 |
| RICKI SLACK (runner-up) and BEN MONK (winner) OMYA Cup finalists |
Monk now has a nap hand of wins since 2011 matching his opponent's tally of five in the event though the Bolehill player's first success came back in 1986.
Slack made the early running in the opener with a teen break and led by twenty plus before Monk staged a fightback that left both with chances on pink and black until the Bolehill cueman benefited from a fluke into the yellow pocket for 1-0.
With Slack in first in the next, Monk needed to find his groove and a run of 37 gave him command mid way through the frame, Slack obtaining the snooker required but the Alfreton player securing the frame soon afterwards for 1-1.
The next two saw Monk moving into overdrive with runs of 37 (again),22,22 and 21 giving him convincing verdicts of 76-23 and 51-14 for 3-1.
Slack looked set to pull it back to 3-2 in frame five as he led by twenty plus when calling a foul on himself while potting the pink after feeling a brush on his wrist off one of the latter reds.
With Monk still requiring all the colours, a bungled safety on green from his opponent was just what the doctor ordered and he stepped in to take it down to pink and black.
Again Slack got a double kiss on the safety for the second time and this was one too many as Monk finished the job in style with great mid range pots on the remaining two colours to show his class for 4-1 .
Slack was also involved in the Denis Morton pairs handicap semi final (partnered by Ian Birks) that saw an incredible turnaround with Paul Trevett and Nick Berry making all the early running and leading 2-0 and their opponents needing a snooker on the pink in the next.
The car engines were about to be started when Slack could not dislodge the pink from the jaws of a baulk pocket but unexpectedly with the Crich pairing shooting for the game, their cue ball followed through into the pocket right behind the pink.
Eventually the Bolehill pairing made it 2-1 on the black and carried the momentum through for an eventual 3-2 win against all the odds.
There was also T & M Motors Snooker League action with the final round of fixtures (barring one re-scheduled match next week) and Crich Comrades wrapped up the runners-up spot courtesy of a 3-2 win at Belper Royal British Legion.
Mark Newby edged a tight game for the hosts early doors so with Martin Byard and Wayne Shooter sharing the next two, the Tramwaymen needed the final two frames to reach their goal.
And that is just what they achieved with Nick Berry levelling it up and Byard and Phil Leverton striking the decisive blow soon after.
Steve Burton (28 break) wrapped up the prize for most wins as he took his 13th success in 16 outings during Edgefold No1's 3-2 win at Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3.
Sean Dobney and Scott Brooks registered breaks of 38 and 37 yet were still defeated by Guy Taylor and Carlos Zaragoza respectively but Brooks and father Martin Barwick pulled it out of the fire in the deciding doubles leg.
Tansley Potters moved fourth with a 4-1 victory at Bolehill Institute. Joe Neville took the first on the black for the visitors before Steve Hawkins put in a faultless display in the next followed by a first victory from his son Joe which made the game safe.
Ricki Slack, playing again as the reserve after a late call away, notched the home side's point.
Clay Cross Brotherhood go fifth after a 3-2 home win over Alfreton No1. Paul Roe and Duncan Waring each notched 80 points in their singles games while Phil Longden (82 points) was top scorer for the Amber Valley cuemen.
OMYA Cup (Individual Scratch) final: Ben Monk 4, Ricki Slack 1 (at Tansley Potters): 50-61; 71(37)-31; 76(22,37)-23; 51(22,21)-14; 48-42.
T & M Motors Snooker League final round: Belper Royal British Legion 2, Crich Comrades 3; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 2, Edgefold Matlock No1 3; Bolehill Institute 1, Tansley Potters 4; Clay Cross Brotherhood 3, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 2.
Breaks (inc. comps): S Dobney 38; B Monk 37,37,23,22,22,21; S Brooks 37; S Burton 28; M Byard 23; R Slack 20.
T & M Motors Snooker League P W L Pts
Edgefold Matlock No 1 16 15 1 59
Crich Comrades 16 10 6 45
Edgefold Matlock No 2 16 8 8 40
Tansley Potters 15 7 8 40
Clay Cross Brotherhood 15 8 7 38
Alfreton P Morewood No 3 16 6 10 37
Bolehill Institute 16 7 9 33
Alfreton P Morewood No1 16 6 10 33
Belper Royal British Legion 16 4 12 30
Alfreton P Morewood No 2 0 0 0 0
Leading breaks: R Mulliss 51, D Smith 49.
Leading wins: S Burton 13/16; R Taylor & M Newby 11/15; D Smith 11/16.
