BOLEHILL No 1 DEDICATE THEIR WIN TO FORMER CAPTAIN

ALAN HOPKINSON, long term servant of the Darley Dale & District League.

PLAYERS and officials are deeply saddened to hear the news that Alan Hopkinson, long-standing player, secretary and treasurer of the Darley Dale & District League, passed away last Wednesday morning. Condolences go out to his family and many friends; he likewise will be very much missed by those at Bolehill Institute and also Belper Strutt Club where he often played his grandson, along with all who have enjoyed his presence on the local snooker circuit ever since his playing days way back yonder, a very sad day for us all.

It was fitting in the circumstances that Bolehill Institute No 1 team, whom Alan captained for many years, should turn on probably their best performance of the season resulting in a 4-1 win at A Division leaders Marehay Miners Welfare, which they immediately dedicated to their former captain on hearing the bad news.

It started out looking like just another day at the office for the hosts with Ben Monk taking the opening frame thanks to breaks of 28 and 23, but that didn't tell the whole story as reserve Keith Robertson had been very unlucky to pot the blue when in with every chance only for the cue ball to drop into a pocket having all but rested on the lip initially.

Simon Zoppi mopped up from yellow to pink to make it 1-1 in the next and then Ricki Slack took yellow to blue to make it 2-1.

Thereafter Ian Birks with a 63-30 win sealed the deal in frame four and then he and Ricki took the final doubles match courtesy of a re-spotted black after Ben had potted a stormer to level the scores at 55 apiece.

Bolehill's No 2 team were also well poised as they took a 2-0 lead over Belper Strutt Club No 1, Martin Forster and Mick Bunting doing the business.

However, the B Division leaders fought back strongly to take a 3-2 win thanks to Mark Newby and Steve Bullock remaining undefeated in the remaining singles and doubles frames.

The No 2 team from Strutt were edged out 3-2 by Matlock's Gladiators Social Club, with the pivotal frame being the doubles clash, as Troy Brett and Dwayne Martin came from the snookers required stage on pink and black to take it against all the odds.

Matlock Club couldn't maintain their recent upturn in fortunes as they lost 5-0 at home to Matlock Golf Club, who fielded six players on the night, all of whom were in fine form, Graham Jones (40 break) and Ian McKay (29 and 22) particularly so.

And there was also an excellent 5-0 success for Matlock's Edgefold Club at Jaxx Q Club of Belper. Robert Muxlow top scored on a night which featured a strange conclusion with the Jaxx players drifting out one by one until Kevin Holmes was left on his own and unable to find a partner to play the doubles frame with!

He had gained some compensation earlier in the night with a 3-2 win over team-mate Paul Ogden in the Open Handicap semi final, highlighted by a break of 37.

League week 13 results: Marehay Miners Welfare / PJ'z 1, Bolehill Inst No 1 4; Bolehill Inst No 2 2, Belper Strutt No 1 3; Belper Strutt No 2 2, Gladiators SC Matlock 3; Matlock Club 0, Matlock Golf Club 5; Jaxx Q Club Belper 0, Edgefold Matlock 5.
Open Handicap semi final: K Holmes (Jaxx Q Club) 3; P Ogden (Jaxx Q Club) 2.
Breaks: G Jones 40; K Holmes 37; I McKay 29,22; B Monk 28,23; P Ogden 27;
R Slack 22; S Zoppi 20.

A Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Marehay MW / PJ'z        12       9       3       41
Bolehill Institute No 1      13       8       5       38
Edgefold Matlock            13       6       7       31
Matlock Golf Club           12       6       6       30
Jaxx Q Club Belper        13       7       6       26
Leading breaks: B Monk 47 & 44; I McKay 44.
Leading wins: B Monk & R Slack 11; A Gratton 9.

B Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Belper Strutt No 1           13       9       4       37
Gladiators SC Matlock    13       7       6       36
Belper Strutt No 2           13       5       8       31
Bolehill Institute No 2      13       5       8       29
Matlock Club                   13       2     11       21
Leading breaks: T Brett 58 & 54; S Bullock 45.
Leading wins: C Stubbs & W Shooter 9; I Peacock & M Newby 8.

NEW HANDICAP RATINGS

THE latest handicap adjustments are as follows:
Andrew Beardsley (Marehay Miners Welfare / PJ'z) goes from -10 to -5
Wayne Shooter (Belper Strutt Club No 1) goes from Scratch to -5
Steve Hawkins (Gladiators SC Matlock) goes from Scratch to -5
Kevin Holmes (Jaxx Q Club Belper) goes from Scratch to +5
Charlie Hodgkinson (Matlock Golf Club) goes from Scratch to +5
Dave Potter (Matlock Club) goes from Scratch to +5
Ian Burgoyne (Jaxx Q Club Belper) will be off -5

The above players have reached the trigger percentages for moving up or down a bracket so the new ratings will come into play with immediate effect.

If you wish to print out the full list of up to date handicap ratings, please click on the link on the right hand side of the webpage, thanks.

MATLOCK CLUB GETTING THE WIND IN THEIR SAILS

MATLOCK CLUB'S stock continued to rise this week with a second successive 4-1 league win, this time over B Division title contenders Gladiators Social Club.
Graeme Wood, Mick McFall and Paul Holmes crucially all won black-ball frames to put the hosts into an unassailable lead and despite Mark Gwynne-Jones (21 break) getting the visitors onto the board, Keith Manlove and partner Holmes rubber-stamped the triumph in the concluding doubles frame, yes you've guessed it, via another black ball decider!

Gladiators made amends later in the week as a re-arranged home clash with Belper Strutt Club No 2 resulted in a 3-2 victory.

Derbyshire Under-21 champion Troy Brett, with breaks of 54 and 22, proved the difference in the deciding pairs clash after Dave Needham had levelled the scores at 2-2 with a doubled black.

The previous night Strutt No 2 had edged out Bolehill Institute No 2 3-2 with Needham and Chris Stubbs winning both their singles and doubles frames whilst Keith Robertson top scored for the visitors.

PAUL JARRETT (Belper Strutt No 1) ... cruel luck after potting the deciding black.

The all-Belper derby saw Jaxx Q Club defeat Strutt Club No 1 also by the minimum margin as Paul Jarrett knocked in the deciding black in the closing doubles frame, only to see the cue ball cruelly disappear into the pocket soon afterwards, enabling Paul Ogden and partner Mark Jones (who each had runs of 24) to take the spoils instead.

Bolehill Institute No 1 remain in the runners up spot in A Division after a 4-1 home win over  Matlock's Edgefold Club.

Ricki Slack notched breaks of 32 and 21 to put the hosts on the front foot as they surged into a 3-0 lead before Neil Parkinson replied with the sole riposte for the visitors.

League week 12 results: Matlock Club 4, Gladiators SC Matlock 1; Belper Strutt No 2 3, Bolehill Inst No 2 2; Jaxx Q Club Belper 3, Belper Strutt No 1 2; Bolehill Inst No 1 4, Edgefold Matlock 1; Gladiators SC Matlock 3, Belper Strutt No 2 2; Matlock Golf Club v Marehay MW / PJ'z postponed.

Breaks: T Brett 54,22; A Gratton 43; R Slack 32,21; K Holmes 30; P Ogden 24; M Jones 24; C Stubbs 24; M Forster 22; M Gwynne-Jones 21.

A Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Marehay MW / PJ'z        11       9       2       40
Bolehill Institute No 1      12       7       5       34
Jaxx Q Club Belper        12       7       5       26
Edgefold Matlock            12       5       7       26
Matlock Golf Club           11       5       6       25
Leading breaks: B Monk 47 & 44; I McKay 44.
Leading wins: B Monk & R Slack 10; A Gratton 9.

B Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Belper Strutt No 1           12       8       4       34
Gladiators SC Matlock    12       6       6       33
Belper Strutt No 2           12       5       7       29
Bolehill Institute No 2      12       5       7       27
Matlock Club                   12       2     10       21
Leading breaks: T Brett 58 & 54; S Bullock 45.
Leading wins: C Stubbs & W Shooter 9; I Peacock 8.

BOTH BOLEHILL TEAMS PROGRESS TO SEMI FINALS

ANDREW BROUGH put in a stellar performance for Bolehill No 1.

THE quarter finals of the Captains Cup team aggregate competition took place this week and thankfully all emerged unaffected by the wintry weather.
Holders Bolehill Institute No 1 continued their defence with a home tie against Jaxx Q Club of Belper and Andrew Brough put in a stellar performance first up to win 90-52 against Steve Robinson.

Ricki Slack then came from well adrift to edge out Paul Ogden thanks to a tricky black down the side cushion whilst Mark Jones scored his own black ball win over Simon Zoppi for the visitors in the next.

Ian Birks defeated Kevin Holmes 66-44 in frame four which gave Bolehill a healthy lead going into the final doubles and they eventually prevailed by 319-257 overall.

Also through are Bolehill's No 2 team who overcame Belper Strutt Club No 1 308-248.

Ian Peacock (25 break) and Keith Robertson (28) started off in rocket-propelled mode, building up a 66 point lead after the opening two frames.

Paul Jarrett eroded the deficit somewhat with a 33-point win in the third but Mick Bunting's 63-28 verdict in frame four put the hosts in a commanding position which they did not relinquish.

Matlock Club, fresh from opening their League account the previous week, looked set to carry on their change of fortunes with Paul Holmes and Graeme Wood taking the opening two frames in their local derby at the Edgefold Club.

This gave them a 33 point advantage on the aggregate, but Duncan Harwood's 96-23 success in frame three turned the game on its head and there were no further scares as Neil Parkinson won his own singles match (albeit narrowly) and then the concluding doubles frame partnered by Harwood.

And Six Red Cup finalists and League leaders Marehay Miners Welfare are still poised for the Grand Slam after a convincing 389-254 triumph at Matlock Golf Club
.
Amongst the breaks were Andrew Gratton (41), Ben Monk (34) and Lee Whatton (31) as the Amber Valley cueists found probably their best form yet of the season.

Highest break of the week came from Jimmy Gratton with an excellent 66 in the Hartshorne Cup 2-man team event.

Captains Cup Team Aggregate competition quarter-finals: Bolehill Inst No 1 319, Jaxx Q Club Belper 257; Bolehill Inst No 2 308, Belper Strutt No 1 248; Edgefold Matlock 340, Matlock Club 247; Matlock Golf Club 254, Marehay MW/PJ'z 389.
Breaks: J Gratton 66,33; A Gratton 41; H Jones 35; B Monk 34; L Whatton 31;
K Robertson 28; I Peacock 25; D Harwood 22.

MAREHAY AND JAXX TO CONTEST SIX RED CUP FINAL

LEE WHATTON won all three semi final frames he contested for Marehay.

MAREHAY Miners Welfare (formerly PJ'z) remained on course to repeat their League and Six Red Cup double as they emerged 5-2 semi final winners at Bolehill Institute over Matlock's Gladiators Social Club in the latter event.
Ben Monk scored breaks of 27 and 20 in freezing out Troy Brett in the opener before Dave Gastrell defeated Andrew Gratton 53-25 to level things up.

Lee Whatton and Jamie Woodward (20 break) took the next two singles frames for Marehay while Brett and Mark Gwynne-Jones hit back by winning the first scotch doubles match.

But there were no further successes for the Matlock side, as Whatton (breaks of 27 and 20) partnered firstly Monk and then Gratton to further successes to put the match to bed.

Their final opponents will be Jaxx Q Club of Belper, who confirmed the form of last week's League win over Belper Strutt Club No 2 by recording a solid 4-1 verdict.

Kevin Holmes edged out Dave Needham on the black in the opener and that set the tone for the night in a match played at Jaxx's home venue after the teams had tossed for venue.

Happy faces also abounded at the Matlock Club  who opened their account for the season with a resounding 4-1 triumph over Bolehill Institute No 1 in a re-arranged League fixture.

Chris Woodhouse and Graeme Wood put in superb performances to give the hosts a healthy 2-0 advantage and though Paul Holmes was narrowly edged out by Simon Zoppi, Mick McFall's black ball decision over Ian Birks settled the issue after his attempt on  pink had rattled the jaws and run along the bottom cushion into the opposite corner pocket.

Meanwhile in the Hartshorne Cup 2 man team competition, Jimmy Gratton registered breaks of 51 and 45 as he and Hannah Jones progressed to the next round.

Bob McCartin Six_Red Cup semi final results: Marehay MW/PJ'z 5, Gladiators SC Matlock 2 (at Bolehill); Jaxx Q Club Belper 4, Belper Strutt No 2 1.
League: Matlock Club 4, Bolehill Inst No 1 1.
Breaks: J Gratton 51,45; B Monk 27,20; L Whatton/A Gratton 27,20; J Woodward 20.

JAXX TAKE THE HONOURS IN ALL-BELPER DERBY CLASH

PAUL OGDEN ensured success for Jaxx with a black-ball victory.

THE all-Belper derby certainly provided some talking points this week but ultimately it was Jaxx Q Club who took the honours with a 3-2 win at local rivals Strutt Club No 2.
Mark Jones put in a rare appearance for the visitors and got the ball rolling with a black ball success over home captain Dave Needham.

The second frame then featured a bizarre conclusion as Kevin Holmes, leading by 11, was forced to concede it with just pink and black remaining as he was apparently running late for his train back home so the honours instead went to a rather perplexed-looking Keith Hubbold.

Jaxx edged ahead again thanks to Steve Robinson in frame three and Paul Ogden then ensured overall success on the final black against Chris Stubbs.

Dave and Chris did manage to claw back some pride for the hosts however by taking the concluding doubles frame via the third black-ball finish of the evening.

It was also local derby time at Bolehill Institute, and the No 1 team managed to avenge their defeat earlier in the season by defeating the No 2 outfit 4-1.

Ricki Slack got them off to a flyer and once Colin Marchington (20 break) and Simon Zoppi (27 and 22 breaks) had produced the goods the result was beyond doubt.

Gladiators Social Club got back on the winners rostrum by edging out the Edgefold Club 3-2 with Dave Gastrell's 41 break the highlight, although Duncan Harwood still made him pull out all the stops by taking him to a re-spotted black.

Dwayne Martin's 22 clearance to win on the black in frame four was pivotal after Richard Ferguson and Neil Parkinson had put the hosts 2-1 ahead.

Marehay Miners Welfare continued to take the league by storm, with a 4-1 home win over Matlock Club, with Jamie Woodward (24 break) top scoring in only his third match of the season.
Dave Allen earned the point for the visitors.

And in the other match, no details yet but Belper Strutt Club No 1 continued their impressive streak with a 3-2 verdict over Matlock Golf Club.

League week 11 results: Belper Strutt No 2 2, Jaxx Q Club Belper 3; Bolehill Inst No 1 4, Bolehill Inst No 2 2; Edgefold Matlock 2, Gladiators SC Matlock 3; Marehay MW/PJ'z 4, Matlock Club 1; Matlock Golf Club 2, Belper Strutt Club No 1 3.

Breaks: D Gastrell 41; B Monk 32,21; S Zoppi 27,22; R Muxlow 27; A Gratton 25; J Woodward 24; D Martin 22; L Whatton 21; C Marchington 20.

A Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Marehay MW / PJ'z        11       9       2       40
Bolehill Institute No 1      10       6       4       29
Edgefold Matlock            11       5       6       25
Matlock Golf Club           11       5       6       25
Jaxx Q Club Belper        11       6       5       23
Leading breaks: B Monk 47 & 44; I McKay 44.
Leading wins: B Monk 10; R Slack & A Gratton 9.

B Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Belper Strutt No 1           11       8       3       32
Gladiators SC Matlock    10       5       5       29
Bolehill Institute No 2      11       5       6       24
Belper Strutt No 2           10       4       6       24
Matlock Club                   10       0     10       13
Leading breaks: T Brett 58; S Bullock 45.
Leading wins: I Peacock & W Shooter 8; C Stubbs & M Newby 7.

MAREHAY/PJ'z EXTEND THEIR HEALTHY LEAD IN A DIVISION

MAREHAY Miners Welfare bounced back to winning form with a 3-2 victory at Jaxx Q Club of Belper this week to extend their healthy lead in A Division.
Ben Monk and Andrew Gratton were in barnstorming form as they aggregated 256 points between them in their singles and doubles frames combined with Ben notching the highest A Division break so far to boot with 47 as well as efforts of 25 and 21 (twice).

Steve Robinson and Tim Maslin fought hard for the hosts to pull them back from 2-0 down but there was no holding the previously mentioned terrific twosome in the final doubles clash.

Captain NICK KAY won both his singles and doubles frames for Matlock Golf Club.

Matlock Golf Club scored a fine 3-2 success at Gladiators Social Club of Matlock as Chris Drabble and Nick Kay won both their singles matches and then the deciding doubles frame at the end, despite a 23 break from Vinnie Dennis, who had earlier won his singles frame to put the home team momentarily in the ascendancy.

Matlock's Edgefold Club, challenging for the runner up spot in A Divison, suffered a blow with a 4-1 loss at Bolehill Institute No 2 with Ian Peacock and Martin Forster top scoring in the concluding doubles frame after Rob Muxlow had registered the point for the visitors.

And in the Belper Strutt Club derby, it was the No 1 team who edged out the No 2 outfit by the minimum margin, further embellished by an excellent break of 45 from captain Steve Bullock.

League week 10 results: Jaxx Q Club Belper 2, Marehay MW / PJ'z 3; Gladiators SC Matlock 2, Matlock Golf Club 3; Bolehill Inst No 2 4, Edgefold Matlock 1; Belper Strutt No 1 3, Belper Strutt No 2 2; Matlock Club v Bolehill Inst No 1 postponed until Mon Feb 04.
Breaks: B Monk 47,25,21,21; S Bullock 45; R Muxlow 27; K Holmes 24;
V Dennis 23.

A Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Marehay MW / PJ'z        10       8       2       36
Bolehill Institute No 1        9       5       4       25
Edgefold Matlock            10       5       5       23
Matlock Golf Club           10       5       5       23
Jaxx Q Club Belper        10       5       5       20
Leading breaks: B Monk 47 & 44; I McKay 44.
Leading wins: B Monk 9; R Slack & A Gratton 8.

B Division                        P      W      L      Pts
Belper Strutt No 1           10       7       3       29
Gladiators SC Matlock      9       4       5       26
Bolehill Institute No 2      10       5       5       23
Belper Strutt No 2             9       4       5       22
Matlock Club                     9       0       9       12
Leading breaks: T Brett 58; S Bullock 45.
Leading wins: I Peacock 8; C Stubbs & W Shooter 7.