Teams enter final third of season in Macs Builders Merchants snooker league

Pack closing in on Newbys lead

Newbys DSC v DSC Wannabes
 
With their advantage cut to three points Newbys needed to get back to winning ways after two defeats, this wasn't going to be easy though even playing bottom team Wannabes with the handicap adjustments starting to bite. Johnny Myers knocked in a 30 break mid-frame and won 79-57 over Paul McKinstry to put Newbys ahead. Adam Dooley doubled the lead playing probably his best frame of the season to overcome Stevie Cowin's 35 start and win impressively 87-50. Ste MacDonald then made it 3-0, grinding out a 82-62 win against Fred Corris. The Wannabes hit back though, Stephen Harvey potting some good single balls and keeping the colours tied up against Calum Gardner who found Harvey’s 56 start too much. A 96-50 win to Harvey. Zain Abideen had to give Wannabe Dave Corris a 35 start in the last and again this proved enough, Corris holding on for a 84-64 win. Final score a 3-2 win for Newbys DSC.

 
Malew 1 v Finch Hill Musicians
 
Malew 1 sat just above the Musicians before play but the Musicians went ahead courtesy of Peter Glover who must have played pretty well to defeat Tony Cubbon narrowly 73-64. Eric Drinkwater levelled with a 69-31 win over Mike Doherty. Musicians went back ahead when Nick Crouchman lost out to James Hynes 42-62. Matthew Dodd then assured a Musicians win on the night taking his frame 66-63 to Kevin Crellin. John Kennish then made it consecutive 4-1 victories for the Musicians taking his frame 100-49 against Jamie Leneghan. Two breaks of note from Kennish, 22 and this week’s highest of 42.
 

Finch Hill Young Guns v Malew 2
 
Malew 2 were looking for a big win over bottom but one Young Guns to hoist them into the top half of the division but the home team got off to a fast start. Michael Lowe did well to overcome Alec Oates 76-39 and Brendan Clague beat Tony Pring 65-46 to put the Young Guns two up. Mark Quinn then got one back beating Paul Tangeman 57-52 before Darryl Hill with two 28 breaks made it 3-1. Conceding 77 on the handicap Hill won 88-80 to Jimmy Goodwin. After struggling back to the island Dollin Mercer then had to chase David Quayle's 70 start which proved just too much, Mercer going down 88-110. Young Guns win 3-2.

 
 
Peel Legion v St Olaves
 
Just one point separated third placed Peel and St Olaves in sixth going into this match. Frame one saw Mike Crook for Peel failing on an easy long opening red and Paul Smyth stepped in with two blacks and then built up a lead of over 20. Later in a ‘senior moment’ Smyth potted the blue (nicely) in consecutive shots and a good battle ensued over the rest of the frame which rightly went Smyth's way 64-30. Sean Corkish then put the visitors two up, a lovely 38 break being the highlight made up of a yellow and five pinks, opponent Don Humphries could still win with the last five colours but a clever snooker on the brown was Humphries undoing, Corkish winning 79-50. The tightest of frames followed between Jim Caley and Dave Kelly. This first went Kelly’s way before Caley came back strong to take a small lead on the colours. Kelly potted pink and black to force a respot and after a couple of attempts each it was Caley that knocked it in to keep Peel alive, score 60-53. John Kelly and James Kerr were next up, both edgy early on before Kelly started finding his range and with five reds left had slightly extended his 42 start. Kerr did pull it back slightly before Kelly went away again and a couple of unlucky fouls from Kerr made the final score 98-33 to Kelly. The decider between Peel’s Geoff Hall receiving a fourteen start from Darrell Thacker was close all the way through, Thacker was just six adrift and had Hall snookered on the final brown. Hall hit the brown cleanly off of one cushion and cocked hatted it into a middle bag. Although badly hampered by the pink Hall then cut in a match winning blue. Final score 55-33 and a 3-2 win for Peel. 

 
DSC Hurricanes v Finch Hill Mob
 
This second v fourth match started with a couple of black ball games, firstly Chris Dagnall lost out 59-69 to the Mob’s Steve Finnegan. The next frame between Gary Conwell and Tom Miller went about ten minutes on the black which eventually went Conwell’s way 72-67 to level the tie. Lee Butterworth then put the Hurricanes ahead beating Steve Oates 61-36 before Pete Crellin brought it all square defeating Jamie Wilson 67-39, Steve Munk then had to win to keep the Hurricanes long unbeaten record going and in a solid display including a 20 break he ran out a 59-28 winner over Lee Hunt. A 3-2 win for the Hurricanes who haven't lost since week five!
 

 
Finch Hill Rockets v Port St Mary Legion
 
Given Port St Mary’s poor away form the Rockets were favourites going into this even though PSM stood one point above the Rockets in the division. The first three frames were extremely close but sadly for PSM all went against them. Marek Kenny won 86-79 over Dave Pickersgill, then it was Matt Radley 65-53 Phil Joynes followed by Ron Grogan 87-86 to Sean Roberts. John Spellman made it 4-0 continuing his improved recent form taking Terry Boyle 68-26. Graham Ashton couldn't make it a whitewash though going down 40 - 67 to Marc Morley, five wins on the trot for Morley. Final score Rockets 4-1 PSM.
 
 
It’s no change at the top with the top three all winning 3-2. Newbys DSC lead on 47 points with DSC Hurricanes on 44, Peel Legion on 42 with Finch Hill Rockets having moved up three places, fourth on 41. Mike Crook with 11 wins and 3 losses just heads the individual standings from Zain Abideen and John Kelly both on 11 wins and 4 losses. John Kennish now has 37.5 points in the high breaks league ahead of Sean Corkish on 28 and Tom Miller on 15. Next week the leaders Newbys DSC are away at in form Finch Hill Musicians and second placed DSC Hurricanes will be looking to make it 11 wins in a row at home to Finch Hill Rockets.