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| ALFRETON PALMER MOREWOOD No1 Jimmy Harper Plate winners 2023/24 L-R: Des Smith, Andrew Haggarty, John Smith, Phil Longden. Also played: Cole Smith. |
With Alfreton having defeated league champions Edgefold No 1 over a month ago, they had to wait until some of the delayed matches in the opposite part of the draw were played but shrugged off the absence to get off to a flying start.
Des Smith took the opener 82-47 and brother John was also in fine fettle as he notched a 66-35 success to give the Amber Valley cuemen a healthy 66 point lead after the first couple of frames.
Steve Hawkins made some inroads into the deficit as he defeated his old team-mate Phil Longden 69-42 and then his son Joe, who has found some form lately, started off in scintillating fashion as he looked to throw the game wide open.
However, a vital pink and black from Andrew Haggarty pegged the scoreline back to 72-59 and the Alfreton lead was still 26 going into the final doubles frame.
This was also bolstered by a five point advantage on the handicap as Hawkins and Radford Neville took on the earlier victorious Smith brothers.
And in a largely tactical frame, Tansley a few times threatened to get right back into it without quite converting that extra colour or two that would have given them a real sporting chance.
In the end, great pots from Des on green and brown made sure after a miss on the blue off the last red left the home team requiring snookers so Alfreton repeated their feat of September 2021 when they took a COVID-delayed final which actually saw Steve Hawkins and Phil Longden turning out for the defeated Bolehill team that night.
Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Aggregate Consolation) final: Tansley Potters 248, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 287: 47-82; 35-66; 69-42; 72-59; 25-38 (conceded on blue).
