2013/2014 NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, January 30th, 2014
STAG, LSC, KINGS AND HORNS REACH POOL CUP SEMI-FINALS
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Market Drayton’s Stag, LSC at the Tav, Gnosall’s Horns and King’s Head A will battle it out in the semi-finals of the 2014 Neil Clark Memorial Trophy after winning their quarter-final ties on Wednesday evening.
Pheasant B stunned LSC by going 0-1 in front, courtesy of Simon Walley’s win over LSC’s new signing Lewis Turner. But that was as good as it got for the away side; Andy Lewis, Paul Trevor and Greg Heathcote beat Mike Jones, Paul Parton and Liam Matthews to make it 3-1 and Turner and Lewis sealed the win over Walley and Matthews in frame five.
The Stag edged a tense game against Newport Legion by the odd frame and the Horns crushed the Navigation in the all-Gnosall derby. Wayne Baker, Tony Dinning, David ‘Dom’ Jolley and Dai Smith did the damage in the singles frames. King’s Head A outclassed the Wheatsheaf in the fourth quarter-final at Chetwynd Aston.
Shakespeare A, Junction B, Railway Tavern and the Haberdashers Arms will compete for the inaugural Neil Clark Consolation Cup.
Shakespeare A surged into a 3-0 lead against Junction A, with Andy Potter, Andy Wakefield and Neil Perkins playing well to oust Hyla Marklew, Steve Roycroft and Sion Richards. When Ross Richards-Jones missed the black into the corner after being snookered for the third time, Keith Rogers pulled a frame back and the mood of the match changed.
Rogers and Richards managed to make it 3-2 with a win over Potter and Wakefield and, when Perkins potted the black and the white at the same time in an attempt to win the match in the final frame, the Norbury side levelled the score at 3-3. Potter lined up against Rogers in the tie-break and it was one-way traffic from the outset with the Shake skipper sealing the win for the home side.
The Railway Tavern stormed into an unassailable 4-0 lead over the King’s Head B at Chetwynd End to seal their place in the semi-finals. They were joined by Junction B and the Haberdashers.
Russ Woodhouse set Shakespeare B on their way to an upset in Norbury, but wins for Mick Ashforth, Stu Till and Ryan Morris made it 3-1 to the home side and Steve Purvis and Frank James sealed the tie against Barry Smith and Jess Hilditch in rack five.
The draw for the semi-finals of both the Neil Clark Memorial and Consolation Cups will take place in the Railway Tavern at the conclusion of the league match between the Railway Tavern and Shakespeare A on Wednesday, February 5th.
The finals of both competitions will now take place at the Royal Navy Club on Wednesday, April 16th. This date has been brought forward a week from the original fixtures. Week 20 league matches will now take place on Wednesday, April 23rd.
Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – quarter-final results:
Horns Gnosall v Navigation Gnosall 4-0
Wheatsheaf v King’s Head A, 1-5
LSC at the Tavern v Pheasant B, 4-1
Stag Market Drayton v Newport Legion, 4-2
Neil Clark Consolation Cup – quarter-final results:
Shakespeare A v Junction A, 4-3
Junction B v Shakespeare B 4-1
King’s Head B v Railway Tavern, 0-4
Haberdashers Arms v Royal Navy Club Veterans, 4-2
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com