HOTSHOTS SC B show no sign of faltering in their assault on the Premier Division in their first season.

Luke Higginbotham, Jon Bate, Rich Haney and Callum Downing all won again and they were assisted this week by veteran campaigner, Russ Edwards, who inflicted the first defeat on Chris Price, as they took all five frames on the tables of Moor Pool and Snooker A.

Completing a great night for the Langley club, the Hotshots’ A team, defending champions, defeated Moor P&S’s B team 5-0, although Dave Green was taken to the black ball by Lee Whitehouse.

Norton Social A appear set for another successful season, last season’s 3rd placed team winning 4-1 away to West Midlands Police, last year’s runners-up. Gavin Sloan set the Police on the right track but Adam Ness, Darren Oakes, Ashley Aston, who required a snooker on the pink in a marathon 80 minute frame, and Rob Pitt, with a 38 break, enabled Norton to hold on to 2nd place, two points adrift of Hotshots.

Brandhall Labour lost the first frame at Netherton Sports & Social, Steve Howell still unbeaten, but Geoff Williams, Chris Southall, Alan Hooper, with a 54 break, and Bal Sembi, with a run of 44, turned the match around; third-placed Brandhall are still undefeated.

Pockets SC, of Kidderminster, completed the double against Amblecote Institute. The A team began well against Amblecote A, through Andy Smith & 13 year old Taylor Fish, who won his first match in a fine display, and Gareth Ward made sure of a 3-2 success, whilst Alan Turner, with a 31 break & Paul Crisp gave Pockets B a perfect start away to Amblecote’s B team. Danny Rees, with a 38 break & Tony Kidd increased the advantage to 4-0 before Matt Johnson’s respotted black earned the Institute a point.

First Division report: First Division leaders, Hotshots SC C made it three wins out of three, beating Kinver Const C 4-1. John Mathews, Paul Caldeira, Rob Beard & Dawid Konior, with a black ball triumph against Steve Nicholls, all won, with Adam Sprague replying.

Kinver’s other two teams fared better, however, with the B team’s Dean Banks, Keith Rollinson & Rob Jeffries recovering from 2-0 down at Kingswinford Cons A, while the A team’s 4-1 win at home to Kingswinford’s B team included a win on his debut for the team for Arthur Hartland.

For the third time in succession, Joe Davies & Luke Grosvenor, who had breaks of 22 & 35, both won for newly-promoted Norton Social B, but it wasn’t enough to force a win as Stourbridge Institute A hit back through Richard Rudge, Alan Cope & Paul Garbett, with a break of 36, to win 3-2.

Baggeridge Social won their first game, after two narrow defeats, when Martin Collingridge, Luke Whale and Dave Whale, on the final black, just did enough to secure a 3-2 win away to Moor Pool & Snooker C. Paul Jones & Ben Wakeman took a frame each for the hosts.

Second Division report: Stourbridge Institute B still lead the Second Division, although they dropped their first frames of the season at Kinver Constitutional D. Nick Aston & Harry Jones put them 2-0 up but Ed Bishop & Tom Spruce, whose opponent, Carl Green had the misfortune to go in-off after potting the black to “win”, levelled the score. Current individual champion, Simon Tyler clinched a 3-2 win in the deciding frame for the Institute.

Amblecote Institute C beat their neighbours, Amblecote RBL 4-1, and they share 2nd place, one point adrift; Colin Homer, Ray Vanes & Pat Willis won narrowly, Mark Colbourne decisively, but Paul Goldrick, with a 33 break, took a frame for the Legion.

Stourbridge Old Edwardians also share 2nd place after a 4-1 win away to Stourbridge Institute C, thanks to Jamie MacDonald, Chris Cowley, Harry Hall & Ed Davies, after Stephen Taylor had won for the Institute, and Kingswinford RBL B are also unbeaten and are a further 3 points away in 4th place.

They won 3-2 on the tables of Kingswinford Cons D, with Jon Round winning with ease on his debut, and Dave Woodall & Mick Hughes completed the win, with Paul Curry & Ian Billingham replying.

Wombourne, winners of the Cup, then the Plate in the last two seasons, hit top form with all five frames against Amblecote Institute D, while the League’s long-serving President, Mike Pritchard, stepped in to help inspire Stourbridge Institute D to their first victory at home to Kingswinford Cons C. Mike, Ron Peplow, who did well to beat the consistent Leigh Bennett, Chris Sloan & Stephen Ruffle combined to win 4-1, with Neil Thompson earning some consolation for the visitors.