Round 23 matches – 20^th April 2011

Cons look strong

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Workington Cons put themselves in a very strong position in their pursuit for the division 1 title with a 5-1 away win against fellow divisional counterparts Flimby.

The Cons side now sit at the top of the table by a point. With the added bonus of having a game in hand and just four fixtures remaining, destiny is now in their own hands.

Flimby, usually a very difficult side to break down started well and with a convincing win in the first frame from Flimby’s granite like Wayne King a very different result looked on the cards.

However, this supreme start was short lived and with Cons’ Julian Plaza turning on the style against Flimby’s Wayne Dustin and Martin Fisher narrowly losing out to Ivor Messenger the Cons side took a 2-1 lead.

Current county champion Alan Moore and Captain Ryan Adams took the next two for Cons against Flimby’s Paul Vickers and Mike Walker respectively and with Cons’ Individual handicap finalist Mike Park taking the last, the rise to the top of the table was complete.

Seaton Legion now look likely to avoid the drop with battling 4-2 over divisions 2’s Glasson. Paul Mostyn produced a frame winning break of32 to take the first frame of the match against Glasson’s Shaun Moore and with Moore’s team mate Andrew Mitchelhill not making the most of his early chances, Seaton’s Paul Smith cannily took his team to a 2-0 lead. Seaton’s Scott Messenger increased their lead to 3-0 with a victory over Craig Denwood but with compatriot  Mark Tatton missing a late opportunity against Glasson’s Ryan Barker the score now stood at 3-1. Straight back from a week in the sun Seaton’s Alan Stephenson turned round an early 20 point deficit to record an impressive victory over Glasson’s Paul Hoad in frame five. Nevertheless, the final frame of the match saw the best comeback of the week as Glasson Captain Dave Chapman came back from 32 points behind with only two reds left to defeat Seaton’s Alan Evans and put some respectability into the match scoreline.

Division 2’s Station Road B turned around a 3-0 deficit in a very respectable draw against previous weeks’ division 1 leaders the United Club. Wins from Neil Henderson, Stephen Little and Captain Kevin Basnett looked like taking the United Club to victory but with a determined counter from Station Road B’s Keith Telford, Mike Walker and Paul Johnston the surprising turnaround was complete.

Derwent hung onto their division 1 title hopes with a 6-0 thumping of divisions 2’s Workington Legion, albeit on the road and John Street Club went a long way to securing a top 4 division 1 playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over division 1’ relegation placed Senhouse A.

In the final match of the week, Division 2 side Senhouse B still riding off their 7 a side handicap plate championship confidence produced an accomplished display against division 1’s Maryport Social with a 5-1 home win. As much as the Senhouse victory puts them a great position to challenge the division 2 title, Maryport Social must now be thinking they need a good run in the last four league fixtures to avoid relegation.

Round 22 matches – 13^th April 2011

Senhouse pair win doubles handicap and league legend is remembered

Senhouse B’s Neil Bower and Andrew Aitken are the new Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Doubles handicap champions. A hard fought win took the final down to the last frame but with some diligent play they presided over Station Rd A’s Mike Middlehurst and Luke Naylor 3-2.

In frame one Senhouse’s Bower and Aitken made the most of their 10 point start with some confident potting to take an early 20 point lead. Station Road B’s Naylor and Middlehurst dug deep but could not manage to reduce the deficit and with the colours remaining they were still 20 points behind. A few safety shots later left Bower with a chance and with yellow to blue the Senhouse pairing were one frame to the good.

Naylor and Middlehurst put the disappointment of the first frame behind them and quickly created their own 20 point lead in frame two.  However, this lead was short lived as with two scoring visits and a foul from a snooker, Bower and Aitken forged ahead. As the colours stood Naylor and Middlehurst refused to be phased by their Senhouse opponents’ comeback and in coolly potting them between them they levelled the match score at 1-1. 

A good long red followed by a pink from Bower in frame three set the tone as the Senhouse pair rapidly built a 27 point advantage. Again the Station Road B duo hung in and with just the pink left they were 11 points behind. A good pot on the penultimate ball left Middlehurst with what looked like a makeable black, nevertheless in choosing the safety option the Station Road B cueist left the black in the middle of the table. Needing no time steady himself Aitken stroked the resultant leave in to take a 2-1 Senhouse pairing lead.

With the pressure increasing all four players missed good opportunities at the beginning of frame four. This disjointed play continued and even though Naylor and Middlehurst gained a useful lead Bower and Aitken quickly pegged it back to lead by a point with just the colours left. An unfortunate foul on the yellow by Bower left the Station Road B pair with a great chance and in mopping up the colours between them Naylor and Middlehurst took the match to a decider.

The final frame saw the Station Road B duo pot some good reds but as colours eluded them Bower and Aitken capitalised to build a 34 point lead. With just one red left Naylor gave himself a chance to win by potting it, nevertheless in only managing to gain position on the pink just a tie was possible. This though proved to be one challenge too many and in missing the aforementioned pink it left the Senhouse pairing with what proved to be an unassailable lead. A snookering exchange ensued, nonetheless the Station Road pair could not prevent the inevitable as Bower and Aitken eventually went on to claim the title to the delight of their travelling fans.

Thanks to Geoff Banton and Flimby club for providing the venue and the buffet.

The league is saddened to announce the death of Cockermouth and District Snooker legend, John Fitzwilliam. John was an integral part of an early eighties all star Gunners Club multiple division 1 winning side and competed in the league for some forty years.

Possessing a determined attitude he proved to be a valuable asset to every team he played for. A player who also possessed a great talent for billiards was often keen to pass on his supreme knowledge to those wishing to reach his level. In his later years he was to captain the Railway Club team and led them to their first ever division 1 top 4 (2002) and league division 1 winners (2006) titles. He will be sorely missed.

Round 21 matches – 6^th April 2011

Glasson almost cause upset

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 2 side Glasson produced probably their best rest of the season so far in holding 08/09 division 1 champions John Street to 3-3 away draw.

The first frame saw Glasson Dave Chapman win a fairly safety conscious affair against John Street’s Steve Buchanan. In frame two a reckless shot from John Street’s Simon Frazer that split the reds far and wide left Glasson’s Andrew Mitchelhill to make a break of 28. This followed quickly with another contribution of 32 from the Glasson cueist gave Frazer too much to do and in the end he limped to a comprehensive defeat. At 2-0 to Glasson the third frame produced another convincing victory but this time it was for a John Street player as Mark Tunstall trounced Glasson’s Shaun Moore. Frame four has to go down as the best of the season so far. Leading John Street’s Peter O’Hagan by 58 points with just three reds remaining Glasson’s Ryan Barker must have thought he was taking his team to a 3-1 lead. Nevertheless a snooker by O’Hagan yielded a seven point foul and more importantly a chance to force a re-spotted black with 51 in the frame and 51 points left on the table. Three reds and blacks later from O’Hagan seemed to be all in vein as he left the yellow over the pocket. As Barker contemplated his best league win ever, the pressure started to show and the yellow was missed. Even though all the colours plus a re-spotted black was required, somehow the writing seemed to be on the wall for Barker and in calmly potting all the balls he required interspersed with some excellent safety O’Hagan went on to record the greatest comeback the league has seen for some years. With the excitement of the previous frame dying down John Street’s Stuart Ryan steadily cued his way to a decisive lead against Glasson’s Craig Denwood. This in the end proved too much for Denwood as Ryan potted the balls he required to take his team to a 3-2 lead. In the last frame of the evening John Street Captain Stephen O’Hagan was first in amongst the reds, however a missed opportunity gave Glasson’s Paul Hoad the confidence he required and in never looking back he complied enough points to leave his division 1 opponent with option but to concede.

Station Road A produced the weeks other surprising 3-3 away draw, this time against division 1 top four placed Derwent. Leading 2-1 the lakesiders looked well set to register another victory with the only unbeaten player in division 1, Vince Peet recording a break of 25. This however didn’t prove enough to rattle Station Road’s rapidly improving Grant Porter and in playing with experience beyond his years he knocked Peet off division 1’s leading player spot with some excellent play. The previous frames’ heroics helped Station Road’s Carl Ennis to a confident win over Derwent’s Carl Arthur, however it was Keswick’s Paul Killingley who held his nerve to force the draw with a nail biting win over Station Road B’s Paul Johnston.

Seaton Legion made massive in-roads into securing their place in the top division with a 5-1 home win over division 2’s recently crowned 7 a side plate winners, Senhouse B. Seaton’s Mark Tatton recorded the highest break of the match as he compiled a frame winning contribution of 28 against Senhouse Captain David Petrie.

The United Club took outright lead in division 1 with a 6-0 win over divisional counterparts Maryport Social. A good result for the United outfit was probably equally as bad for the Social side as this now leaves them with a lot to do in their final five fixtures to avoid relegation. A highest break of 55 in the contest came from United club Captain Kevin Basnett.

Workington Cons lost their first game against Workington Legion but with the division 2 side unable to reproduce this form in the remaining five frames the Cons side went on to win 5-1. The highest break of the evening came from Cons’ Captain Ryan Adams in the form of a contribution of 28.

7 a side h’cap TKO Final – 30^th March 2011

Senhouse B take 7s plate title

Senhouse B are the new 2011 Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League 7 a side plate handicap team knockout champions. The division 2 side produced some gritty snooker in coming back from 3-1 down to defeat gallant fellow division 2 outfit Workington Legion 4-3, all be it on the final ball.

A new title to the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League calendar proved to be a huge success with both final teams giving the competition the respect it deserved. This was most certainly evident in the first frame of the match as Senhouse’s Shaun Ayre took on Workington Legions Ben Challenger. Both players understandably took the cautious approach and even though Legion’s Challenger had a 30 point start he held his own against division 2’s leading player. With just the colours remaining Challenger’s start was more or less intact as he led by 27 points. Yellow and green by Ayre gave the Senhouse player a chance of nicking the frame however a safety mistake on the brown left Challenger a chance and in depositing the aforementioned ball the Senhouse cueist finally succumbed to 69-42 defeat.

Frame two started in a similar fashion with Senhouse’s Simon Burns taking on Workington Legions Eric McMullen. Nevertheless as the game developed Burns potted the better of the two players and even though he could have been billed the underdog in receiving 3 points start he calmly dispatched yellow, green and brown for a convincing 43-12 win.

Legion’s Paul McWalters took a 7 point start into frame three with Senhouse’s Neil Bower looking to break the deadlock. In what look like an evenly matched contest McWalters still stood his 7 points to the good with the last red remaining. As Bower lay what looked a like a certain snooker an unfortunate gap between black and blue left McWalters with a chance at the red. This turned out to be the undoing of the Senhouse player and even though McWalters only potted enough balls to leave him 21 points up with 22 on the table, Bower never recovered and Legion’s McWalters went on to win 53-23.

At 2-1 to Workington Legion Sandy Smith and Senhouse captain David Petrie slugged it out in the next.  Petrie’s 2 points start made little or no difference and with just one red left on the table the scores were level. The Senhouse captain gave it his all, however it was Smith who made the most of his chances and in depositing the brown, blue and pink he went on to a 45-37 victory.

With Senhouse B needing the three remaining frames to win the match Andy Aitken had the difficult task of holding off Workington Legion’s Ian Torley title charge. As judicious as the early games had been, frame five proved to be the most careful with a majority of the reds accumulating in one corner of the table. This proved to be a smart move as far as the Senhouse player was concerned because with a 14 point start it prevented Legion’s Torley from reducing the deficit. Torley tried valiantly to make the most of his few opportunities but with Aitken’s tactical play proving too difficult to break down he eventually went on to win 57-26.

Frame six saw Senhouse’s David Bracken take a 22 point handicap advantage against Legion’s captain Mark Lavin. Even though his team were 3-2 down Bracken started confidently early on to add to his start and lead by 42 points. This did not deter Lavin and in producing some fine play he reduced the deficit to 20 points with one red remaining. Blows were traded for the next 10 minutes but with Senhouse’s Bracken dispatching the brown and blue Lavin could do no more as he was defeated 64-37.

The final and deciding frame brought together two players with a 50 plus age gap as Senhouse B’s 78 year old Barry Haigh took on Workington Legion’s Chris Hunter. Even though Haigh was receiving 3 points start there was always a feeling that this game was going to go down to the wire. Hunter made all the early running and with a 12 point lead with the colours remaining he looked the likely winner. However with experience in abundance Haigh stuck to the task in hand and with just the final black left the match was still undecided. As safety shots were traded Hunter saw the best of the opportunities but missed two makeable pots. In these situations the balls often don’t forgive you and as the second chance went awry Hunter left an easy black which Haigh duly obliged for 58-53 frame and championship win to the delight of his team mates.

Thanks to Maryport Social club for holding the final and to Colin Sealby for referring. Full coverage of the final can be viewed on the league’s website – www.workingtonsnooker.co.uk

In the league Division 1’s Workington Cons remained in top spot with a 4-2 home win over division 2 league leaders Station Road B. The first three frames were pretty much decided in one visit as Cons’ Mike Park and Alan Moore made breaks of 39 and 59 respectively to take it to 2-0 however Station Road’s Joe Bell pegged it back to 2-1 with a break of 25. The next two frames were shared nevertheless it was Cons’ Ryan Adams who closed out the match with a break of 25 in his win over Station Road’s Gary Mattinson.

The United Club joined Workington Cons at the top of the table with a 5-1 away win over Glasson. A good result for the United Club was highlighted with breaks of 29 and 30 from United Captain Kevin Basnett, still the result could have looked a very different one after the first frame as Glasson Captain Dave Chapman won convincingly with a contribution of 25.

Flimby’s Wayne Dustin made a frame winning break of 27 against Ryan Ismay in the first game of the match between his team and Maryport Social. This seemed to set the Flimby side up nicely though it still required a black ball win in the final frame of the match from Flimby Captain Geoff Banton to carry his team over the line 4-2.

Division 1 top four placed John Street romped to a 5-1 away win over division 2 second placed Station Road A in a match that surprisingly only produced one break over 25, this coming from John Streets Mark Tunstall in the form of a frame winning contribution of 32.

In the final two league games of the week Derwent kept their division 1 title aspirations alive with a 5-1 home win over newly crowned 7-a-side plate champions Senhouse B and 7’s plate finalists Workington Legion fought out a 3-3 draw with division 1’s Senhouse A.

The doubles handicap final will take place on Wed 13^th April in Flimby Club at 7:30pm. Senhouse B’s Andy Aitken and Neil Bower will take on Station Road B’s Mike Middlehurst and Luke Naylor.

Round 19 matches – 23^rd March 2011

Senhouse B prove no pushovers

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 2 side Senhouse B stretched their impressive unbeaten run to five games with a superb 3-3 away draw against division 1 title challengers the United Club, all be it from 3-1 down.

A fine win for Senhouse’s Simon Burns over United’s Craig Davies in the first frame of the evening set up the clash nicely but as Neil Henderson, Barry Collins and captain Kevin Basnett all won for the United Club the signs looked ominous. A gutsy performance was required if the Senhouse side were to stop the rot and with division 2’s leading player, Shaun Ayre up next they had every chance. United Club’s Ian Whineray tried hard to keep Ayre under wraps but the Senhouse cueists’ quick fire attacking style in the end proved too difficult to handle and Ayre eventually ran out a comfortable winner.

At 3-2 to the United Club a match win still looked a very probable result with top ten placed Steve Garroway still left to play, however Senhouse B’s David Bracken had other ideas. There seemed to be no sign of nerves as Bracken calmly potted his way to a 20 point lead with the colours remaining. One last chance unfortunately eluded Garroway and in carrying on from where he left off Bracken mopped up the balls he required for an impressive frame win to carry his team to a very satisfying draw.

Division 1’s Seaton Legion put last week’s defeat at Derwent well and truly behind them with 5-1 home win against division 2 title challengers Station Road A. The highlight of this authoritative victory fittingly came in the first frame of the match as Seaton’s Paul Mostyn recorded a break of 31 in his victory over Station Road A’s Karl Newton.

Flimby Club and Senhouse A thrashed out a 3-3 draw in a battle of two evenly matched division 1 sides. However the result was probably a better one for the Flimby side as with a game in hand and 3 points to the good over the Senhouse outfit it will probably take a poor run to of results to see them overtaken.

In a 4-2 win, division 2 league leaders Station Road A started their home match well against fellow divisional counterparts Glasson with Richard Nelson demonstrating his greater experience to defeat Shaun Moore in the first frame of the evening.  Team mate Mike Middlehurst kept it tight to preside over Glasson captain Dave Chapman to take the score to 2-0. The next two frames were shared as Glasson’s Craig Denwood produced a steady performance against Luke Naylor and Station Road’s Joe Bell delivered his second good win in as many weeks to beat Andrew Mitchelhill. Station Road B’s Barry Graham produced the highest break of the night, 30 to defeat Ryan Barker in frame five but it was Glasson’s Paul Hoad who pulled a point back in the last frame of the match with a twitchy win over Graeme Renney.

Workington Legion belied their wooden spoon placing as in winning the last two frames against division 1’s Maryport Social they scrapped to a very respectable 3-3 scoreline. Highest break of the match came from W’ton Legion Captain Mark Lavin with a contribution of 27 in his win over Maryport Social hot shot Paul Lister.

Division 1 top side Workington Cons trashed out a 3-3 draw in a break littered contest against division 1 top 4 placed John Street. Frame one was won with a contribution of 32 from John Street’s Tony Elliott however the second frame proved to be the best of the night. In making a break of 28 John Street’s Simon Frazer was definitely in the driving seat nevertheless Cons’ Mike Park had other ideas and with a contribution of 58 he won one of the highest scoring frames of the season so far. Things calmed down in the next two as the proceedings were shared, however newly crowned Cumbria County Snooker Champion, Alan Moore made a break of 32 in the next to make it 3-2 to the Cons. This match lead was short lived nonetheless as John Street’s Peter O’Hagan levelled it in the last with a frame winning contribution of 25.

The monthly meeting will take place on Monday April 4^th at 7:30pm in the United Club. Could all teams please send a representative as presentation night charity raffle tickets will be issued.

Round 18 matches – 16^th March 2011

Station Road B top division 2

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 2 side Station Road B made the most Station Road A’s free week by leapfrogging them to into top spot with a superb win over division 1’s Maryport Social 5-1.

A great result the Station Road B outfit was all the more pleasing as Maryport Social, fresh from their giant killing act against John Street last week, were obviously in good form.

With a win from Richard Nelson in the first, team mate Mike Middlehurst quickly doubled the scoreline with a break of 27 to take the match lead to 2-0. Station Road B’s Luke Naylor ground out a victory in the next but as Joe Bell produced his best performance of the season so far in beating Social’s Paul Lister the score was now 4-0. Barry Graham won a close game against Maryport Captain Colin Sealby in the fifth frame but a gritty performance from Socials Andrew Henderson in the last saved the whitewash for the division 1 side.

Division 1 leaders Workington Cons showed no signs of easing off as they cantered to a 5-1 win over division 2’s Glasson. A fixture against the top divisions leading side was always going to be difficult and in swiftly going 2-0 down things looked ominous for Glasson. The third game produced probably the frame of the week as Glasson’s Andrew Mitchelhill took on Cons’ Mike Park. Park started the better of the two players but with a break of 30 from Mitchelhill the Glasson cueist took a slim lead. As one red remained Mitchelhill looked favourite however Park had other ideas and with a break of 26 to the black he grabbed his team a 3-0 lead. Glasson’s Ryan Barker did secure a point for his team in the next but without delay Cons captain Ryan Adams made it 4-1 with a win over Glasson’s Craig Denwood. The last frame of the match almost certainly speaks for itself. Glasson’s Paul Hoad must have thought he had a chance of beating County finalist Alan Moore as he lead by 14 points but with Moore moving through the proverbial gears he made a contribution of 80 to record the weeks’ highest break and cap a fine team performance.

The Derwent Club applied some heat to the top two sides in division 1 with a 5-1 home win against divisional counterparts Seaton Legion. The Keswick outfit were definitely in scoring mood as Chris D’Leny (32 break), Steve Hodgson (25 break) and Rob Sim (62 & 46 breaks) all made recordable contributions.

Division 2’s Senhouse B took advantage of division 1’s John Streets’ disappointing form of late to record a 3-3 home draw, all be it with a weakened side. With work commitments only allowing the Senhouse side to field five players the result was all the more surprising. This however didn’t stop John Street star Peter O’Hagan from adding to his break aggregate total as with a contribution of 51 he top scored on the night.

The United Club looked in danger of losing ground at the top of the division 1 table as the score stood at 2-2 against division 1 rivals Senhouse A. Nevertheless with victories from the United Club’s two most experienced players, Steve Garroway and Captain Kevin Basnett a 4-2 win was ground out. United’s Barry Collins made the highest break of the match with a contribution of 37 in his frame win over Alan Ferris.

In the final fixture of the week Flimby’s Mike Walker showed no signs of nerves as he took his division 1 side to a 4-2 home win over division 2’s Workington Legion with a break of 30. This win puts the Flimby side in a strong position as far a retaining their promotional place in the top tier is concerned and even better with a game in hand they also have an excellent chance of making an unprecedented top 4 playoff spot.

Round 17 matches – 9^th March 2011

United Club go joint top

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Maryport Social A made nonsense of their division 1 relegation place by defeating 08/09 league champions John Street Club 4-2, all be it on the road.

The Maryport Social side turned round a disappointing earlier season 5-1 defeat in superlative fashion with initial wins from Ryan Ismay, Pete Donachy and Andrew Henderson to take the score to 3-1. Paul Lister increased the lead to 4-1 with a break of 27 and left the Workington side on the verge of their worst defeat in a number of years. John Street’s Peter O’Hagan however saved his team from that fate with breaks of 30 and 32 in the last to restore some pride.

Seaton Legion’s Paul Mostyn made an excellent start for his team with a frame winning break of 47 in defeating W’ton Cons’ in form Alan Moore, but with equally successful contributions of 25 and 31 from Cons’ Sal Cakmak and Ryan Adams respectively the Workington outfit went on to record a 4-2 home win against their division 1 counterparts.

Currently in division 1 top spot with the aforementioned Cons side, the United Club matched their rivals result with a 4-2 away win versus wooden spoon placed Workington Legion. Probably a better result for the Legion side than their opponents did produce one recordable break as United Club captain, Kevin Basnett added a break of 37 to hang onto his break aggregate total lead.

Division 1’s Derwent Club made the difficult trip to division 2’s Glasson look relatively simple as they coasted to a 5-1 win. The first two frames weren’t plain sailing for the Keswick side as colours wins for Steve Hodgson and Chris D’Leny could have gone either way. With the next two frames also going to the lakesiders with victories from Captain John Thwaites and Carl Arthur an unassailable 4-0 was obtained. Never a player to give up Glasson’s Andrew Mitchelhill did restore some confidence in his side with a self-assured win over Paul Killingley, however it was another victory from the only unbeaten player in either division, Derwent’s Vince Peet that managed to take his team to a well deserved win.

Division 2’s Station Road A were another team who avenged an earlier season home defeat as they turned over division 1’s Senhouse A, 4-2. A tight fought contest saw the division 2 side lose the first two frames but as Grant Porter made a 35 break to win his game against Senhouse A’s vastly experienced Tom Lawson his team leapt into action with further victories from, Peter Collins, Karl Newton & Mike Walker to record a very satisfying division 2 table topping victory.

In the final match of the week between division 2 sides Senhouse B and Station Road B, the Senhouse outfit dented their opponents’ championship aspirations as they rallied to produce a 4-2 away win.

On the KO competition front only three titles are left to contend with the individual handicap, doubles handicap and 7-a-side plate handicap still up for grabs.

In the individual handicap the quarter finals took place with all four matches seeing a 3-1 score line. However more surprisingly each game was won by the away drawn player with Mike Park (W’ton Cons) defeating Paul Vickers (Flimby), Peter O’Hagan (John St.) defeating Paul Mostyn (Seaton Leg.), Kevin Basnett (United Club) defeating Neil Henderson (United Club) and last year’s finalist Mike Walker (Station Rd. A) defeating Allan Stephenson (Seaton Leg.) all for a place in the semi finals.

The doubles handicap on the other hand saw two semi final wins for the home drawn team. With 2-0 wins for Andy Aitken & Neil Bower (Senhouse B) over Paul Mostyn & Mark Tatton (Seaton Leg.) and Mike Middlehurst & Luke Naylor (Station Rd. B) over Neil Henderson & Paul Johnston (United Club) both partnerships progressed to the final all be it against the handicap.

In the remaining 7-a-side handicap plate semi final tie, division 2’s Workington Legion won a nail biter over divisional counterparts Glasson 4-3 to take them into the final in which they will join another division 2 side, Senhouse B.

Round 16 matches – 2^nd March 2011

United Club go joint top

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 1’s the United Club took advantage of Workington Cons free week to join them at the top of the table with a 5-1 home win over Flimby Club.

Flimby unbeaten since Christmas must have fancied their chances against the United Club side and with Mike Walker leading the first frame all the way to the colours against United Club’s Barry Collins the perfect start looked all but guaranteed. The United Club enigma had other ideas however as with a long yellow to gain perfect position on the green he went onto clear the remaining colours to snatch the frame.

In frame two Flimby’s Garry Southern potted some exceptional balls against United Club captain Kevin Basnett but just couldn’t manage to construct enough points to gain an all important advantage. As the frame drew to a close there was nothing much to separate the two players but as Southern left a chance on the blue for his United Club opponent, Basnett went on to seal the frame and the match score moved to 2-0.

The next frame proved to be a tight affair as United Club’s Stephen Little and Flimby’s Wayne Dustin slugged it out. Both players potted well but as most of the colours were difficultly placed neither cueist could forge a lead. With such a close well fought frame it was always going to be a great pot to decide it and in majestically stroking in the final pink to the corner pocket it was Little who took the United Club lead to 3-0.

United Club’s Paul Graham was certainly up for the next frame as a couple of defeats in previous weeks definitely made him a dangerous animal. Nevertheless much improved Flimby Captain Geoff Banton is no walkover whose intent was to try inflict more pain on his United Club adversary. The game started well for both players but after some excellent safety it was Graham who made nonsense of his recent results to defeat Banton with room to spare.

At 4-0, United Club cueist Steve Garroway was in no mood for sympathy against Flimby young star Paul Vickers. In these situations experience can be vital and with Garroway delivering the benefits of this, Vickers succumbed to defeat.

With the league format being a point a frame the last game still had huge significance. Even at 5-0 down Flimby’s Martyn Fisher showed incredible determination in picking off some fine low scoring contributions and eventually went onto record the most convincing win of the night over United Club’s Ian Whineray.

The next fixture produced an interesting clash as division 1’s Senhouse A took on division 2’s Senhouse B. Derby games are usually ones to throw up surprising results but with both teams giving nothing away a 3-3 draw resulted.

This didn’t always look on the cards as B team’s Barry Haigh went down to an inspired Tom Lawson and team mate Alan Ferris defeated luckless Andy Aitken for a 2-0 A team lead.

This lead was sort lived for the A team as Senhouse B’s Neil Bower potted everything in sight to beat Manny Stalker and Sean Ayre won an epic battle of the potters against Geoff Anderson to pull the match score back to 2-2.

In the next Senhouse A’s John Reynolds surged into an early lead but as B team’s Simon Burns potted courageously he kept himself in the frame. Need just one ball with the colours remaining Reynolds looked likely to seal it but for an unfortunate in-off on the yellow. This seemed to spur Burns on and even though Reynolds was presented with a pot on the black to win the frame it was Burns won deposited the final ball for 3-2 Senhouse B lead.

The final frame of the match was probably in favour of Senhouse A’s as 09/10 season division 2 leading player Michael Poole as he took on Senhouse B’s league newcomer David Bracken. This though didn’t prove to be a cut and dried as first thought and with the last three balls remaining it took two good pots on pink and black from Poole to gain his team an important draw.

Division 1 sides Derwent and John Street also came together this week in probably the fixture of the round. A hard fought game saw a few twists but it was the Keswick side that came out on top against their Workington opponents for the second time this season, 4-2 to join them in third place in the table. A win for Derwent’s Vince Peet in the first frame was soon cancelled out with a frame winning break of 27 from John Streets Peter O’Hagan in the second. Keswick Captain John Thwaites took the score to 2-1 with a victory in the next but it was the fourth frame that produced the highlight of the week. After a reckless shot from John Street’s Simon Frazer in the fourth frame in stepped Derwent’s Rob Sim to compile an exceptional break of 91 to leave his opponent without scoring a point. John Street Captain Stephen O’Hagan countered with a frame winning break of 33 in the next to bring the match score back to 3-2 but it was Derwent’s Stephen Hodgson who in requiring all the colours against Tony Elliott finished the fixture in style with a clearance of 27 to take the match victory for the lakesiders.

Division 2 side Station Road B held division 1 side Seaton Legion to a 3-3 draw to maintain their top spot in the division 2 table. Highest breaks of the evening came from Legionnaires Paul Mostyn (34) and Allan Stephenson (32). This however is not a position Station Road B hold on their own as in beating wooden spoon placed Workington Legion 5-1, Station Road A joined their club rivals at the top of the division. Station Rd A’s Grant Porter led the breaks in this game with a contribution of 35.

The final game of the week saw another division 2 side hold a division 1 side as Glasson produced a very credible 3-3 away draw against Maryport Social. The match started in confident fashion for the social side as they limited Glasson to just 12 points in the first two frames with wins from Ryan Ismay and Paul Lister. Lister in particular was in superlative form recording breaks of 30 & 31. Glasson’s Ryan Barker played one his best frames of the season so far to win the third but Maryport Social should have been 3-1 up after the next frame even though Glasson’s Paul Hoad produced a break of 31. A fine black to win the game was deposited by Social’s Pete Donachy only to see the white unfortunately run in-off and hand the spoils to Glasson’s Hoad. At 2-2 Social’s Andrew Henderson built a 37 point lead and looked well positioned to take the frame. However Glasson’s Andrew Mitchelhill dug deep and with the comeback of the evening took frame for a 3-2 match lead. The final frame of the night produced a self-assured captain’s performance as Maryport’s Colin Sealby made the most of his chances to defeat Glasson’s Craig Denwood well.

7 a side h’cap TKO Final – 23^rd February 2011

Cons overhaul handicap to take KO title

Workington Conservative Club are the new 2011 Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League 7 a side handicap team knockout champions. The division 1 side produced some confident snooker in coming from behind twice to defeat gallant division 2 outfit Station Road A, 4-2.

Giving away a start in every frame was always going to be a difficult task for the Cons team and this certainly proved evident in the first frame as Cons’ John Fleming took on Station Road A’s Karl Newton. Fleming’s first shot of the match produced an opportunity for Newton and even though the Station Road cueist could only manage a red and a black this coupled with his fourteen start gave him twenty four point lead. After a tight safety battle Fleming did manage to carve an opening but with it only yielding seven points followed quickly by a break of fifteen from Newton, the Station Road player now stood 31 points to the good. Another lengthy safety duel ensued, but this time it was Newton who came out on top. Even though the resultant opportunity only lead to eleven points the advantage has now increased to forty two. Fleming did create one last good chance but after potting red, pink, red followed by a miss on what seemed to be a very makeable pink the Cons’ players’ prospects of winning the frame looked all but over. Some trading with the last two reds did take place; however it was the Station Road player who went onto win, 61-17.

Frame two looked to be another demanding challenge for the Cons side even though ex county champion Alan Moore was ready and waiting. Playing against namesake in Station Road cueist Andy Moore a twenty eight start seemed to a tough one but as Alan made in-roads very quickly with break of 36 he forged a thirteen point lead. This seemed to be the undoing of the Station Road player and even though he hung on courageously a 73-53 point defeat couldn’t be avoided.

With the score now at 1-1 Station Road’s 2010 singles finalist, Mike Walker faced the enormously experienced Cons cueist, Julian Plaza. A settled start from the Cons stalwart must have made Walker think twice as his sixteen point start was eroded quickly. Even though neither player could string together a sizable break some fine pots were deposited. As the frame moved on the Station Road player started to settle down and in producing the kind of form that has kept him in the top five of the division 2 leading player stats since the beginning of the season, Plaza’s rear guard proved powerless and he eventually went down, 84-41.

Station Road’s Paul Johnston started strongly in the next and with a break of twelve coupled with a start of twelve he lead by 24 points over Cons’ Mike Park. A cautious period followed but as Johnston was presented with an easy red to the yellow pocket, Park’s chances looked to be diminishing very quickly. A surprising miss resulted and with Park constructing a break of 20 to close the gap the biggest turning point in the match had occurred. This definitely affected the Station Road player and what could have developed into a 3-1 lead for his team was levelled at 2-2 with a 67-48 victory for Cons’ Park.

The fifth frame went four minutes without a ball being potted but as Station Road’s Mark Robertson created the first chance he added six points to his nine start over Cons’ Sal Camack. An error strewn frame then saw both players with countless number of chances with neither being able to take advantage. Something needed to change and even though it wasn’t on the potting front the Workington Cons cueist’s tactical game was exemplary as he created one foul after another. Station Road’s Robertson hung on boldly but in failing to pot another ball this allowed Camack to go on to win convincingly, 61-15.

At 3-2 to the Cons side an intriguing tie presented itself as Station Roads former County Pool champion Grant Porter took on Cons’ former County Snooker champion, Ivor Messenger. The early exchanges were always likely to settle Porter more than Messenger and with the Station Road cueist’s ten points start still more or less intact after ten minutes of play the frame was finely balanced. The next opportunity looked like being a crucial one and as Porter potted a fine mid distance red to produce a twenty eight break the decider looked a distinct possibility. A snooker from Porter with his very next shot gave him a relatively easy red down the side cushion with what looked like the black to follow.  Astonishingly an uncharacteristic miss left Messenger with some hope. Keeping his cool under pressure Messenger waited for his opportunity and with a break of twenty eight the gap was closed considerably. With one red remaining the frame still could have gone either way but a successful snooker from Messenger left him in amongst balls  and in wasting no time at all he cleared with a break of thirty one for a 95-47 frame and title victory.

Round 15 matches – 16^th February 2011

Flimby Club on a high

This week in the Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 1’s Flimby turned the tables on an away defeat against the Derwent Club earlier in the season to preside over the top 4 placed side, 4-2.

The Flimby outfit who still remain unbeaten this year started positively as Garry Southern, a player who is in the form of his life, defeated Derwent captain John Thwaites with a 36 break to boot.

Frame two saw another Flimby cueist who is also in fine touch, Captain Geoff Banton, take out Keswick’s most improved player over the last few seasons, Chris D’Leny to lead 2-0.

However with Derwent’s Steve Hodgson nicking his frame against Paul Vickers and team mate Vince Peet maintaining his 100% record in defeating Flimby’s Wayne Dustin the score now stood at 2-2.

A 27 break from lakesider Carl Arthur in the next frame was not enough for him defeat Mike Walker and as Walker’s doubles partner Martyn Fisher controlled his nerves well against Derwent’s Paul Killingley in the last a very satisfying team victory was achieved.

In the fixture between division 1 relegation placed sides Senhouse A and Maryport Social neither team could gain enough momentum to push for the win and the inevitable 3-3 draw ensued.

The first frame went to Senhouse A’s Alan Ferris who used all his experience to pot the last three colours to defeat a very dangerous Andrew Henderson.

Showing great form of late Senhouse’s’ John Reynolds probably looked favourite to beat Socials Pete Donachy but as the Maryport player picked the balls off nicely he ended up recording a very satisfying triumph.

Frame three saw Senhouse A’s Tom Lawson start well in which he built a thirty point lead over Maryport’s Paul Alford. Alford tried gallantly to overcome his opponent’s confident start but it was the Senhouse stalwart who eventually went on to win comfortably.

At 2-1 to Senhouse A Manny Stalker had the tough job of holding off Maryport Social rising star Ryan Ismay in the next. Ismay established an early lead and even though Stalker made a brief comeback it was the Maryport cueist who won the frame convincingly.

 The penultimate frame of the evening brought together two fine single ball potters in Maryport Socials Paul Lister and Senhouse A’s Michael Poole. This was always a game in which the lead was likely to change hands on a number of occasions but as Lister deposited brown to black he took his team to a 3-2 lead.

In the last Senhouse A’s John Hodkin was in no mood to let an early lead slip and in showing real character he prevailed over Social Captain Colin Selby to earn his team a worthy draw.

John Street Club stamped their authority early on in their home fixture against Seaton Legion with wins from Simon Frazer, Tony Elliott & Mark Tunstall to lead 3-0. In the next Peter O’Hagan made the highest break of the match, a 34, to defeat Seaton’s Mark Tatton and even though Legion’s Paul Smith offered some resistance against Stuart Ryan in the fifth frame it was John Street Captain Stephen O’Hagan who took the last record a 5-1 win for Workington side.

In the all division 2 clash between Senhouse B and Workington Legion a frame winning break of 30 from Legion’s Mark Lavin and 32 from Senhouse B’s Shaun Ayre proved to be the theme of the night as both side cancelled each other out in a 3-3 draw.

In the final fixture of the week and yet another division 2 battle, club rivals and divisional title challengers Station Road A & B went head to head. With the B side leading the division by four points prior to the match being played an A team win was imperative. Rising to the challenge the A team fought hard for every point and with a frame winning 26 break from A team’s Mike Walker in the last a 4-2 victory was secured and the league gap at the top was reduced to 2 points.

Round 14 matches – 9^th February 2011

Cons look unstoppable

This week Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 1 league leaders Workington Cons powered their way to a 5-1 victory over divisional counterparts Maryport Social to lead the top tier by 8 points.

An excellent win for Maryport Social rising star Ryan Ismay in the first frame over Cons’ Ryan Adams look like the fillip his side needed. However as Julian Plaza, Sal Cakmak, Ivor Messenger & Alan Moore all won convincingly for the Cons side an unassailable 4-1 lead was gained. In the last a close game developed but with a 30 break from Cons’ Mike Park making the difference Socials Andrew Henderson rear guard proved powerless and the Con’s cueist tidied up for the table topping win.

Division 2 league leaders Station Road B made the most of their home tie as they romped to a 5-1 win over wooden spoon placed Workington Legion. Another win for Station Road B’s Richard Nelson keeps him second place in the division 2 leading player standings, a title he last won in the 08/09 season.

2008/09 division 1 champions John Street looked on the verge of an excellent away win as they lead division 1 second placed United Club 3-2 with current county quarter finalist Tony Elliott still to play, nevertheless United Club’s Steve Garroway had other ideas. Leading by thirty plus points with just one red left on the table, Garroway looked like winning the frame easily however as Elliot dug deep it required a superb final black from the United Club player to take his team to a very rewarding 3-3 draw. The match produced three recordable breaks, 29 from United Clubs Craig Davies, 31 from Davies’ team mate Kevin Basnett but the best of the evening came from John Street’s Peter O’Hagan with a clearance of 51 in his victory over Basnett.

The Derwent Club held onto their third place in the top division with a 3-3 draw at home to relegation placed Senhouse A. The most impressive performance of the evening definitely came from lakesider Rob Sim as with breaks of 55 & 28 he defeated Senhouse’s John Hodkin convincingly.

In the fifth/sixth placed clash between division 1’s Flimby and Seaton Legion, higher placed Flimby increased the gap between the two teams with a 4-2 home win. Flimby’s Paul Vickers continued his excellent form of late with yet another victory this time cemented with a break of 37.

In the final fixture of the week division 2’s Station Road A produced a superb result against a much improved Glasson side to win 4-2 away. Some close games made for enthralling encounter but victories for Andy Moore, Paul Johnston, Mike Walker and Grant Porter was enough to earn the Station Road side a hard fought match win. Even though the Maryport side went down they still stand third in division 2 and look well placed to gain a top 4 playoff spot.

Round 10 matches – 5^th January 2011

John Street suffer Xmas hangover

Back after the festive break Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Division 1 side John Street still showed signs of a Xmas hangover as they went down to top tier newcomers Flimby, 4-2.

In taking a 3-0 lead, which indecently included a third frame winning break of 34 by Garry Southern, the Flimby outfit started their post Xmas home match in superlative fashion.

This certainly sparked the John Street team into gear as with contributions of 45 and 75 by Tony Elliott and Peter O’Hagan (the highest break of the season so far) respectively, the 2009 Division 1 Champions quickly made it 3-2.

The final frame in any contest is always a pressure induced affair and this one did not disappoint. John Street captain Stephen O’Hagan and Flimby’s Martyn Fisher showed no elements of the friendship they share as they both went full tilt for the all important result. With the early exchanges close it looked likely that the greater experience of O’Hagan would count, however rookie Fisher was not to be deterred and in potting the colours he required he took his team to their best result of the season so for.

Wooden spoon placed Glasson produced their first win of the season with a gritty 4-2 home win over divisional counterparts Workington Legion. As Workington Legions’ Alexander Smith won the first over Glasson captain Dave Chapman and team mate Paul Hoad made a frame winning break of 25 in the next the score was quickly 1-1. Glasson’s Ryan Barkers’ all out attack approach won the next and with Legions’ Ben Challenger negating with a solid win it was soon, 2-2. Andrew Mitchelhill rapidly made it 3-2 to Glasson switching the pressure onto last frame compatriot Shaun Moore. The nerves were now obviously jangling and with Glasson’s Shaun Moore and Legion’s Morris Wigham taking the table in the final game of the contest, important points were still up for grabs. As always the lead went back and forth but with only three colours left and Wigham standing points to the good a draw looked the most likely result. Nevertheless Glasson’s Moore rose to the task with aplomb and dispatched the remaining colours for a well deserved win to his teams’ delight.

Senhouse B closed the gap at the top of division 2 with a 3-3 home draw against Station Road A. A hard fought match between the two sides shows that there is little to call in division 2 and even though we are at this early stage in the season it looks like a the title challenge will go all the way to the last game.

Station Road B still remain on top of division 2 despite going down to division 1’s Senhouse A, 4-2. Nevertheless a disappointing defeat was most certainly highlighted with a break of 29 from Station Road B’s Barry Graham in his impressive frame win over Senhouse A’s George Davison.

As division 1’s Workington Conservative Club gained an early lead over league leaders the Derwent Club, aided by a break of 34 by Cons’ Ryan Adams, a table topping upset always looked on the cards. This was eventually realised with a 4-2 home win for the Cons club although a mention must go out to Derwent’s Rob Sim as in replying to a 30 break from  Cons’ Julian Plaza (that also put him 50 points behind ) with a 30 break of his own, he clawed his way back to the most impressive frame win of the season so far.

The United Club made the most of fellow division 1 title challenger’s misfortune by turning over Seaton Legion, 4-2 to take top spot. A break of 41 by Kevin Basnett unquestionably puts the United Club captain in strong position to retain the break aggregate title, even at this early stage in the season with 13 breaks (over 25) made in 10 matches played

Round 9 matches – 15^th December 2010

Lakesiders produce a Xmas cracker

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 1 side the Derwent Club went to the top of the table with a crushing 6-0 home victory over division 2’s Workington Legion.

Some close games were ground out by the Keswick side but with the Xmas league fixture break upon us not only do they stand above everybody else but they also sit there with a game in hand.

In the match between last week’s division 1 table toppers John Street and sixth placed Senhouse A a shock looked on the cards as the lower positioned side lead 2-0 despite John Street Captain Stephen O’Hagan producing a break of 28.

One of John Streets most consistent performers of the last few seasons, Tony Elliott soon steadied the ship with breaks of 41 and 27 to defeat Senhouse stalwart, John Hodkin without difficulty.

John Streets Stuart Ryan recorded a break of 25 in the next to overpower Senhouse A’s Manny Stalker and as Stalkers’ team mate Michael Poole left the blue over the corner pocket with just three balls left John Street’s Peter O’Hagan took his team to the front at 3-2.

The last frame was also full of intrigue but with Senhouse A’s Alan Ferris making the most of his opportunities against John Street’s Steven Buchanan a deserving draw was thrashed out.

Division 2’s Glasson Rangers battled hard yet again this week but with resilient division 1 outfit Seaton Legion in front of them another 4-2 defeat for the Maryport team still leave them without a win.

Glasson captain Dave Chapman did take some consolation from the match nevertheless. A black ball win in the final game of the evening broke his teams’ duck of eight frames going to this nail biting finish without a victory.

Workington Cons’ Alan Moore put an end to Flimby rookies Martyn Fisher’s unbeaten run with a break of 37 and as Moore’s team mate Sal Cakmak produced a contribution of 25 in his victory over Flimby Captain Geoff Banton their team went onto win 4-2 win.

This wasn’t the only unblemished record to be spoiled in this fixture between the two division 1 sides as Cons’ Ryan Adams went down surprisingly easily to Flimby’s man of the moment, Garry Southern.

A cracker of a first frame between United Club’s Kevin Basnett and Station Roads Grant Porter could have gone either way. First a break of 43 by Basnett was quickly negated by one of 38 from Porter but as the game ebbed and flowed the inevitable black ball game ensued. An exchange of several misses not for the faint hearted followed, however it was Basnett who held his nerve to dispatch a long frame winning black.

This seemed to give United Club team a boost and with further frame winning contributions of 41 and 25 from United Club’s Neil Henderson and Steve Garroway respectively the team from division 1 still look strong title contenders as they powered to a 5-1 away win.

In the final fixture of the week, Maryport Social star player Ryan Ismay made a frame winning break of 25 to help the division 1 side to a 4-2 home win over division 2’s Senhouse B.

Round 8 matches – 8^th December 2010

Glasson defy league position

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League division 2 bottom side Glasson nearly pulled off a shock draw against division 1 leaders John Street after trailing 3-0 but in the end were just pipped, 4-2.

 John Street established a 2-0 lead with wins from Simon Frazer & Mark Tunstall but as Tony Elliott stole the third frame with a colours clearance to win on the black against Glasson Captain Dave Chapman a convincing win looked on the cards.

Nevertheless the Maryport side dug in and as Glasson’s Ryan Barker restricted John Streets Stuart Ryan to only 2 points the score was 3-1.

The previous frames’ heroics were soon surpassed in style as a serious of fine long pots coupled with some excellent safety helped Glasson’s Keith Tweedie produce the shock of the season so far as he triumphed over former County Doubles Winner and Singles finalist, Peter O’Hagan.

With the chance to steal the draw now a strong possibility Glasson’s Andrew Mitchelhill took on Stephen O’Hagan. The John Street cueist however reacted in the most positive way he could to his brothers’ defeat as he potted almost everything he was presented with to overpower his dangerous opponent and earn his team a hard fought win.

With breaks of 56 and 31 from Workington Cons’ Alan Moore and Sal Cakmak respectively the division 1 outfit presided over division 2’s Workington Legion, 5-1. Moore’s’ contribution takes him to third place in the division 1 break aggregate table.

Division 1 side The United Club took an ominous 2-1 lead in their away fixture against fellow divisional counterparts Maryport Social with frame winning breaks of 26 from Paul Graham and 53 from Captain Kevin Basnett. Conversely as Socials Andrew Henderson took the next and team mate Paul Lister lead Ian Whineray by some 40 points another potential upset looked on the cards. Playing his first season in the league Whineray dug deep and with a fine brown to black clearance followed by a clinical display from Steve Garroway against Social Captain Colin Sealby, a 4-2 team win was ground out.

The Derwent club still look like real Division 1 challengers as they defeated Division 2’s Station Road A, 5-1. The lakesiders put their difficult snow troubled journey to Workington behind them in double quick time in racing to a 5-0 lead. With this also highlighted with a break of 30 from Keswick’s Vince Peet a whitewash looked a strong possibility. However this was not to deter Station Road’s Mike Walker as frame winning contribution of 25 against Andrew Sharpe, which incidentally sees him go top of the division 2 break aggregate table, saved his teams’ blushes.

Promoted Flimby Club are certainly eager to hold onto their new division 1 status as with a 4-2 home win against division 2’s Station Road B they now stand unbeaten since October 20^th. The finest performance of the evening went to Flimby’s Garry Southern as with break of 31 & 32 he produced a crushing victory over Station Road B’s Luke Naylor.

Finally, division 1’s Seaton Legion versus division 2’s Senhouse B produced a cracking second frame as a 25 break each from Legions’ Alan Stephenson and Senhouse’s’ Shaun Ayre set up nicely for a close frame finish. Nonetheless it was Stephenson who took the bull by the proverbial horns to cross the line first and in the end inspire his team to a 5-1 away win.

Round 7 matches – 1^st December 2010

Top teams turn on the style

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League the top three teams in Division 1 turned on the style as they all managed to win without dropping a frame.

First up league leaders John Street Club looked towards O’Hagan brothers, Peter and Stephen for their inspiration as with breaks of 25 & 34 from Peter and 25 from Stephen they romped to a 6-0 victory.

The United Club negotiated tricky black ball finishes in the first two frames of their home match against Glasson before Captain Kevin Basnett made breaks of 49 & 73 to springboard his team towards their own 6-0 win.

Third placed Workington Conservative Club also stopped Division 2 leaders, Station Road B from scoring a point as they powered towards a 6-0 triumph. As disappointing as a result it was for the Station Road side they still maintained their top spot in Division 2 with second placed Senhouse B only managing to take a point from Division 1’s Derwent Club. The Derwent Clubs’ 5-1 win was highlighted with a frame winning contribution of 25 from current individual Champion Chris D’Leny.

Maryport Social and Flimby Club swapped places at the foot of the Division 1 table as the Flimby side won 4-2 away.

The final league game of the week saw Senhouse A Captain George Davison getting the better of fellow Captain Mark Lavin in the last frame of the evening. This rounded off a thoroughly professional performance as they defeated Workington Legion, 4-2.

This week also saw the completion of the next round of the Individual, Doubles & 7 a side handicap KO cup competitions.

In the last 32 of the Individual handicap 2009 Champion Flimby’s Mike Walker produced a fine win over current Champion, Derwent’s Chris D’Leny by 2 frames to 1.

Last season’s runner up, Station Road A’s Mike Walker made the difficult trip to Keswick to record a very satisfying 2-1 win over Derwent Club’s Tom Mattinson 2-1.

Other notables saw Seaton’s Scott Messenger defeat Barry Collins 2-0 and Workington Legion’s Alexander Smith preside over Flimby’s Martyn Fisher, 2-1.

With the Doubles Handicap at the last 16 stage, John Streets 2008 Champions Peter and Stephen O’Hagan navigated their way through to the quarters in a potentially difficult away tie against Station Road’s Graeme Renney and Richard Nelson, 2-0.

However it was Flimby’s Mike Walker and Martyn Fisher who recorded the performance of the round as they defeated United Club’s Paul Graham and Steve Garroway, 2-0 away.

The 7 a Side Team KO handicap last 8 ties produced some shocks as Division 2’s Station Road A overcame Division 1’s Seaton Legion 4-2 and Flimby took out Division 1 second placed side, The United Club 4-2.

Workington Cons produced a solid home performance to beat 2008 Champions, John Street Club 4-2 and Maryport Social delivered a fine away win over Station Road B, 4-1.

Draws for the next round of all the competitions were made at the weekend with all ties to be completed for the next monthly meeting on Tue 4^th Jan in the United Club.

Round 6 matches – 24^th November 2010

Seaton halt Derwent charge

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League home side Station Rd B defeated Glasson 4-2 to set the early pace in Division 2 and now lead the table by five points.

At 2-2 Glasson certainly had the advantage as the Maryport team still had star players Andrew Mitchelhill & Captain Dave Chapman still to come. However Station Road B’s Barry Graham and Gary Mattinson had other ideas as they produced two fine wins to the delight of their team mates.

Division 2 side Workington Legion probably put together the performance of the week as they turned over Division 1 side Maryport Social 4-2, all be it away. With the game in the balance it was both team Captains who were left to fight out the final frame of the evening. A difficult task nevertheless was conquered by Legions’ Mark Lavin as he presided over Socials’ Colin Sealby.

Two of the top Division 1 sides, Workington Conservative Club and John Street Club, faced each other this week in probably the fixture of the round. As eagerly awaited contests go this one did not disappoint but it was probably the John Street side that went home the happier as with breaks of 27 & 25 from Mark Tunstall and Peter O’Hagan respectively they turned a 3-1 deficit into a very pleasing 3-3 draw.

Senhouse B belied their Division 2 status as they drew 3-3 against Division 1 title contenders the United Club. At 3-1 to Senhouse B, which included a frame winning break of 27 from Senhouse’s’ Shaun Ayre, an upset looked on the cards. On the contrary, as Untied Club Captain Kevin Basnett made break of 31 and 37 in his impressive frame win and league debutant Bryan Walker overcame Senhouse’s Simon Burns, the United Clubs’ blushes were saved.

The fixture between Division 1 sides Flimby Club and Senhouse A started like the proverbial house on fire with the first two frames producing some of the best snooker of the season so far.

As just the green remained Senhouse’s’ George Davison required all the remaining colours. Not to be deterred Davison produced a clearance right out of the top drawer to inflict Southern’s first defeat of the season. A fine game was most surely surpassed in frame two as a 31 break from Michael Poole, unbeaten in division 2 last season, was trumped with a exceptional colours clearance by Flimby’s Martyn Fisher.

The superlative play of the first two games could not be equalled in the remainder of the match as the necessity to get frames on the board took over. With this in mind both teams scrapped hard and a deserving 3-3 draw resulted.

Finally, Seaton Legion still feeding of last week’s victory against week 3 division 1 league leaders the Derwent Club, defeated Station Road A 5-1.

Round 5 matches – 17^th November 2010

Seaton halt Derwent charge

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League Division 1 side Seaton Legion upset the form book by defeating league leaders the Derwent Club, 4-2.

This result gives the Legionnaires a much needed boost after losing three out of their first four matches.

In the first frame Seaton’s Scott Messenger produced his best form of the season so far to race to a 40 point lead over current Individual H’cap champion Chris D’Leny. Even though the lakesider staged a mini fight back it was Messenger who eventually took the opening frame in a very high scoring contest.

Frame two produced the tie of the night as Seaton’s star player Paul Mostyn and equally highly regarded Vince Peet took the table. This was never going to one for the faint hearted and with Peet freezing Mostyn out with some superlative potting, the match score was soon 1-1.

Up next Legion’s Paul Smith got the best of the tactical exchanges in a game that ebbed and flowed.  However, in a determined mood he kept enough in the tank to overcome Derwent’s Paul Killingley with a cheeky double on the final blue.

A protracted fourth frame saw Legionnaire Allan Stephenson face a simple black to the middle pocket to take his frame over Keswick Captain John Thwaites. On the other hand an unforeseen miss came to be strangely rewarded as a soon to follow second chance resulted in an outlandish fluke that took the match score to 3-1 in favour of the Legion.

Derwent’s Andrew Sharpe never really got going in frame five and as Legion’s Mark Tatton made the most of this he sealed the match win in clinical style.

The final frame of the evening saw a combination of good sportsmanship and bad luck conspire to defeat Legions’ Allan Evans. On potting a black, which would have given him a 20 point lead, Evan’s declared a foul on himself. The resultant leave saw Keswick’s Steve Hodgson compile 30 odd points in two visits to take a lead that Evans’ could not shake off to give Hodgson and his team some consolation.

In a Division 1 versus Division 2 clash between top tier side Maryport Social and Station Road B, it was the underdogs who came out on top as fine win on the black from Station Roads’ Richard Nelson over Ryan Ismay set his team up nicely for a moral boosting 4-2 victory.

A frame winning break of 34 from Senhouse A Captain Michael Poole in his game versus United Clubs’ Neil Henderson could save his team from defeat as they went down 4-2 at home.

In addition United Clubs’ Steve Garroway was the top scorer on the night with a contribution of 36 in his convincing win over former doubles partner, Tom Lawson.

Workington Cons maintained their Division 1 title aspirations with a comprehensive 5-1 drubbing of Division 2’s Glasson. Frame winning breaks of 39 and 32 from Cons’ Mike Park and Alan Moore respectively only added to Glasson’s’ misery.

John Street Club recovered from a first frame loss, which was largely due to a 31 break by Senhouse B’s Shaun Ayre, to power to 5-1 home win. The most impressive performance of the evening came from John Street’s Peter O’Hagan, as with breaks of 25 & 38 he defeated Senhouse’s Nigel Carruthers convincingly.

Away side Flimby Club rose from the proverbial Division 1 dead as they thumped Division 2s’ Workington Legion 5-1.

Finally, Division 2 outfit Station Road B made the most of their home advantage as they defeated Division 1 side Maryport Social 4-2.

Round 4 matches – 10^th November 2010

Derwent stay top

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League the Derwent club maintained their excellent Division 1 table topping start to the season with a 5-1 home win over Glasson Rangers.

With the new league format seeing all Division 1 and Division 2 teams meeting each other over the course of the campaign, Division 2 side Glasson Rangers may have seen a very different scoreline had Captain; Dave Chapman made the most of a late frame winning chance against Derwent’s Andrew Sharpe. With this opportunity slipping by it was the Keswick team who raced to a 4-0 lead with further wins from Paul Killingley, Vince Peet and current Individual H’cap champion Chris D’Leny.

Glasson star player Andrew Mitchelhill did put a stop to the rot in the fifth frame with a resilient win over Derwent’s Steve Hodgson, nevertheless it was Lakeside captain John Thwaites who mopped the proceedings up with a fine victory over Glasson’s Ryan Barker.

In the match between Maryport Social and John Street Club a 5-1 win for the Workington side went a long way to erasing any memories they had of last week defeat against the Derwent club.

Notable performances went to Maryport’s Ryan Ismay as he defeated John Streets Simon Frazer, however as Mark Tunstall and Peter O’Hagan made breaks of 25 and 28 respectively in their terrific frame wins the John Street side stay firmly in touch in second place in the division 1 table.

The United Club improved their position in the Division 1 table with a thumping 6-0 win (the first of the season by any team) over division 2’s Workington Legion.

United Club Captain Kevin Basnett sustained his fine start to 10/11’ season with breaks of 44 and 25 in his win over Legion’s Ben Challenger to hold an early lead in the break aggregate table.

Division 2 side Senhouse B halted fellow divisional rivals Station Road Bs’ dazzling start to the new campaign with a 4-2 home win, which sets nicely up for a now eagerly awaited return leg.

Workington Cons’ Alan Moore produced another recordable break over 25, this time a contribution of 35, to inspire his team to a 5-1 away win over Seaton Legion.

Finally, the last fixture of the week between Station Road A and Senhouse A ended in a 4-2 away win for the Senhouse outfit to see their tally stand at played 4, won 3.

Round 3 matches – 3^rd November 2010

Senhouse A crush club rivals

Senhouse A produced the performance of the week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League with a 5-1 win over club rivals Senhouse B.

With victories for Tom Lawson on the brown and Manny Stalker by the virtue of a 22 break in the second frame the score was quickly 2-0 to the A team.

A close fought third frame between the A teams’ John Reynolds and B teams’ Andy Aitken ended fortuitously as in attempting to pot a easy yellow Reynolds fluked a snooker. If this wasn’t enough the resultant leave saw the A team player rub salt in the wounds as he cleared the remaining balls to win.

As the next two frames were shared with wins from A teams’ Alan Ferris and B teams’ David Bracken the score was now 4-1.

The last game of the evening certainly lived up to its’ billing as A and B team stars Michael Poole and Shaun Ayre battled it out. Nevertheless it was Poole who broke the deadlock with a quick fire break of 23 to take the frame on the blue and subsequently the match.

In the match between John Street and Derwent a frame winning contribution of 28 in the opening game from lakesider Andrew Sharp set his team up nicely as they went on to record a rather impressive 4-2 away win. There was a positive note for the John Street side however, as in recording a break of 25 in his convincing win over current league individual champion Chris D’Leny, Peter O’Hagan showed yet again he is in great touch.

Station Road B versus Seaton Legion saw a first frame re-spotted black ball win for Station Road B’s Richard Nelson soon cancelled out with a frame winning contribution of 26 from Legion’s Mark Tatton. This finely balanced start to the contest continued throughout until Station Road B newcomer Joe Bell nicked the last frame of the evening against Legion’s Scott Messenger for a 4-2 win.

A break of 25 each from Flimby’s Garry Southern and United Clubs’ Neil Henderson in the first frame between the two clubs set up the match nicely, but with Southern prevailing on the colours early pressure was applied.

Even though United Club captain, Kevin Basnett made breaks of 37 and 60 in the next frame to set his team at ease the Flimby side dug deep for what ended up being very deserving 3-3 draw.

In the last two fixtures of the week Station Road B’s top scoring Mike Walker made a break of 25 in helping his team to an excellent 5-1 away victory at Workington Legion and Maryport Social travelled the short distance to Glasson Rangers to record a superb 5-1 win.

Competition matches – 27^th October 2010

Workington Cons crush Legion counterparts

This week in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League a break in the league fixtures gave everyone a chance to play their Individual, Doubles & 7 a side handicap KO cup competition ties.

In the first round of the 7 a side Team Knock Out Division 1 side Seaton Legion defeated Division 2 outfit Workington Legion by the confident margin of 4-0 to start their cup run off with a bang.

This wasn’t the only convincing victory of the first round as Division 1’s Workington Cons Club also overpowered Division 2’s Senhouse B by the same scoreline, with Cons’ Alan Moore providing the most impressive win of the evening with breaks of 25 & 31.

Other first round team KO matches saw the United Club beat Senhouse A 4-2 and Maryport Social defeat Glasson Rangers by the same 4-2 scoreline, however the most significant result of the 7 a side ties must go to Station Road B as they conquered 2008/9 champions Derwent Club, also 4-2.

The Individual H’cap KO matches were also completed this week with the first round results throwing up one or two surprises. Pick of the matches start with Workington Legion rookie Alexander Smith unexpectedly defeating improving Flimby captain Geoff Banton 2-1 and Banton’s team mate Martyn Fisher getting the better of Seaton Legion’s Mark Tatton 2-1 to record a great result with a 40 break to boot.

In the Doubles H’cap first round victories for Station Road B’s Mike Middlehurst & Luke Naylor over Alans’ Cannan & Evans from Seaton Legion 2-1 and Station Road A’s Mike Walker & Peter Collins 2-1 win over Maryport Social’s Ryan Ismay & Andrew Henderson have to go down as the highlights of the draw.

All the draws for the second round matches were made this week with all ties to be completed by 6^th December.

Round 2 matches – 20^th October 2010

Derwent set early pace

Week two in The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League saw the Derwent Club defeat top tier newcomers Flimby 5-1 to top the Division 1 table.

The match started well for Flimby as rookie Martyn Fisher compiled a 36 break to defeat Derwent's Paul Killingley, however the lakesiders quickly turned the tables’ on the hopeful Flimby side with wins from Andrew Sharp, Chris D’Leny, Vince Peet and Steve Hodgson to lead 4-1.

With the win already in the bag Derwent Captain John Thwaites showed his greater divisional experience with a 31 break to overcome fellow skipper Geoff Banton and cap a fine team performance.

John Street’s Peter O’Hagan and Tony Elliott recorded frame winning contributions of 28 and 25 respectively on the way to helping their team to a 4-2 win at Seaton Legion.

The most significantly individual frame win of the season so far has to go to United Club’s Stephen Little as in presiding over Workington Cons’ Alan Moore the end to an excellent twelve month unbeaten run was confidently taken.

This concluded a good night for the home team as a 4-2 win for the United Club side certainly went a long way towards removing all thoughts of last week opening defeat at John Street.

A bye last week saw Senhouse B take the table for the first time this season. This however didn’t seem to affect Senhouse players as with a 5-1 victory at home to Workington Legion the summer break had obviously served them well.

A cracking third frame in the match between Maryport Social and Senhouse A proved to be the benchmark for what up being a close fought contest. Social’s Ryan Ismay hit with a 25 break only to see it overturned with a contribution of 42 from Senhouse’s Michael Poole.

Ismay’s teammate Paul Lister also added to the break tally with a frame winning contribution of 29, nevertheless it was Senhouse A stalwart Tom Lawson who stole the limelight in the final frame of the evening with a black win over Pete Donachy to grab a 3-3 draw.

In the final fixture of the week Station Road A met club rival’s Station Road B. Even though the A teams’ Grant Porter and Mike Walker produced frame winning breaks of 28 and 29 respectively the B team fought resolutely to carve out a very deserving 3-3 draw.

Round 1 matches – 13^th October 2010

John Street make their intentions known

The new season of The Window Outlet Cockermouth & District Snooker League got underway this week with new campaign undergoing a makeover that will see teams from Divisions 1 and 2 meeting each other over the course of the season.

This started with John Street Club making their Division 1 title intentions known with a gritty 4-2 home win over new Division 1 side the United Club.

The summer break did not seem to affect the John Street players as they quickly took a 2-0 lead with wins from Captain Stephen O’Hagan and Simon Frazer over United Club’s Steven Little and Steven Garroway respectively.

The United club side, predominately made up of last year’s treble winning team the Railway Club, steadied the ship in the third frame with a 35 break from Captain Kevin Basnett as he went on to defeat Tony Elliott.

With the fourth frame going to John Street cueist Peter O’Hagan, albeit with a 30 break, and the fifth going to team mate Mark Tunstall the match score now stood at 4-1.

Even though the win was secured every frame counts and with one point still on offer United Clubs’ Barry Collins was never going to give up. Collins’ opponent Stuart Ryan started well with a break of 29 but as Collins dug deep he took the game all the way to the last black. In this situation true character was required and with a superbly dispatched final ball it was Collins who gained the all important last point to reduce the deficit to 2-4.

Other games in the top flight saw Workington Cons, who are largely made up of last season’s Maryport Social A side take on travellers Maryport Social B.

The Social B side started match well as youngster Ryan Ismay produced a devastating 41 break to take out the experienced John Fleming.

Equally experienced Cons players Alan Moore and Julian Plaza quickly negated this with wins over Socials’ Paul Alford and Pete Donachy to take the match score to 2-1.

Making a welcome return to the league Cons’ Steven Bell produced his familiar dogged performance, however an unfortunate in-off while attempting a plant proved to be his undoing as Socials B’s Paul Lister went onto win comfortably.

Maryport Social B’s resolve faded however as with victories from Sal Camack and Ryan Adams the Cons side went onto win 4-2.

The final two fixtures saw newly promoted Flimby Club ‘welcomed’ to Division 1 with a 4-2 away defeat, aided by a break of 25 from Seaton Legion’s Paul Mostyn, and last seasons’ Division 2 Champions, Senhouse A suffered a similar fate as they crashed 5-1 to Division 1 top four team, Derwent A.

Division 2 side Station Road A made a steady start to the new season with a 4-2 home win over fellow divisional challengers Glasson Rangers.

Workington Legion, not to be outdone, emulated the previous result as they confidently overcame relocated Clifton Lions now playing under the name of Station Road B, 4-2.