2012/2013 NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, January 24th, 2013
HORNS B, LSC, JUNCTION A AND SHAKE A INTO NEIL CLARK SEMIS
NEWPORT (Shropshire): The semi-finals of the 2013 Neil Clark Memorial Trophy (Newport Pool League Cup) will be fought out between Gnosall Horns B, LSC at the Tav, Shakespeare A and Junction A after they prevailed in four quarterfinal clashes on Wednesday night.
LSC at the Tav faced old rivals Railway Tavern at their shared home venue, but the match failed to live up to pre-game hype. Stu Morrey’s inconsistent Tavern side met Greg Heathcote’s LSC on a bad night and LSC won the contest in four frames with Ben Longstaff shaking off his birthday blues to seven-ball Greg Quinn into submission in one rack.
Shakespeare A entertained an improving Navigation at Upper Bar and sealed their semi-final place in five frames. Richard Hendy overcame Neil Holford to set the home team on their way and Andy Potter snatched the second rack from S. Podmore.
Scott Smith pulled a frame back for the visitors against Dave Marshall, but Ross Richards-Jones edged his frame against Steve Whitlock to give the Shake a 3-1 lead. Marshall and Ben Holmes sealed the win in rack five, with Holmes just missing out on a seven-ball clearance on his first visit.
Gnosall’s Horns B had to brave the bad weather and visit the remote Haberdashers in Knighton to book their place in the last four. But Dean Smith’s mercenaries from as far afield as Stafford and Market Drayton won the match in five frames against a stubborn village side. “We played really well on the night,” said Vicky Winter of the Haberdashers. “It was not meant to be.”
Mick Collins’s King’s Head A side visited Norbury in the last of the quarterfinal matches against Junction A. But the Newport side cam unstuck by the odd frame, as Hyla Marklew’s canal siders – former winners of the Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – booked their place in the last four.
NRBL A struggled against the Railway Tavern in their preliminary match to face LSC at the Tav. Steve Morrey beat Jason Taphouse to give the home team the lead, but Mick Beech got the better of Russ Porter to level the score. Stu Morrey overcame Wayne Dodd to again put the Tavern in front and Ant Heathcote got the better of Greg Quinn to level the match.
But Quinn and Dave Bristow put the home team into a 3-2 lead and, even though the visitors levelled in the sixth, Steve Morrey beat Ant Heathcote in the tiebreak frame to seal their quarterfinal place.
The semi-final draw will take place next Wednesday evening at 23.00hrs in the Railway Tavern and those matches will be played at neutral venues on Wednesday, March 6th.
Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – quarter-final results
Haberdashers Arms v Horns Gnosall B, 1-4
Railway Tavern v LSC at the Tav, 0-4
Shakespeare A v Navigation Gnosall, 4-1
Junction A v King’s Head A, 4-2
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com