HOTSHOTS SC B came through a potentially difficult test with a 4-1 victory on the tables of Amblecote Institute A in the Stourbridge and District Snooker League.

Luke Garland, Rich Haney, Luke Higginbotham and Callum Downing took the honours for the league leaders, with Jon Bate being pipped on the black by Mike Richards.

However, their Premier Division lead was trimmed to a single point when Norton Social A took all five frames at home to Moor Pool and Snooker B.

Norton were also hard-pressed to take maximum points at home, with Rob Pitt and Adam Ness both being taken to the final black by Lee Whitehouse and Neil Gennard respectively; by contrast Darren Oakes hit top form with the week’s highest break of 64.

The loss of three out of their first four matches left last season’s champions, Hotshots SC A, trailing the pace-setters, but they registered their sixth successive win with a 5-0 home victory to Netherton Sports and Social.

Although Jason Hickman gave them a winning start and Alan Hooper won with a 50 break, Brandhall Labour slipped to a 3-2 defeat away to Pockets SC A.

Kidderminster Harriers academy footballer, Tom Pepperall, 17, Taylor Fish, 13, with a break of 46, and Andy Smith, 21, won for Pockets.

There were two more half-century breaks when West Midlands Police beat Pockets SC B 4-1.

In the First Division, leaders Hotshots SC C preserved their unbeaten record with a 4-1 win at home against in-form Norton Social B, who had won their last four games.

Paul Caldeira, with a 45 break, helped them retain their ten point advantage.

Baggeridge Social, in second place, matched Hotshots’ result, away to Kingswinford Cons B when Ryan Allmark, Luke Whale, Frankie Bennett and Martin Collingridge took the first four frames before John Byng hit back, and, two points away, Kinver Constitutional B maintained their challenge with a 3-2 victory on the tables of Kingswinford RBL A.

In the Second Division, Stourbridge Institute B still lead although their advantage has been trimmed to a single point.

Nick Aston and Harry Jones, who have lost only one frame between them, took the first two away to Amblecote Institute D but the home team fought back via Mark Daniels and Adrian Butcher, so the leaders were indebted to Simon Tyler’s narrow win in the decider against Mark Robson.

Colin Homer, Gerald Lyons, Ray Vanes and Mark Colbourne combined to take Amblecote Institute C to within a point of the leaders with a 4-1 success away to Kinver Constitutional D, while the consistent Wombourne team also won 4-1 at home to Kingswinford RBL B, with Stuart Taylor having a break of 31, to hold on to third place.