2015/2016 MARSTON’S NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, February 11th, 2016
LEAGUE LEADERS UP IN ARMS AFTER STAG NIGHT NIGHTMARE
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Market Drayton’s Stag faced the stiffest test of their title defence in the Marston’s Newport & District Pool League with a visit to the previously unbeaten Sutherland Arms. The Drayton side’s 100% record of 12 straight wins was at stake and the evening became a true Stag night nightmare for the pace-setters, who were beaten 4-2 and lost the league lead to compound their misery.
George Allen set the away side on their way with a win over Matt Mansell, only for Ian Swinnerton to redress the balance at the expense of Ricky Leese. Mick Manning put the visitors in front again with a win over Tom Fisken, but Wayne Dodd’s win over Neil Dale ensured the match was nicely poised at 2-2 heading into the doubles frames.
That’s where the home side prevailed and Andy Fishwick and Swinnerton joined forces to make it 3-2 against Leese and Manning and Fisken and Dodd held their nerve to seal the win against a shell-shocked Allen and Dale. “They weren’t even hungry,” quipped an ecstatic Mansell after the game. “They didn’t even stop for the food.”
Newport Legion took full advantage of the meeting between first and third to move to the league summit on frame difference after demolishing the Royal Navy Club without the loss of a frame.
Honeysuckle Harriers remain fourth after fighting back from 1-3 down to snatch a home draw against a spirited Junction B. Steve Purves missed a black into the middle to make it 0-1 and Tom Tonna took his chance to put the home side one up. A useful double on the black by Stu Till punished Neil Perkins’s earlier missed double to level the match and a late in-off by Russ Woodhouse gifted Mick Ashforth two shots and the third frame. An outrageous fluke on the black by Dave Blount against Owen Rigby made it 1-3 to the Norbury side.
Rack five was evenly matched until James Morris accidentally potted the black to hand Greg Quinn and Woodhouse the lifeline frame. Tonna and Perkins teamed up to produce two rapid-fire clearances in rack six against Kieren Williams and Blount to seal the draw.
“Logistical errors” meant the Wheatsheaf were not able to fulfil their fixture against WWFC in Telford. The subsequent two-point deduction now means the ‘Sheaf face the stark possibility of slipping back into the Consolation League with two matches to go before the turn-around.
Honeysuckle Hawks prevailed against the Pheasant to remain ahead of King’s Head A on frame difference. The Hawks stormed into a 0-4 lead, courtesy of singles wins for Mark Groom, Marcus Thomas, Jason Shilcock and Gary Lewis over Alistair Griffiths, Gaz Davies, Tom Sayce and Craig Hutchinson, although Hutchinson rattled the black in the fourth to snatch the frame.
The home side again missed a crucial black in the fifth to hand the win to Shilcock and Lewis, although Sayce and Hutchinson pulled a consolation frame back for the home side against Thomas and Ross Richards-Jones.
King’s Head A managed to squeeze through in a tight match in Norbury against Junction A. Home skipper Hyla Marklew undid Bobby Perry to make it 1-0, but the worm turned soon afterwards and wins for Ed Keenan, Irene Whittington and Mick Collins over Sion Richards, Steve Roycroft and Gordon Sidebotham made it 1-3. Perry and Whittington sealed the points in rack five and Keenan and Collins wrapped up the night in the sixth.
The Horns secured both points in a tense 4-2 win over the Haberdashers Arms in Gnosall. Wins for Jamie Wright Dan Broughton and Kev Thackwell earned ay least a draw for the home side in the singles and Wright and Thackwell sealed the two points in the final frame.
King’s Head B were stunned by the Shakespeare in the final match of the evening at Chetwynd End. The league’s bottom side earned their first points of the season after a gutsy 2-4 win.
2015-2016 Marston’s Newport & District Pool League @ 10/2/16
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Newport Legion |
13 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
64 |
14 |
24 |
|
Stag Mkt. Drayton |
13 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
63 |
15 |
24 |
|
Sutherland Arms |
13 |
10 |
3 |
0 |
56 |
22 |
23 |
|
H’suckle Harriers |
13 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
51 |
27 |
19 |
|
WWFC |
13 |
9 |
0 |
4 |
48 |
30 |
18 |
|
H’suckle Hawks |
14 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
52 |
32 |
17 |
|
King’s Head A |
14 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
49 |
35 |
17 |
|
Horns Gnosall |
14 |
5 |
3 |
6 |
39 |
45 |
11* |
|
Haberdashers |
13 |
4 |
2 |
7 |
36 |
42 |
10 |
|
Wheatsheaf |
13 |
5 |
2 |
6 |
32 |
46 |
10* |
|
Junction A |
13 |
3 |
2 |
8 |
29 |
49 |
8 |
|
Junction B |
13 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
28 |
50 |
8 |
|
King’s Head B |
13 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
27 |
51 |
6 |
|
Pheasant |
13 |
3 |
1 |
9 |
24 |
54 |
5* |
|
Royal Navy Club |
14 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
23 |
61 |
2* |
|
Shakespeare |
13 |
1 |
0 |
12 |
15 |
63 |
2 |
*Horns, Pheasant, Wheatsheaf and Royal Navy Club deducted two points for missing a fixture
Week 15 results:
Junction A v King’s Head A, 1-5
King’s Head B v Shakespeare, 2-4
Honeysuckle Harriers v Junction B, 3-3
WWFC v Wheatsheaf 6-0 W/O
Sutherland Arms Tibberton v Stag Market Drayton, 4-2
Horns Gnosall v Haberdashers Arms, 4-2
Royal Navy Club v NRBL, 0-6
Pheasant v Honeysuckle Hawks, 1-5
Ends
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