Division 1 title shoot out & Top 4 Semi's - May 4th 2010

Railway claim title in thrilling climax

The Railway Club are the new Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Division 1 Champions. In a tense finish to an exciting league season the Railwaymen’s desire to re–capture a title they last won in 2006 was clearly evident as they defeated old adversaries John St Club 4-1 in a gripping championship shoot out.

In the first frame of the contest Railway’s Barry Collins started well but as John Street’s Tony Elliott pegged him back it was all to play for with the colours remaining. Elliott was the first with a chance to win the tie and in facing a frame ball pink with the rest he looked likely to snatch the frame from the Railwayman. The John Street cueist gave it his best shot but unfortunately it rattled in the jaws. Collins now requiring both balls potted a full length pink and in gaining perfect position on the black he duly obliged for a 53-49 win.

Frame two turned out to be a game of two halves between Railway Captain Kevin Basnett and John Street’s Mark Tunstall. Making the most of his early chances Basnett made two breaks in the twenties to lead by nearly fifty points. An easy victory looked on the cards but as Tunstall dug deep he was still in the frame with just the brown left. Nevertheless in facing a difficult long pot on the brown the Railway Captain maintained his concentration to dispatch it for a 69-39 win.

At 2-0 to the Railway Club the heat turned on John Street’s Stuart Ryan. Still, as Railway’s Neil Henderson was in fine form of late the John Street cueist was up against it. Ryan produced some of his trademark long pots early on but his challenge soon faded as telling snooker with two reds remaining yielded enough points for Henderson to win comfortably, 74-28.

With John Street at the point of no return, Peter O’Hagan was faced with the task of turning over Railway’s Paul Graham. Both players had some good opportunities but with Graham on a break of 15 mid way through the frame he looked to be the stronger. This break was soon ended with a missed attempt at a two ball plant; however more damage was done as he subsequently split the balls far and wide. O’Hagan, one of the finest break builders in the league, was quick to take advantage of this position and with a contribution of 37 to the brown he proved victorious, 63-29.

In what turned out to be the final frame of the evening Railway’s Craig Davies faced John Street Captain Stephen O’Hagan. Davies begun with one of the finest pots of the evening but as realisation of the situation hit both players the frame developed into a safety conscious battle. This continued through to the green with Davies holding a small but very important lead. There was no way O’Hagan was going to give up but as Davies gained three consecutive snookers on the green he was eventually presented with the chance he needed to take frame, 54-20 to the delight of his team mates.

Thanks to the Station Road Club’s Peter Collins for preparing the table and to Colin Fawcett for providing the buffet.

The Top 4 playoff Semi finals were also undertaken this week with the first semi in Division 1 between second placed John Street and third placed Maryport Social A ending in 4-1 victory for the Workington side. Even though the John Street outfit won comprehensively the result cannot go without a mention for Social A’s Alan Moore. In defeating Peter O’Hagan, Moore capped a superb end to an unbeaten season, one that must surely go down as one of his best - all at the tender age of 62.

The second Division 1 semi between the Railway Club and Derwent A ended with 4-0 victory for the league champions. This victory had particular significance for the Railwaymen as it went a long to erasing any memories they had of their league defeat to the lakesider’s just a month earlier. Railway’s Paul Graham produced the highest contribution of the evening, 28 as he went onto beat Derwent A’s Individual H’cap KO champion Chris D’Leny and prove that his seventh place in the leading player stats is no fluke.

In the Division 2 Top 4 playoff Semi finals, fourth placed Clifton repeated their shock final league fixture result against champions Senhouse A with a 4-2 win. The second of two fantastic performances by Clifton in as many weeks must leave everyone puzzled as to how they were not closer to challenging for the title.

The concluding match of the week and the second Division 2 top 4 semi final was contested between promoted Flimby and third placed Station Road. For the second week running Flimby went for experience early on as Gary Southern and Wayne King put the first two frames on the board. Flimby youngster Paul Vickers backed this up with a fine victory over Station Road Captain Peter Collins and even though Grant Porter offered some resistance, Flimby Captain Geoff Banton led his team to a 4-1 victory with pink ball win over Station Road’s Karl Newton.

Presentation night will be held on Fri 14^th May in Station Road Club starting at 7:30pm. The night will feature Alder Hey IMAGINE appeal charity raffle draw, Charity sports auction and 8 frames from former provisionally world ranked number 1, Stephen Lee. There is no charge for admission and a free buffet will be provided. While in Workington, Stephen Lee will also be playing an exhibition evening on Sat 15^th May in Senhouse Street WMC. If anyone would like a ticket for the event please contact Kevin Basnett on 07983522842.

Final League Fixtures - April 28th 2010

Div 1 title to be decided in shootout 

The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Division 1 Championship is still undecided. In the final fixture of the season league leaders Railway club produced what they envisaged to be a title winning result with a 5-1 home victory against relegated Ellenborough. However as John Street Club produced one of their finest performances of the season with a pressure induced 6-0 home win against Seaton Legion the Division 1 title will now be decided in a six frame shootout.

The Railway Club started their match well with frame winning contributions of 26 and 42 from Kevin Basnett, which incidentally seals the Division 1 break aggregate title for the Railway Captain.

Frame two always looked to be a close affair but as Ellenborough’s Martin Murray stepped it up a notch he overcame vastly experienced Railwayman Steve Garroway.

On next Ellenborough Captain Keith Anderson put up some stout resistance but in the end he succumbed to the greater desire of Railway’s Steven Little.

As the pressure mounted on the Railway team Paul Graham and Barry Collins responded to produce frame wins that prove their successful 09/10 season’s have been no flash in the pan.

With Ellenborough only able to field five players, that took the score to 5-1 with the Railwaymen still waiting for the John Street result to come through.

The clash between John Street and Seaton Legion also started well for the higher placed team as with breaks from 27 from Simon Frazer and 26 from Mark Tunstall the John street side stood two frames to the good.

As Tony Elliott and Captain Stephen O’Hagan quickly made it 4-0 to the John Street outfit the pressure turned to Peter O’Hagan.

This time Seaton Legion Captain Alan Evans took the table and as his side could not make the top four playoffs or fall into the relegation places this seemed to free him up. A tight frame developed but as Peter O’Hagan found some form he eventually ran out a fairly comfortable winner.

With the Railway result known to them a last frame defeat from John Street’s Stuart Ryan would have ended their title defence hopes. In probably the most exciting climax to season in its fifty year history the John Street cueist brushed the intensity of the situation to one side in defeating Seaton’s Allan Stephenson to the delight of his team mates.

Even though at the start of the evening Railway and John Street were placed above them Maryport Social A still had the opportunity to win the title should the other results go their way.

Social A were in for no easy ride however as they faced a Senhouse B side that needed a win to avoid relegation. A close fought contest ended in a 3-3 draw which did neither side any favours in the end as this ended Maryport Social A title dreams and sent Senhouse B down to division 2.

There were some significant moments in the match as Social A’s Mike Park made a break of 34 to end a fine season’s return to league and team mate Alan Moore made a frame winning contribution 34 to see him take the division’s leading player title with an unbeaten run of played 20, won 20.

The remaining fixture in the top division between Derwent A and Maryport Social B had little significance for the Lakesiders as they were already assured of the final top 4 playoff place.  Nonetheless as the Maryport side lost 4-2 there was some cause for celebration as in winning two of the six points on offer they survived the drop into division 2 by a single point.

In division 2, with the title already decided, all eyes were on the all important second and subsequent promotion place.

Realistically this was a battle between Flimby and Station Road with Flimby just two points in front.

As Flimby faced Glasson at home they needed four frames to guarantee their promotion to division 1 next season.

Going for experience Flimby put out Wayne King first and Garry Southern second. This proved to be a masterstroke as King ground out frame one and Southern cleared with 25 to lead 2-0.

This definitely gave the rest of the team the confidence they required and as Flimby’s Paul Vickers won the next and team mate Mike Walker won the fourth the celebrations started.

A break of 25 from Glasson’s Paul Hoad muted the Flimby crowd somewhat but with Flimby captain Geoff Banton proving victorious over Glasson’s Craig Denwood in the final frame of the night he ultimately lead his team to a 5-1 win.

Station Road probably went into their match thinking they needed at least five frames to see them into second place but as Workington Legion carried the home advantage a 4-2 win for Station Road must still go down as a courageous effort.

Even though the final fixture could not change any league positions in division 2, Champions Senhouse A needed a win to remain unbeaten for the season. However the result showed what a different game snooker is when the pressure is off as Clifton produced their best result of the season, a 4-2 away win. This match much be mentioned though for two significant achievements. With Senhouse A’s Michael Poole winning his 18^th straight frame he took the division’s leading player title and a no division 2 player mustering a break great enough to overturn Clifton’s Richard Nelson, he took the break aggregate prize.

The last two cups of the season to be decided are the Division 1 & Division 2 top four playoffs. The Division 1 final will be played on Wed 12^th May in Senhouse Street club and the Division 2 final will be played on the same night at Workington Legion.

Presentation night will be held on Fri 14^th May in Station Road Club. The night will feature Alder Hey IMAGINE appeal charity raffle draw, Charity sports auction and 8 frames from former provisionally world ranked number 1, Stephen Lee. There is no charge for admission and a free buffet will be provided. While in Workington, Stephen Lee will also be playing a further two exhibition evenings. The first will be in the United Club, Portland Sq on Thurs 13^th May and the second will be on Sat 15^th May in Senhouse Street WMC. If anyone would like a ticket for either event please contact Kevin Basnett on 07983522842.

Doubles H'cap KO final - 24th March 2010

Dawson and Adams claim Doubles title.

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League the final of Doubles KO handicap was played and in giving away 25 start Clifton’s Mike Dawson and Railway Clubs’ Ryan Adams (see photos) played superbly to overcome Derwent B pair Joe Bell and Mark Forsyth, 3-1.

The match started in a scrappy fashion as both teams could not take advantage of some good scoring opportunities however it was the vastly experienced Dawson who took the bull by the horns and with a break of 28 he left Keswick pair requiring two snookers. This looked to be frame over but as Forsyth gained four points from a successful snooker, quickly emulated by partner Bell, they were back in the game. Forsyth then went on to pot yellow, green and brown but unfortunately snookered himself on the blue. This positional mishap ended up being the Keswick partnerships downfall as Dawson went onto pot the resultant leave for a 73-45 win.

In frame two the Lakeside pairing hung onto their 25 start well with some fine potting until just a few reds remained. At this point in the frame both pairings seemed to be presented with good chances only to see them squandered. This took the game to the colours and as Forsyth potted a good yellow it immediately gave him the confidence to clear to pink for a 72-47 victory.

At 1-1 the crucial third frame started well for Railway/Clifton pair due to Adams creating most of the opportunities which were subsequently converted by Dawson as he potted the partnership to a 39 point lead with three red remaining. Nevertheless, this advantage was pegged back by Forsyth and Bell and with just the colours left they were still in with a chance of winning the frame. However, before the Derwent B duo had time to evaluate the situation Adams stepped it up a notch to deposit the colours they required for 88-58 success.

In what turned out to be the final frame of the match it was obvious to see that Lakesider’s needed to start well to stop the Dawson/Adams momentum. Unfortunately for first time finalists Forsyth and Bell some quick fire potting from Dawson and Adams wiped out the handicap start leaving it all to do for the Keswick pair. At this point of no return the next opportunity for the Clifton/Railway pair was always likely to seal the fate of Keswick duet. As much as they resisted this opening eventually fell to Dawson and in belying his 70 odd years the Clifton cueist turned back the clock yet again with a contribution of 32 for 80-27 frame and title triumph.

Thanks to Maryport Social club for providing an excellent venue/buffet.

The next meeting will be held on Tue 6^th April at Workington Legion (7:30pm). Could all teams please send a representative in order to give a update on charity raffle ticket sales.

Round 17 matches - 17th March 2010

Senhouse A pile on the pressure

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Division 2 leaders Senhouse A piled immense pressure on their rivals with a 5-1 away win against second placed Flimby club. The Workington outfit now stand a whopping 16 points clear at the top of the table.

In the first frame Senhouse A cueist Alan Ferris steadily built a 20 point lead from a scrappy start and even though Flimby’s Ian Tinnion hung on it was this initial lead that was to make the difference as he eventually won, 46-14.

The next game saw Senhouse’s Tom Lawson lay his intentions from the off as he constructed a 30 point advantage. Flimby’s current Singles handicap champion, Mike Walker, tried hard create an opportunity to get back into the frame but as the luck deserted him Lawson mopped up for a 66-23 victory.

In the next and for the third frame in a row Senhouse A started the better of the two teams as Manny Stalker produced some fine potting to lead Flimby Captain Geoff Banton. However with some impressive potting of his own Banton kept in touch as only the brown remained.   This resilience was short lived nevertheless and as a mistake on the brown let Stalker in he duly obliged to record a 49-25 triumph.

At 3-0 to Senhouse A division 2’s leading player Michael Poole put his unbeaten run on the line yet again as he took on Flimby’s Garry Southern. As both players adopted a do or die approach this made for the most exciting frame of the evening which begun with an early lead for Poole that was quickly countered with a break of 21 by Flimby’s Southern. This changing of the guard continued but with just the brown remaining the Flimby cueist required only one ball. As elusive as this proved for Southern, Poole then went onto pot the next three balls only to run out of position on the black. A good safety though left Southern with a problem and as poor shot followed Poole was quickly to the table to dispatch the black for a 49-48 win.

Frame 5 saw a change in fortunes for the Flimby side with Wayne Dustin racing to a 25 point lead with some assured play. Senhouse A’s experienced George Davidson applied himself with some fine tactical play but in a game of missed opportunities for the Workington stalwart Dustin eventually potted the last three ball to put Davision out of his misery, 67-42.

In the final frame of the evening Senhouse’s John Reynolds started the more confidently of the two players. On the other hand though, Flimby’s Dave Teasdale fought valiantly to stay in the game with one red left. Again this was short lived as with a mistake from Teasdale let Reynolds in to pot the balls he required for a 62-40 victory and a well deserved Senhouse A match win.

Also in division 2 home side Derwent B and Workington Legion shared the spoils, 3-3 with the highlight of the match coming from Keswick’s Tom Mattinson in the shape of 25 break.

The final fixture in division 2 produced another 3-3 draw, this time between home side Clifton and Glasson. Frame winning breaks of 28 by Clifton’s Mike Middlehurst and 36 by Glasson’s Paul Hoad still give both players the opportunity of claiming this season’s Break Aggregate trophy.

In division 1 leaders Railway club were well and truly derailed as a 4-2 home defeat at the hands of Derwent A sees the title chase blown wide open again. This polished performance contained a number impressive wins but none more convincing Vince Peet’s victory over Railway’s Ryan Adams with breaks of 31 & 26. The only consolation for the Railway club came in the last frame night as Craig Davies battled hard to defeat Derwent A’s current county doubles champion, Rob Sim.

A break of 27 by Maryport Social A’s Alan Moore guided his team to a 4-2 home win over Seaton Legion, however the performance of the evening came from Legion’s Mark Tatton as with a break of 41 he crushed Maryport Social A’s experienced former county singles champion Ivor Messenger.

John Street’s 5-1 away win at Senhouse B produced three breaks of 25 plus from the victorious team. Firstly a brace of 33 breaks from Simon Frazer & Stephen O’Hagan and secondly a 28 break from Mark Tunstall.

The final result of the week gave Maryport Social B a real chance of avoiding the drop back down into division 2 with a 4-2 away win against Ellenborough. Frame winning breaks of 25 by Social B’s Ryan Ismay and 27 by Ellenborough’s Craig Stuart proved to be the highlight of the evening.

Round 15 - 3rd March 2010

Senhouse A hold onto top spot

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 2 side Derwent B dug deep to hold league leaders Senhouse A to their third 3-3 draw in as many weeks.

A great result for the Keswick side still does not hold Senhouse A from maintaining a nine point gap at the top of the second tier.

The evening started in confident fashion for the Derwent A outfit as Chris Rule made most of chances he was offered. With this in mind Senhouse A Captain Allister Byers tried hard to counter this self-assured start but in the end could do nothing as Rule ultimately prevailed 54-31.

In frame two Lakesider Tom Mattinson and Senhouse A opponent John Reynolds looked to be fairly evenly matched. However as the experienced Reynolds complied judicious break of 29, that contained a number of challenging positional shots, he eventually triumphed 59-29.

At 1-1 Doubles finalist Mark Forsyth potted superbly to gain a useful lead against Senhouse A adversary Manny Stalker. This advantage was maintained throughout and even though Stalker put up considerable effort in gaining a couple of snookers the inevitable could not be delayed as Forsyth won 63-40.

With fellow Derwent B Doubles finalist Joe Bell up in the next he was hoping to emulate his teammate’s previous measured performance. Unfortunately this was not to be the case as in giving away 31 points in fouls coupled with some thoughtful play from Senhouse A opponent Alan Ferris, Lakesider Bell slumped to a 61-21 defeat.

In the closest frame of the match Derwent B’s Paul Lodge and Senhouse A’s Michael Poole fought it out all the away. With just two balls left the game could have definitely gone either way, nevertheless as Poole dispatched the pink and black with ease for a 44-36 victory,  he now sits on top of the division two averages, played 12 won 12.

The last frame of the night did not disappoint either as Derwent B Captain Wally Good took on Senhouse A’s John Hodkin. In another eagerly contested frame a break of 20 from Good ended up being the deciding factor as he went onto deliver a super 73-47 frame win.

Also in division two Flimby moved into second place on their own with a 5-1 home win against Workington Legion, and Station Road captain Peter Collins made a handy frame winning contribution of 25 that in the end aided his team to a 4-2 home victory over Glasson.

In division 1 in form Railway club moved into sole first position with a superb 5-1 home win against fellow challengers and previously unbeaten John St. A great win was highlighted with breaks of 34 and 50 from Railwaymen Steve Garroway and Kevin Basnett respectively. John Streets Peter O'Hagan did offer some consolation for his team an under pressure break of 26 enabled him to defeat top ten averages placed Paul Graham.

Also in the top division Maryport Social A defeated fellow club mates Maryport Social B 5-1. This, added to their 6-0 away win over Senhouse B in their previous night's outstanding fixture, the Social A outfit are now placed in second spot just one point behind the Railway club.

In completing the division’s fixtures Senhouse B’s Shaun Ayre recorded a break of 30 to help his team to a very satisfying home 3-3 draw against Derwent A and in the final match of the week Seaton Legion ended a tough run by overcoming relegation placed Ellenborough, 4-2.