The penultimate snooker final of the Carlisle and District League was played on Monday, named after legendary figure Idris Ramdin.
The trophy is the league’s premier handicapped competition.
Spencer Street A’s Ste Charters, fresh from his team’s amazing first division triumph and with a handicap of 14, lined up against the best player of the Southend Club, Martin Goodhead, the twice HG Young champion who received a handicap of 29.
A healthy crowd saw Charters break off in what turned out to be an understandably nervy first frame, with the reds not moving far from their framed position.
The standard was high though, with great safety and potting from both players producing a very close finish.
Charters needed to clear the colours down to and including the pink to seal the first frame.
The yellow, green and brown were sunk, but with the blue touching the black near the middle pocket, only a safety was available.
A few safety shots later and Goodhead attempted the blue into the corner pocket, but it rattled and stayed over the hole.
Charters potted the blue but position is always tough when the ball potted is in the jaws, and Charters missed the long pink into the yellow pocket, but appeared to get it safe.
Appearances can be deceptive, with Goodhead cutting a classy pink into the green pocket, and following it up with the black into the middle pocket for a 75-66 first frame success.
The second frame followed a different pattern, with Goodhead exhibiting the confidence of the first frame and sinking some great pots, establishing an early 58-19 lead. Charters was having none of it though, and came roaring back with a classy 34 break which brought the frame close again.
This time it was Goodhead’s turn to respond, with a red and a blue re-establishing a lead.
Charters potted the final red and took a yellow with it, and the yellow again, but missed the green and Goodhead stepped in with a green, brown, blue combo to only need the pink, which was sunk for a 79-66 second frame win.
In the third frame, Charters visibly relaxed and showed why he lost only two league games all season for Spencer Street A.
A series of classy pots and brilliant break-building allowed him to overcome the handicap early on for the first time in the final.
Goodhead was playing well though, and hit a high class 17 break, before showing amazing sportsmanship by admitting touching the red with his hand whilst potting a stunning pink into the green pocket!
The frame continued in the same vein, a 29 break from Charters putting him 11 points to the good with the green down remaining.
Charters got a couple of snookers and a free ball and potted the required colours to pull back a frame.
The fourth frame was the most tense of the night after the first, with both players keeping it tight and playing a lot of containing safety.
A 25 break from Charters put the scores roughly level with three reds remaining, and both players scrapped it out over the last few balls with some good snookers being laid and some cracking long pots going in. In the end, Charters potted all six colours to win the frame by 72-64 and set up an exciting decider for the title and the prize money.
In the decider, Goodhead got in early with a 16 break, unfortunately leaving himself touching a red after going into the pack, but then followed it up with a classy 33 break to establish a huge lead.
Charters battled hard to close the gap with a 14 break, but Goodhead responded with some more great pots, and laying two deadly snookers of his own, before sealing the title with by floating a long yellow in from distance and laying another deadly safety, summing up the high quality of the decider, and the handshake came a couple of shots later to give Goodhead his third Carlisle singles title.
The league concludes with the billiards merit final and the snooker merit finals at the presentation night, with thanks as always to the wonderful clubs who support the league.
