TANSLEY RACK UP 2ND HIGHEST SCORE IN PLATE HISTORY

TANSLEY POTTERS 2023-24 - KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
L-R: Joe Hawkins, Steve Hawkins, Joe Neville, Ted Neville, Radford Neville.

THE PENULTIMATE match of the 2023/24 season saw the delayed encounter between Tansley Potters and Clay Cross Brotherhood with the fixture which finished the league campaign for both teams being repeated in the semi final of the Jimmy Harper Plate competition decided by overall aggregate points.
Joe Neville had the hosts ahead early doors with a 76-43 win giving his team a healthy advantage and son Radford added to this with a 61-44 verdict in the next.
An excellent 71-38 win for young Joe Hawkins in the next meant there was an 83 points difference going into the final two frames.
And after Steve Hawkins had taken the fourth 88-55 surely it was all but decided without one of the most incredible turnarounds in competition history.
Unsurprisingly, this wasn't forthcoming as the Nevilles completed a clean sweep with a 77-44 scoreline meaning they had amassed 373 points overall, the second highest recorded in the Plate's history, with Clay Cross registering 212.
A tough day at the office for the visitors, several of whom had been away on their holidays, and the rustiness was evident on the evening combined with some excellent performances from the victors.
Tansley now go on to meet Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 who progressed to the final several weeks ago with a semi final win over league champions Edgefold No1.

Jimmy Harper Plate (Team Aggregate Consolation) semi final: Tansley Potters 373, Clay Cross Brotherhood 212.

CRICH TAKE PLAY-OFF SUCCESS, BOLEHILL DUO WIN PAIRS

CRICH COMRADES Jaeger Trophy winners 2023-24
L-R: Nick Berry, Phil Leverton, Ade Smith and Martin Byard.
Also played: Paul Trevett, Jack Long, Rob Mulliss.

EDGEFOLD No1 T & M Motors Snooker League champs 2023-24
L-R: Steve Burton, Scott Brooks, Duncan Harwood and Martin Barwick.
Also played: Sean Dobney and James Travis.

THE JAEGER TROPHY Play-Off final took place between the top two teams from the T & M Motors Snooker League Edgefold No1 and Crich Comrades who had each progressed to the Bolehill Institute venue with clean sweep victories in their semi finals.
The opening frame was a real cracker with some top notch potting and great attacking play from both players. Martin Barwick notched a neat run of 22 en route to leading 42-0 early doors but opponent Martin Byard remained unphased and had edged ahead before taking blue and pink to seal the frame.
The next was nip and tuck throughout as Steve Burton took on Nick Berry and it was the latter who came through at the end, taking pink to go seven ahead and eventually fluking the black to make it 2-0.
Scott Brooks and Duncan Harwood (20 break) were in very solid form throughout and engineered decisive verdicts of 69-27 and 66-36 respectively however for 2-2 and it was all down to the final doubles frame.
Unsurprisingly the winning players from both teams were nominated and with the last three balls on, Edgefold needed them all to win by one point.
Brooks set about the task with a fine pot on blue but very unluckily the cue ball landed right behind the black meaning he was snookered full-ball on the pink and having missed this narrowly, the Tramwaymen looked poised for victory.
This was confirmed soon afterwards by another unlucky in-off as Berry and Byard kept their unbeaten record on the night with a 62-32 success thanks to some great play for a 3-2 win.
A first success in the event for Crich Comrades and the third time overall that the runners-up have ended up winning the play off final.

IAN BIRKS and RICKI SLACK of Bolehill, Denis Morton Trophy winners

The following night the Edgefold pairing of Duncan Harwood and Steve Burton (playing off minus 8) had the chance to go one better as they took on Bolehill duo Ricki Slack and Ian Birks (minus 13) at Crich Comrades in the pairs handicap final for the Denis Morton Trophy.
Harwood was a current holder of the trophy, having won last year's delayed final with Steve Clark who was unavailable with work commitments through most of this campaign. In all he was looking for a fourth win in the event, having also taken it twice with top cueman Andy Russell a few years back.
With the Bolehill pair being restricted to mainly single reds in the opener, the Matlock duo were off to a flying start as they drew first blood 50-14 with few concerns.
An early lead in the next was eradicated when Slack compiled a run of 33 before missing a black off the spot but it proved enough eventually to equalise with a 66-32 scoreline.
Harwood with a mid-frame 24 in the third soon had Edgefold back in the ascendancy with a 66-22 verdict.
Once again Bolehill replied in turn with Birks getting into the action with a break of 24 for an early frame advantage and then Slack clearing up with 22 at the back-end for a 68-43 win and 2-2.
The fifth frame saw Steve Burton amongst the balls with a solid break of 31 and although the lead was gradually eaten into, the brown put the Matlock pairing 19 ahead with 18 on.
Slack was forced to pot blue in the jaws of the pocket but no snooker was forthcoming thereafter and eventually they fell behind 3-2 after inadvertently potting the pink also.
Nevertheless, the topsy turvy nature of the evening continued and some gritty tactical play came to fore as a 65-32 win squared it up again at 3-3 with the clock already moving towards closing time.
And in an incredibly high-scoring finale in which 162 points were amassed no less, it was all the fun of the fair except perhaps for the players participating as a bizarre ending ensued.
Needing all the balls to win by one, Burton tried a thin snick on green into middle which missed altogether but then despite two or three gilt-edged chances for Bolehill to put the game to bed, the balls would just not go in and eventually Harwood laid an excellent snooker.
Slack swerved to escape and made a solid hit but amazingly the cue ball went straight in off into a baulk pocket thereafter and it was game on.
A couple of decent snookers from Bolehill soon afterwards had them back in the driving seat though and with both escapes failing we were now at the two snookers required stage and surely that was it......
But incredibly, a rare mis-hit from Birks knocked in the black which was sitting over a bottom pocket and the Matlock cuemen could now tie with the seven point penalty coming into play.
And gradually potting each of the balls one by one, soon enough only the black remained. Birks played a fine safety from the full length of the table and Harwood was very unlucky in the end to go in-off into a baulk pocket when playing his reply after an inconceivable run of events to end an extremely tight and tough marathon battle.
Ian gains his first win in the event having been once runner-up and it is a second win for Ricki (the previous one being way back in 1980 as a "C" Division player with the late Richard Potts) as well as attaining four runner-ups in the years since.

Jaeger Trophy Play-off final (at Bolehill Institute): Edgefold Matlock No1 2, Crich Comrades 3: 50(22)-66; 51-65; 69-27; 66(20)-36; 32-62.
Denis Morton Trophy Pairs Handicap final (at Crich Comrades): Ricki Slack / Ian Birks 4, Steve Burton / Duncan Harwood 3: 14-50; 66(33)-32; 22-66(24); 68(24,22)-43; 50-58(31); 65-32; 88-74. 

EDGEFOLD No1 AND CRICH COMRADES IN BIG SHOWDOWN

MARTIN BARWICK

EDGEFOLD No1 and CRICH COMRADES each progressed to their Jaeger Trophy play-off final showdown in emphatic style as they delivered 4-0 wins to confirm their status as the top two ranking teams in the league table.
The Tramwaymen were first in action as they hosted Tansley Potters and although the teams finished second and third in the table, it was all one way traffic on the night.
Nick Berry took the opener 83-39 as he continued in fine form after his "B" Individual Handicap win the previous week and Paul Trevett made it 2-0 soon afterwards with a hard fought 71-51 victory.
And Ade Smith made sure of the win as he scored a convincing 78-32 verdict before Jack Long added the icing on the cake in a rare appearance in an academic fourth frame.

Not to be outdone a couple of days later, Edgefold No1 showed they are still firing on all cylinders after taking the T & M Motors Snooker League title though they were made to work by fourth placed Clay Cross Brotherhood despite the ultimate clean sweep of frames.
Martin Barwick edged the opener on the black 62-55 before a more comfortable win from Steve Burton gave the hosts some breathing space.
Another black ball verdict from Scott Brooks secured the Matlock side's place in the final and Duncan Harwood added the dead rubber in the fourth frame.

The top pair now face off at Bolehill Institute for the grand prize with this being a sixth Edgefold team appearance in the final since the competition started in 2012, while Crich will be appearing for the second time, though it will be a debut for the current team.

Three of the early competitions featured the top eight teams (with a sixth and seventh placed team emerging victorious) before the current format of the top four became the norm in 2016.
Alfreton Palmer Morewood are the winning-most team with four successes followed by two wins each from Edgefold and Belper Strutt Club.

The league champions have now reached the final for the last eight years (9 out of 12 overall and 8 out of 9 in the four team format) and currently have five wins.
The highest placed team in the final has won 9 out of 11 attempts but it will be all to play for on the night as another piece of Darley Dale and District Snooker League history is made, good luck to all!

Jaeger Trophy (Top four play-offs) semi finals: Crich Comrades 4, Tansley Potters 0; Edgefold Matlock No1 4, Clay Cross Brotherhood 0.

ALFRETON PASS STAMINA TEST WHILE BERRY WINS AGAIN

ALFRETON PALMER MOREWOOD No3 Captains Cup winners 2023-24
L-R: Guy Taylor, Carlos Zaragoza, Ady Lowe and Jack Lowe. Also played: Alex Fisher.

IT MAY have been approaching the midnight hour with an 11.35pm finish but the Captains Cup Team Aggregate final between Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 and Belper Royal British Legion served up a real thriller in front of a decent crowd at Clay Cross Brotherhood who stayed  right to the end of this real cliffhanger.
Carlos Zaragoza put Alfreton into an early ascendancy as he took the opener in fine style 77-33 and with Guy Taylor adding to this with an excellent 64-42 win, a very healthy lead of 66 had been built up.
Mark Newby threatened to claw a fair amount of this back for the Legionnaires but in the end had to settle for a 56-45 verdict and his team still had it all to do.
A nip and tuck frame in the fourth saw Ady Lowe start well with a teen break but Justin Weller battled valiantly and despite potting pink and going in off near the end, he was not to be denied and came back to eventually take both remaining balls for a 57-56 turnaround.
With a 54 lead though, the odds favoured Ady and Jack Lowe in the doubles leg but Weller and Steve Bullock had other ideas and despite some perfectly decent play by the frontrunners, began to erode the deficit.
A 33 break from Weller and then some astutely laid snookers had Alfreton in a real sweat and with the last three balls remaining, the lead was only five points.
But up stepped the hero of the hour Jack Lowe to produce absolutely stunning pots on blue and pink at this point and send the team and their supporters into raptures with an overall score of 282-266.

ADE SMITH and NICK BERRY, "B" Individual  Handicap finalists

Elsewhere, Nick Berry of Crich Comrades defeated his team-mate and captain Ade Smith 3-0 in the B (Intermediate) Individual Handicap final to lift the trophy for an amazing fourth time in six years.
After fouling soon before, Smith redeemed himself with a double on the blue but unfortunately for him left a golden chance on the pink straight after which Berry duly despatched to take the opener 60-41.
The next saw Smith needing the last three balls to tie but his safety on the blue went wrong and Berry stepped in to make it 2-0 with a 57-34 scoreline.
And aided by some particularly good potting, Berry sealed the deal in a very tight decider as he took blue and pink for a straight frames win.

There was also one remaining delayed T & M Motors Snooker League contest and it has happy faces all round as Clay Cross Brotherhood's 3-2 defeat of Tansley Potters saw both teams make the end of season Jaeger Trophy play offs for the top four.
Joe and Radford Neville were in winning form to put the hosts 2-1 ahead but an otherwise youthful line up had to bow to the vast experience of the visitors at the final countdown as Duncan Waring and Graham Jones secured the deciding doubles leg 83-44.

Captains Cup (Team Aggregate) final: Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 282, Belper Royal British Legion 266 (at Clay Cross Brotherhood): 77-33; 64-42; 45-56; 56-57; 40-78(33).
"B" (Intermediate) Individual Handicap final: Nick Berry (Crich Comrades) 3, Ade Smith (Crich Comrades) 0 (at Crich): 60-41; 57-34; 77-67.
T & M Motors Snooker League: Tansley Potters 2, Clay Cross Brotherhood 3.
Breaks (inc. comps): J Weller 33; R Neville 28; D Waring 21.

T & M Motors Snooker League        P        W        L      Pts 
Edgefold Matlock No 1                      16       15         1      59
Crich Comrades                                16        10        6      45
Tansley Potters                                  16         7         9      42
Clay Cross Brotherhood                    16         9         7      41 
Edgefold Matlock No 2                      16         8         8      40 
Alfreton P Morewood No 3                16         6       10      37                   
Bolehill Institute                                 16         7         9      33
Alfreton P Morewood No1                 16         6       10      33
Belper Royal British Legion               16         4       12      30
Alfreton P Morewood No 2                  0         0         0        0
Leading breaks: R Mulliss 51, D Smith 49.
Leading wins: S Burton 13/16; R Taylor & M Newby 11/15; D Smith & R Neville 11/16

HAT-TRICK FOR MONK AND BURTON SECURES MOST WINS

RICKI SLACK (runner-up) and BEN MONK (winner) OMYA Cup finalists

BEN MONK brought up a memorable hat trick of three consecutive OMYA Cup Individual Scratch competition wins as he defeated Bolehill Institute's Ricki Slack 4-1 in the final at Tansley Potters.
Monk now has a nap hand of wins since 2011 matching his opponent's tally of five in the event though the Bolehill player's first success came back in 1986.
Slack made the early running in the opener with a teen break and led by twenty plus before Monk staged a fightback that left both with chances on pink and black until the Bolehill cueman benefited from a fluke into the yellow pocket for 1-0.
With Slack in first in the next, Monk needed to find his groove and a run of 37 gave him command mid way through the frame, Slack obtaining the snooker required but the Alfreton player securing the frame soon afterwards for 1-1.
The next two saw Monk moving into overdrive with runs of 37 (again),22,22 and 21 giving him convincing verdicts of 76-23 and 51-14 for 3-1.
Slack looked set to pull it back to 3-2 in frame five as he led by twenty plus when calling a foul on himself while potting the pink after feeling a brush on his wrist off one of the latter reds.
With Monk still requiring all the colours, a bungled safety on green from his opponent was just what the doctor ordered and he stepped in to take it down to pink and black.
Again Slack got a double kiss on the safety for the second time and this was one too many as Monk finished the job in style with great mid range pots on the remaining two colours to show his class for 4-1 .

Slack was also involved in the Denis Morton pairs handicap semi final (partnered by Ian Birks) that saw an incredible turnaround with Paul Trevett and Nick Berry making all the early running and leading 2-0 and their opponents needing a snooker on the pink in the next.
The car engines were about to be started when Slack could not dislodge the pink from the jaws of a baulk pocket but unexpectedly with the Crich pairing shooting for the game, their cue ball followed through into the pocket right behind the pink.
Eventually the Bolehill pairing made it 2-1 on the black and carried the momentum through for an eventual 3-2 win against all the odds.

There was also T & M Motors Snooker League action with the final round of fixtures (barring one re-scheduled match next week) and Crich Comrades wrapped up the runners-up spot courtesy of a 3-2 win at Belper Royal British Legion.
Mark Newby edged a tight game for the hosts early doors so with Martin Byard and Wayne Shooter sharing the next two, the Tramwaymen needed the final two frames to reach their goal.
And that is just what they achieved with Nick Berry levelling it up and Byard and Phil Leverton striking the decisive blow soon after.

Steve Burton (28 break) wrapped up the prize for most wins as he took his 13th success in 16 outings during Edgefold No1's 3-2 win at Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3.
Sean Dobney and Scott Brooks registered breaks of 38 and 37 yet were still defeated by Guy Taylor and Carlos Zaragoza respectively but Brooks and father Martin Barwick pulled it out of the fire in the deciding doubles leg.

Tansley Potters moved fourth with a 4-1 victory at Bolehill Institute. Joe Neville took the first on the black for the visitors before Steve Hawkins put in a faultless display in the next followed by a first victory from his son Joe which made the game safe.
Ricki Slack, playing again as the reserve after a late call away, notched the home side's point.

Clay Cross Brotherhood go fifth after a 3-2 home win over Alfreton No1. Paul Roe and Duncan Waring each notched 80 points in their singles games while Phil Longden (82 points) was top scorer for the Amber Valley cuemen.

OMYA Cup (Individual Scratch) final: Ben Monk 4, Ricki Slack 1 (at Tansley Potters): 50-61; 71(37)-31; 76(22,37)-23; 51(22,21)-14; 48-42.
T & M Motors Snooker League final round: Belper Royal British Legion 2, Crich Comrades 3; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 2, Edgefold Matlock No1 3; Bolehill Institute 1, Tansley Potters 4; Clay Cross Brotherhood 3, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 2.
Breaks (inc. comps): S Dobney 38; B Monk 37,37,23,22,22,21; S Brooks 37; S Burton 28; M Byard 23; R Slack 20.

T & M Motors Snooker League        P        W        L      Pts 
Edgefold Matlock No 1                      16       15         1      59
Crich Comrades                                16        10        6      45
Edgefold Matlock No 2                      16         8         8      40 
Tansley Potters                                  15         7         8      40
Clay Cross Brotherhood                    15         8         7      38 
Alfreton P Morewood No 3                16         6       10      37                   
Bolehill Institute                                 16         7         9      33
Alfreton P Morewood No1                 16         6       10      33
Belper Royal British Legion               16         4       12      30
Alfreton P Morewood No 2                  0         0         0        0
Leading breaks: R Mulliss 51, D Smith 49.
Leading wins: S Burton 13/16; R Taylor & M Newby 11/15; D Smith 11/16.

LEE HAGE LIFTS OPEN INDIVIDUAL HANDICAP TROPHY

LEE HAGE ... champ

POPULAR cueman Lee Hage of Clay Cross Brotherhood lifted the first silverware of this season's end of season finals as he overcame Edgefold No 2's Rob Muxlow 4-2 in an entertaining Open Individual Handicap clash played at the latter's home club.
Muxlow was first in with 15 from his first visit and set the pace in the opener looking to have done enough when the yellow put him 27 ahead with 25 left on the table. However, an attempted double on green caught the jaw and then unluckily clipped the brown into a baulk pocket at an angle for an unexpected foul.
Hage needed no second invitation to take green to pink and when Muxlow's thin cut on black stayed in the jaws, Hage made it 1-0 with an unlikely 63-61 success.
Muxlow remained undeterred though and continued in strong form, clearing yellow to pink to take the second 83-27 after Hage required all the colours despite his own contribution of 21.
Breaks of 32 and 37 in succession heralded the fact that Hage was beginning to find his stride with an 81-31 victory but Muxlow again levelled with a 23 break compiled of some fine long pots and giving him the next 72-18.
The fifth could have gone either way but with Muxlow four behind, Hage delivered a superb total colours clearance of 27 to go 3-2 up and with some solid scoring and safety play made the game safe with a 78-51 verdict in frame six despite Muxlow gaining a couple of the three required snookers.

Meanwhile Alfreton's Ben Monk, winner for the past two seasons, made it through to another OMYA Cup individual scratch final as he saw off Justin Weller 3-0 in the semi with a top run of 42.

Crich's Nick Berry also was in fine form in the B Individual Handicap as he scored a 3-0 win to progress to the final where team mate Ade Smith of Crich awaits.
In fact, it was a great week for the Tramwaymen all round as they scored fantastic wins of 5-0 and 4-1 in the T & M Motors Snooker League over Alfreton Palmer Morewood No 1 and now move clear second.
Nick Berry top scored in the home encounter while Rob Mulliss was in barnstorming form on Hall Street with runs of 31,25, 23 and 21 in singles and doubles legs while Paul Trevett weighed in with 24.
John Smith was the sole victor for the Amber Valley cuemen over the two games.

Clay Cross Brotherhood edged out Edgefold No2 3-2 in the tight battle for the play offs with Graham Jones and Duncan Waring just prevailing 66-58 in the deciding doubles leg after Jamie Wright and Roy Taylor had fought back strongly for the hosts from 0-2 down.

Tansley Potters saw off Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 4-1 with Radford Neville top scoring and Guy Taylor on target for the visitors.

At the rear end of the table, Bolehill Institute bounced back to form with a 4-1 defeat of Belper Royal British Legion who had gone ahead through Justin Weller but after that the visitors took control with Ian Birks break of 30 the highlight.

Open Individual Handicap final: Rob Muxlow 2 Lee Hage 4: 61-63(24); 82(20)-37(21); 31-81 (32,37); 72(23)-18; 56-87(27); 51-78.
League: Crich Comrades 5, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 0; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 1, Crich Comrades 4; Edgefold Matlock No2 2, Clay Cross Brotherhood 3; Tansley Potters 4, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 1; Belper Royal British Legion 1, Bolehill Institute 4.
Breaks (inc. comps): B Monk 42,37,30,29,20; L Hage 37,32,27,24,21; J Weller 34,29; R Mulliss 31,25,23,21; I Birks 30; R Muxlow 23,20; A Smith 23.

T & M Motors Snooker League        P        W        L      Pts 
Edgefold Matlock No 1                      15       14         1      56
Crich Comrades                                15         9         6      42
Edgefold Matlock No 2                      16         8         8      40 
Tansley Potters                                  14         6         8      36
Clay Cross Brotherhood                    14         7         7      35 
Alfreton P Morewood No 3                15         6         9      35                   
Bolehill Institute                                 15         7         8      32
Alfreton P Morewood No1                 15         6         9      31
Belper Royal British Legion               15         4       11      28
Alfreton P Morewood No 2                  0         0         0        0
Leading breaks: R Mulliss 51, D Smith 49.
Leading wins: S Burton 12/15; R Taylor 11/15; R Neville 10/14; M Newby & D Smith 10/15.

ROE SPARKLES AS BROTHERHOOD EDGE OUT TANSLEY

PAUL ROE

CLAY CROSS BROTHERHOOD ground out an excellent 3-2 win over Tansley Potters as the race for the final play-off positions takes shape in the latter stages of this season's T & M Motors Snooker League.
Joe Neville took the opener in a battle royale against his old team mate from the 80s Graham Jones with a 60-40 success but Ian McKay levelled in the next courtesy of a black ball decider.
Paul Roe was in sparkling form as he stormed to an 87-28 victory in frame three but it was level again at 2-2 after Steve Hawkins' 65-35 verdict.
But McKay teamed up with Duncan Waring in the concluding doubles leg to steer the home side to what could yet be an all-important win.

Also triumphing in a decider were Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 who edged out Edgefold No2 3-2 with Phil Longden and young Cole Smith showing great resolve to take the deciding pairs frame 54-26.
John Smith had top scored to equalise in the previous frame after Jamie Wright's 72-37 victory had put the Matlock side ahead.

Alfreton No3 took an excellent 4-1 win from Bolehill Institute with Ady Lowe taking each of his singles and doubles frames on pink and black respectively and Jack Lowe winning both his regular frame and as the reserve under the points penalty.
Colin Marchington had earlier taken the opener for the hosts 66-65.

The other fixture saw Edgefold No1 extend their unsassailable advantage at the top as they defeated the recently improved Belper Royal British Legion 4-1.
Steve Burton (28 break) top scored in winning his twelfth frame out of fifteen whilst Mark Newby, another player to enjoy a fine season, was the sole victor early doors for the visitors.

In the "B" Individual Handicap semi final, Ade Smith was in great nick as he booked his place in the final with a 3-1 success including a black ball decider and an excellent run of 31.

T & M Motors Snooker League week 15: Clay Cross Brotherhood 3, Tansley Potters 2; Alfreton Palmer Morewood No1 3, Edgefold Matlock No2 2; Bolehill Institute 1, Alfreton Palmer Morewood No3 4; Edgefold Matlock No1 4, Belper Royal British Legion 1.
Breaks: A Smith 31; S Burton 28; R Muxlow 27; D Smith 25.

T & M Motors Snooker League        P        W        L      Pts 
Edgefold Matlock No 1                      15       14         1      56
Edgefold Matlock No 2                      15         8         7      38 
Alfreton P Morewood No 3                14         6         8      34                   
Crich Comrades                                13         7         6      33
Clay Cross Brotherhood                    13         6         7      32 
Tansley Potters                                  13         5         8      32
Alfreton P Morewood No1                 13         6         7      30
Bolehill Institute                                 14         6         8      28
Belper Royal British Legion               14         4       10      27
Alfreton P Morewood No 2                  0         0         0        0

Leading breaks: R Mulliss 51, D Smith 49.
Leading wins: S Burton 12/15; D Smith 10/13; R Taylor & M Newby 10/14.