GOLF CLUB TAKE CAPTAINS CUP AFTER TIGHT BATTLE

MATLOCK GOLF CLUB  L-R: Paul Roe, Graham Jones, Tony Blant and Ian McKay.

MATLOCK GOLF CLUB went out with a bang in their final match of the season as they defeated league champions Edgefold No 1 314-287 in the final of the Captains Cup which was played on Edge Road after a toss of the coin.
The first frame was a battle of sheer tenacity as Edgefold's Neil Parkinson (30 break) engineered a 76-54 verdict which lasted for an hour though the match was soon back in the balance as Graham Jones took the next 63-49,
Paul Roe's 66-24 victory saw the golfmen ahead for the first time in the evening and then Tony Blant scored a narrow but crucial win over danger-man Andy Russell to further consolidate their position.
And although Russell and Rob Muxlow took the concluding doubles 65-49, it wasn't quite enough and the Golf Club made amends for their league defeat of the previous week.

BELPER STRUTT CLUB L-R: Mark Newby, Paul Jarrett, Steve Bullock and Justin Weller.

The Jimmy Harper Plate final also took place at Edgefold and saw Belper Strutt Club defeat Bolehill Institute No 2 280-241.
Mark Newby's 42 point margin victory in frame one set the tone though Keith Robertson pulled back a few points in the next with a narrow win.
Steve Bullock and Martin Forster shared the next two and then Bullock and Newby successfully protected the lead of 30 going into the concluding doubles leg with a 52-43 success.

ANDY RUSSELL and GRAHAM JONES, OMYA Cup finalists, shake hands.

The OMYA Cup Individual Scratch final saw a repeat of last season's clash between Andy Russell and Graham Jones and again it was the Edgefold man who emegered victorious, this time via a 4-1 triumph at Alfreton with breaks of 35,30,24 and 23, eventually taking the fifth frame on a re-spotted black after Jones had took blue pink and black to level.

Captains Cup (Team Aggregate) final: Matlock Golf Club 314, Edgefold Matlock No 1 287 (at Edgefold).
Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Aggregate) final: Belper Strutt Club 280, Bolehill Institute No 2 241 (at Edgefold).
OMYA Cup (Individual Scratch) final: Andy Russell 4, Graham Jones 1 (at Alfreton Palmer Morewood).
Breaks: A Russell 35,30,25,24,24,23; N Parkinson 30; G Jones 23.

EDGEFOLD No 1 BATTLE HARD TO SECURE LEAGUE TITLE

THE final week turned into the thrilling conclusion it had promised as Edgefold No 1 and Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 went at it hammer and tongs in their respective final matches and in the end just one point separated them at the top over the whole Joinery Joint Snooker League season.
Alfreton No 2 were also still in contention if they could upset their No 1 team with a wide margin win but that notion was soon quashed as Andrew Beardsley and Paul Pilsworth took the opening two frames.
Ralph Edgson took the next and then Kevin Rowland, on the black, set up what could have been a pending whitewash but John Smith and Andrew Haggarty restored some pride for the defeated.

So the 4-1 win for Alfreton No 1 left Edgefold No 1 needing the same scoreline to take the league championship trophy for the second time in three seasons but it didn't start well as Matlock Golf Club's Ian McKay took the opening frame.
Neil Parkinson emerged from a hard fought tactical frame to equalise, however, and despite Paul Roe's 36 break in the next, Duncan Harwood produced a masterful performance to take a red, colour and all the remaining balls in several visits to take the frame on the black.
Andy Russell then made it 3-1 with an 81-65 verdict and then took the deciding black in the doubles from right under the cushion, aptly helping to win one of the tightest league battles of all time for his by a final  frame score of 45-44.

Bolehill No 1 finished third after an inactive final week and the No 2 team from that neck of the woods probably wished they had been too as they fell 5-0 to Belper Strutt Club.
Steve Bullock and Mark Newby each won on the black to get the visitors rolling en route to their ninth win in ten games in all competitions and their second successive whitewash.

League week 18 results: Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 1, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 4; Matlock Golf Club 1, Edgefold Matlock No 1 4; Bolehill Institute No 2 0, Belper Strutt Club 5.
Breaks: P Roe 36.

The Joinery Joint Snooker League
                                          P      W      L      Pts
Edgefold Matlock No 1     16      10      6     51
Alfreton P Morewd No 1   16     12       4     50
Bolehill Institute No 1        16     11       5     48
Alfreton P Morewd No 2   16       9       7     45
Matlock Golf Club             16       7       9     43
Belper Strutt Club             16       9       7     39
Bolehill Institute No 2        16       6     10     34
Edgefold Matlock No 2      16       6     10     27
Matlock Club                      16       2     14     23
Leading breaks: P Roe & R Slack 46.
Leading wins: J Rowland 12/13; R Slack & A Russell 12/16.

REMAINING SEMI FINAL AND FINAL DATES

DATES and venues for the finals of the remaining competitions have provisionally arranged been arranged.
Matches to be played off the latest handicaps on the scheduled date of the ties (if any are delayed and handicaps change subsequently, the original match handicap will stand).
Please contact the secretary ASAP if there are any problems fulfilling a fixture.

CAPTAINS CUP (Team Handicap)  Final
5 Frames - Aggregate To Count - 7.30pm
Mon Apr 24: Matlock Golf Club v Edgefold Matlock No 1
(tossed for venue, at Edgefold)

OMYA CUP (Individual Scratch) Final
Best of 7 Frames - off Scratch - 7.00pm
Tue Apr 25: A Russell (Edgefold Matlock 1) v G Jones (Matlock Golf Club)
(at Alfreton Palmer Morewood)

JIMMY HARPER PLATE (Team Handicap) Final
5 Frames - Aggregate To Count - 7.30pm
Wed Apr 26: Belper Strutt Club v Bolehill Institute No 2
(at Edgefold Club, Matlock)

JAEGER TROPHY - CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS PLAY OFF Semi Finals
Best of 5 Frames - Usual Handicaps Apply - 7.30pm
Tue May 02: Edgefold Matlock No 1 v Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2
Tue May 02: Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 v Bolehill Institute No 1

OPEN INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP Final
Best of 7 Frames - Usual Handicaps Apply - 7.15pm
Wed May 03: R Taylor (Alfreton PM 2) v D Harwood (Edgefold 1)
(at Bolehill Institute)

"B" (INTERMEDIATE) INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP Final
Best of 5 Frames - Usual Handicaps Apply - 7.30pm
Thu May 04: D Harwood (Edgefold Matlock 1) v K Munnelly (Bolehill Institute 2)
(at Matlock Golf Club)

JAEGER TROPHY - CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS PLAY OFF Final
Best of 5 Frames - Usual Handicaps Apply - 7.30pm
Mon May 08: Winner Semi Final 1 v Winner Semi Final 2
(at Belper Strutt Club)

DENIS MORTON TROPHY (Pairs Handicap) Final
Best of 7 Frames - Usual Handicaps Apply - 7.00pm
Tue May 09:  N Parkinson / A Russell (Edg 1) v D Harwood / A Russell (Edg 1)
(at Edgefold Club, Matlock)

ALL TO PLAY FOR IN LEAGUE BUT JAMIE TOPS WINS CHART

PLAYER OF THE SEASON JAMIE ROWLAND

FOUR TEAMS still hold a chance of the Joinery Joint League title going into the final round of fixtures though realistically it would seem Edgefold No 1 and Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 look set to fight it out in their respective matches.
Bolehill No 1 still top the table by a single point but have run out of games following their 3-2 home loss to Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2, giving the victors a treble over their hosts for the season, including cup games.
Colin Marchington took a scrappy opener 69-49 before Derek Smith zoomed 50 ahead of Ricki Slack with some stunning potting in the next until a fine rally from the host player took the frame to the final black.
However, an overcut attempt into the middle pocket proved costly and once again all rested on the black in frame three, this time Simon Zoppi taking it with a fine long pot.
John Smith equalised at 2-2 before a tight pairs frame ended with Zoppi unfortunately knocking in the black with his attempt on the blue and thereafter leaving a straight pot on match ball which was readily accepted.

Alfreton No 2 can still take the title with a 5-0 win, assuming Edgefold don't gain more than two points from their last game. Meanwhile, Bolehill would need the Matlock team to register one point or less while hoping for a win for Alfreton No 2 by less than the maximum possible.

Edgefold No 1 egded out Matlock Club 3-2 to remain in the favourites slot with wins for Duncan Harwood and Andy Russell in singles and doubles, the latter from well adrift. Graeme Wood was in excellent form for the visitors, amassing 90pts.

Alfreton No 1 remained a point behind after their 3-2 home win over Bolehill No 2. Jamie Rowland's third frame success ensures he will be this season's most-winning player with 12 out of 13 while Ian Peacock excelled for the vanquished.

Elsewhere, Belper Strutt Club continued their winning spree in the second half of the season with a 5-0 defeat of Edgefold No 2. Wayne Shooter's 30 break was the highlight.

Matlock Golf Club, coming off their bye week, face Edgefold No 1 while the two Alfreton teams lock horns in a mouth watering final week. Golf Club can still force a play off place if they score a large win and either of the Alfreton teams falter badly in their showdown.

League; Bolehill Institute No 1 2, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 3; Edgefold Matlock No 1 3, Matlock Club 2; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 3, Bolehill Institute No 2 2; Belper Strutt Club 5, Edgefold Matlock No 2 0. Bye week: Matlock Golf Club.
Breaks: W Shooter 30; J Rowland 28.

The Joinery Joint Snooker League
                                          P      W      L      Pts
Bolehill Institute No 1        16     11       5     48
Edgefold Matlock No 1     15       9       6     47
Alfreton P Morewd No 1   15     11       4     46
Alfreton P Morewd No 2   15       9       6     44
Matlock Golf Club             15       7       8     42
Belper Strutt Club             15       8       7     34
Bolehill Institute No 2        15       6       9     34
Edgefold Matlock No 2      16       6     10     27
Matlock Club                      16       2     14    23
Leading breaks: P Roe & R Slack 46.
Leading wins: J Rowland 12/13; R Slack 12/16; A Russell 11/15.

(*In the event of a tie for the championship or runners up spot, tie breaker is firstly most wins, followed secondly  by head to head record from the two league games, and then a play off.) To clarify I have gone through the minute books and found this rule was voted in, August 2001.

GOLF CLUB OUT TO MAKE AMENDS IN A SECOND FINAL

IAN McKAY scored a fine win for MATLOCK GOLF CLUB

AFTER missing out at the final hurdle in the Six Red Cup, Matlock Golf Club were out to reach a second final as they entertained Matlock Club in the semi final of the Captains Cup.

Ian McKay got his team off to a fine start with a 95-49 verdict to set the ball rolling and a 57-44 scoreline in favour of Tony Blant put the home team 59 ahead.

Dave Allen with a black ball win reduced the arrears and then Graeme Wood took the next by nine points but the visitors were still 44 adrift going into the concluding doubles leg.

And McKay and Blant took no chances as they played out a gritty frame to take the spoils 49-43 and secure the much coveted final spot with a 295-245 verdict.

Their opponents will be Edgefold No 1, who defeated Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 372-264. Andy Russell was the star of the show as he amassed century points hauls in both singles and doubles, whilst Neil Parkinson also scored heavily.

Derek Smith and Tom Broughton put up a stern fight for the hosts.

In the Jimmy Harper Plate semi finals, Belper Strutt Club won their seventh match in eight games in all competitions, defeating visitors Bolehill No 1 329-244 with Wayne Shooter making sure of success with a wide margin win in frame four after the hosts had won the first three on the black.

Bolehill No 2 had better luck with a 320-170 success over Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1; Ian Peacock was in stupendous form with a 96-21 triumph in the opener whilst only Ralph Edgson could offer any resistance for the Amber Valley cuemen.

Earlier in the week, the two Bolehill team played out their re-arranged fixture and the No 1 team came from 2-0 down to win by the minimum margin with Ian Birks notching breaks of 23,21 and 20 after Kevin Munnelly's superb pink had put his team in the ascendancy early doors.

Captains Cup (Team Agg) semi finals: Matlock Golf Club 295, Matlock Club 245; ; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 264, Edgefold Matlock No 1 372.

League (re-arranged): Bolehill Institute No 2 2, Bolehill Institute No 1 3

Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Agg) semi finals: Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 170, Bolehill Institute No 2 320; Belper Strutt Club 329, Bolehill Institute No 1 244.

Breaks: A Russell 28,24; S Hawkins 27; I Birks 23,21,20.

CLOSEST TITLE RACE EVER AS 1PT SEPARATES TOP TRIO

RICKI SLACK ... black ball win against Golf Club

ONE POINT separates the top three teams going into the final two rounds of games in The Joinery Joint Snooker League as Bolehill No 1 and Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 took advantage of Edgefold No 1's inactivity by registering important victories.
And thats not forgetting Matlock Golf Club, just a point further back (albeit having played an extra game) and Alfreton No 2 back one further, making a total of five teams within just three points of each other.
Bolehill No 1 looked set to make big inroads when taking the first three frames off the Golf Club, with Colin Marchington winning a high scoring opener before Andrew Brough excelled in frame two with a fine array of confident pots.
Ricki Slack took pink and black in the next to edge out the hitherto unbeaten Paul Roe but ex Derbyshire champ Graham Jones kept the visitors in with an outside chance of the title by taking each of his singles and doubles frames in convincing fashion.

Alfreton No 1 defeated Matlock Club 4-1 as Jamie Rowland top scored after Graeme Wood had put the visiting team in front.

Still in with a shout are Alfreton No 2 despite their 3-2 loss at Belper Strutt Club where they took the last two frames involving Tom Broughton.
Paul Jarrett had sealed the win for Belper by top scoring in the third frame.

And Bolehill No 2 just got the better of Edgefold No 2 3-2 in the other game. Rob Dicken (breaks of 32 and 25) was in fine form for the vanquished though Kevin Munnelly's black ball win was pivotal for the victors earlier in the evening.

Andy Russell struck the highest break of the individual semi final matches with runs of 56 and 36 against Steve Bullock,

League week 16 results: Bolehill Institute No 1 3, Matlock Golf Club 2; Alfreton Palmer Morewood 4, Matlock Club 1; Belper Strutt Club 3, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 2; Edgefold Matlock No 2 2, Bolehill Institute No 2 3. Bye week: Edgefold Matlock No 1.
OMYA Cup (Individual Scratch) semi final: Steve Bullock 0, Andy Russell 3.
Open Individual Handicap semi final: Ryan Taylor 3, Keith Manlove 1.
"B" (Intermediate) Individual Handicap semi final: Paul Holmes 0, Duncan Harwood 2.
Breaks: A Russell 56,36; R Taylor 39,31; R Dicken 32,25; K Manlove 23; A Brough 21; G Jones 21.

The Joinery Joint Snooker League
                                          P      W      L      Pts
Edgefold Matlock No 1     14       8       6     44
Alfreton P Morewd No 1   14     10       4     43
Bolehill Institute No 1        14     10       4     43
Matlock Golf Club             15       7       8     42
Alfreton P Morewd No 2   14       8       6     41
Bolehill Institute No 2        13       6       7     30
Belper Strutt Club             14       7       7     29
Edgefold Matlock No 2      15       6       9     27
Matlock Club                      15       2     13     21
Leading breaks: P Roe & R Slack 46.
Leading wins: J Rowland 11/12; R Slack 11/14; R Muxlow 10/13; A Russell 10/14; G Jones 10/15.

BOTH ALFRETON CHALLENGERS ENJOY A WINNING WEEK

RALPH EDGSON equalied for ALFRETON No 1

THE home straight is on the horizon in this season's Joinery Joint Snooker League and some of the main protagonists pitted their wits against each other in the latest round of games.
Matlock Golf Club, who fell to a 3-2 defeat at Edgefold No 2 the previous evening (Tom Chambers and Sam Lavelle winning both their singles and doubles frames to inflict the main damage), were looking to make amends as they entertained Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 next up.
And with Paul Roe ending the undefeated league record of Jamie Rowland in the opening frame, that looked a distinct possibility until the evergreen Ralph Edgson, with a 71-53 verdict in frame two, and Kevin Rowland with a black ball clincher in the third turned matters on their head.
Tony Blant made it all square before Paul Pilsworth and Jamie Rowland produced a cracking doubles display to settle the issue.

Alfreton No 2 defeated Edgefold No 2 4-1 the same night to move level on points with their other team with Derek Smith top scoring whilst Rob Dicken was on target for the visitors.
At the top Edgefold No 1 increased their advantage to four points, defeating nearest rivals Bolehill No 1 4-1 with Rob Muxlow and Andy Russell in emphatic form in their singles games and then taking the concluding doubles leg on the final black after Ricki Slack had engineered his own black ball success for the vanquished earlier in the night.

And Matlock Club gained a thrilling 3-2 home win over Belper Strutt Club on the final black with Paul Holmes and Keith Manlove keeping cool heads in the deciding doubles leg after Justin Weller had top scored to equalise.

Duncan Harwood reached the individual handicap final with a 3-2 win over Alfreton's John Smith (30 break)  after a marathon battle.

League: Edgefold Matlock No 2 3, Matlock Golf Club 2; Matlock Golf Club 2, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 3; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 2 4, Edgefold Matlock No 2 1; Edgefold Matlock No 1 4, Bolehill Institute No 1 1; Matlock Club 3, Belper Strutt Club 2.
Open Individual Handicap semi final: John Smith 2, Duncan Harwood 3.
Breaks: J Smith 30; A Russell 25,23; R Slack 20.

The Joinery Joint Snooker League
                                          P      W      L      Pts
Edgefold Matlock No 1     14       8       6     44
Matlock Golf Club             14       7       7     40
Alfreton P Morewd No 1   13       9       4     39
Bolehill Institute No 1        13       9       4     40
Alfreton P Morewd No 2   13       8       5     39
Bolehill Institute No 2        12       5       7     27
Belper Strutt Club             13       6       7     26
Edgefold Matlock No 2      14       6       8     25
Matlock Club                      14       2     12     20
Leading breaks: P Roe & R Slack 46
Leading wins: J Rowland 10/11; R Slack & R Muxlow 10/13; A Russell 10/14.