ITS DEJA VU AS EDGEFOLD SECURE CHAMP OF CHAMPS

MATLOCK'S Edgefold Club are Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions Play off winners for the second successive season as the No 2 seeds saw off No 4 seeded Matlock Cons in the grand final at Matlock Club on Dale Road.
Cons' experienced campaigner Charlie Hodgkinson was charged with keeping young gun Martyn Taylor at arms length in the opener and he was off to a flying start, being around 50pts ahead with half of the reds gone.

Taylor however, has been in a real hot streak of late and a 32 break brought him back into contention going into the colours, of which he needed the last three to win.

Great pots on blue and pink saw him in behind the black not far off the cushion only for his last ditch salvage attempt to stall as it remained in the jaws to leave the black for his opponent.

Duncan Harwood soon had his long potting off to a tee in the next as he raced ahead of Nick Kay early doors before maintaining his advantage for a 60-15 win to equalise.

Rob Muxlow and Chris Parker fought out a great battle of wits in the following frame before Muxlow with fine pots on blue and pink scored a narrow 50-40 verdict to set up a 2-1 lead.

Neil Parkinson sealed the deal in frame four when after another largely tactical battle, he took brown and with blue and pink over the pocket soon to follow, that was enough to see off Jack Lynch and clinch the silverware for his team.


PAUL OGDEN and RICKI SLACK, Open Individual Handicap finalists

The previous day, Bolehill Institute's Ricki Slack lifted the Open Individual Handicap trophy at Edgefold Club with a 4-2 final win over Paul Ogden of Belper Strutt Club.

Ogden with breaks of 41 and 20 took the first, Slack replied with 30 to level and a run of 39 looked set to put him 2-1 ahead.

However, his opponent dug deep on the colours, taking brown, blue and pink to leave a great chance on the black but on this occasion it went astray and a relieved Slack immediately doubled it into the middle pocket.

The roles were reversed in the next as the Bolehill player required the last four colours but again it went down to the final black and this time a fluke made it 3-1 after his initial attempt had rattled and  ran along the bottom cushion into the opposite pocket.

Ogden with a contribution of 27 pulled it back to 3-2 but Slack hit back with 26 and 21 to finish off an entertaining contest.

Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions Play off final: Edgefold Matlock 3, Matlock Cons 1 (at Matlock Club).
Open Individual Handicap final: Ricki Slack 4, Paul Ogden 2 (at Edgefold, Matlock).
Breaks: P Ogden 41,27,20; R Slack 39,30,26,22,22,21; M Taylor 32.