ANDREW SHOWS HIS PACES WITH A CHRISTMAS DOUBLE

ANDREW GRATTON of PJ'z Club Ripley,  winner of two trophies on Christmas Shootout Night.

THE inaugural Christmas Shootout Night held recently at Jaxx Q Club, Belper proved to be an exciting evening full of action with everyone seeming to enjoy the thrills and spills of holding three quickfire handicap events all on the same night.

Fourteen players converged on the venue from seven different teams and although mainly a fun based evening, some excellent snooker was played with all three events going to players showing very good form in the League itself.

The main event of the evening was the Christmas Shootout Singles for the Alan Hopkinson Trophy, played over one frame of six reds, and there was an early cracker with Ripley's Ben Monk knocking in a 38 break in the first round against Ricki Slack who fought back well with a 22 break himself before ultimately being beaten on the pink.

Ben continued his progress to the final thereafter, defeating Glenn Hull and Keith Robertson but waiting for him there was PJ'z No 1 team mate Andrew Gratton who had come through clashes with Kevin Holmes, Steve Robinson (on the black) and Steve Hawkins, courtesy of a 35 break in the semi.

An early 22 break from Andrew set the tone for the final and he soon drew into an unassailable lead as Ben never really got much chance on this occasion with the short format against an in form opponent.

There was compensation awaiting for Ben in the George Mills Christmas Shootout Scotch Doubles event however, as he and partner Steve Robinson of the host venue's No 1 team benefited from a first round bye before seeing off Kevin Holmes and Andrew Gratton in the semi final.

Their final opponents were Steve Hawkins and Sean O'Sullivan, regular billiards partners who by a strange quirk had been pulled out together in the random draw before overcoming Paul Ogden and Trevor Hames and then Mick Whiteman and Keith Robertson in the semi final.

The final was nip and tuck before Sean over-cut the blue into the middle pocket and Ben and Steve (Robinson) needed no further invitation to finish the job with blue and pink to secure the trophy.

The Eddie Lomas Speed Snooker Christmas Shootout involved head to head matches with players attempting to clear the colours (and in some cases 1 or 2 extra reds as decided by the official handicap) in a faster time than their opponent to qualify for the next round. A foul shot meant that an extra ball was placed on the highest available spot and this could be potted either with the next shot or after the final black (the players seemed to adopt this approach themselves so we let them get on with it in the spirit of the evening!)

No mention will be made of those matches where players ended up with more balls on the table than they started with(!) but suffice to say that there will be alot of aching feet and tweaked muscles over Christmas after this event, at least we left a spare table in between so as no one was carried off on a stretcher due to a nasty collision!!

Keith Robertson perhaps showed the sleekest turn of foot on the evening though unfortunately for him in the semi final, the balls didn't go down the pockets quite so fast as Steve Robinson switched cues half way through the contest due to his tip coming off yet still somehow scrambled over the line to reach the final in a sterling effort against all adversity.

He had earlier come through matches against Sean O'Sullivan and Kevin Holmes.

Meanwhile Andrew Gratton was pitched against formidable team mate Ben Monk in the semi final, having seen off Trevor Hames and Steve Hawkins, and this was probably the best match-up of the event with both players getting down to the black almost simultaneously but Andrew just getting his shot away first by a matter of a couple of seconds.

Steve was happy to borrow a cue for the final while his tip was re-setting but Andrew continued in his winning vein on the night, scoring an impressive success to end the nights proceedings.

In his victory speech(!), Andrew said "They say snooker is not a physical sport but they will have to think again now after this, I'll need to have a good rest over Christmas to recover from all that running around the table".

Perhaps I should think myself lucky Ben put me out in the second around after all! But it was certainly an event that could have players going from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of one or two shots and nothing was ever definite until the final black had disappeared!
Thanks to Scott and all the staff at the host club for some excellent food and a warm welcome as well as for organising everything in such a professional manner, and most of all thanks to all the players who turned out, without whom no event could ever take place!

Alan Hopkinson 6-red Christmas Singles Shootout Handicap Trophy: winner, Andrew Gratton (PJ'z Ripley No 1); runner-up, Ben Monk (PJ'z Ripley No 1).

George Mills 6-red Christmas Scotch Doubles Handicap Trophy: winner, Ben Monk (PJ'z Ripley No 1) and Steve Robinson (Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1); runners-up, Sean O'Sullivan (Bolehill Inst No 2) and Steve Hawkins (Bolehill billiards team).

Eddie Lomas Christmas Speed Snooker Trophy: winner, Andrew Gratton (PJ'z Ripley No 1); runner-up, Steve Robinson (Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1).


Merry Christmas to everyone connected with the Darley Dale and District Snooker & Billiards League and have a great New Year too (also don't forget some matches start as early as Monday January 2nd in either the pairs competition or Captains Cup team event so check your fixture list!!) Look out for the new handicap list too, already in use.
Thanks for everyone's help during the year in getting the results in so promptly which has kept things running so smoothly - all the best over the festive period!

TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED AS CHAMPS GO TOP!

LAST SEASON's A Division champions PJ'z No 1 of Ripley are back in familiar territory after a 4-1 win at nearest challengers Bolehill Institute No 1 took them to the head of the table outright.
The two sides went into the match deadlocked on 26pts each and it turned out to be an action packed night with plenty of twists and turns.

The home side had the best possible start when Ricki Slack edged out Andrew Gratton 64-51 in the opening frame. Andrew didn't enjoy the best of fortunes this time around and looked out of it when requiring two snookers with blue, pink and black remaining.

But he laid two absolute corkers which gained the required points and now needed the last three balls to force an unlikely win.

After a safety exchange, Ricki was left with an awkward shot on the blue and in trying to stun the cue ball for safety, the object ball flew twice across the table and into a baulk pocket to settle the issue in bizarre style.

Frame two saw Ripley's Ben Monk knock in an early 28 but Simon Zoppi fought back well  in potting green to pink, leaving him 7 in front with just the black on. Ben sunk it with a long pot to force the re-spot but left Simon first chance with a mid range pot into a baulk pocket.

Unfortunately for him, he overcut the black and worse still, the cue ball ended up in the middle pocket, leaving matters all square at 1-1.

The third frame was again nip and tuck with Colin Marchington and John Smith exchanging steady scoring, the best of which was Colin's effort of 20, before the frame again went Ripley's way, this time on the final pink courtesy of a thin clip from John with the rest.

Lee Whatton's break of 30 was decisive in frame four as he defeated Andrew Brough 57-21 to make it 3-1.

And in the final pairs, Ricki and James Rowland scored 21 and 22 breaks respectively before Ricki found that Lady Luck had deserted him on this occasion, potting the brown and then going in-off into the middle when looking set for the clearance.

Ben then potted brown but ended up snookered on the blue, and once again it was a tale of the unexpected at the end as he hit it full ball and knocked it straight into the middle pocket to leave the visitors 16 up with only 13 on the table and that brought down the curtain on an excellent nights snooker played in a fine spirit.

Result (re-arranged match): Bolehill Institute No 1 1, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 4.

A Division                         P      W      L      Pts
PJ'z Club Ripley No 1        8       7        1      30
Bolehill Institute No 1          8       6        2      27
Bolehill Institute No 2          8       4        4      21
Edgefold Club Matlock        6       4       2      18
Belper Strutt Club No 1      8        3       5      17
Matlock Club                       7        2       5      12
Leading breaks: B Monk 71, A Gratton 60.
Leading wins: A Gratton, K Robertson and B Monk 7.

TREV AND MICK KEEP THEIR COOL TO ENSURE FIRST WIN

THIS week saw the chance for the two teams battling away enthusiastically without any immediate success in B Division to kick start their seasons as PJ'z No 2 of Ripley entertained Jaxx Q Club No 2 of Belper.
A win just before the Christmas shutdown would do wonders for team confidence and things looked rosy for the visitors early doors as they went into a 2-0 lead courtesy of John Williams and Andy Hayes.

However, the home team rallied superbly as Trevor Hames and Mick Whiteman won their singles matches and then earned a thrilling black ball success in the concluding doubles to pull a 3-2 win out of the fire against all odds. The Belper team for their part at least remain a point above their conquerers.

At the other end of the table, Matlock Golf Club remain unbeaten with a 4-1 success over Belper Strutt Club No 2, though David Devenport in only his second match for the visitors made a 28 break and ended the winning sequence of Graham Jones. Chris Parker knocked in a 25 for the home side.

The No 1 team from Jaxx Q Club defeated Bolehill Institute No 3 4-1 in the other game with Alex Fisher recording his seventh successive victory.

In A Division, Bolehill No 1 and PJ'z No 1 remain locked together as each recorded 4-1 wins at Matlock Club and Strutt Club No 1 respectively.

Ben Monk continued his break-building spree of late with efforts of 39 and 30 while 81-year-old John Smith  contributed runs of 33 and 22 and Andrew Gratton remains undefeated thus far, notching a 26.

And Edgefold Club of Matlock earned a 3-2 verdict at Bolehill No 2 thanks mainly to Robert Muxlow and Duncan Harwood who won both their singles and doubles frames.

League week eight results: Belper Strutt Club No 1 1, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 4; Bolehill Institute No 2 2, Edgefold Club Matlock 3; Matlock Club 1, Bolehill Institute No 1 4; PJ'z Club Ripley No 2 3, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 2; Matlock Golf Club 4, Belper Strutt Club No 2 1; Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 4, Bolehill Institute No 3 1.

A Division                         P      W      L      Pts
Bolehill Institute No 1          7       6        1      26
PJ'z Club Ripley No 1         7       6        1      26
Bolehill Institute No 2          8       4        4      21
Edgefold Club Matlock       6        4       2      18
Belper Strutt Club No 1      8        3       5      17
Matlock Club                       7        2       5      12
Leading breaks: B Monk 71, A Gratton 60.
Leading wins: A Gratton and K Robertson 7; B Monk 6.

B Division                         P      W      L      Pts
Matlock Golf Club               7       7        0      27
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1    8       6        2      26
Bolehill Institute No 3          7        3       4      15
Belper Strutt Club No 2      7        2       5      13
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2    8        0       8      10
PJ'z Club Ripley No 2         8        1       7        9
Leading breaks: G Jones and C Parker 40.
Leading wins: A Fisher 7; C Parker, N Kay and S Robinson 6.

ALL CHANGE AT THE TOP IN BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY

BOLEHILL INSTITUTE No 1 and PJ'z Club No 1 of Ripley are joint top of "A" Division after a topsy turvy week of results, albeit with a slightly truncated programme of matches.
Both teams earned 5-0 successes as Bolehill's players notched four breaks of 20+ - Colin Marchington's 25 being the highest - in a fine team performance while the Amber Valley cueists defeated their No 2 outfit by the maximum margin thanks ultimately to a black ball win in the final doubles - Andrew Gratton earlier top scored in the singles with 92pts.

Last weeks leaders Bolehill No 2 suffered a blow with a 4-1 defeat at Jaxx Q Club No 1 of Belper. The home side were in rampant form early doors, taking the first four frames - Glenn Hull top scoring -  before the visitors belatedly found their feet in the final pairs.

In the other match Belper Strutt Club No 1 got back on track with a convincing 5-0 victory over Bolehill No 3 with Paul Jarrett making a break of 24.

League week seven results: Belper Strutt Club No 1 5, Bolehill Inst No 3 0; Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 4, Bolehill Inst No 2 1; PJ'z Club Ripley No 2 0, PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 5; Bolehill Inst No 1 5, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 0. Matlock Golf Club v Matlock Club and Edgefold Club Matlock v Belper Strutt Club No 2  postponed.

A Division                         P      W      L      Pts
Bolehill Institute No 1          6       5        1      22
PJ'z Club Ripley No 1         6       5        1      22
Bolehill Institute No 2          7       4        3      19
Belper Strutt Club No 1      7        3       4      16
Edgefold Club Matlock       5        3       2      15
Matlock Club                      6        2       4      11
Leading breaks: B Monk 71, A Gratton 60.
Leading wins: A Gratton and K Robertson 6.

B Division                         P      W      L      Pts
Matlock Golf Club               6       6        0      23
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1    7       5        2      22
Bolehill Institute No 3          6        3       3      14
Belper Strutt Club No 2      6        2       4      12
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2    7        0       7        8
PJ'z Club Ripley No 2         7        0       7        6
Leading breaks: G Jones and C Parker 40.
Leading wins: A Fisher 6; G Jones, C Parker, N Kay and S Robinson 5.

MORE COMPETITION DRAWS FROM THE MEETING

FIRSTLY, don't forget the SHOOTOUT NIGHT / CHRISTMAS BASH which is on TUESDAY 20th DECEMBER at JAXX Q CLUB, BELPER with the draws made at 7.30pm prompt.
Food will be provided and there will be three competitions laid on - 3 reds singles and doubles competitions plus a speed snooker competition, all handicapped. Just turn up on the night and pay a fiver for the job lot and your name will go in the hat, pairs partners drawn at random. Let us know beforehand if you are running late and we can put you in!! Hope to see you.


THE draws for the remainder of the competitions were made recently at the meeting held at Matlock Golf Club. Balls were pulled out by Alan Hopkinson and Gary Day.
As agreed by the committee, dates are to be put on the matches this season, though you can play them in advance of the set date if you wish obviously.
You must re-arrange with your opponent if a date is not suitable (please give at least 48hrs notice and preferably more) and re-schedule it within 7 days, failing agreement you can apply to the match secretary for a further 7 days to play it.
If someone doesn't contact the opposition and then fails to show, they are expunged obviously.

STARTING WITH THOSE ALREADY CIRCULATED AS A REMINDER:
D MORTON TROPHY (PAIRS HANDICAP) 1st round
Best of 3 frames - Normal league handicaps apply
(add together & divide by 2) - 7.30pm
Mon Jan 02: A Gratton / B Monk (PJ'z No 1) 2 A Kerry / A Ballard (Jaxx Q 2) 0
Mon Jan 02: N Kay / C Parker (Golf Club) 2 R Muxlow / N Parkinson (Edgefold) 0
Tue Jan 10: M Taylor / M Lane (Edgefold) 2 R Slack / C Marchington (Bolehill 1) 0
Mon Jan 02: S Bullock / M Newby (Strutt 1) 0 P Ogden / S Robinson (Jaxx Q 1) 2
Thu Jan 05: D Martin/M G-Jones (Bolehill 2) 2 K Manlove/P Holmes (Mat Club) 1
BYES:
K Robertson / S O'Sullivan (Bolehill Inst No 2)
A Brough / S Zoppi (Bolehill Inst No 1)
M Travis / T Chambers (Edgefold Matlock)

CAPTAINS CUP (TEAM HANDICAP COMPETITION) 1st round
It was decided to keep same format as last year - 4 Singles and
1 Traditional Doubles - (ignore any previous info!) - 7.30pm
Overall Points Aggregate to decide the match - all frames played to a finish
Wed Jan 04: Bolehill Inst No 3 224 Edgefold Matlock 268
Tue Jan 03: Matlock Golf Club w/o PJ'z Ripley No 2 scr
Mon Jan 02: Bolehill Inst No 1 288 Matlock Club 232
Tue Jan 03: Bolehill Inst No 2 268 PJ'z Ripley No 1 344
BYES: 
Belper Strutt Club No 1
Belper Strutt Club No 2
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1
Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2
First and second round losers will enter the Jimmy Harper Plate Competition (same format).


AND THE REST OF THE COMPETITION DATES:
BOB McCARTIN SIX RED CUP Quarter finals
Best of 7 frames - straight knockout from hereon in - 7.30pm
4 Singles & 3 Scotch Doubles (alternate shots format) using only six reds for each frame
Handicaps are half of normal league handicaps - e.g. For pairs add together normal h'caps and divide by 2, then divide by 2 again for six red h'cap and round up final figure!
Each player is limited to 1 singles match and 2 doubles matches per night, same pairing cannot be used twice on same night.
A: Wed Jan 11:  Belper Strutt Club No 2 5 Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 2
B: Tue Jan 10:  Bolehill Inst No 2 1 PJ'z Ripley No 1 4
C: Mon Jan 09: Bolehill Inst No 1 1 Matlock Golf Club 4
D: Mon Jan 09: Belper Strutt Club No 1 3 Matlock Club 4

Semi finals:
A v D, provisionally at PJ'z Club, Ripley, Tuesday February 07, 7.30pm
(B Monk/S Quinn to arrange please if possible) will inform nearer time
B v C, provisionally at Edgefold, Matlock, Monday February 06, 7.30pm
(N Parkinson/M Taylor to arrange please if possible) will inform nearer time
(these may change if teams from same club play each other or if unsuitable obviously)


B INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION Quarter finals
Best of 3 frames - Normal league handicaps apply - 7.30pm
Tue Jan 10: G Jones (Matlock Golf Club) 2 P Ogden (Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1) 0
Tue Jan 10: K Holmes (Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1) 1 N Kay (Matlock Golf Club) 2
Tue Jan 10: S Robinson (Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1) 2 I Peacock (Bolehill No 3) 0
Wed Feb 01: M Forster (Bolehill Inst No 3) v S Bunting (Bolehill Inst No 3)

OMYA CUP (INDIVIDUAL SCRATCH COMPETITION) Quarter finals
Best of 3 frames - all off Scratch - 7.30pm
Wed Feb 01: S Bullock (Belper Strutt Club No 1) v R Slack (Bolehill Inst No 1)
Tue Jan 31: G Jones (Matlock Golf Club) v M Bunting (Bolehill Inst No 3)
Mon Jan 30: B Monk (PJ'z Ripley No 1) v R Muxlow (Edgefold Matlock)
Tue Jan 31: A Ballard (Jaxx Q Club No 2) v M Whiteman (PJ'z Ripley No 2)

HARTSHORNE CUP (2-MAN TEAM COMPETITION) Quarter finals
Best of 5 frames - Normal league handicaps apply - 7.30pm
Both players play each other 1 frame at Singles (4 frames in all) plus one frame of Scotch Doubles (alternate shots format) as per the World Cup.
Tue Jan 31: K Robertson / S O'Sullivan (B'hill 2) v I Peacock / M Forster (B'hill 3)
Tue Jan 31: P Ogden / S Robinson (Jaxx Q 1) v D Martin / M G-Jones (Bolehill 2)
Mon Jan 30: R Slack / C March'ton (Bolehill 1) v K M'love / P Holmes (Mat Club)
Mon Jan 30: A Kerry / A Ballard (Jaxx Q 2)  0 A Brough / G Shirley (Bolehill 1) 3


OPEN INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP 2nd round
Best of 3 frames - Normal league handicaps apply - 7.30pm
2nd round
Tue Feb 07: N Parkinson (Edgefold Matlock) v K Holmes (Jaxx Q Club No 1)
Wed Feb 08: M Travis (Edgefold Matlock) v S O'Sullivan (Bolehill Inst No 2)
Wed Feb 08: J Rowland (PJ'z Ripley No 1) v M Taylor (Edgefold Matlock)
Tue Feb 07: P Ogden (Jaxx Q Club No 1) 1 K Robertson (Bolehill Inst No 2) 2
Tue Feb 07: S Robinson (Jaxx Q Club Belper No1) 1 N Kay (Matlock Golf Club) 2
Tue Feb 07: R Slack (Bolehill Inst No 1) v T Chambers (Edgefold Matlock)
Tue Feb 07: G Jones (Matlock Golf Club) v R Muxlow (Edgefold Matlock)
Tue Feb 07: A Gratton (PJ'z Ripley No 1) v D Martin (Bolehill Inst No 2)

Please feel free to use the online competition results link right here at dddsnookerleague.blogspot.com in top right hand column to submit your scores, alternatively email bolehillsec@yahoo.co.uk or ring or text on 07890 985830.


Handicaps will be re-assessed after next week for players who are new to the league this season and for those players who have either played 8 matches or else won the trigger percentages of 75% or 30% relating to that number of games that earn a higher or lower rating.
If anyone else reaches those percentages at a later date their handicap will similarly be adjusted and their captain informed at that time in the interests of fairness.


The February meeting will be held at Jaxx Q Club, Belper on Wednesday February 15th @ 7.45pm. It is especially important that all final dues are paid by then as there is a new rule approved which means 2pts are deducted for every week passed that monies are overdue from this date, until possible expulsion (at the discretion of the committee) after 1 month of non-payment.
This was necessary due to some serious problems last time around!
Any outstanding amounts will be communicated at the bottom of the circulated sheet.

BEN AND ANDREW IN AMONGST THE BREAKS AGAIN

THE action hotted up in A Division this week as last years champs PJ'z No 1 of Ripley entertained current leaders Bolehill Institute No 2 and earned a 3-2 success to go just a point behind.

Remarkably, all three frames won by the home team ended in century points hauls as Ben Monk compiled four breaks of over 20 plus a 53 while Andrew Gratton contributed 46, 23, and 20 as they won both their singles and doubles matches.
Keith Robertson maintained his unbeaten run for Bolehill with a sixth straight win.

Bolehill No 1 also moved just behind the leaders with a 5-0 win over Belper Strutt Club No 1. Andrew Brough notched a 27 to win from thirty adrift against Steve Bullock while Colin Marchington cleared up with 22 to win his frame.

The Edgefold Club beat neighbours Matlock Club 4-1 with Martyn Taylor scoring breaks of 39 and 28 in winning his singles and doubles matches.

In B Division, leaders Matlock Golf Club had a narrow escape with a 3-2 victory at Bolehill No 3. It might have been different as Ian Cresswell rattled the final black in the jaws of the pocket against Nick Kay before later partnering Martin Forster to a fine win over Graham Jones and Chris Parker in the concluding doubles frame.

The battle of the teams from Jaxx Q Club of Belper was won 3-2 by the No 1 outfit for whom Steve Robinson knocked in a classy 39 break though Andy Hayes sparkled on his debut for the No 2 team by winning both his singles and doubles frames.

In the other match, Belper Strutt Club No 2 triumphed 3-2 over PJ'z No 2, taking the first three frames to decide the issue.

League week six results: PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 3, Bolehill Inst No 2 2; Bolehill Inst No 1 5, Belper Strutt Club No 1 0; Edgefold Club Matlock 4, Matlock Club 1; Bolehill Inst No 3 2, Matlock Golf Club 3; Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 2, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 3; Belper Strutt Club No 2 3, PJ'z Club Ripley No 2 2.

FIRST HALF MONIES DUE NEXT WEEK!

JUST a reminder to those teams it concerns that first half match fees, competition fees and registration fees all need to be paid up by the next meeting on Wednesday December 7th at Matlock Golf Club, 7.45pm.
After this the most that any team can legitimately be owing is £40 which needs to be paid by the meeting in mid February.
Following some serious problems last year, the committee had to issue a rule that 2pts are deducted for each week that goes by with fees overdue until risk of expulsion after one months non payment.
So if you can't make the meeting itself you need to pay within 7 days to avoid any penalties.
You will find the amount required to be paid (if relevant) at the bottom of one of the competition sheets that went out following the last meeting. Cheers.