2018/2019 NEWPORT & DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE
For immediate release
Thursday, November 29th, 2018
NAVIGATION CRUSH LEGION B TO SET UP EARLY CUP PASSAGE
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Gnosall’s Navigation made up for a slow start to the Newport Pool League season by thrashing Legion B in the first leg of round one of the Neil Clark Memorial Trophy on Wednesday night (November 28th).
Kyle Oldfield, Jamie Wright, Dai Smith and Bailey Wright won the singles racks at the expense of Barry Smith, Ryan Rigby, Mark Kijuk and Kim Rigby and Sean Casey teamed up with Jamie Wright in the last of the doubles frames to seal the 0-6 rout.
Table-topping Legion A need two frames from their return away leg with Kings Head B to confirm their passage into the next round. Simon Walley, Mick Beech, Mick Manning and George Allen got the better of Ryan Langford, Luke Carter, Ian Perry and Greg Quinn in the singles frames and Walley and Manning made it 5-0 with a win over Langford and Carter. Perry and Quinn pulled a consolation frame back to give King’s Head B a slim chance of overturning the deficit in the second leg.
King’s Head A also need two frames from their return encounter with Junction A after a 5-1 home win. Mick Collins, Edd Keenan and Irene Whittington put them into a 3-0 lead at the expense of Hyla Marklew, Sion Richards and Steve Roycroft, but Gordon Sidebottom gave the canal-siders a lifeline by beating George Taylor. George Smith and Andy Prinold joined the fray to win the fifth frame and Whittington and Keenan won the sixth.
The Wheatsheaf and the Haberdashers Arms battled out a tense draw. Al Harvey got the away team off to a good start against Nathan Shepherd, but John Mason and Janet Lane quickly made it 2-1 to the ‘Dashers by beating Paul Skitt and Nigel Sandbrook. Anthony Heathcote levelled with a win over Mike Casewell and he teamed up with Mark Hodgkinson to seal the draw in the final frame after Mason and Lane had won the fifth for the home side.
Legion Yaks need two frames from their home leg with the Sutherland Arms to move into the next round after a 1-5 win in Tibberton. Chris Nolan, Neil Perkins and Ross-Richards Jones put the Newport side into a 0-3 lead at the expense of Jack Nagington, John Bailey and Damian Clarke. Kevin Genner was fortunate to make it four after landlord Karl Hanmer potted the black and then nudged Genner’s red into the pocket with the cue ball. An uncharacteristic positional error by Dean Smith opened the door for Clarke and Hanmer to seal a lifeline for the home side in rack five, but Nolan cleared impressively in the last frame to made it 1-5.
The Lamb at Wrockwardine Wood will take a 4-2 advantage into the second leg after getting the better of Junction B in Norbury. Adam Walker beat James Morris to make it 1-0, only for Dave Blount to level against Chris Lewis. Matthew Roberts gave the Lamb the lead again at the expense of Ryan Morris but Ruth Minton levelled against George Stokes. The Lamb then prevailed in both doubles racks to seal the advantage.
The traditional team cup knockout was introduced in 2007 in memory of former league team-winning captain Neil Clark, who passed away in October 2006 after a long illness.
Second legs will take place on Wednesday, December 19th.
Neil Clark Memorial Trophy – round 1 (1st leg):
King’s Head A v Junction A, 5-1
Legion A v King’s Head B, 1-5
Junction B v Lamb Wrockwardine Wood, 2-4
Haberdashers Arms v Wheatsheaf, 3-3
Sutherland Arms Tibberton v Legion Yaks, 1-5
Legion B v Navigation Gnosall, 0-6
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Tel: 07831 123153
www.ndp-publicity.com