POCKETS A surprised last season’s champions Hotshots 3-2 last weekend.

Pockets were given a perfect start by Wayne Dobson and Gary Smith, who beat Neil Beckley and Roy Stokes respectively.

Rich Pepperall made sure of victory before Bal Sembi and Dawid Konior, with a fine break of 68, gave Hotshots some consolation.

Townsend Social overwhelmed Pockets’ B team 5-0, with the highlight being a break of 56 by Karl Ashmore: this follows their opening win on the tables of Amblecote Institute A, where they dropped only one frame, so they are the early pacesetters, a point ahead of Pockets A.

Alan Hooper and Paul Caldeira gave Brandhall Labour the first two frames at home to St John’s Social, but Nick Carson, Simon Thomas, with a 51 break, and Tim Steele, with a timely 27 turned the match around on their team’s first visit to the club.

Nick Aston and Chris Crumpton did well to establish a 2-0 lead for Stourbridge Institute A, “away”, upstairs, against West Midland Police’s Pete Gibbons and Mark Sheehan, but Kev Franklin and Gavin Sloan made it 2-2 before Paul Garbett, who lost only one frame in last year’s title-winning season, took the decider to clinch a first win for his team in the top flight.

Baggeridge Social A, in their first season, beat Amblecote Inst A 3-2 thanks to David Hall, with a 32 break, Maria Catalano & Eliott Bastable, and Norton Social A just got the better of their B team by the same scoreline. Andy Smith and Rob Pitt won the opening frames but Tony Davies was taken to the black to secure the win, with Luke Grosvenor and Andrew Brown replying for the B team.

First Division report: Kingswinford Cons C have made an impressive start to the season: they took all five frames away to Kinver Constitutional A in a rearranged match and followed up with a 3-2 win at home to their own A team, with Bob Guise, John Cartwright & Wayne Whitmore successful in both matches while Thomas Male and Tim Carter won again for the A team.

Baggeridge Social B are the only other team to have won both of their fixtures, their latest 3-2 win being achieved at Moor Pool & Snooker where Neil Fellows and Martin Collingridge gave them a great start. Frankie Bennett made sure of the result before Lee Whitehouse, with a 35 break and Ian Priest hit back for the home team.

Newly-promoted Bahia’s SC A lost 4-1 in their rearranged match away to Kingswinford Cons A but found their stride with a 3-2 result at home to Wombourne, thanks to Jordan Macdivitt, Adam Boswell and Reece Bahia; Paul Tristram & Jon Perry did well to take a frame each for the visitors.

Old Edwardians A lost their opening match at home but responded well by winning 4-1 away to Kingswinford Cons B where Simon Tyler made a successful debut for the team after Dave Woodall, Chris Cowley and Harry Hall had made the match safe.

Kinver’s C team went 2-0 ahead at home to Bearwood Cons thanks to Norman Jennings and Steve Hadley but the visitors fought back with Paul Gibson, John Chester and Mick Cash completing a full recovery.

Kinver’s B team lost the first frame to their A team’s Graham Tranter but Adam Sprague, Dave Simmonds, Les Cross and Steve Nicholls all won quite decisively to turn the match around.

Second Division report: Amblecote Institute D had a flying start in their local derby against their C team. Adam Kensett, with a break of 35 and Rich Brookes, with an emphatic win put them 2-0 ahead, then Carl Butcher, who had a break of 32, quickly put the outcome beyond doubt. To the C team’s credit, however Cary Homer and Mitch Skidmore earned some consolation.

Old Edwardians’ B team enjoyed their first win, with Steve Ball, his sons, Sam and Jack, and Dan Jones proving just too strong for Stourbridge Institute C, although Steve Jeffs, in a welcome return to league action, averted a whitewash.

The Institute’s D team had better fortune, however. This, the least experienced team in the division, combined to defeat Kingswinford SC 3-2. Will Gardner and Paul Robinson gave them the upper hand and Tom Game clinched the match, despite Paul Curry and Steve Ballinger securing a frame each.

Bahia’s SC B, in their first season, followed up their opening win with another 3-2 victory at Amblecote RBL. Paul Craig, Andy Martin & Glen Reece won for them with Billy Green and Rob Boylin, who had a break of 32, taking a frame each for the Legion.