ANDREW BECOMES THE THIRD MAN TO DO XMAS DOUBLE

AT THE DOUBLE ... Alfreton Palmer Morewood's ANDREW HAGGARTY

THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOOTOUT NIGHT attracted thirteen hardy souls on a treacherous night for travelling and culminated in a double success for Alfreton Palmer Morewood cueman Andrew Haggarty who triumphed in the individual handicap and speed snooker challenge events while Belper Strutt Club pairing Mark Newby and Wayne Shooter took the scotch doubles handicap competition.
All three quickfire events start and finish in the same evening, the individual and doubles consisting of one frame of six reds whilst the speed snooker is a contest to clear the colours faster than your opponent, all played on a straight knockout basis at Belper's Jaxx Q Club.

With dual winner Sean Dobney taking a hiatus this year, there was a chance for a new name on the Alan Hopkinson Trophy and up stepped Haggarty to produce his best snooker of the year as he incredibly won all his four individual handicap matches on the deciding black.
After edging out Gordon Critchlow, Ricki Slack, and Derek Smith, Haggarty was in prime position in the final against Edgefold's Duncan Harwood until the latter's superb pots on brown, blue and pink saw the Alfreton player in a familiar position with everything resting on the final ball.
Harwood, like Critchlow and Slack previously, had first shot on the black but to no avail and the Amber Valley player produced the shot of the night to slam in a long range pot to take the spoils to tumultuous applause.

The final of the speed snooker contest saw Haggarty defeat Belper Strutt Club's Wayne Shooter, whose in off on the blue proved pivotal, meaning another ball came up as a penalty, while the victor sunk pink into the middle pocket and then took his time to line up the black for a tap in, becoming the third-ever player to do the Christmas individual competition double following Andrew Gratton (11/12) and Ben Monk (12/13)

Earlier on, there was the first ever tie as Steve Bullock and Duncan Harwood both sank the black on the adjacent tables within a split second of one another and without a slow motion replay, bystanders were unable to call a winner, meaning the black came back up which saw Bullock progress.

Scotch doubles winners WAYNE SHOOTER and MARK NEWBY (Strutt Club)

It was almost a clean sweep for the dual victor Haggarty as he teamed up with Derek Smith to reach the final of the George Mills Trophy (pairs) but Shooter was also enjoying a great night himself as he and team mate Mark Newby proved too strong in the final.

Alan Hopkinson Trophy (Christmas 6 red individual handicap): winner, Andrew Haggarty (Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2); runner-up, Duncan Harwood (Edgefold Matlock No 1).
George Mills Trophy (Christmas 6 red scotch doubles handicap): winners, Mark Newby and Wayne Shooter (Belper Strutt Club); runners-up, Andrew Haggarty and Derek Smith (Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2).
Eddie Lomas Trophy (speed snooker handicap challenge, clearing the colours): winner, Andrew Haggarty (Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2): runner-up, Wayne Shooter (Belper Strutt Club).
Breaks:  R Slack 28.