2014/2015 NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE

For immediate release
Thursday, November 27th, 2014

STAG HIT THE TOP AS LSC STUMBLE AT KING’S HEAD

NEWPORT (Shropshire): Second hosted fourth in the top match in week five of the Newport Pool League and Market Drayton’s Stag prevailed over Pheasant B to snatch a one-point lead at the top of the league.

George Allen kept up his 100% start to the season with a safety marathon win over Mike Jones and Kyle Smith made it 2-0 against Luke Jones. Mick Manning was undone by P. Terry, but unbeaten Neil Dale pipped Scott Smith to make it 3-1. Smith and Manning sealed both points in rack five and Allen and Dale won the final frame after Luke Jones’s attempt at an eight-ball clearance stumbled at the final hurdle.

King’s Head A are having a nightmare start to the season but they bounced back to form with a surprise draw against LSC at the Tav, which cost the former top side their league lead.

Greg Heathcote put the away side into a 0-1 advantage over Trevor Smith, but Mick Collins was fortunate to beat Andy Miles to level and Irene Whittington benefited from an Andy Lewis error to make it 2-1. Impressive female rookie Alex Davidson went down to Ant Heathcote and the score was 2-2. Honours were then shared in the doubles: after Ray Talbot had joined Greg Heathcote to make it 2-3, Davidson bonded well with Collins to oust Ben Longstaff and Miles.

Newport Legion faced a tense visit to Pheasant A and they produced an excellent performance to take the two points. Simon Walley, Jack Dicken and Mick Beech put the away side into a 0-3 lead over A. Fishwick, Ian Swinnerton and Matt Mansell. Ant Allen clawed frame four back against Jason Taphouse, only for the Legion to win both doubles frames.

The Horns maintained their positive start to the season with a 3-3 draw on the notorious Wheatsheaf baize while the Honeysuckle entertained Gnosall’s Navigation and honours were also shared.

Shakespeare A faced a banana skin home tie over Junction B, but the home team were in good form. Unbeaten Dean Smith prevailed against Steve Purves to set the tone for the evening, but Mick Ashforth edged a marathon encounter against Neil Perkins to level. Wins for Russ Woodhouse and Andy Phelan over Stu Till and Ryan Morris made it 3-1 and Perkins sealed the points alongside Smith in rack five.

One of the surprise packages this season has been King’s Head B and they visited the Railway Tavern to play last year’s Neil Clark Consolation Shield winners. But the Tavern were not to be denied on this occasion and Stu Morrey’s win over Bobby Perry was the start of the visitors’ demise. Greg Quinn made it 2-0 against Maggie O’Brien and Adam Stone made it 3-0 with a win over Lyn Day. Ian Perry rolled back the years to get the better of Jason Lloyd and make it 3-1, but Russ Porter joined the Tavern party in the doubles to seal the points.

The Royal Navy Club move off the bottom of the table after earning an excellent 3-3 draw against a much-improved Haberdashers Arms. Shakespeare B, on the other hand, remain pointless and a fifth defeat – 6-0 on this occasion – for the Upper Bar side lifted Junction A out of the doldrums after a draw and three previous defeats.

2014-2015 Newport & District Pool League @ 27/11/14

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

Stag Mkt Drayton

5

5

0

0

25

5

10

LSC @ Tavern

5

4

1

0

25

5

9

Newport Legion

5

4

1

0

24

6

9

Pheasant B

5

3

1

1

18

12

7

Horns Gnosall

5

3

1

1

17

13

7

Haberdashers

5

2

2

1

16

14

6

King’s Head B

5

3

0

2

15

15

6

Railway Tavern

5

3

0

2

13

17

6

Navigation

5

2

1

2

16

14

5

Shakespeare A

5

2

0

3

15

15

4

Pheasant A

5

2

0

3

13

17

4

Honeysuckle

5

2

1

2

14

16

3*

Junction B

5

1

1

3

12

18

3

King’s Head A

5

1

1

3

12

18

3

Junction A

5

1

1

3

11

19

3

Wheatsheaf

5

0

2

3

9

21

2

Royal Navy Club

5

0

1

4

8

22

1

Shakespeare B

5

0

0

5

7

23

0

*Honeysuckle deducted two points for missing fixture

Week 5 results:
Pheasant A v Newport Legion, 1-5
Stag Market Drayton v Pheasant, B 5-1
Wheatsheaf v Horns Gnosall, 3-3
Railway Tavern v King’s Head B, 5-1
Honeysuckle v Navigation Gnosall,3-3
Shakespeare A v Junction B, 5-1
Junction A v Shakespeare B, 6-0
King’s Head A v LSC at the Tavern, 3-3
Haberdashers Arms v Royal Navy Club, 3-3

Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – round 1 draw*:
Newport Legion v Pheasant B
Wheatsheaf v Shakespeare A
Horns Gnosall v LSC at the Tavern
Railway Tavern v Honeysuckle
King’s Head B v Royal Navy Club
Navigation Gnosall v Pheasant A
Junction A v King’s Head A
Shakespeare B v Junction B
Haberdashers Arms v Stag Market Drayton

*All matches to be played at a mutually convenient time to both teams before January 31st, 2015.

Ends

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Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com

Published On: 27 November 2014