DEFENDING champions West Midlands Police struck an important early blow to the aspirations of one of their title rivals, Amblecote Institute A, by taking all five frames at home.

Kev Franklin survived a strong comeback by Rob Clark to clear up to the pink, while Pete Gibbons took advantage of a foul on the pink by Ash Sidaway. Gavin Sloan, Maria Catalano and Eliott Bastable completed the win to keep the Police four points ahead at the top of the league.

This first league defeat for Amblecote against the only remaining unbeaten team drops them to fourth place, eight points off the pace; the previous evening they had to rely on a fine display by Rick Wooldridge who took the deciding frame to edge past Pockets SC A 3-2 in a rearranged match.

Hotshots SC A, the 2014 champions, kept the Police in their sights with a 5-0 success against Pockets SC B, Neil Beckley defied a chest infection to pip Lee Page on the black in the battle between two hitherto unbeaten players, and Roy Stokes and Dave Green were in particularly dominant form.

Dave Thompson enjoyed a comfortable win to retain his unblemished record for Townsend Social as they defeated Kingswinford Cons B 4-1. They are five points off the pace in 3rd place in a successful return to the league, while the Cons, newly promoted, search for their first win.

A first win has also eluded their fellow promotion rivals, Kinver Const A, so far. Dean Banks gave them a great start at Brandhall Labour but Paul Caldeira, Rob Howen, Jon Bate & Bal Sembi turned the match around.

Pockets SC A did well to beat Norton Social A 3-2, thanks to Tom Pepperall, with breaks of 30 and 41 to see off the challenge of his former team-mate, Andy Smith, Rich Pepperall and John Betton, who defeated Ashley Aston in the decider.

St John’s Social of Kidderminster have opened a seven point gap at the top of the First Division, their latest victory a 5-0 maximum on the tables of Norton Social B.

Simon Thomas, Beamer Jones and Kev Smith, taken to the black by Carl Webb, all maintained their perfect records, backed up by Chris Lewis and Nick Carson; the team have won 17 out of 20 frames to date.

Stourbridge Inst A’s fine start to the season faltered at Kingswinford Cons A; John Rees, Thomas Male, John Cowan and Sam Mattocks won decisively for Cons with Darren Legge replying for the Institute who slipped to third place as Stourbridge Old Edwardians edged past them, courtesy of a 3-2 win at home to Baggeridge Social.

Chris Cowley, with a break of 34, Ed Davies on the black, and Gavin Dunn, who recovered from 40 points adrift to win on the pink, secured the result in a very closely matched affair.

Kinver Const B moved back into a share of fourth place with a 4-1 win at home to Amblecote RBL B, with Adam Sprague retaining his unbeaten start although he was hard-pressed by Barry Young, one of several close frames, and this was also the case at Moor Pool & Snooker, where Wombourne were able to celebrate their first victory, thanks to Paul Tristram, Bob Mason and Stuart Taylor, who did particularly well to take the decider against Ian Priest who is usually so effective in those situations.

Kingswinford Cons C increased their lead to five points at the top of the Second Division with a 5-0 result against Stourbridge Institute C; although it was a great result for them they were pushed all the way by plucky opponents.

Leigh Bennett and Bob Guise were taken to the black by Brian Taylor and Stephen Taylor respectively, and John Cartwright had to recover after Louise Taylor’s 28 break.

Amblecote RBL A eased into second place with a 4-1 victory against neighbouring Amblecote Inst D with Wayne Shaw extending his winning start to four from four, but the Institute’s C team enjoyed somewhat better fortune with their second win in succession, 4-1 at home to Kinver Const C, who had begun the season so well, lifting them into fourth place.

When Nick Aston and Harry Jones gave unbeaten Stourbridge Inst B a 2-0 lead at home to Kingswinford Snooker Centre, who had lost their first three matches, the visitors must have feared the worst but Steve Ballinger, Jamie Westwood and Paul Curry turned the match around to great effect to enable them to celebrate their first win.

Similarly Stourbridge Institute D had lost their first three games but Sean Hassett, Ron Peplow and Steve Donoghue, in the deciding frame, gave them cause for celebration away from home at Bahia’s Snooker Club. Earlier, Gary Skinner & Karl Weaver had given the home side the edge before the Institute fought back.