The DVARD Summer Snooker League fixtures have resumed with some knock-out group stage ties also completed.
Former county champion Kevin Basnett hosted the only top-flight fixture and sent out a warning that his rivals will need to work hard if they are to prevent him making it a fourth consecutive League title.
His latest opponent was Cockermouth’s Andrew Mitchelhill and the opening two frames were competitive in nature, but both went to Basnett.
The Seaton player then stepped on the gas constructing frame winning breaks of 111 and 79 to go 4-0 up. The whitewash was completed with comfortable final frame.
Basnett now moves up five slots to second with Mitchelhill slipping a place to fourth.
In the second tier, Seaton’s Stephen Jackson maintained his three-point lead over his rivals with a solid 4-1 win over Workington’s Dave Chapman. The final frame went to a black ball decider. Chapman stays in mid-table.
League debutant Andy Moore from Whitehaven kept-up the pressure on Jackson by recording his fourth consecutive 4-1 victory.
His latest opponent was Seaton’s Paul Smith, but the winning score flattered slightly as they were four tight frames which all went the way of Moore. Despite the defeat Smith moves up one place to sixth.
In a mid-table battle Workington-based Chris Hunter and Darren Lawson competed with Lawson sealing the win in the first three frames.
Hunter dug deep, however, to claim the final two frames for a respectable 3-2 reversal. He compiled a frame-winning break of 33 in the fourth leaving Lawson and Hunter third and fourth, respectively.
In the final league two tie, Whitehaven’s Richard Kirkham hauled himself into sixth place with a 4-1 win over Workington’s Geoff Smith.
Several DVARD group stage ties took place.
Kirkham continued on the up-grade with a form book defying 4-1 win over the in-form Moore.
Kirkham currently heads group D from league one leader Peter O’Hagan.
Hunter was able to reverse his fortunes and the score when he was up against league rival Lawson for the second time in a week.
This time Hunter showed more character to claw himself back from 2-0 down and take the match 3-2.
Despite a three-way tie on points, Hunter leads group A by virtue of his two group wins over his immediate rivals. Lawson lies in third.
Finally, Chapman claimed second place in group B as he came back from 2-1 down to defeat Paul Smith.
