have much luck. Peter Crellin 97-91 James Goodwin, things looked grim for Crellin needing two snookers with three reds left. After potting the reds with high value colours and the yellow, he managed to lay one snooker and fluke another which Goodwin missed and then cleared then last four colours to win. Lee Hunt 69-35 Alec Oates, a tight frame until the last red. Hunt managed to pot the long red with a long black then cleared the colours to the pink for a 28 break for the frame, and the Mob got the win, somehow. Congratulations to ‘The Blade’ his handicap will be cut to 14, possibly his lowest ever?

 

Cue Zone Blinders 4-1 Port St Mary Legion

Report by Terry Boyle:

Patchy form from Blinders going into this, but they were back to their best here. Calum Gardner 85-76 Matthew Astill, Gardner started well with breaks of 31 and 28 and was leading by 26 going onto the colours. With some good positional play, Matty, who had been shut out of the frame then got the colours down to the black for a 20 break. Matty played what we all thought was a good shot leaving the black on the bottom cushion only for Gardner to double it into the green pocket, with his main focus being safety. Gardner played well but got a bit lucky at the end. Martin Rigg 67-45 Dave Pickersgill, Pickersgill started well and always ahead down to the colours, but then a few safety shots resulted in in-offs and Rigg took control. Ivan McMaw 86-36 Phil Joynes, my correspondent was busy with his own frame during this one, but McMaw possibly had the ‘run’ and a 22 break. Darryl Hill 106-72 Terry Boyle, a third safety shot from Boyle hit the middle grunt and resulted in a 58 break for Hill, soon followed by a 26. On the colours Boyle was 32 behind despite a 63 start so was playing Hill with a mountain to climb! Hill kindly left on the yellow, green and brown, but Boyle failed to get the snooker needed on the blue which Hill doubled for an easy win, he played really well and was a joy to watch. Brandon Forrester 35-61 Marc Morley, Morley was always in control in this awkward frame which saw the last six reds all on cushions. Forrester battled gamely and was very unlucky to see the white go in-off after potting a good pink when on a possible break. Well done to Marc for stopping the whitewash.

 

Finch Hill Musicians 4-1 The Hurricanes

Consecutive 4-1 wins for the Musicians have put them right back in contention. Hurricanes took the first, Jamie Wilson on the black but it was one way traffic thereafter. Frame scores, Mike Doherty 63-70 Jamie Wilson, David McVeigh 75-20 Paul Smith, Vic Rigby 94-64 Chris Dagnall (22 and 20 breaks), Matthew Dodd 65-29 Stuart Littlewood and Dave Hanlon (21 break) 89-23 Gary Conwell.

 

Newbys DSB 1-4 Finch Hill Reprobates

Reprobates had lost by this scoreline on their last visit to Newbys, and similarly to the Musicians, lost the first on the black before taking the remaining frames. Scores, Johnny Myers 75-71 Ashley Howard, Ste MacDonald 15-52 Rob Callister (25 break), Jason Campbell 59-79 Dollin Mercer, Zain Abideen 49-65 Paul Tangeman and Simon Gardner 34-62 Rhys Moore. 

 

Top league placings:

Finch Hill Rockets 46 points,

Cue Zone Blinders,

Finch Hill Musicians

St Olaves 45

Finch Hill Mob

Finch Hill Reprobates

Peel Legion 44.

 

The Rockets had their bye this week and have what could be a crucial game in hand on the chasers.

 

Paul Tangeman continues to defy the handicapper with 13 wins, heading the individual league. Calum Gardner and John Kelly are next on 12. Things are getting closer in high break league, Tom Miller leads on 24 points, Calum Gardner leaps into second place with 21 and Darryl Hill 20. 

Next week’s top match is St Olaves vs Rockets. Rockets have won the last five scheduled league meetings between the two, but lost the play-off when they met with last season’s title at stake. The other ties are Malew vs Blinders, Hurricanes vs The Mob, Reprobates vs Wannabes, PSM Legion vs Peel Legion and Jacksons vs Newbys.

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