A dramatic L&L Property Contractors Snooker Trebles KO Handicap final took place this week with Workington Golf Club’s Ryan Ismay, Simon Frazer and Bryan Walker edging out Whitehaven’s Rack Shack trio of Neil Dougherty, Phil Denver and Andy Moore in a 5-4 six red format thriller.
The match opened with Workington Golf Club’s Bryan Walker (+10) taking a couple of reds and colours, and with some excellent safety play, he kept The Rack Shack’s Phil Denver (+19) under pressure.
However, a superb 27 break from the Whitehaven cueist briefly swung the momentum.
Undeterred, Walker dug deep and produced a nerveless clearance of blue, pink, and black to edge a tight opener 45-30.
The golf club’s Ryan Ismay (+5) produced some fluent potting early on, compiling 30 points against Rack Shack’s Andy Moore (+16), but in missing a routine blue that would’ve sealed it Moore had some hope.
Ismay put the disappointment to one side very quickly and with some fine play Moore was soon requiring snookers. A tactical exchange on the colours followed, before Moore accidentally potted the pink, handing the frame to Ismay 34-20 for a golf club 2-0 lead.
In a scrappy third frame, Simon Frazer (+14) of Workington Golf Club battled through a tough handicap deficit against Rack Shack’s Neil Dougherty (+22).
With pink and black tight on the cushion early, Frazer grafted his way back into contention and edged ahead by a point with only the colours remaining. Dougherty had chances but couldn’t capitalise, as Frazer took brown, blue, and pink to secure the frame 53-29 and put Golf Club 3-0 up.
Rack Shack finally got on the scoreboard in frame four as Phil Denver (+19) returned to the table against Ryan Ismay (+5).
After both players missed chances in the early stages, Denver made a significant 27 break to take control. Ismay continued to battle, but with the frame always just out of reach, Denver coolly potted yellow to blue to pull it back 3-1 with a composed 39-9 victory.
Simon Frazer (+14) and Andy Moore (+16) played out a cautious and tactical fifth frame. With few scoring opportunities available, Frazer led by seven before Moore found a crucial 20 break after potting yellow to pink.
That contribution proved decisive, as he closed out a the frame 34-17 to bring Rack Shack back to within a single frame at 3-2.
Bryan Walker (+10) returned to the table against Neil Dougherty (+22) in a nervy sixth frame. Dougherty forged an early 15-point lead but failed to pull away, allowing Walker to claw back on the colours.
A clever snooker from Walker saw Dougherty foul, and the Golf Club player cleared blue, pink, and black under extreme pressure to seal a hard-fought 35-14 win, pushing his side into a 4-2 lead.
The momentum swung again as Rack Shack’s Phil Denver (+19) faced Simon Frazer (+14) in frame seven.
The early exchanges were cagey with the big colours tied up, but Denver carved out a slim lead. Frazer missed a tricky blue to middle, and Denver stepped in with an excellent finish, potting blue and then a superb long pink to clinch it 30–19 and reduce the match score to 4-3.
In a tense eighth frame, Ryan Ismay (+5) took on Neil Dougherty (+22) with the match now on a knife edge. Ismay made three reds and colours but missed a routine black.
Dougherty battled back to lead 47-24 with pink and black left, forcing Ismay to require snookers. Ismay played several clever attempts but ultimately fouled on a difficult safety, gifting Rack Shack the frame 53-24 and levelling the tie at 4-4.
The deciding frame featured Bryan Walker (+10) against Andy Moore (+16), with the Trebles title down to a one frame shootout. Moore made a fast start with a 26 break, but then tightened up as the frame progressed.
Moving into the colours Walker got stronger and after a tight safety exchange, the golf club potter delivered the match-winning blow with a clinical long pink, sealing a thrilling final-frame decider 37-28 for a title winning 5-4 scoreline.
