THE semi finals of the Bob McCartin Six Red Cup took centre stage this week with the leaders of their respective divisions Matlock Golf Club and PJ'z Ripley No 1 going head to head firstly at the Edgefold Club in a much anticipated clash.
Four times Derbyshire champ John Smith, now in his 80s, took on Chris Parker in the opening match-up and looked set fair when Chris needed a snooker with the last three balls remaining.
However, this was soon achieved before Chris potted blue and then pink only to see the cue ball go in off almost simultaneously with the object ball which ultimately saw the Ripley side take a 1-0 lead.
Ian McKay was soon off to a flyer against Ben Monk, taking a 30-0 lead but the PJ'z captain froze him out thereafter meaning he couldn't add to that total as Ben's class came to the fore for 2-0.
Frame three looked a must-win for the Golf Club and dual Derbyshire champion Graham Jones produced some wily snooker to put him in the driving seat against Lee Whatton. But with all three balls required and the pink over the pocket, the frame was still in the balance with Lee having a couple of chances before Graham finally put the game to bed.
Again it was the Golf Club player getting in first in the next with Nick Kay going 23-0 ahead against Andrew Gratton, before Andrew seized on the opportunity to dish up with an excellent 39 break, unfinished as he didn't attempt to pot the final black after just making sure of the pink.
The scotch doubles saw Ben Monk and James Rowland up against Graham Jones and Chris Parker, and this swung to and fro before resting on the final black, which Ben took with a stupendous raking long pot to the gasps of the audience, thus securing a final berth for his team.
The 4-1 scoreline may look comfortable but in reality all frames went down to blue, pink or black so it could really have gone either way.
The other semi final saw Matlock Club come from 3-1 down to defeat Belper Strutt Club No 2 4-3 in a thriller at Jaxx Q Club, Belper.
Dave Needham and Steve Buckley put the Belper side 2-0 up before Graeme Wood reduced arrears.
When Fred Doran defeated Keith Manlove on the black, it was the point of no return for the Matlock raiders.
But in the scotch doubles, Ian Rose and Paul Holmes soon pulled one back and then Paul stayed on the table to partner Keith Manlove to a black ball win over Adam Winson and David Devenport which left it all resting on the final frame.
And in a tense encounter it was Ian Rose and Chris Woodhouse who eventually saw their team into the final.
In the competitions, Neil Parkinson was in fine form with a highest break of 47 while Andrew Gratton also notched a 34, both in the individual handicap event.
Bob McCartin Six Red Cup semi final results: Matlock Golf Club 1, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 4 (at Edgefold Club Matlock); Belper Strutt Club No 2 3, Matlock Club 4 (at Jaxx Q Club, Belper).
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