ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ON THURSDAY JULY 19th

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Darley Dale and District Snooker League will be held on THURSDAY, JULY 19th at MATLOCK CONSERVATIVE CLUB (7.45pm). Please attend if you would like to have your say!!

END OF SEASON MEETING ON THURSDAY MAY 31st

THE END OF SEASON MEETING for snooker and billiards teams will be held at Matlock Conservative Club on Thursday May 31st @ 7.45pm.
Main purpose of the meeting is to distribute the statistics to the billiards teams who don't use the internet so regularly, there will also be a limited number of snooker stats available though these are readily available to download and print from the website (see links at top).
Also please attend if you have any suggestions to put forward, some have indicated they would like the Presentation Evening to be brought forward if possible, so if you'd like to support that idea please come along.
The AGM will most likely be held some time around mid July.

DRAMATIC ENDING TO CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS FINAL

PJ'z CLUB No 1 of RIPLEY - Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions play off winners,
L-R: Andrew Gratton, John Smith, Ben Monk and Lee Whatton.

THE INAUGURAL Champion of Champions play off final for the Jaeger Trophy held at Matlock Club could not have been more dramatic or exciting as PJ'z Club No 1 of Ripley edged out Jaxx Q Club No 1 of Belper on the final black by one point in the deciding doubles frame - thanks to a remarkable and self-proclaimed fluke from Andrew Gratton off four cushions!!
The match had started much more serenely early doors with Belper's Wade Morley defiantly holding on to his handicap start against Ripley danger-man Ben Monk, with a potting and containment game-plan which worked a treat as he took the frame 78-38.

Frame two saw Andrew Gratton notch an early break of 25 to take the ascendancy but Jaxx's Alex Fisher remained unruffled even after his tip unfortunately came off with a few reds still remaining.

Using one of his team-mate's cues thereafter, he took blue and pink to force a black-ball game which ultimately Andrew potted with a superb long-shot down the cushion into the left hand black pocket to win 60-59 and level things up.

But before long Jaxx were 2-1 in front as Paul Ogden surged into the lead against veteran four times Derbyshire champion John Smith, who battled hard to gain two fruitful snookers before eventually Paul's long pot on the brown made the frame safe.

Both Belper's Steve Robinson and Ripley's Lee Whatton started nervously in the fourth frame, with the leg in the balance throughout until Steve's attempted pot on the blue into the middle pocket caught the jaw and Lee sank a mid range straight pot to go 14 up with 13 on the table and tie matters at 2-2.

And in the final doubles clash with Ben and Andrew taking on Wade and Paul, the scores were tied with just pink and black remaining, with the black awkwardly positioned almost on the cushion just about an inch down from the middle pocket.

So whether it was an advantage to pot the pink was decidedly dubious, but Paul eventually got a chance he couldn't refuse and then tried a tough long black up the cushion into the yellow pocket which rattled, leaving Ben a quarter-ball opportunity which he slightly undercut but left safe.

Wade replied with a good safety shot, but then the twist of fate arrived that saw Andrew swing the black around the table for an attempted safety reply only for it to merrily make its way into the bottom right hand pocket to screams of elation or cries of despair depending on which side you were on!

Remarkably, the final frame score was again 60-59, the exact replica of Andrew's earlier game too!

All in all, a cracking match, although the Belper lads will feel hard done by to lose in the manner they did, that takes nothing away from PJ'z No 1's efforts this year in winning the League Title, the Champion of Champions Trophy and the Six Red Cup to boot!!

Maybe it will be the grand slam next year, though a few of the other teams might have different ideas!!

Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions Play-off Final: PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 3, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 2 (at Matlock Club).

JUBILANT JAXX No 1 STORM TO VICTORY AT GLADIATORS

JAXX Q CLUB BELPER No 1, Jimmy Harper Plate winners, L-R (foreground): Wade Morley, Paul Ogden and Steve Robinson. Also played (not pictured): Alex Fisher.
Background (left): Runners-up Bolehill No 2 captain Dwayne Martin. 

THE final of the Jimmy Harper Plate competition was sole focus this week as Bolehill Institute No 2 took on Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 with the match being played at an impressive new setting for the league of Gladiators Social Club, based at Matlock Town FC.
This was one of the two competitions played on the overall points aggregate basis.

Alex Fisher was fast out of the blocks for the Belper team in the opener, compiling a 25 break on his first visit though Bolehill captain Dwayne Martin also produced some solid scoring in a frame that was nip and tuck all the way through until Dwayne jawed the final black and Alex sank it for a five point advantage.

After a cagey opening in the next, both Wade Morley and Keith Robertson gradually increased the tempo though ultimately Wade had the better of it in the the latter stages, coming out with an 86-39 success after it had been reasonably in the balance until the last couple of reds.

Jaxx captain Paul Ogden continued to pile on the pressure in frame three with a 73-45 triumph over Sean O'Sullivan which gave his side an 80pts advantage with just two frames remaining.

And with Steve Robinson fighting off a sickness bug to start the fourth frame in barnstorming style against Bolehill's Mark Gwynne-Jones, there was to be no hiding place as he amassed a 101-15 verdict with the help of a 24 break which put the match beyond recall  - the contest thereafter being conceded without the need for the final frame to be played.

The lads from Belper will now get the chance of further glory next week when they attempt to topple the mighty PJ'z Club No 1 of Ripley in the delayed Champion of Champions play off final for the Jaeger Trophy at Matlock Club, and on this kind of form it should be a cracking encounter.

Jimmy Harper Plate final result: Bolehill Institute No 2 155, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 321 (match conceded after four frames).

DESERVED SUCCESS FOR GRAHAM AFTER DEFEAT TO BEN

OMYA CUP finalists Graham Jones (Matlock Golf Club) and Ben Monk (PJ'z Ripley No 1).

INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP finalists Graham again with Ricki Slack (Bolehill Inst No 1).

THE TWO flagship singles finals took centre stage this week with the first of them held at Matlock's Edgefold Club with the OMYA Cup scratch competition up for grabs.
Last year's winner Ben Monk of PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 was many people's idea of the likely victor even before the first round was drawn and ultimately it was he who retained his trophy thanks to some consistent scoring against opponent Graham Jones of Matlock Golf Club.

Ben got in early doors with a 24 break in the opener and maintained his advantage throughout to go 1-0 ahead before Graham looked set to level when on a break of 36 and counting in frame two.

But with plenty still to go at, he broke down unexpectedly and Ben immediately hit back with a 43 in reply before eventually winning it on the colours.

It looked set fair for 3-0 as Ben led by 42 with just two reds remaining. However, Graham forced a foul and then, 38 behind, set about an attempted clearance to pull the frame out of the fire.

Taking pink and brown with the last two reds, he could now win by one point should he pot the lot but just under-hit position from brown to blue and his cutback caught the angle of the middle pocket before resting over one of the corner bags for Ben to sink.

But with pink and black also there for the taking, it would have been quite a remarkable turnaround had Graham pulled it off!

What transpired to be the final frame continued to see both players cueing well with Ben notching a 41 and Graham 28 but again it was the Ripley cueist who held sway to take the match by a 4-0 scoreline although a couple of the frames could really have gone either way.

The next day Graham dusted himself down and came back firing on all cylinders to earn a well deserved place on the winners roster, defeating Bolehill Institute No 1's Ricki Slack 4-3 in the Open Individual Handicap final at Belper Strutt Club.

Ricki held sway in the first frame until a superbly crafted 43 clearance put Graham 1-0 ahead.

The second frame again saw Ricki in the ascendancy and this time he finished the job, pulling out a 35 clearance himself to square things up.

And after snatching the next frame by potting pink and black, the Bolehill man led for the first time.

But Graham is a wily campaigner, twice Derbyshire champion in his time, and his superb safety play was a big factor of the match as he levelled matters at 2-2 soon afterwards.

Frame five saw Ricki leading by 25 with the same number of points on the table but it proved hard work putting the frame to bed before he eventually did so on the pink for 3-2.

From thereon though Graham seemed to get a second wind and breaks of 22 in each of the last two frames proved the springboard to lift him over the line by the minimum margin after a hard fought seven frames.

PJ'z No 1 ENJOY ALFRETON VISIT WITH EMPHATIC VICTORY

DENIS MORTON Pairs Handicap Trophy finalists: L-R winners Andrew Gratton and Ben Monk of PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 with runners-up Chris Parker and Nick Kay of Matlock Golf Club,
pictured at Matlock Conservative Club, final venue.

THE Jaeger Trophy play off final contestants are now known with A Division champions PJ'z Ripley No 1 up against B Division runners-up Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 after both came through their final qualifying matches this week.
PJ'z enjoyed an emphatic 5-0 win over Bolehill Institute No 1 in a match played at their temporary home of Alfreton Palmer Morewood Club.

Andrew Gratton had  a break of 35 to set them off on the right track before Ben Monk overcame a slow start with efforts of 29 and 25 to make it 2-0.
And Lee Whatton followed suit soon afterwards, knocking in scores of 29 and 23 to settle the issue before the remaining frames were played out.

At Matlock Golf Club, the hosts couldn't confirm their regular season superiority over Jaxx as Steve Robinson took the opening frame for the visitors before Graham Jones levelled.
After that Wade Morley and Kevin Holmes' victories ensured a 3-1 success for the Belper side.

In the Denis Morton Pairs Handicap Trophy competition final, Ben Monk and Andrew Gratton came from 2-1 behind to win 4-2 against Matlock Golf Club's Chris Parker and Nick Kay.
Ben notched breaks of 47, 26 and 24 whilst Andrew contributed runs of 42 and 23.

And the other two-man event, the Hartshorne Cup, went to Ricki Slack and Colin Marchington of Bolehill No 1 by a 3-2 margin over Jaxx No 1's Steve Robinson and Paul Ogden.
In a thrilling finish, Colin's pot on the blue in the scotch doubles ultimately decided the issue after the earlier singles frames were shared at 2-2.

Results: Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions play-offs: PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 5, Bolehill Institute No 1 0 (at Alfreton Palmer Morewood); Matlock Golf Club 1, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 3.

TOP SEEDS PROGRESS IN JAEGER TROPHY PLAY-OFFS

FOLLOWING the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams in each division were set to do battle in the Champion of Champions end of season play-offs for the Jaeger Trophy.
A Division champions PJ'z No 1 of Ripley had to move to a new home at Alfreton Palmer Morewood Club following the (maybe temporary) closure of their usual base, but as Bolehill Institute No 2 couldn't make the preferred Tuesday date, and due mainly to the sterling efforts of octogenarian John Smith, it was switched  to Monday night at Clay Cross's NEDSC only for their opponents to cancel again.

With no other suitable dates available for the next round until after the conclusion of the scheduled season, and with the match committee feeling that not enough effort had been made to play the game in the first instance and it would have inconvenienced too many other teams to re-schedule everything, it was eventually regrettably decided that a bye would have to ensue for the Ripley outfit on this occasion.

One match that did take place was the other A Division play-off at Bolehill Institute No 1, with the hosts gaining a 4-1 triumph over Matlock's Edgefold Club.

Ricki Slack had breaks of 30 and 24 in his opening frame success, and although Matthew Travis levelled, Andrew Brough and then Ian Birks, the latter with a 25 clearance, made the game safe.

The two B Division play-offs were exciting encounters, both ending in 3-2 wins for the higher seeded teams.

Matlock Golf Club edged out Jaxx Q Club No 2 of Belper with Ian McKay and Nick Kay getting them off to the best possible start at 2-0.

But the returning Alan Kerry pulled one back, and the ever reliable Andy Hayes levelled before eventually a 39 break from Graham Jones proved the difference in a hard fought deciding doubles match.

In the other match Jaxx Q Club No 1 kept Belper interest alive by defeating Bolehill Institute No 3 by the minimum margin on the final black, the third time they had triumphed over the same opposition within the space of eight days.

Ian Peacock put Bolehill ahead early doors before Alex Fisher and Steve Robinson (30 break) saw the home side 2-1 up.

Mick Bunting then tied it at 2-2 before in an extremely tense finish, Steve and Glenn Hull took the deciding doubles frame by 49 points to 40.

And In the Open Individual Handicap event, Graham Jones and Ricki Slack will contest the final after each gained 3-0 wins in the semis.

Jaeger Trophy Champion of Champions Play-offs: PJ'z Club Ripley No 1 Bye; Bolehill Institute No 1 4, Edgefold Club Matlock 1; Matlock Golf Club 3, Jaxx Q Club Belper No 2 2; Jaxx Q Club Belper No 1 3, Bolehill Institute No 3 2.