This week in the L&L Property Contractors Snooker League a high-quality and fiercely contested Doubles Handicap Final final saw Workington’s United Club A pairing of Andrew Mitchelhill and Dave Chapman (combined handicap +18) take on Whitehaven’s Rack Shack pairing of Neil Dougherty and Phil Denver (+40) with the latter coming out 4-2 winners.
United Club A got off to the perfect start in frame one as Mitchelhill opened with a stylish break of 24 and with some composed potting from Chapman the handicap deficit was wiped out quickly.
Rack Shack’s Dougherty responded with some solid scoring however to keep things tight, but as the United A duo held firm they had the edge going into the colours.
Calm tactical play saw Mitchelhill and Chapman dominate the closing stages as they took the opener 66-44 for a 1-0 lead.
Frame two saw the Rack Shack team hit back immediately as Dougherty and Denver capitalised on their handicap advantage.
Consistent scoring kept them in front, nevertheless a late Chapman rally threatened a turnaround.
The United A duo efforts all proved to be in vain however as the Whitehaven pair held on, with Denver potting key balls to close out the frame 61–25 and level the match at 1–1.
In the third a critical contribution of 22 from Denver kept the scoreboard ticking along as the Rack Shack duo built a commanding lead.
Despite some resistance from Mitchelhill and Chapman, the early advantage proved too much to overhaul, and the Rack Shack pair pulled ahead again for a convincing 69-27 win to lead 2-1.
The United A double act were to strike back in style in frame four but a strong start from Denver gave the Rack Shack an early lead.
A fluent Chapman countered with a break of 24 to give the United A duo a slim chance and it was Mitchelhill who capitalised with a magnificent 50 clearance to seal a 80–54 frame win and bring the match level once more at 2-2.
A cagey, low-scoring fifth frame saw neither pair able to break the deadlock.
Chapman made a couple of useful contributions for United A, but the Rack Shack pairing nudged in front heading into the colours. With the pressure mounting, Denver and Dougherty pounced on a key mistake on the blue from Chapman to regain the lead with a narrow 63-45 win and a 3-2 match lead.
Mitchelhill opened with a pair of reds and colours in the sixth to reduce the handicap deficit, but the Whitehaven duo reasserted control as Denver produced a vital break of 22.
With the frame delicately poised, a clever snooker laid by Dougherty forced an opening, and as Denver responded with a composed break of 18 it proved to be enough to seal a 81-57 victory and a 4-2 title winning margin.
