Report submitted by Stourbridge Snooker League

Stourbridge & District Snooker League Report 28 Feb-1 March 2018 Premier Division results: Kinver Const A 1 (G.Tranter) St John’s Social 4 (C.Walker 32, S.Thomas, N.Carson, T.Steele 35) West Midlands Police 3 (M.Sheehan, E.Bastable, M.Catalano) Pockets SC A 2 (L.Page, G.Smith 47) Pockets SC B 1 (G.Ward) Norton Social A 4 (S.Mason, J.Donoghue, G.Tomkins, A.Smith 36, 41) Baggeridge Social 0 Townsend Social 5 (D.Thompson 31, D.Petch 46, D.Payne 27, R.Thompson, K.Ashmore 30) Amblecote Inst A 0 Hotshots SC A (R.Stokes, C.Downing, D.Green, B.Sembi, M.Krstanovic) Hotshots SC B bye

First Division results: S/b Old Edwardians 4 (C.Cowley 30, H.Hall, K.Cosnett 22, D.Woodall) Wombourne 1 (R.Mason) Amblecote RBL B 1 (J.Ball) Kingswinford Cons A 4 (T.Carter, J.Cowan, T.Male, J.Byng) Stourbridge Inst A 3 (N.Aston, A.Cope, P.Garbett) Amblecote Inst B 2 (A.Moore, M.Colbourne) Norton Social B 4 (C.Webb 25, T.Brown 27, J.Davies, L.Grosvenor) Moor Pool & Snooker 1 (N.Gennard) Kingswinford Cons B 2 (S.Small, A.Brown) Kinver Const B (A.Sprague, L.Cross, D.Simmonds) Kingswinford Cons C v Stourbridge Inst B postponed because of the weather.

Second Division results: Bahia’s Snooker Club 4 (A.Boswell, Reece Bahia, C.Whitehouse, M.Redfern 23) Amblecote Inst D 1 (R.Brookes) Amblecote Inst C v Kinver Const C, Amblecote RBL A v Stourbridge Inst D, Stourbridge Inst C v Kingswinford SC were all postponed because of the weather.

Worcester Inter-League Over 40’s: Dudley 3 (P.Lewis, J.Colbourne, D.Payne) Stourbridge B 2 (S.Mason, R.Pitt 69) Worcester inter-league quarter-final 2nd leg: Stourbridge A 336 (K.Ashmore, D.Petch, D.Thompson, D.Payne) Redditch A 215 (S.Carmichael 58)

Premier Division report: West Midlands Police were joined at the top of the Premier Division by Hotshots SC A, and both teams have one game each before they clash in an almost certain title decider. Mark Sheehan, Eliott Bastable and Maria Catalano made sure of the Police’s home win against Pockets but the visitors fought back through Lee Page, who beat Gavin Sloan on the black, and Gary Smith, who made a break of 47 to defeat Kev Franklin.

The Police are bidding for their 3rd championship in succession, but they were joined at the top when the 2015 champions, Hotshots SC A, took all five frames at Amblecote Institute A. Callum Downing, Dave Green, Roy Stokes, Milan Krstanovic and Bal Sembi, who has now won 16 out of his 18 frames, just one behind Eliott Bastable in the race for most wins, were all on target. Hotshots face Kinver at home, the Police St John’s away, before the crunch match on 21st March.

Third-placed Townsend Social are only one point back after taking all five frames at Baggeridge Social, where Dan Petch made a break of 46, but they have only one match to play, so they have to hope that both Kinver and St John’s produce major upsets. Those two teams clashed at Kinver where St John’s came away with a 4-1 win, thanks to Carl Walker, Simon Thomas, Nick Carson & Tim Steele, with Graham Tranter taking some consolation for the hosts.

Norton Social A, the 2014 champions, are the only team to have won at Townsend and also at Hotshots A, and they moved into a share of 4th place with a 4-1 win at Pockets SC B, Andy Smith in great form with visits of 36 and 41. Gareth Ward rescued a point for Pockets with a very fortunate pink and black against Rob Pitt.

First Division report: Stourbridge Inst A beat Amblecote Inst A 3-2, and they now require just two more frames to become First Division champions. Nick Aston, Alan Cope and Paul Garbett clinched the result, although Steve Howell lost on the black to Mark Colbourne and Ashley Aston lost only his 2nd frame, beaten on the pink by Alan Moore.

Norton Social B beat Moor Pool & Snooker at home 4-1, a result which enabled them to leapfrog above their opponents, who had taken the runners up spot just a week before, by three points. It could have gone the other way however, as Carl Webb, Tony Brown and Joe Davies all won in close finishes, while Luke Grosvenor, and Neil Gennard for the visitors, won with more authority.

Kingswinford Cons A lost the opening frame to Jack Ball at Amblecote RBL B, but Tim Carter, John Cowan, Thomas Male and John Byng then secured a 4-1 win which lifts them clear of the relegation fight, at the likely expense of their opponents, and the two frames won by Steve Small & Andrew Brown ensured the Cons’ B team’s survival although Adam Sprague, Les Cross & Dave Simmonds went on to take the match for Kinver Constitutional B.

Stourbridge Old Edwardians had lost six of their previous seven matches, but got the better of Wombourne 4-1 in yet another, well-contested match, a result which also ensured that neither team could be dragged into a relegation battle.

Second Division report: The weather played havoc with the league programme and only one match could be completed, but it was of great significance as Bahia’s Snooker Club, who had drawn level with long-term leaders, Kinver Const C the previous week, defeated the 3rd placed team, Amblecote Inst D 4-1 at home. Two of the candidates for “most wins” clashed with Reece Bahia beating Adam Kensett on the black, to take his total to 16, and Adam Boswell, Chris Whitehouse and the unbeaten Matt Redfern completed the result to take Bahia’s five points clear. Rich Brookes replied for the visitors.

Worcester inter-league over 40s: Just as they did in the reverse fixture, Stourbridge went 2-0 ahead through Steve Mason and Rob Pitt, who had a fine break of 69, but Dudley hit back with great effect, through Pete Lewis and Jason Colbourne, before Darrell Payne just got the better of Graham Tomkins in the decider once more, this time on the pink, rather than the black in the first match. Dudley look set fair to qualify for the final if they can see off the challenge of Evesham.

Worcester inter-league quarter-final 2nd leg: Stourbridge A, who brought a lead of 4 points into this second leg, began in top form as Karl Ashmore beat Mark Weafer by 49 points and Dan Petch beat Graham Hawkins by 58. Scott Carmichael gave Redditch hope with a break of 58, but Dave Thompson made certain of a semi-final place with an 82 point victory, and Darrell Payne had the luxury of a lead of 124 points in the final frame. Redditch B are their opponents in the semi-final, whilst the other semi-final will feature Evesham and Kidderminster.