L&L Property Contractors Snooker League action stood aside when cup games took centre stage last week.
In their place the Eric McMullen Memorial TKO Handicap Trophy stage 3 qualifying produced some thrilling encounters.
In the opening Cup game of the week Workington Veterans Club B delivered their most impressive performance of the tournament so far, dismantling United Club B with a remarkable 6-1 scoreline.
Wayne Sinclair (Handicap 39) set the tone for Vets B in frame one with a commanding 58-21 win over Stephen Harrison (38) to put the home side 1-0 up.
Frame two saw Adam Hodgson (45) extend the Vets B lead to 2-0 with a clinical 69-55 victory over Stephen Jackson (35).
In the first doubles frame, Jordan Ferguson and Paul Johnston (50) worked seamlessly to overcome Shane Tallentire and Stephen Harrison (42), earning a 55-42 win for a 3-0 Vets B advantage.
Wayne Sinclair and Adam Hodgson (43) continued the Vets B’s doubles dominance with an 82-45 victory over Stephen Jackson and Andrew Carter (40) to extend to 4-0.
In frame five Jordan Ferguson (50) featured in singles action this time, defeating Andrew Carter (45) 42-19 with a composed display to put Vets B 5-0 up.
Vets B’s Lewis Straughton (45) produced an exceptional performance, defeating Adam Sowden (46) 56-46 in a nail-biting encounter that moved the score to 6-0.
The last frame of the contest did offer some consolation for United B, however, as Shane Tallentire (45) produced a polished performance to defeat Simon Tootle (45) 59-15 and end the match 6-1 in Vets B’s favour.
In the next Cup match, Station Road played brilliantly to overpower current Division One league champions Workington Golf Club A with a resounding 5-2 victory.
In the first Tom Thompson (22) kicked things off for Station Road with a composed 65-28 win over Phil Sorfleet (14), setting the tone for the visitors.
Kevin Kirkham (scratch) put on a masterclass in frame two, defeating reigning singles champion Ryan Ismay (10) 91-27 in a confident and clinical display for a 2-0 Station Road lead.
The first doubles frame saw Station Road’s Tom Thompson and Kevin Kirkham (11) deliver a commanding 68-28 victory over Brian Walker and Mark Cowan (19), with Kirkham contributing a stunning break of 35 to make it 3-0.
Workington Golf Club fought back in the second doubles frame as Mark Brasted and Ryan Ismay (24) secured a high-scoring 82-72 win over Darren Lawson and John Teasdale (42), keeping the hosts in contention at 3-1.
The singles returned in frame five as Mike Walker (22) restored Station Road’s dominance with a focused 60-35 win over Mark Brasted (14), giving the visitors an unassailable 4-1 lead.
Brian Walker (20) provided some consolation for the Golf Club side in frame six with a 46-36 victory over John Teasdale (20) for a 4-2 scoreline.
In the final frame of the match Darren Lawson (22) closed out the contest for Station Road with a solid 52-38 win over Mark Cowan (18), capping off a stellar team performance to finish the match at 5-2.
Workington’s United Club A continued their strong run in the tournament with a narrow 4-3 victory over Maryport Social, showcasing resilience and composure under pressure.
Ben Scott (38) capitalized on his handicap advantage in frame one, defeating Dave Chapman (24) 62-16 to give Maryport an early 1-0 lead.
In frame two Andrew Sharp (32) maintained Maryport’s upper hand with an authoritative 82-28 win over Peter O’Hagan (6) for a 2-0 match scoreline.
Frame three saw the first doubles frame with Peter O’Hagan and Mark Suitor (19) rallying for United A, earning a close 61-51 victory over Gary Miller and Greg Todd (42) to pull one back at 2-1.
United A Captain Andrew Mitchelhill and doubles partner Dave Chapman(18) levelled the match at 2-2 for the home side in frame four, with a stellar 78-60 winning performance against Ben Scott and Andrew Sharp (35).
Back to the singles, Mark Suitor (32) delivered an under pressure black ball win to edge out Andrew Sharp (31) 57-52 in frame five to give United A their first lead of the match at 3-2.
However, it was Gary Miller (35) who kept Maryport Social alive in frame six by defeating Tony Hindmoor (50) 72-37 in a controlled display for 3-3.
In the seventh frame decider Andrew Mitchelhill (12) delivered a captain’s performance, closing out the match with a dominant 76-44 win over Greg Todd (48), securing the 4-3 victory for United Club A.
In the final Cup fixture of the week Workington Conservative Club raced to a 4-0 lead but were held off by a spirited Vets Club A side who dragged the score back to 4-3.
In the first Brian Kendall (50) was in top form delivering a 75-8 victory to give Workington Cons the early advantage at 1-0.
Julian Plaza (21) soon doubled the home side’s lead with a precise 69-29 win over Mark Tunstall (25) in frame two as Cons moved 2-0 ahead.
Vets A pairing of Kevin Basnett and Mark Tatton (13) fought hard in the first doubles frame but were eventually overwhelmed by Alan Moore and Brian Kendall (32) 88-20 as Cons moved into a 3-0 lead.
Frame four saw Dave Holland and Ryan Barker (26) put the Cons’ into an unbeatable 4-0 lead with a battling 61-54 victory.
In the next Mark Tatton (26) delivered a superb performance to edge out Alan Moore (13) 62-48, finally getting a frame on the board for Vets A as the match score was drawn back to 4-1.
Paul Smith (38) ensured the Vets A momentum was maintained with a gritty 61-54 win over Dave Holland (21) in frame six to pull the score back further for 4-2.
In the final frame of the match Cons’ Ryan Barker (31) played with determination however he was still unable to overcome Vets A’s Kevin Basnett (scratch) as the away team captain pulled a further frame back with a 79-65 victory to end the match just one adrift at 4-3.
