Snooker: Blinders retain league lead despite defeat

Finch Hill Musicians B move into second spot

Report by Mike Crook:

Cue Zone Blinders suffered just their second defeat of the season but retained their three point lead atop the Mac’s Builders Merchants snooker league as Jacksons, in second place at the start of night had a bye this week.

Finch Hill Musicians A 4-1 Cue Zone Blinders

Report by John Kennish:

John Kennish 32-78 Nick Stephens - Giving a 49 start, John had an early chance with a tricky pink into the middle which offered the chance to open the whole pack of reds. The pink was missed and John was fortunate not to leave Nick a chance. A break of 20 a few shots later was the best John could muster as the frame went slightly scrappy. Nick played some decent shots to keep John at distance, who misfired on the wretched home table again. Nick wrapped up the frame by taking the last red and the colours to pink. Peter Collister 71-53 Conor Mahon - Peter, giving away 21 start against a dangerous opponent, played his first shot and appeared to pull a muscle in his side. He recovered and a teen break at the right moment made him favourite. Peter duly obliged taking green to pink, missing a difficult black for the clearance. Vinny Dale 76-46 Scott Campion - Dale was back to his cue waving, chaotic, grinding best, scoring and hiding. Despite a 20 break, Scott didn’t quite get the run and missed some balls that ordinarily he would take. As the frame went into the colours, Dale sank the blue leaving Scott needing two snookers. No snookers came and Dale caressed the pink into the corner pocket to take the frame. Zain Abideen 69-46 David Hill - Zain was back to showing some kind of form, played steady for most of the frame. David hung in and was 30 odd points behind on the last red. Lots of great safety play from David including a number of snookers against probably the worst snooker escape artist the game has ever seen, meant the lead diminished fairly quickly! Zain regained composure and took the brown to pink and tried to showboat on the black. Needless to say, “the apprentice” missed the chance to register a point in the break league. Paul Tangeman 96-84 Calum Gardner - Calum, starting 56 in arrears potted confidently. As ever, he was hitting the cue ball very well but a couple of missed pots at the wrong time meant it was a hard chase. Paul made a teen break mid-frame which helped his cause. The frame was disrupted slightly as the crowd were drawn to Table One where Matt “Plan B” Dodd was doing what he does best! Calum required a snooker on the last red which he duly got after a series of high quality and sensible safety play. A black ball game ensued. Calum was faced with a long range straight-ish pot which he missed. The cue ball looking like it was going into the centre pocket somehow defied gravity and remained on the lip of the pocket. Calum had another long range half ball chance, he missed the pot by a fair distance and this time the white did go into the centre pocket. Frame to Paul who is back in business. 4-1 to Musicians A and a significant change in form and fortune.

Finch Hill Mob 2-3 Finch Hill Musicians B

Report by Dave Hanlon:

Peter Kirkham 69-102 Noel McConville - Kirkham had clawed back most of the 56 start but McConville went away on the colours. Alan Heath 52-50 Vic Rigby - Heath cleared to win on the black after laying a great snooker late on. Lee Hunt 34-67 Rob Callister - The Blade wasn’t on form as Callister got his first win this season. Steve Finnegan 70-38 Dave Hanlon - Playing off scratch for the first time Finn was on fire, a 33 break for a deserved win. Lee Butterworth 51-68 Matthew Dodd - The decider was akin to two boxers slugging it out, who could hit the ball the hardest. Butterworth hit one ball so hard, it hit the back of the pocket climbed high into the air, dropped down and in. Dodd had a 22 break mid-frame and won with a blue to middle which was something special, coming back down the table for match ball pink. Thinking he still needed the black, Dodd studied the table for a while before thumping that in as well to the amusement of the onlookers from both matches taking place. 

Cue Zone Masters 3-2 Finch Hill Rockets

This was more like it from the Masters after drawing a blank last week. The Rockets now lie in fifth, six points off the pacesetters but with a game in hand. Frame scores: Brendan Clague 73-40 Sean Murphy, Tommy Clague 48-61 John Spellman, Les Briggs 66-27 Graham Ashton, Jez Hill 64-59 Jonny Hogg and Martin Rigg 36-63 Doug Kinrade. 

St Olaves 2-3 Port St Mary Legion

Report by Paul Smyth:

Ollie Byrne 52-21 Matthew Astill - Stepping in as sub, Ollie had a solid game soon taking the lead. Good safety play saw him pull away, a few pots in reply from Astill but it wasn't enough. Paul Smyth 61-85 Marc Morley 20 - Marc made more of the early chances to extend his lead. Paul struck a nice 25 and a couple of smaller breaks to close right up. Paul looked to set three nasty snookers but each time the white would end up in a baulk pocket! Marc made the most of these chances and also had a 20 break during his win. There was one particularly amazing shot by Marc. From close up, he potted the brown into the green pocket, it was in, but with Marc’s power it somehow came out again and travelled diagonally into the opposite black corner pocket! Dave Kelly 78-88 Phil Joynes - Dave settled well with his 49 start and both potting a few balls. Phil had the run throughout the frame, but along the way hardly missed a ball and potted at least ten or more worldie pots. It was a shock that he didn’t register a high break but performance of the night regardless. Michael Heathcote 69-20 Dave Pickersgill - This scratch match had all the makings of a great battle on paper, but solid matchplay snooker from Mike limited Dave’s chances as he picked off the pots and stretched away. Dan Crawley 44-72 Terry Boyle - Dan created a few half chances to close the 49 gap. Terry used his experience to good effect until he tried to pot the pink but thinly clipped the green on the way past. Dan made a timely teen break to give himself a chance, but from there onwards Terry never let Dan see another pot and controlled the frame to take the match 3-2 for Port St Mary. A great night's snooker with both teams playing very well. 

DSB Wannabes 2-3 Peel Legion

Jason Campbell 35-59 Tom Randall - Both of these players are better than their 56 handicaps. Campbell started like a man in a hurry knocking in two reds with blacks as if he was playing in the shootout. Randall was due a change in luck and received points from several fouls, which combined with some solid potting left Campbell needing a snooker when the green disappeared. Dave Callister 57-47 Barton Beaumont - Defeat for Beaumont, but this was much better from him. Callister built up a lead of 20 but needed the final black to remain unbeaten. Dave Corris 68-40 Jim Caley - Corris played like we know he can and left a forlorn Caley needing two snookers on the final blue. Amazingly Caley laid two snookers in consecutive visits to gain the required points. Corris then left the blue over a corner, Caley leaned across the table to pot it, but overstretched and barely made contact with blue and Corris finished it off. Steve Cowin 66-71 John Kelly - Kelly starting 49 behind had levelled with a couple of reds left and there only looked one winner. Cowin then had a purple patch, potted the last two reds, then in several visits got all the colours to the blue. He missed frame ball pink which Kelly cut in from long range with the white ending close to the black and no obvious shot on. After long deliberation, Kelly tried the cocked hat shot and the black dropped at pace in the middle. And so to the deciding frame, Paul McKinstry vs Geoff Hall. Hall halved his opponents 42 start but then McKinstry went away again. He potted two reds with blacks, then a third red. He left himself tricky cueing on the green, potting it would have given him his first ever 20 break. Sadly it wasn’t to be and Hall fought back strongly to be nearly level on the colours. Predictably, we ended up on the black again, both had chances but the old maestro Hall tucked it away from mid-range, McKinstry 74-84 Hall.  

Malew 3-2 The Hurricanes

Report By Alec Oates and Paul Smith: