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| BOLEHILL INSTITUTE No1 2025/26 Jimmy Harper Plate winners L-R: Ian Birks, Ricki Slack, Simon Zoppi and Andrew Brough. Also played: Ian Doe and Colin Marchington. |
With their squad not avid summer practicers, they were keen to avoid similar circumstances this time around with their opponents dealing with a clutch of holidays, so a weeks delay was agreed to allow as many Clay Cross players as possible to take part in at least one of their two finals, they having been narrowly beaten in the six red cup early that previous week.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, things did not go to plan either with the extreme weather conditions or the home team players availability, and a less than ideal contest ensued in very warm temperatures.
Only Duane Parsons and Graham Jones made the gig for the hosts in the end though no one in the Bolehill team was counting their chickens having lost in a previous season to an Edgefold duo under the same circumstances.
Parsons opened up against Ian Doe, and a tight battle ensued with free flowing snooker at a premium due to the sticky conditions but it was the Bolehill player who prevailed courtesy of a good pot on the black to take it 45-40.
Ricki Slack took on veteran Graham Jones in the next and largely held sway throughout with a couple of teen breaks though the Clay Cross veteran forced a couple of fouls from snookers late in the frame before the Bolehill cueman doubled the black for a 69-43 success.
Jones stepped up again for the next, and giving up the extra ten points for playing twice, had to succumb 67-42 to Simon Zoppi who began to find his potting range more and more as the frame progressed.
So a gradual lead of 56 had been built up by the time of the fourth frame with Parsons turning out again against Ian Birks off level due to the revised handicap.
However, the conditions began to take their toll on the home player with smooth cueing becoming difficult to attain while Birks, arriving later in the evening, actually played some of his best snooker of the season in powering to a 92-7 success embellished by a 22 clearance at the end.
A 141 lead was therefore enough for the white flag to be held aloft, with the pairs leg being promptly conceded for an overall 333-132 result with Birks undefeated in the three games of the competition; his team's previous victories coming over Alfreton Palmer Morewood No2 plus a memorable comeback win at Crich Comrades in the semi final.
Meanwhile, the recent English Over 60s Billiards Championship run again at Derby's Cueball saw league players Jim McCann and Ricki Slack put up decent showings with Jim reaching the semi final of the Plate competition and Ricki progressing to the second round proper of the main event.
Jim went under by just seven points 152-145 to eventual main event semi finalist Terry MacAdam and then had wins over Paul Wood (179-124) and Eva Palmius (237-111) in the Plate before falling 169-131 to eventual winner Ron Bickerdike, who ran in a 72 break.
Ricki defeated 2019 over-60s champion Mick Cooper 203-173 with a break of 45 before running into twice English amateur champion Phil Welham who as expected was too hot to handle, the latter securing a 369-143 verdict including runs of 98 (from his first visit in open play) and 76 amongst others.
Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Aggregate Consolation) final: Clay Cross Brotherhood No1 132, Bolehill Institute No1 333.
Breaks: Ian Birks 22 (Clay Cross Brotherhood sponsored Player of the Week).
