2015/2016 MARSTON’S NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, February 25th, 2016
NRBL TROUNCE SUTHY TO REMAIN TWO FRAMES CLEAR OF STAG
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Third-placed and previously unbeaten Sutherland Arms entertained league-leading Newport Legion in the tie of week 17 of the Marston’s Newport & District Pool League. The visitors stunned even themselves with a superb 0-6 win to remain top of the league on frame difference at the halfway point.
Simon Walley got the better of Matt Mansell to make it 0-1 and Jack Dicken turned a precarious situation completely around against Ian Swinnerton to produce one of the best clearances of the season. Swinnerton had control of four pockets but Dicken took advantage of one opening to clear and make it 0-2.
Mick Beech was given a second chance to take out the black in a safety encounter with Tom Fisken and the Legion were three up. When Wayne Dodd failed to get out of a tight snooker, Ant Heathcote cleared his balls and the win was secured. There was no respite in the doubles, however, and Heathcote and Chris Eaton made it 0-5 and Walley and Beech rounded off a superb night for NRBL.
Market Drayton’s Stag inflicted a punishing defeat on Honeysuckle Harriers to reach the halfway point just two frames off the league lead. Harriers remain fourth.
George Allen won a scrappy opener against Neil Perkins to put the away side 0-1 up and Mick Manning maintained his unbeaten record to make it two when Greg Quinn ruined a golden opportunity to clear with white ball in hand and two shots beckoning.
An eight-ball clearance off the break by Ricky Leese meant Tom Tonna didn’t even chalk his cue and it was 0-3. Neil Dale sealed the match against Dean Smith, when the hapless Harriers captain made a series of mistakes. The home team’s consolation came from a sensational double and a fine cut on the black by Quinn alongside Owen Rigby and playing against Manning and Dale. But a finely balanced final frame was ruined when Tonna nudged a yellow into the middle pocket and Leese cleared impressively for the second time.
WWFC entertained the Haberdashers Arms and closed to within one point of fourth place with a 4-2 win. Neil Pugh beat Darren Carter to make it 1-0 to the Telford side, but John Stanley overcame Tom Vernon to level. Kevin Genner and Chris Nolan took out Janet Lane and Sarah Holland to make it 3-1, although Stanley and Lane set up a nervy finale by beating Pugh and Vernon in rack five. Genner and Nolan sealed the points in the final frame.
Honeysuckle Hawks put the Royal Navy Club to the sword in Bellman’s Yard without losing a frame and closed in on the top four.
There were byes for King’s Head A and Gnosall’s Horns and that meant that the Horns were pushed down into the Newport League Plate for the second half of the season after Junction B snatched a win to stave off relegation.
The Norbury side cantered against the Shakespeare with the loss of one frame. Barry Smith set the away side on their way, but wins for Steve Purves and James and Ryan Morris put the Junction into a 3-1 lead. Mick Ashforth and Dave Blount secured the points in rack five and the Morris brothers won the last frame to make it 5-1.
Junction A visited the Pheasant and honours were shared. Jack Jones beat Norbury skipper Hyla Marklew to make it 1-0, only for Steve Roycroft to level against Tom Sayce. Alistair Griffiths ensured the pendulum swung back in the home team’s favour with a win over Gordon Sidebotham, but Sion Richards made it 2-2 against Gaz Davies. Marklew and Richards ousted Liam Matthews and Griffiths to give the Norbury side the lead, but Sayce and Davies bonded well to seal the draw in the final frame.
King’s Head B slugged out a fascinating tussle with the Wheatsheaf and honours were shared.
The Stag progressed to the semi-finals of the Neil Clark Memorial Trophy after overcoming the Horns in a tie-break thriller. George Allen cleared against an unfortunate Jamie Wright to put the defending champions in front and Mick Manning won a re-racked second against Wayne Baker to make it 0-2. Dave Jolley pulled the third frame back at the expense of Ricky Leese, only for Neil Dale to capitalise on a Dai Smith error to make it 1-3.
The Horns won both doubles frames: Jolley and Wright and Baker and Smith overcame Manning and Leese and Allen and Dale to make it 3-3, but Allen benefited from one mistake by Jolley in the tie-break frame to seal the match for the Stag.
2015-2016 Marston’s Newport & District Pool League @ 24/02/16
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Newport Legion |
15 |
14 |
0 |
1 |
75 |
15 |
28 |
|
Stag Mkt. Drayton |
15 |
14 |
0 |
1 |
73 |
17 |
28 |
|
Sutherland Arms |
15 |
11 |
3 |
1 |
60 |
30 |
25 |
|
H’suckle Harriers |
15 |
9 |
3 |
3 |
56 |
34 |
21 |
|
WWFC |
15 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
53 |
37 |
20 |
|
H’suckle Hawks |
15 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
58 |
32 |
19 |
|
King’s Head A |
15 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
53 |
37 |
19 |
|
Junction B |
15 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
39 |
51 |
12 |
|
Horns Gnosall |
15 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
40 |
50 |
11* |
|
Wheatsheaf |
15 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
37 |
53 |
11* |
|
Junction A |
15 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
37 |
53 |
11 |
|
Haberdashers |
15 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
40 |
50 |
10 |
|
Pheasant |
15 |
3 |
2 |
10 |
29 |
61 |
6* |
|
King’s Head B |
15 |
2 |
3 |
10 |
30 |
60 |
5* |
|
Royal Navy Club |
15 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
23 |
67 |
2* |
|
Shakespeare |
15 |
1 |
0 |
14 |
17 |
73 |
2 |
*Horns, Pheasant, King’s Head B, Wheatsheaf and Royal Navy Club deducted two points for missing a fixture
Week 17 results:
Pheasant v Junction A, 3-3
Junction B v Shakespeare, 5-1
King’s Head B v Wheatsheaf, 3-3
Honeysuckle Harriers v Stag Market Drayton, 1-5
WWFC v Haberdashers Arms, 4-2
Sutherland Arms Tibberton v NRBL, 0-6
Royal Navy Club v Honeysuckle Hawks, 0-6
Byes: King’s Head A and Horns Gnosall.
Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – round 2 result
Horns Gnosall v Stag Market Drayton, 3-4
Ends
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