WEST Midlands Police took another step towards the retention of the Premier Division championship they won for the first time last season with a 3-2 home win against Brandhall Labour, who pressed them all the way.

Kev Franklin, with a 51 break, gave them a perfect start, but, while Gavin Sloan was gradually winning his battle on the adjacent table, Bal Sembi, with the aid of a 35 break, had struck back for the visitors. Eliott Bastable, who was taken to the pink by Rob Howen, made it 3-1 before Richard Crowley took another frame for Brandhall.

The Police were joined at the top of the table by Amblecote Inst A, who took maximum points at home to Hotshots SC B. David Oakes, Ash Sidaway and Rob Clark have now lost only 4 frames between them all season, but all of their team were made to work hard by determined opponents.

Norton Social A lost only the one frame away to Pockets SC B for whom Lee Page made it 7/8 wins; Rob Pitt was their most assured performer as Norton held on to 4th place, 8 points off the pace, a point ahead of Pockets’ A team who produced one of their best results, a 4-1 win on the tables of Townsend Social. Rich Pepperall and his son, Tom did particularly well to beat Phil & Dave Thompson respectively, but Karl Ashmore earned a point in style for Townsend with a 72 break against Taylor Fish.

In the clash between the two promoted teams, Wayne Whitmore & Rob Jeffries gave Kinver Const A a great start away to their rivals Kingswinford Cons B, but Tony Davies & Dave Reece levelled the match, before the visitors’ Keith Rollinson secured the final frame against Andrew Brown.

Meanwhile, St John’s Social won their 9th successive match to ease a remarkable 16 points clear of their First Division rivals, but they were given a severe test by Stourbridge Inst A. Simon Thomas and Kev Smith, who did well to beat Darren Legge, won for St John’s, but Paul Bates and Richard Rudge ensured the match would go to a decider. Just as he’d done at Amblecote Institute three weeks ago, however, Nick Carson won a frame he looked sure to lose. He took a long blue, potted pink and nudged the black off the cushion to clear up against Paul Garbett, a great finish.

A mere 7 points cover the next eight places, with Baggeridge Social making most progress with a 4-1 success away to Wombourne. This included another win for the consistent Luke Whale, who was pushed hard by Paul Tristram, and a fourth straight win for 19 year old newcomer, Alfie Southall, who beat the experienced Jon Perry. The result enabled Baggeridge to earn a share of 2nd place with Amblecote Inst B who slipped to a 4-1 defeat at Moor Pool & Snooker. Here, Lee Whitehouse did well to hand Jason Colbourne only his second defeat, while Mark Colbourne took the final frame for the Institute’s consolation frame which at least gave them that share of 2nd place.

There was a very close match at Kinver, whose A team went 2-0 up through Jason Hickman & Adam Sprague, were pegged back by Kingswinford Cons A’s John Byng & John Rees, before Steve Nicholls gave the home team the win.

At Norton Social, Chris Cowley, with a break of 45, and Harry Hall, on the black, gave Old Edwardians a 2-0 lead but Carl Webb, Joe Davies & Paul Bowen turned the match around to give Norton B the 3-2 win.

Second Division report: The powerful Kingswinford Cons C team recorded their 4th maximum points haul to extend their lead at the top of the Second Division to six points. Against Stourbridge Inst D, John Cartwright had a break of 49, and Adam Coley followed up with 48, and both players lead the way in the race for most wins with 8 wins in 9 matches.

The only team to have beaten the leaders, Stourbridge Inst B won a rescheduled match at Kinver Const C 3-2, Carl Green again taking that all-important decider, then won 4-1 at home to the 3rd placed team, Amblecote RBL A. Like Carl, Nick Aston won both of his frames and so too did the veteran campaigner, Harry Jones, well into his 70’s but still enjoying such a consistent run of success that he joined his somewhat younger rivals from Kingswinford Cons C with 8/9 wins and his team went 5 points ahead of the Legion.

Bahia’s Snooker Club looked likely to threaten the Legion for 3rd position when Reece Bahia & Jordan MacDivitt gave them a 2-0 lead at Amblecote Inst C but Colin Homer, Pat Willis & Mitch Skidmore hit back to take three closely-contested frames for a morale-boosting win.

Stourbridge Inst C also required a win at Kingswinford SC to lift themselves from the foot of the table, and Mark Daniels, Stephen Metcalfe-Taylor, who’s enjoying another good season, and Louise Taylor, on the black, just did enough to achieve that target.

Finally,in another tight match, Kinver Const C defeated Amblecote Inst D at home 3-2; Ed Bishop & Steve Spruce for Kinver and Steve Butcher & Mark Robson for Amblecote shared the first 4 frames, but Will Spruce took the final frame fairly comfortably for the hosts.