In the First Division of the Carlisle and District Billiards League, Southend A travelled out to Longtown to face a home side having an excellent season so far, sitting in third place after 11 matches.
Longtown’s Willie Cairns couldn’t get started in the first match, the ball often falling awkwardly, and Phil Wall came out the winner with some nice play and run.
Mick Miller was the outstanding player of the night, and got Southend A 2-0 ahead, with his 27 break being the highlight of game two.
Game three saw the closest match of the night, with Al Trotter edging it to give the away team victory and the bonus points.
Longtown fought back and won the last two games. Tony Steele saw an excellent 27 break edge out Martin Goodhead, who had made a strong start, and in the final frame Dave Steele got stronger as the game went on, defeating Geordie Roberts with a 28 break along the way.
Thanks to Tony Steele for the report.
OTHER SCORES: Inter Qzone 5, Qzone 1; Denton Holme 4, Rock 2; Rock A 5, Annan 1
In the Second Division, Southend inflicted another resounding win over Cons.
First up was Andy Foster for Southend and Peter Day for Cons in the closest game. Day quietly built up a 20 point lead as Foster failed to find any fluidity, however runs of 14 and 18 by Foster left him needing just one point for victory.
Faced with a golden opportunity, Foster missed, and Day ran out for a one point victory.
Next up, Stuart Telford outlasted Ray Middlemore to win a long game 80-56 while Martin Milner, making his billiards debut, played some nice losing hazards to beat Dave Dixon 80-61.
Harry Ruddick played Con’s Peter Douglas and looked out of sorts early on, missing multiple easy losers.
Douglas, meanwhile, was in fine form and built up a nice lead, until Ruddick woke up and made it a close finish with an 18 break. Douglas still had chances, requiring only a single scoring shot to win, but a fluke and a comfortable pot by Ruddick saw him win 80-78.
Mark Taylor started well against Paul Watson in the final game, with three teen breaks out of the traps seeing him forge a 30+ point lead in no time.
Watson hit a night high break of 26 to make it a nervy finish, but Taylor got over the line in a couple more visits, winning 80-59. Final score Southend 5, Cons 1.
Thanks to Mark Taylor for the report.
OTHER SCORES: Eastriggs 2, Ex C 5; Ex B 4, Qzone Originals 2; Southend C 4, St Margaret Mary’s 2.
In the individual league, Division A saw wins for Mike Griffiths, John Metcalfe, Paul Cowing and Brian Sloan.
Division B saw the best match of the night, with Archie Walker defeating Brian Makepeace by three points. However Makepeace showed two extraordinary pieces of sportsmanship, which although costing him the win, showed his class.
There were also wins for Ian Cleminson, Neil Walby, and a first win after a long lay off for Paul Heslop.
