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| ALFRETON PALMER MOREWOOD No2 T & M Motors League Champions 25/26 L-R: Carlos Zaragoza, Ben Monk, Kai Hopkins, Jack Lowe. Also played: Adam Cupit, Paul Sainsbury, Alex Fisher, Dean Bullock, Cole Smith, Andrew Beardsley and Nathan Brown. |
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| CLAY CROSS BROTHERHOOD No2 Captains Cup winners 25/26 Duncan Waring (far right) presents the trophy to the fabulous foursome on the night, Matt Large, Mark Bower, John Roseman and Callum Greenfield. Also played: Lee Shaw, Andrew Bailey and Damian Woodward. |
Alfreton No2 started the week needing five points from their two remaining league fixtures to secure the league title with both matches re-arranged affairs with last seasons champs Edgefold No1.
They seemed to making short work of the matters in hand in the first contest on home baize, running up a 4-1 victory with Kai Hopkins (33 break) running riot in the opening frame with a 93-19 margin.
Jack Lowe added the next with a bit to spare and Carlos Zaragoza marked his return to action with a snug success himself to make it three.
With Ben Monk soon making it four, the title could have been decided on the night with a doubles win but Steve Burton and Duncan Harwood dug in to take it and leave the Amber Valley cuemen sweating overnight.
Matlock was the venue for the return the next evening but this time Steve Burton reversed his previous loss to Lowe with a 63-47 salvo.
It was left to the in-form youngster Hopkins to get the visitors over the line with a black ball defeat of Harwood, who himself had chances on blue and black to put the cat amongst the pigeons prior to this.
Tommy Smith (Clay Cross Brotherhood sponsored player of the week) left probably his best performance of the season till last as he ran up 101 points to put his side back in front and with Rob Muxlow successful in each of his singles and doubles legs, latterly with Burton, no one could accuse the hosts of not giving the eventual king pins a run for their money on the final day.
Alfreton's superior win record was the decisive factor after they matched Clay Cross No2's total of 70 points over the 22 game season.
Meanwhile, Clay Cross No2 were tasting their own champagne after a rampant final performance which saw them see off Alfreton No1 by 403-172 on the aggregate points.
Mark Bower secured a decent lead in the first frame with a 71-47 victory before the only really tight game of the evening went to Matt Large 68-60.
A century points haul for John Roseman in frame three pretty much put the match to bed, but there were still fireworks to come from the home team with Callum Greenfield notching 83 points in his singles and then teaming up with Roseman to total 84 points in the doubles leg.
Back in the T & M Motors Snooker League, Clay Cross Brotherhood No1 hosted a double-header with Tansley Potters with both teams bidding to take their place in the end of season Jaeger Trophy play offs, requiring eight points and five points respectively in order to oust Edgefold No2.
However, a 3-2 win for Tansley was cancelled out rather by a 4-1 defeat so in the end both teams fell agonisingly short in a very tight scramble with two points separating third to sixth.
Tony Blant was the only player twice successful on the night, though Duncan Waring and Graham Jones were in fine form in their doubles contest, with runs of 30, 25 and 24,
Steve Hawkins top scored for Tansley with 79 points over the two games.
In the first of the Jimmy Harper Cup semi finals (Team Aggregate Consolation), Bolehill Institute No1 came from a highly unlikely position to overhaul Crich Comrades 303-289 which saw in effect (including handicaps) a 132 point turnaround over the last two frames.
With a 70 point deficit plus handicaps of 25 and 23 to overcome, the visitors stuck to the task and were rewarded with Ian Birks taking a 33 point success before teaming up with Ricki Slack (25 break) to take the match on the black, which the Tramwaymen by now needed to tie the scores. John Magill had top scored for the hosts earlier in proceedings.
T & M Motors Snooker League: Alfreton Palmer Morewood No2 4, Edgefold Matlock No1 1; Edgefold Matlock No1 4, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No2 1; Clay Cross Brotherhood No1 4, Tansley Potters 1; Tansley Potters 3, Clay Cross Brotherhood No1 2 (played at Clay Cross).
Captains Cup (Team Aggregate) final: Clay Cross Brotherhood No2 403, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No2 172.
Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Aggregate Consolation) semi final: Crich Comrades 289, Bolehill Institute No1 303.
Breaks (inc. comps): K Hopkins 33; D Waring 30; G Jones 25,24; R Slack 25; R Neville 23; C Greenfield 23; M Large 21.
Clay Cross Brotherhood sponsored Player of the Week / century points haul: Tommy Smith (Edgefold No1).
Leading wins: J Lowe 17/22; M Newby 15/20; J Neville 15/22.
