L&L Property Contractors Snooker League stepped aside again this week as cup qualification continued.
It was the Derwent Valley Asbestos Removal and Demolition sponsored Eric McMullen Memorial TKO Handicap Trophy which took centre stage.
In group one Workington’s Station Road Club increased their chances of qualification with a brilliant 3-2 home win over the already qualified Workington Golf Club A.
Station Road’s Tom Thompson (+23 handicap) got his side off the mark with a win in the first and as team mate Mark Robertson (+32) took the second, with a victory on the black, a 2-0 lead was a great start.
Phil Sorfleet (+19) pulled one back for the Golf Club A with a tidy break of 36 but it was Chris Hunter (+32) who ensured Station Road Club claimed the match win with a good victory in the fourth.
A win in the last would have almost guaranteed Station Road a semi-final spot but with the Golf Club A’s Ryan Ismay (+11) spoiling the party it left the match victors needing a couple of frames from their final match against Whitehaven’s Rack Shack to qualify.
The other group 1 match saw Whitehaven’s Rack Shack keep themselves in with a chance of qualification with a 3-2 away win against Workington’s Golf Club B.
Paul Brown (+40) secured the home team’s early advantage with a win in frame one before the Rack Shack bounced back immediately as Andy Moore (+37) won the second for 1-1.
Chris McKelvey (+41) put the Rack Shack back in front to make it 2-1, but the Golf Club B’s Sam Robinson (+40) delivered parity to take the tie into a decider at 2-2.
A cool head was required in the last and with the most convincing performance of the night Stephen Harrison (+37) delivered the match victory to keep the Whitehaven outfit’s semi-final chances alive.
The only match in group two marked a win for Flimby Social Club as they moved into a guaranteed semi-final place with a 3-2 away win at Workington’s in-form United Club.
A superb performance by Paul Vickers (+21) put Flimby 1-0 up but the United Club levelled as Clive Lister (+19) won a relatively convincing second frame.
Mark Suitor (+34) made the most of his opponent’s lacklustre display to push the United Club into a 2-1 lead but with the performance of the match it was Flimby captain Geoff Banton (+37) who took the game to a decider with a 36 break to boot.
In the final frame, as the large value colours found their way to the cushions, Dave Teasdale (+50) maximised his handicap advantage to deliver Flimby the victory and ultimately a place in the March 1 semi-finals.
