2015/2016 MARSTON’S NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Saturday, July 9th, 2016
STAG AND WWFC PREVAIL IN NEIL CLARK MEMORIAL FINALS
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Market Drayton’s Stag and Wrockwardine Wood Football Club emerged victorious from their Neil Clark Memorial and Neil Clark Consolation finals at the Royal Navy Club last Friday night
The two matches brought down the curtain on the 2015-2016 Marston’s Newport Pool League and preceded the handing out of the annual trophies and winners’ purses.
The Stag were made to work mightily hard for their 4-2 win over a determined Honeysuckle Hawks. One snooker too many for Stu Morrey enabled George Allen to make it 1-0 to the title favourites, who were bidding to clinch the trophy for a third successive year. But the league’s top player Mick Manning had an off night and Gary Lewis held his nerve to level the match in a second frame thriller.
Marcus Thomas will be having nightmares for missing two opportunities to clear his final yellow and black to put the Hawks ahead and Ricky Leese took full advantage to make it 2-1. But the Hawks refused to lie down and Jason Shilcock played solid pool to undo Neil Dale and level the match.
Clearly rattled by the Hawks’s persistence, Allen and Leese bonded well to oust Thomas and Lewis in the fifth to make it 3-2 and a useful clearance by Dale, alongside Manning, was enough to beat Morrey and Shilcock and clinch the win in a memorable final.
WWFC had disposed of King’s Head A in rather flattering fashion earlier in the evening. Stu Robinson edged a tense opener against Bobby Perry to make it 1-0 and Craig Williams cleared well to pip Mick Collins and put the King’s on the ropes.
Ed Keenan needed to win his frame to keep the tie alive and he did just that at the expense of Dave Holding, but Trevor Smith had no answer to Carl Watkins in the fourth rack and WWFC were one frame away from the title. Holding and Watkins duly held their nerve in the final frame to edge out Irene Whittington and Smith to clinch the trophy.
At the annual awards’ night that followed, Gnosall’s Jamie Wright was awarded the Desert England Trophy for the most improved player of the season and Mick Manning picked up £25 for topping the league statistics with 29 wins from 30 singles matches between October and June.
King’s Head B collected their first ever piece of silverware for winning the Newport Pool Plate Trophy. The Stag collected their third successive league title and the Coors Trophy and Tibberton’s Sutherland Arms were awarded the Dennis Holland Memorial Trophy for finishing as league runners-up.
A big thank you to Marston’s for their support for the first year and to the Royal Navy Club for hosting the evening. Anyone interested in putting a team in the league should contact Neil Perkins (Tel: 07831 123153) by August 1st.
Neil Clark Consolation shield – result
WWFC v King’s Head A, 4-1
Neil Clark Memorial final – result
Stag v Honeysuckle Hawks, 4-2
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com