2012/2013 NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
JUNCTION A SET TO PLAY LSC AT THE TAV
IN NEIL CLARK MEMORIAL TROPHY FINAL
· Third-place play-off awaits for Shake A and Horns B
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Junction A, winners in 2010, will meet first-time finalists LSC at the Tav in the final of the 2013 Neil Clark Memorial Trophy (Newport Pool League Cup) at the Royal Navy Club on Wednesday, April 17th.
The two teams prevailed in a pair of tense and lengthy semi-finals on Wednesday night against Shakespeare A and Gnosall’s Horns B at the neutral King’s Head and Shakespeare venues, respectively.
LSC managed to persuade Telford pool supremo Paul Cartledge to return to their side for the crunch semi-final clash with the Horns but he found himself on the wrong end of a gruelling first-frame encounter with Colin Pink.
The first Newport open champion Paul Trevor and reigning Newport open champion Neil Dale then became embroiled in a marathon safety frame and Trevor managed to hold his nerve to level the match for LSC after Dale had missed his chance to pot the black.
Mick Manning lined up against LSC skipper Greg Heathcote in frame three and the latter prevailed in a tense match to edge LSC nearer to the Promised Land. George Allen faced John Williams in the fourth rack in a must win contest for the Gnosall side, but Williams held his nerve to put LSC within one frame of the final.
Williams and Heathcote teamed up against Allen and Manning to try and secure the vital fourth frame in another marathon safety frame. But the Market Drayton doubles duo prevailed and the match headed into a nervy sixth frame, with LSC’s Cartledge and Trevor holding their self-composure against Pink and Dale to clinch a place in the April final.
In the second semi-final at the King’s Head, Richard Hendy put the Shake into a 1-0 lead over Sion Richards, only for Keith Rogers to get the better of Dave Marshall to level the match. Up stepped Shake skipper Andy Potter and he held his nerve against Hyla Marklew to edge the Upper Bar side back into a 2-1 lead, but Shake landlord Ben Holmes succumbed to Steve Roycroft after missing two shots on the black and the match headed into the doubles finely poised at 2-2.
Ross Richards-Jones and Marshall entered a marathon fifth rack against Rogers and Roycroft and the Junction managed to squeeze through to take a 2-3 lead after around 50 minutes, only for Potter and Hendy to redress the balance against Marklew and Richards and force a tie-break frame.
Hendy was chosen by Potter to play Norbury’s Keith Rogers in the drama-filled showdown, but the canny Staffordshire player held his nerve to seal the Junction’s place in a second final in the space of four years.
The Neil Clark Memorial Trophy final and third-place play-off will take place at the Royal Navy Club, Bellman’s Yard, from 19.30hrs on Wednesday, April 17th.
Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – semi-final results
Horns Gnosall B v LSC at the Tav, 2-4
Shakespeare A v Junction A, 3-4
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com