Gripping night of snooker in trophy semi-finals

The semi-final stage of the Eric McMullen Memorial TKO Handicap Trophy has taken place, delivering a gripping night of snooker, with some standout performances determining this year’s finalists.

Meanwhile, in the TKO Plate, the semi-finals were equally thrilling, featuring two down-to-the-wire contests as teams battled for silverware redemption.

In the first Eric McMullen Memorial Trophy semi final United Club B continued their impressive tournament run by sealing their place in the showpiece event with a commanding 4-2 home win over Workington Golf Club.

United B captain, Stephen Jackson (+35) opened in style, producing some brilliant play in a 83-56 win over Phil Sorfleet (+14).

However, Golf Club’s Ryan Ismay (+10) responded with a strong 81-47 performance to level the tie at 1-1. United B’s in-form duo of Adam Sowden and Shane Tallentire (combined +46) turned the momentum back in the hosts’ favour, dominating their doubles frame 77-34 against Sorfleet and Ismay (+12)for 2-1.

Jackson was again instrumental in frame four, this time pairing with Andrew Carter (+40), in beating Simon Frazer and Mark Cowan (+23) 60-45 for a 3-1 United B lead. Carter then looked set to wrap it up but was narrowly edged 62-53 by Brian Walker (+20), setting up a possible comeback.

However, Tallentire (+45) ended all doubts in emphatic fashion, hammering Mark Brasted (+14) 101-62 to send United B into the final.

In the second of the Eric McMullen Memorial TKO Handicap Trophy semi-finals Workington’s Station Road Club produced a superb all-round display to end United Club A’s league/cup double hopes to book their place in the final with a thrilling 4-2 home win.

Tom Thompson (+22) and Kevin Kirkham (scr) gave Station Road an early 2-0 lead with convincing singles wins over Dave Chapman (+24) and Clive Lister (+18) respectively. However, United A’s Dave Chapman Andrew Mitchelhill (+18) pulled a frame back as they defeated John Teasdale and Darren Lawson (+21) 59-41 with the help of a Mitchelhill break of 33.

Station Road moved away again nonetheless in the second of the doubles frames as Thompson (36 break) and Kirkham restored the two-frame cushion, winning 69-39 against Mark Suitor and Peter O’Hagan for 3-1.

Still fighting, United A clawed it back to 3-2 as O’Hagan (+6) defeated John Teasdale (+20) 58-44 to give the league champions hope. This seemed to spark Station Road to life and even though a low scoring frame ensued it was Mike Walker (+22) who defeated Mark Suitor (+30) 38-30 to take his team through to the final.

In the TKO Plate competition Workington Cons bounced back from group stage disappointment with a strong 4-2 win away to Workington Veterans Club A to reach the final.

Kevin Basnett (scr) gave the home side the lead with a composed 78-34 win over Julian Plaza (+21), and as Mark Tunstall (+25) followed up with a close 66-62 victory against Alan Moore (+13) the home side gained a useful 2-0 lead.

This was a good as it got for the Vets A side however as Cons responded emphatically. Vets A struggled against Alan Moore and Brian Kendall (+32) in the first double, falling 64-19 and with teammates Ryan Barker and David Holland (+26) taking down Tunstall and Mark Tatton (+28) 71-56 in the fourth, the game was now at 2-2.

A decisive 65-39 single win in the fifth from Ryan Barker (+31) over Vets A’s Tatton (+26) made it 3-2 and with Holland (+21) edging out the sixth 60-51 a 4-2 away triumph was complete.

In the final match of the week, and the second of the TKO Plate semis-finals, Maryport Social earned a narrow but deserved 4-3 away win over Rack Shack to claim the last final spot.

The hosts started brightly, albeit in an extremely low scoring encounter, as Phil Denver (+37) defeated Ben Scott (+38) 35-4.

Maryport’s Andrew Sharp returned the favour in frame two nonetheless, as he took down Neil Dougherty (+43) 62-33 for a 1-1 match scoreline.

In the first of the doubles Denver and Dougherty (+40) put the Rack Shack ahead with a 58-28 win over Andrew Scott and Gary Miller (+33) before Maryport’s Ben Scott and Greg Todd pulled it back to 2-2 with a 60-28 victory over Lee Dougherty and Adam Morilla (+40). Morilla (+39) restored Rack Shack’s lead by defeating Andrew Scott (+31) 63-37, but it was Maryport’s Gary Miller who took it to a decider with a 59-19 win over Lee Dougherty (+40).

The final frame proved to be a tense affair, nevertheless it was Todd (+48) who held himself together to clinch the match on the very last ball with a 52-51 win over Chris McKelvey (+42) to the delight of his teammates.