Finals Weekend Review - May 2011
Photos Courtesy of Derek Harrison
2010/11 proved to be a difficult season, with a total of eight teams folding between September and January. In all honesty, it's a credit to the rest of you that the number wasn't much higher, as I know a large number of you struggled for players on a regular basis, some of you turning up two or three players short on more than one occasion. Although a further two teams have folded since the end of the season, and I have my doubts about another three starting next month, I can confirm that at least eight new teams will be joining us for the 2011/12 season.
At the AGM held in May 2010, the push to change to World Rules was overturned by some margin, but the proposal to change the 'break' rule to one more suiting an attacking style of play was voted in. No other significant changes were introduced, other than the hefty penalties we started to impose against those teams who see fit to cancel fixtures at the last minute, or worse still, just don't bother turning up at all. Whilst the number of these was still high at 38, it was at least down on the previous year's total of 50.
The only other change at the May 2010 AGM that's worthy of mention here was to pull the AGM forward to April of each year to allow sufficient time for teams to become accustomed to any rule changes prior to the start of the new season.
The April 2011 AGM proved to be another lengthy one, and for that I apologise, although we weren't helped by the antics of a number of people on the floor - you know who you are!
After four years of loyal service to the league, your Players Rep, George Toms, stood down from his position on the Committee. George has served the league well since joining in May 2007, and I'm sure you'll all join me in thanking him for all his help and support in that time.
Andy Picknell
City Pool League Secretary
May 2011
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Premier Division
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Craftsman 'A'
22
18
2
2
127
46
81
56
Reds 'A'
22
16
2
4
105
71
34
50
Hen Lane Social
22
14
2
6
101
72
29
44
Reds Select
22
12
5
5
99
74
25
41
Reds X
22
10
5
7
92
84
8
35
Hastings
22
9
2
11
89
87
2
29
Wheatsheaf
22
8
5
9
86
90
-4
29
Royal Warwicks
22
6
5
11
75
101
-26
23
Spencer Club
22
6
4
12
74
102
-28
22
Maudsley
22
4
5
13
69
107
-38
17
Bishopsgate 'A'
22
4
4
14
71
102
-31
15
Lime Tree 'A'
22
3
3
16
62
114
-52
12
The Craftsman 'A' successfully defended their 2009/10 crown, and made it a hat trick of Premier Division titles for the second time in ten years, although did have to work for it this year after last year's unbeaten run saw them finish 14 points clear.
Paul Quinn's squad managed to stretch their unbeaten league run to 30 matches, before Reds Select beat them in September to inflict their first league defeat since January 2009!
Reds 'A' took the runners-up spot for the second successive year, finishing 6 points behind the Craffy. The City Centre side, led by Dean Davies, were the only other team to beat the Craftsman 'A', with the 5-3 win making amends for the 8-0 drubbing handed out to them at the beginning of the season. That win in November sparked the start of an eight game win streak for Deano's squad, and he's confident they can challenge for the title next year after strengthening his team during the season.
The Hen Lane Social had an excellent first season in the top flight, finishing 6 points further back in third. John Coyle's side enjoyed their own win streak at the end of the season, taking maximum points from their last five matches, culminating in a win over Reds 'A', which in turn gave them the achievement of being the only side to do the double over Deano's team.
Like the Craftsman 'A', Reds Select haven't been beaten in 2011, and that form was enough to see them take fourth spot, 3 points behind the Hen Lane, and reversing last year's finishing positions with Reds X, who finished 6 points further back. Another 6 point gap found the Hastings with the same points tally as last year, and in the same finishing position as twelve months ago. Just 6 frames separated them from the Wheatsheaf, who avoided the relegation battle this year, and yet another 6 point gap found the Royal Warwicks, who in turn finished a single point in front of the Spencer Club, who could have done so much better had they picked up more than a point in their last six matches.
The Peeping Tom moved to the Bell during the closed season, but ended up moving again to first the Poachers Retreat, then the Maudsley during the next five months. They had an awful season after last year's third place finish, and whether it was the change in venues or the lost personnel, or possibly both, this time they found themselves at the wrong end of the table in the thick of the relegation fight.
At the turn of the year just 2 points separated the three teams at the foot of the table, with the Maudsley a point in front of the Bishopsgate 'A', who were in turn a point clear of the Lime Tree 'A', although the Bish did have a game in hand of the other two. All three had a disastrous run-in, with the Lime Tree 'A' faring the worst, as they managed to scrape just a single point from their last six matches, and are automatically relegated to Division One after a five year stint in the top flight.
The Bishopsgate 'A' picked up three points from the same six matches, whilst the Maudsley were marginally better, thankful that their only win since November came against the Lime Tree 'A'.
With just their catch up game left, it was the Bishopsgate 'A' who found themselves fighting for their Premier Division survival for a second consecutive year, with the Maudsley just 2 points in front of them in the playoff spot. As the match against Reds X got under way, the on looking Maudsley players could only shake their heads in disbelief as an elated Bishopsgate 'A' squad took a 4-0 lead, needing just one more frame to guarantee their safety. The home side then went into complete meltdown, and a catastrophic batting collapse saw them lose the remaining four frames, to condemn them back to Division One after a two year absence.
The Maudsley meanwhile, have been given a stay of execution, and will have to beat Rileys No SQ today if they want to avoid the same fate.
Division One
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Rileys
20
13
4
3
99
61
38
43
Brandon Club
20
12
3
5
90
67
23
39
Rileys No SQ
20
8
6
6
84
76
8
30
Old Crown 'A' - WR
20
8
6
6
83
77
6
30
Alvis Club
20
8
5
7
81
79
2
29
Rose and Woodbine 'B'
20
7
6
7
78
81
-3
27
Brooklands
20
7
5
8
83
77
6
26
Craftsman 'B'
20
5
7
8
75
85
-10
22
Rileys Rehab
20
5
6
9
72
88
-16
21
City Supporters
20
4
6
10
69
87
-18
18
Charterhouse
20
4
4
12
62
98
-36
16
Jamie White led his newly formed Rileys side to Division One glory with consummate ease. The Hertford Street side led the field by 7 points at the half way stage, and despite losing three of the last five matches they played, they still won the title by a comfortable 4 point margin.
Taking the runners-up spot were the Brandon Club, who themselves finished a proverbial distance in front of their nearest challengers. Mick Payne's side improved four places on last season's finish to take the second automatic promotion spot, and whilst not quite good enough to take the title, they did finish a convincing 9 points clear of the chasing pack. Just a single point covered the three teams in that pack, with frame difference alone separating Derek Harrison’s Rileys No SQ side from the Old Crown 'A', with the Alvis Club just the point back in fifth place. The former took the playoff place courtesy of the Old Crown 'A's 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Craftsman 'B' in catch-up week, which dropped the Windmill Road side from third to fourth, but was still a marked improvement on last season's ninth place finish.
The Alvis Club had an indifferent season, but finished it well, winning five of their last seven matches, and will have been happy with their finishing position after a two year exile in Division Two. The Rose and Woodbine 'B' finished 2 points further back, and they in turn finished a point in front of the Brooklands. The latter have come a long way since winning Division Six just three years ago, and their march to the top flight may well have been realised if they'd won more than one of their last seven matches.
A 4 point gap found the Craftsman 'B' occupying the same spot they'd filled last year, a point in front of Rileys Rehab who took the final position guaranteed Division One pool next season. The third Hertford Place side in the division looked destined for a quick return to Division Two, but with four of their five wins coming in the last seven game weeks, they did enough to pull themselves out of the relegation zone.
The only team that had any chance of ruining the party were the City Supporters, but with them forfeiting their catch-up week match against the Brandon Club, it was they that found themselves in the playoff place, and should have been playing the Phantom Coach this afternoon.
Unfortunately the Freehold Street squad have folded since the end of the season, giving the Phantom Coach a walkover. With the Premier Club folding mid-November, the only team to be automatically relegated were the Charterhouse. Not even a final week win against the Brooklands, their first since early November, could save the Terry Road squad, although they still came agonisingly close, and just one more win would have made all the difference.
Division Two
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Rileys Reprobates
20
14
2
4
100
60
40
44
Hastings 1066
20
11
7
2
98
62
36
40
Phantom Coach
20
11
4
5
89
70
19
37
Coachmakers Select
20
9
8
3
91
69
22
35
Foleshill Ex-
20
10
5
5
85
74
11
35
Bell Enders
20
7
6
7
77
82
-5
26
Bishopsgate 'Select'
20
6
5
9
77
82
-5
23
Albany Social
20
6
3
11
68
92
-24
21
Parkstone Club
20
4
8
8
72
88
-16
20
Nugget
20
4
4
12
68
92
-24
16
Railway
20
1
2
17
53
107
-54
5
Rileys Reprobates lifted their second successive title, and their third in five years, as they took the Division Two crown. As they showed when winning Division Three last year, the Far Gosford Street squad don't like to do things the easy way though, and at the turn of the year they were sitting third, 3 points behind the Phantom Coach, and a further 4 points behind the Hastings 1066, although they did have a game in hand against each of them, their cause not helped by losing to both teams in the previous two game weeks.
Once again, Michael Meaney urged his team on, and they won their last six matches to snatch the title at the death, finishing 4 points clear of the Hastings 1066 who filled the runners-up spot. Paul May's squad had looked 'nailed on' for the title as they entered the home straight, but four draws in their last four matches put paid to their title hopes. The Clay Lane outfit should take great heart though from being the only team to do the double over Rileys Reprobates, and more importantly, only lost two games all season, both of them way back in July.
The Phantom Coach had to settle for third spot after taking just 2 points from their last four matches, finishing 3 points outside the automatic promotion places. The old Herald side, now led by Austin Gibbons, should have been playing the City Supporters in one of today's playoffs, but with the latter folding since the end of the season, the Phantom Coach are awarded a walkover, and will enjoy Division One pool next season after all.
A 2 point gap to fourth saw only frame difference separating the Coachmakers Select and the Foleshill Ex- as they pressed for the playoff place, but bouts of drawitis cost both teams dear, with the former drawing three of their last four matches, and the later drawing two from three.
The Bell Enders, the Bishopsgate Select, and the Albany Social filled the mid-table positions, with the former finishing a distant 9 points behind the Foleshill Ex-. The Bish and the Albany had both been relegated from Division One at the end of last season, and the later must have feared the worst again after losing their opening three matches of the season, but eventually started picking up points, ultimately finishing a single point in front of the Parkstone Club, who filled the final guaranteed Division Two spot. The Foleshill Road outfit had an awful second half of the season, drawing six matches, and losing the other four, but their first half form was enough to keep them up, for another season at least
The Nugget filled the playoff place, finishing 4 points behind the Parkstone, and will have to fight for their Division Two status for the second successive season. A final week win over the Railway was their only win in the second half of the season, and it was only the Railway's dire form this season that kept the Nugget out of the automatic relegation places.The Coundon Green squad dug deep to win last years playoff, and will have to repeat that form if they're to get past the Royal Hotel in another of today's playoffs.
The Railway were relegated for the second time in three years after they had a terrible season, picking up just 5 points, with their only win coming at the beginning of July against the division runners-up. They were the only team to face automatic relegation after the Canley Sports and Social folded in the second half of the season.
Division Three
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Kings Select
20
12
5
3
94
66
28
41
Daimler Green C/C
20
10
8
2
97
63
34
38
Royal Hotel
20
11
4
5
91
69
22
37
Old Crown 'B' - WR
20
9
6
5
87
73
14
33
City Howitzers
20
7
5
8
76
84
-8
26
Rocket
20
6
6
8
81
79
2
24
Vauxhall Club
20
7
3
10
73
87
-14
24
Rose & Woodbine
20
5
7
8
72
88
-16
22
New Inn
20
6
4
10
68
92
-24
22
Old Red Horse
20
5
3
12
68
92
-24
18
The Arches
20
3
7
10
73
87
-14
16
After a nervous last few weeks, Kings Select were crowned the new Division Three champions, and will return to Division Two next season after a three year exile.
At the turn of the year, Cormac Mulhern's squad held a 6 point advantage over their nearest challengers, the Royal Hotel, after a twelve match unbeaten run early in the season. As they entered the final game week, that lead had dwindled to just 1 point following a three week run without a win, and they then had to wait until catch-up week after their final game was unavoidably postponed by the Arches.
When the Daimler Green Community Centre beat the Royal Hotel in their final match of the season, they leapfrogged both the Royal, and Kings, and meant nothing short of a draw was going to give Cormac's side the title they craved. The Blackberry Lane team didn't let their captain down as they recorded a 5-3 win over the Arches to climb back to the top of the division, in the end finishing 3 points clear of the Daimler Green C.C., who took the runners-up spot.
Adam Taylor's side have done well since lifting the Division Seven crown just three short years ago, and an impressive run saw them lose just one of their last fifteen matches. Unfortunately for them, that loss was against Kings Select and was to prove decisive, although their eight draws didn't do their cause any favours.
With a week to go, the Royal Hotel had put themselves firmly in the title hunt, with Craig Meikle's side securing four wins from five, but that final week loss to the Daimler Green C.C. cost them the runners-up spot, as they finished just a point behind the Radford crew. Last year's Division Four champions will now have to beat the Nugget this afternoon if they want to enjoy promotion for a second successive season.
After finishing just a point behind the Royal last year, the Old Crown 'B' had a good first season in Division Three, mainly thanks to picking up maximum points during a seven match spell mid-season. Although they finished 4 points off the pace, they were a very healthy 7 points clear of the rest, headed by the City Howitzers, who improved one place and 1 point on last season's finish, despite losing six of their last eight matches. They finished 2 points in front of the Rocket, and the Vauxhall Club, with just frame difference separating the pair.
In a case of déjà vu, they also finished 2 points in front of the next two teams home, with frame difference again the only thing separating the Rose and Woodbine and the New Inn.
The Old Red Horse had avoided the playoffs last season by the skin of their teeth, with a final week win saving them. They weren't so lucky this year, as another final week win wasn't enough this time, with the loss of three of their previous four matches proving too costly.
The Barras Green side finished 4 points adrift of the New Inn, and will have to beat the Canley Sports and Social if they want to preserve their Division Three status for another season.
After the Royal Oak folded mid-season, the only team to be automatically relegated were the Arches, possibly reflecting on setting their aspirations too high after joining the league. That said, the Spon End side only lost one of their last four matches, and actually finished with a better frame difference than the three teams immediately above them
Division Four
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Rileys Smileys
21
17
2
2
109
59
50
53
Brooklands 'B'
22
12
4
6
93
80
13
40
Canley Sports
22
11
3
8
92
84
8
36
Foresters
22
9
7
6
98
76
22
34
Radford Social
22
10
3
9
87
86
1
33
Barras Social Club
22
8
5
9
83
93
-10
29
Christ the King
22
7
6
9
83
90
-7
27
Craven Arms 'B' - WL
22
8
2
12
86
90
-4
26
Spencers Retreat
22
4
10
8
79
96
-17
22
3 Horseshoes Eagles
21
5
7
9
78
90
-12
21
Old Ball Hotel
20
7
3
10
67
83
-16
19
Grapes
22
4
4
14
74
102
-28
16
Last year, Rileys Smileys took the Division Five crown by a single point, but this year was a whole different ball game as they blitzed through their opposition to take the Division Four title without breaking sweat. With this season's second biggest winning margin, Daz Fursdon's squad set the tone with an eight week win streak in the first half of the season, and had the title wrapped up well before the end of the season, eventually coming home 13 clear of the runners-up.
Mark Tucker showed that a change really is as good as a rest, as his Brooklands 'B' squad doubled their win tally from last year after a move from the New Spires. A disappointing first half saw them pick up just three wins, but they soon stormed up the table with a seven week win streak in the second half.
The Canley Sports and Social finished 4 points behind the Brookies in the playoff spot, the same position they'd occupied in Division Five last season. Kev Jones moved his squad back to their old haunt after a season and a half at the Newlands, and they too had a good win streak of their own, winning eight matches on the bounce before Kev broke his cue! That almost cost them dearly, as they only picked up a single point from their next four matches, but a final week win at the Craven Arms 'B' gave them the 3 points they needed to secure third spot. You can be sure they'll be fired up as they face the Old Red Horse this afternoon.
The Foresters missed out on the playoffs by 2 points, taking fourth spot for a second successive season. The Raglan Street squad had started the season well with an unbeaten run of five matches, but three losses from four at the back end of the season proved to be too costly.
The Radford Social finished a point behind the Foresters after losing their final two matches, but were 4 points clear of the Barras Social Club. The Coventry Street side had an indifferent season, and in a bizarre two week period, went from beating Rileys Smileys 5-3, to losing 8-0 to the Foresters!
A two point gap found last year's Division Five runners-up, Christ the King, just a point separating them from the Craven Arms 'B'. Like the Barras, Christ the King had a bizarre few weeks late in season, when a 7-1 thumping of Rileys Smileys was followed by three consecutive losses.
The Craven Arms, meanwhile, had a typical game of two halves. They won five of their first seven matches in an excellent first half, whilst the second half saw them lose their last five matches. The Spencers Retreat finished 4 points adrift of the Craven Arms, and a tight relegation fight saw just 3 points covering the three teams involved.
The Butts Retreat had an excellent season in 2009/10, finishing a very close third, but came down to earth with a bump last Finals Weekend after being thumped in the playoffs by the Rose and Woodbine. They went the first six weeks of the new season without a win, losing three of those matches, and looked like real relegation fodder as they neared the business end of the season.
After the Butts Retreat closed just before Christmas, a move to the Spencer Club seemed to spark them into life, and just the one loss in their last eight matches was good enough for them to avoid the drop, although it was their final week win over the Radford Social that ultimately secured their Division Four survival.
Not so lucky were the Three Horseshoes Eagles who finished a point behind in the playoff spot, despite only losing two of their last seven matches. They'll have to beat the league's other Craven Arms squad if they want to enjoy a third season in the same division, which is more than can be said of the Old Ball Hotel who finished a point behind them. The Ball Hill side narrowly avoided relegation last term, but weren't so lucky this year, as a string of late cancellations and void matches took their toll, and not even three wins from their last four matches was enough to save them.
Finishing bottom of the division were the Grapes. They'd started the season well with three wins from five, but with just one more win all season their fate was sealed.
Division Five
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Walsgrave
18
11
6
1
96
48
48
39
Weavers Arms
17
11
2
4
81
48
33
35
Craven Arms - CS
18
8
7
3
78
66
12
31
Binley PMC
18
9
3
6
75
66
9
30
Broad St RFC 'B'
18
7
8
3
78
66
12
29
RAOB
18
5
6
7
73
68
5
21
Rose and Crown
18
6
3
9
60
80
-20
19
Pilot
17
5
2
10
54
77
-23
17
The Bell
17
3
5
9
56
80
-24
14
Masseys
17
1
2
14
38
90
-52
-2
After being relegated from Division Four last season, the Walsgrave bounced straight back by taking top spot in Division Five. After opening up with a win and three draws, Anthony Shurey's side were beaten by the Binley PMC in mid-August, but then went undefeated for the rest of the season. That unbeaten run of thirteen matches culminated in back to back 8-0 drubbings in their final two matches, with the squad clearly enjoying having a permanent home after moving between three different venues last season.
The Weavers Arms took the runners-up spot, and will take another stab at Division Four after a two year absence. Doubles partners Kev O'Sullivan and Kieron Farrell took turns at being captain during the season, and their team only lost one of their last seven matches, but still finished 4 points behind in the runners-up spot, their two losses to the new champions not doing their cause any favours.
Just 2 points covered the next three teams, with the Craven Arms heading the trio. They finished in the playoff spot, 4 points behind the Weavers Arms, and will have to beat the Three Horseshoes Eagles this afternoon if they are to gain promotion for a second successive season.
The Craven Street side went through three captains during the course of the season, and current captain Neil Strong took his side on an unbeaten run of their own after he took over mid-November. That run lasted for eight matches, but was brought to an end in the final week by the Weavers Arms, which confirmed the latter's automatic promotion spot. Despite their unbeaten run, the Craven Arms only finished a point in front of the Binley PMC, thanks to the latter's dire form in the second half of the season.
The Grange Avenue side had enjoyed good wins over the Weavers Arms, and the Walsgrave early in the season, and led the field by 3 points at the halfway point, but threw it all away in the last three months of the season by losing half of their last eight matches.
Another side pushing for promotion were the Broad Street RFC 'B'. They only finished a point behind the Binley PMC, with one too many draws costing them dear, but did finish a long way clear of the rest of the field. Like the Walsgrave, the Broad Street also ended the season on an unbeaten run that stretched back twelve matches, and by bizarre coincidence, they too were beaten by the Binley PMC in the week prior to the start of that run.
Unlike the Craven Arms, and the Binley PMC, the other side promoted from Division Six, the RAOB, had a difficult season, and finished a whole 8 points off the pace. The Foleshill squad lost three of their last four matches, but still managed to finish 2 points in front of the Rose and Crown, despite the latter doing the exact opposite in only losing one of their last four matches.
That said, the Walsgrave Road side did have a mid-season blip where they went six matches without picking up a single point. 2 points further back, the Pilot had a difficult first season in the league. After an opening week loss to Masseys, they went the next 5 games undefeated, but the second half was a completely different story, where they lost seven of their nine matches. It remains to be seen what will happen to the team following the pub's recent closure.
The Bell finished 3 points behind the Pilot, and also had a difficult season, their second in Division Five. The Keresley side didn't record a win until late September, and will have to improve on that if they want to avoid a trip back to Division Six. After the Rowleys and the Red Squirrels both folded in October, there were no automatic relegation places.
The only team in any danger of relegation is Masseys.They started well, with a win over the Pilot, but that was their only win of the season, and they finished 16 points adrift of the rest of the division. The Broad Lane outfit haven't even managed a draw since July, and will have to show significant improvement if they are to get past the Lime Tree 'B' today, and avoid a quick return to Division Six.
Division Six
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Elephant & Castle
18
16
2
0
108
33
75
50
SQ Club
17
8
8
1
81
55
26
32
Lime Tree 'B'
18
7
6
5
74
70
4
27
Rileys Riff Raff
18
5
8
5
73
71
2
23
New Spires
18
5
6
7
69
75
-6
21
Bird in Hand
18
5
5
8
69
73
-4
20
Gosford Arms
18
5
5
8
64
80
-16
20
Rileys Refugees
18
5
3
10
59
85
-26
18
Painted Lady
17
3
7
7
59
77
-18
16
Walsgrave WMC
16
2
4
10
43
80
-37
5
If the Craven Arms romped to victory last year when they won Division Six by a 13 point margin, then I'm not sure what words I should use to describe the way that the Elephant and Castle decimated the field on their way to lifting this year's Division Six crown. Simon Drage led his team on a season long unbeaten run, and were the only team in the league to achieve the feat this season. They won double the number of games as their nearest challenger, winning all bar two of them, and finished a staggering 18 points clear of the SQ Club..
I can't remember the last time we saw such a large winning margin, if ever, and the result's even more remarkable given the two bye's in the division. A truly outstanding achievement Simon, well done.
Steve Mapes led the SQ Club to the runners-up spot with an unbeaten run of their own. Their only 'loss' all season was due to a match card irregularity, and whilst they finished a distance behind the champions, they were the only team to take points off them all season, as it was they that the Elephant and Castle drew against twice. In fact, they would have finished much closer had they not drawn the same number of games as they won.
The Lime Tree 'B' finished 5 points behind the SQ Club in the playoff spot, and will be looking at their second successive promotion if they beat Masseys this afternoon. Danny White's side beat Rileys Refugees in the final game week to clinch the playoff spot, but made doubly sure by beating the Gosford Arms 8-0 in catch up week. That was the third 8-0 that the Lime Tree were involved in during the season, it's just a shame that the other two were defeats at the hands of the Elephant and Castle.
Rileys Riff Raff had finished at the wrong end of the table last season, but put that form well and truly behind them by taking fourth spot, 4 points behind the Lime Tree. Their push for promotion was well and truly dented when they lost three of their last four matches. The New Spires finished 2 points further back, and they in turn finished just a single point in front of the Bird in Hand and the Gosford Arms. It was only frame difference that could separate the Bird from the Gosford, the rest of their stats identical.
Rileys Refugees finished at the wrong end of the table after lifting the Division Seven crown last season, They may have only finished two points behind the Gosford, but their end of season form of four losses from five is nothing less than relegation material, and they'll have to improve next season if they want to avoid the drop back to division seven.
The Painted Lady took the final place guaranteed Division Six pool next season, finishing a massive 11 points clear of the Walsgrave Working Mens Club. The latter only picked up 1 point in the second half of the season, although weren't helped by their late cancellation and void matches. As the Cedars Blue and the Stag and Pheasant folding mid-season, there were no automatic relegation places this year.
Division Seven
team
p
w
d
l
f
a
dif
pts
Three Horseshoes
19
15
3
1
99
49
50
46
Royal Warwicks 'B'
19
11
5
3
94
55
39
38
Kings
19
9
2
8
79
64
15
29
Jaguar Social Club
19
8
7
4
78
69
9
29
Rileys Stars
20
9
2
9
79
75
4
29
Rocketeers
19
7
6
6
78
68
10
22
Coombe Abbey Inn
18
7
5
6
66
68
-2
22
Convoy
20
4
7
9
73
87
-14
19
Hub
20
6
3
11
60
86
-26
14
Old Crown - AGR
18
3
6
9
48
79
-31
5
Rileys Admirals
19
1
4
14
43
97
-54
1
The Three Horseshoes lifted this year's Division Seven crown by a comfortable 8 point margin. The Foleshill Road squad had been removed from Division Six last year after missing too many away matches, and rejoined after this season had started, where they found themselves in Division Seven. Ash Singhal's side had an excellent season, and managed to get to the final match of the season before they suffered their first, and only defeat, to Rileys Stars, by coincidence captained by his son, Abhinay.
Adam Pasik's Royal Warwicks 'B' side showed improved form to take the runners-up spot, the seven match unbeaten run they'd enjoyed in the second half of the season helping their push for promotion no end. They too held a comfortable cushion between themselves and the team closest to them, with 9 points the difference between second and third places.
Taking that third place, and the playoff spot, were Kings. Harry Nijjar's squad had missed out on the playoffs last year by just frame difference, and this year could have been even worse, as this time it was only frame difference separating third, fourth, and fifth places. In an up and down season, Kings opened up with an 8-0 win, had a bad spell mid-season where they lost five out of six matches, and then finished the season well with a six match unbeaten run, although two of those 'wins' were awarded to them when first the Coombe Abbey Inn, then Rileys Admirals, both cancelled late on match night. In the end though, it was their final week 7-1 win over the Jaguar Social Club that pushed them into third spot, with the latter moving the opposite way into fourth spot
The Jag had had consecutive 8-0 wins early in the season, and also enjoyed a seven match unbeaten spell in the second half, but it was that final week loss to Kings that was to prove their undoing. Rileys Stars finished the season with five wins from six, they too benefiting from two 'wins' by default, with the Hub and the Old Crown the guilty parties this time. Things may have oh so different though, if only they hadn't suffered an 8-0 defeat against Kings in their opening match of the season.
Finishing 7 points behind the promotion chasing trio were league newcomers, the Rocketeers, and the Coombe Abbey Inn, with frame difference again the only thing separating the pair. The former had started the season well with three wins from their first four matches, but the enthusiasm of the Nuneaton players dwindled as the season went on, and they seldom fielded a full squad. The latter, meanwhile, didn't do themselves any favours with two void matches, and two late cancellations during the season.
After a bad start to the season that saw them lose four of their first five matches, the Convoy finished the season 3 points behind the Coombe, although they were at least the only team in the division to actually play all of their scheduled matches
The Hub finished 4 points further down the table after losing five of their last seven matches, but at least they finished on double figures, unlike the two remaining teams in the division, the Old Crown, and Rileys Admirals. The former lost the final four fixtures they played, although would have closed the 9 point gap between them and the Hub if they hadn't picked up an astonishing 10 penalty points during the season.
At the foot of the league, Rileys Admirals didn't win a single match all season, with the only 'win' recorded the result of a late cancellation by the Hub.
Coventry Singles
Reds Pool and Snooker Club sponsored the Singles competition for a fifth successive year, and all of today's quarter-finalists of our Blue Riband event deserve a round of applause for reaching the final stages of a competition that started with 276 entrants. It remains to be seen though, which one of these talented players will lift the Steve Ferguson memorial trophy this year, and earn the right to be called the 'Best player in Coventry'.
The first of the night's two preliminary matches was between Rileys Rehab's Sam Mills and Royal Warwicks captain, Jon McAllister, in a repeat of one of last year's quarter-finals. In a tactical opening frame, Jon hung the black to let Sam off the hook, and the Hertford Street player happily took the frame. Sam extended his lead to two-nil after another tactical frame, but Jon wasn't about to go down without a fight though, and took the third and fourth frames to set up our first sudden death decider of the night, and sudden it was. Sam broke, walked away from the table, and could only watch on as Jon cleared the table to complete the fight back with a three-two victory, and avenge his defeat last year.
The second prelim saw Rileys Smileys player Tom Lynas facing Rileys Reprobates snooker ace Vic Makh. In a short lived affair, Vic won the opening frame after being gifted two shots by Tom, and doubled his lead to two after Tom potted the cue ball to give another two shots away in the second frame. The Far Gosford player won the third frame as well to complete the three-nil rout, in what turned out to be the only whitewash of the night.
The two preliminary matches had been very different, in that Jon had to fight back from two-nil down, whilst Vic had won in a canter. The 'last 16' match between Jon and Vic saw a reversal of fortunes as Jon won the opening frame. Vic fought back to take the second, and very quickly edged two-one in front after break-dishing the third frame. With momentum on his side, Vic won what turned out to be the final frame to record a three-one victory, and book his third quarter-final spot in six years.
The next match saw 1998 champion Dave Neary taking on 2008/9 quarter-finalist Connor Treacy. Both had home advantage, with Dave representing the sponsor's 'X' team, and Connor coming from the 'Select' team. Connor should have left Dave with six balls in the opening frame, but missed the black, but with the frame at his mercy, Dave, being the gentleman that he is, decided to pot the cue ball, leaving Connor with a simple black. Dave tried to hand the second frame to Connor as well by giving away another two shots, but it was he who ended up sinking the black when Connor failed to capitalise. Dave went on to win a very close third frame, and despite being snookered several times by his opponent, 'sealed the deal' in the fourth, and ultimately final frame, to secure a three-one win.
The next match on the card featured the Craftsman 'A's Mick 'The Stick' Adams, up against old teammate Martin Poole, now playing for Rileys Smileys. After fifteen minutes of tip-tap play in a snoozefest of an opening frame, the first ball was potted, and that was by accident! After what seemed an eternity, Martin, the 2006/7 runner-up, potted the black to win a very tactical opening frame. An almost identical second frame went in Mick's favour after Martin potted the cue ball, but Martin retook the lead after winning the third. Mick tapped the break again in the fourth, but later went for attack rather than defence, in a much quicker frame. After potting all his yellows, Mick played an almost inch perfect shot, but couldn't quite see enough of the black to pot it, with seven reds still on the table. Martin didn't look the gift horse in the mouth, and he calmly potted three of his reds before unsurprisingly putting Mick in a snooker. Mick's next shot was to be his last of this year's campaign, as he failed to hit the black, giving away two shots, and the match, to Martin.
The last match in the top half of the draw saw Carl Pinder from the Royal Warwicks taking on Reds X's Russ Blinco, in a match many expected Russ to win. Carl quickly put any doubters in their place though, as he took the first two frames. Russ pulled the deficit back to one frame by taking the next, after Carl failed to get out of a snooker, and a deciding frame looked on the cards as the fourth frame got underway. With seven yellows still on the table, Russ looked nailed on for the frame as he cued up his penultimate red, but a little too much screw back saw the cue ball disappear down a welcoming pocket. Whilst Carl didn’t finish things with the two shots gifted to him, he did get a second chance to pot the black he'd left hanging, and this time he didn't miss, and recorded a well earned three-one win.
Our first match in the bottom half of the draw featured Adam Prewett from Reds Select and Phil Parkin from Rileys. In a fast and furious match that suited both players, Phil quickly took a two-nil lead with some excellent potting, and would have made it three-nil had he not potted the cue ball at the same time as sinking the black. In the fourth frame it was Adam's turn to put on the potting display as he left Phil with a full compliment of balls to level the match at two apiece. Phil must have feared the worst when he potted the cue ball on the break in the deciding frame, and he was right to, as Adam cleared the table to wrap up a three-two victory after earlier looking at the wrong end of a three-nil result.
Next up were the Brandon Club's Dave Easson and John Conniff from the Foresters. Dave, a self confessed fudge master, lived up to his name when he snookered John behind his last red in the opening frame. John missed the red, but Dave failed to capitalise on the two shots, and John got a second bite of the cherry when Dave committed another foul on his final yellow. John didn't make the same mistake this time, and took a one-nil lead. The second frame was another tactical one, which Dave won to level the match, but John retook the lead in a quick third frame, leaving Dave with a full compliment of balls in the process. John looked for more of the same in the fourth frame, and whilst leaving a ball less on the table this time, nonetheless won the frame to secure a three-one win.
The penultimate match of the night saw two attacking players in the shape of the Craftsman 'A's Stan Makh and Kev O'Sullivan from the Weavers Arms. In a quick fire opening frame, Stan broke, and Kev finished, leaving the 2007/8 champion with a full set of balls. Kev looked to double his lead to two frames, after potting one of each on the break, but an unfortunate shot on his penultimate ball left him in a nasty snooker. After he failed to negotiate it, Stan duly won the frame to level the match. Both players had chances to win the third frame with each giving the other two shots, and with Stan's awarded late on, it was he that took the advantage to take a slender two-one lead. Kev won the fourth frame to level the match, and set up our third sudden death decider of the night. As the final frame unfolded, it was Kev that had the finish in his sights once again, but as in earlier frames, it was a foul that was to determine the winner. With the match offered up on a plate, Stan didn't need a second invitation, and he happily took the two shots to seal a three-two victory.
The last quarter-final place on offer was decided between Reds 'A's Dean Davies and the Wheatsheaf's Kristi Caulfield. Deano took first blood by break-dishing the opening frame, but gave his opponent a lifeline in the second by giving two shots away. When Kristi's reply was to give the two shots straight back to him, the two time semi-finalist cleared up to extend his lead to two-nil. Kristi exemplified the league's first rule, I.E.sportsmanship, when he allowed Deano 'time out' after his tip came off as he broke the third frame, and when play resumed, Kristi reduced the deficit to two-one in a much slower, more tactical frame. Another deciding frame looked likely as Kristi started to clear the table in the fourth, but he hadn't banked on snookering himself on his last red, with his next shot sealing his fate as he potted two of Dean's yellows, giving two shots, and the match to a grateful Dean.
Coventry Doubles
The Bob Rushton memorial, was again hosted, and sponsored, by Reds Pool and Snooker Club, with the sponsors hosting the 'last 16' stage. Just short of 200 entrants had started the competition, and by the end of the night we'd whittled that number down to our four Finals Weekend semi-finalists.
The first quarter-final of the night might could have easily been a snooker match as Kev O'Sullivan and Kieron Farrell from the Weavers Arms took on Stan Makh and Surinder Singh, representing the Craftsman 'A' and the Wheatsheaf respectively. The Weavers pair had suffered a scare in their 'last 16' match, having to come back from two-nil down after some good finishing by John Durrans and his partner Steve Davies from the New Spires.
Stan and Surinder meanwhile, had beaten the Parkstone's Dean Kirkman and his partner Mark Tiley from Rileys No SQ three-one, after four tactical frames. Stan looked set to take the opening frame of the quarter-final after some good shots, but hung the black to give Kev and Kieron a lifeline. The lifeline was short lived though, as a failed snooker attempt saw the Weavers pair concede the frame. Kev and Kieron took the next to level the match, and shared the honours between them in the final two frames, with Kieron sinking the black in the third frame after Stan wasted two shots, and then Kev finished the fourth frame well to secure a three-one comeback win against last year's semi-finalists.
The second quarter-final of the night was all Premier Division affair, as the 2000/1 champions Paul Quinn and Keith Thompson from the Craftsman 'A' faced the defending champions from the Wheatsheaf, Alex Pyatt and Kristi Caulfield. Quinny and Thomo had a seemingly straight forward first match against the Binley PMC's Kev Devanney and John Boy McAuley, but it took them five frames to get past their Division Five opponents after going a frame behind with a number of the frames strewn with errors from both sides. The defending champions also took five frames to get past their 'last 16' opponents, Chris Duckett and Jason Stojsavljevic, from Kings Select and the Hen Lane Social, and like the Craffy pair, also had to come from behind. Kristi won the opening frame, leaving a full set of balls on the table in the process, but went two-one behind after good clearances by both players in the next two frames. After not taking a shot in last year's quarter-final, Alex showed that he can play, as he potted the black in the final two frames to secure the three-two victory. Quinny and Thomo had struggled in their opening match, and never really got into the quarter-final, and they went down three-nil without putting up a fight. Good finishes by Kristi saw him pot the black in all three frames, culminating in a 7-baller in the final frame.
The first quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw saw Reds X's Rich Johnson and partner Kully Singh from Rileys Reprobates taking on the Rileys Smileys pairing of Martin Poole and Chris Keene. Rich and Kully had raced into a two-nil lead in their 'last 16' match against the Parkstone's Jason Stringer and Scott Giddings, but for the fourth time in the five opening matches played so far, it was to be a sudden death decider that would determine the winners, as the Parkstone pair took the next two frames to level the match. The final frame was a tactical one, that was until a great finish by Rich saw him take the honours to record another of the night's three-two wins. The contrasting styles of Martin and Chris were both put on display in their 'last 16' match against the Bishopsgate 'A's Divyesh Patel and Ryan Mandara.
Martin set the pace, snail's pace that is, but eventually took the lead after winning a very tippy tappy opening frame. The Bishopsgate pair took the next two frames, and with Chris chomping at the bit to attack each frame, he finally let loose, and a good finish saw him win the fourth frame to level the match. The Hertford Place then won the deciding frame to book their quarter-final place. Rich took the opening frame in that quarter-final after Martin rattled the black, and a reversal of fortunes in the second saw Martin pot the black after Rich gave two shots away. Rich retook the lead for his team with a good finish in the third.
The fourth frame was a bizarre frame to watch. In a very tight frame, the black and two reds were sitting precariously close to the corner bag. After Chris gave two shots away, Kully returned the favour when trying to position himself on his penultimate ball. With two reds, five yellows, and the black still on the table, Kully and Rich unbelievably conceded the frame! Three of the players took a cigarette break before playing the deciding frame, but the break was brought to an abrupt end by Roger Clarke who was keen to get home to his bed. The deciding frame was a much more open frame than the four before it, and despite Rich potting the cue ball on the break, Kully recovered the frame for them, with a good finish on his last four balls to secure the win for them.
Unfortunately, Kully can't be here today due to being on honeymoon – what an excuse – meaning Rich will have to finish each of his frames on his first visit if he is to progress to tomorrow's final.
The last semi-final spot was decided between the Rileys pairing of Tom Burke and Phil Parkin, and the Craftsman 'A' duo Glenn Dunn and Chris McDermott. Both had had very easy 'last 16' matches with the Rileys pair breezing past the Brandon Club's Steve Shelton and Matt Dowall without dropping a frame, whilst Glenn and new partner Chris, had dropped just the one frame in their three-one win over Reds 'A's Dean Davies, with his third different partner in as many years, Adam Prewett from Reds Select. Despite their seemingly comfortable victory, Glenn had to carry his partner for large parts of the match due to Chris's rather inebriated state! The final match of the night, like six others before it, also went to a deciding frame. Phil took the first to leave the Craffy pair with a full compliment of balls in the first, but Glenn bounced back to take the second frame, and the third frame also went Glenn's way after some excellent pots on his last few yellows.
A good clearance by Phil saw him take a very quick fourth frame, and so leading to that sudden death decider. As rash shot by Phil saw him give two shots away, but fortunately for him the oncoming player was Chris, and he didn't take advantage due to having had one too many beers before the match. Glenn didn't take any more chances when he got back to the table, and took his last three yellows well to leave a simple black in the middle, and so secured the narrow three-two victory
Knockout Cup
This year's Knock-out Cup will be decided between three teams from the top flight, and one from Division Five, with two former winners, and two first time semi-finalists.
Four time winners the Craftsman 'A' take on the Royal Warwicks in today's first semi-final. The Premier Division champions had a much tougher route to negotiate than last year, where they dropped just 2 frames en-route to the semi-final. Anyone in any doubt of that should recall who their first round opponents were, Reds 'A', the 2008/9 champions, and Premier Division runners-up to the Craftsman 'A' this year and last.
The match proved to be as close as expected, and was tied at 4 frames apiece after the first leg. The Rotherham Road side turned the screw in the second leg though, and with home advantage won 5-2 to secure a 9-6 aggregate win. The second round saw them face another Premier Division side, this time the Wheatsheaf, but the Foleshill squad proved no match for them, and were summarily despatched 9-4.
The Binley PMC were the next casualties, although they did manage to pick up 2 frames, which is more than can be said of the Hastings or the Bishopsgate 'A' in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. Both of the Premier Division sides were brushed aside without picking up a single frame between them.
The Royal Warwicks had a much easier time of things in the earlier rounds, and they opened their account with a 10-6 win over the Albany Social. A second round 'bye' was followed by successive 5-3 wins over the Rose and Woodbine 'B' and the Rocket, although the later gave them a scare after fighting back from 3-0 down to level the match at 3 frames apiece.
Their quarter-final match against the Hen Lane Social couldn't have been closer, and almost every frame could have gone either way, with no more than a single frame between the two sides during the whole match. At 4-3 down it was left to captain Jon McAllister to keep his team in the hunt, and he didn't let them down, as he duly won the frame to force a sudden death decider. Jon stepped up again to play the pressure frame, and once again didn't let his team down as he won the all important ninth frame to give the Tower Street squad a narrow 5-4 victory.
Our second semi-final is a real David and Goliath battle, as Division Five's the Broad Street RFC 'B' takes on the might of the three time winners Reds Select. The Broad Street's first two rounds couldn't have been easier, as a late cancellation by the Painted Lady, and a second round 'bye' saw them reach the third round without having picked up a cue. When they did, they despatched the Arches 6-2, then the Weavers 5-3, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the process. They saved their giant killing exploits though until their quarter-final match against Division One runners-up, the Brandon Club, although must have been kicking themselves after squandering a 4-1 lead.
The deciding frame saw Gaz Williams facing fudge master Dave Easson for the second time that night. Gaz had won the earlier frame after a lengthy battle, and the deciding frame went the same way, leaving Dave with a full compliment of balls for a second time.
Reds Select had a very easy route to their quarter-final. The first two rounds saw comfortable wins of 13-3 and 9-4 against Christ the King and the Foleshill Ex- respectively, and they followed up with 5-0 and 5-1 demolitions of firstly Cedars Red then the Radford Social.
The Walsgrave have expressed a desire to compete against the top teams for some time now, and showed their metal against Reds Select, coming back from 3-1 and 4-2 down to force another sudden death decider against the team five divisions above them.
Unfortunately, the Walsgrave’s dream of a second successive finals weekend appearance was about to come to an end, courtesy of Reds Select's aggregate winner Martin Kirby, who despite a few nervous moments, won the frame to edge a 5-4 win.
Alternative Cup
Once again we find a Premier Division side left in the competition, and a very strong one at that. Sadly, this year’s semi-finals have been tarnished by a ‘no show’ today, but nonetheless, no matter who lifts the crown tomorrow, they’ll have their name engraved on the trophy for the first time.
Today’s first semi-final sees the Division Three’s Vauxhall Club taking on the might of the Premier Division’s Reds ‘A’. The Vauxhall were beaten 13-3 by the Wheatsheaf in the first round of the Knock-out Cup, and had an easy first round match in the Alternative Cup after the Reds Squirrels folded. The second round say a comfortable 6-2 win over the City Supporters, whilst the RAOB at least put up a fight in the third round, eventually succumbing 5-3 to book a quarter-final slot against the Spencers Retreat.
The Vauxhall took an early 3-1 lead against the visitors, before the gap was closed to 4-3. After a nervy final frame with plenty of chances for both players, the home side erupted as their landlady sank the black to record a 5-3 win. Unfortunately, a match card irregularity resulted in one of the frames being awarded to the visitors, and a deciding frame was eventually played some weeks later.
In the Aggregate Knock-out, the Spencers Retreat’s Paul Gamble had beaten the Vauxhall’s Adrian Harvey two-nil, and it was no surprise to see the two aggregate winners doing battle again. In a good frame that saw both players have good chances on the black, it was Adrian that eventually won the frame, to exact his revenge, and record a 5-4 win for the Vauxhall.
Reds ‘A’ had the misfortune to come up against the Craftsman ‘A’ in the Knock-out cup, and after being beaten 9-6, opened up their Alternative Cup account with a 10-6 win over the Rose & Woodbine. After a narrow 5-3 win over the Railway, they whitewashed their next opponents, Rileys Stars, 5-0 in the third round to set up a quarter-final clash with Rileys Rehab. The tournament favourites lost the first two frames, but recovered to take the next three, and after the next two were shared, it was down to the captains as Reds ‘A’s Dean Davies faced Rileys Rehab’s Dave Hegarty.
Dave was looking for the perfect present to celebrate his birthday today, but it wasn’t to be, and Dean won the frame to record a hard fought 5-3 win.
In the second semi-final, new Division Two champions, Rileys Reprobates, should have been facing Division Seven newcomers, the Rocketeers, but with the later having confirmed their non-attendance today, the Far Gosford Street side get a walkover into tomorrow’s final.
The Rocketeers were unlucky in their Knock-out Cup match, going down by a narrow 9-7 to Division One’s Old Crown ‘A’. Their opening Alternative Cup match ended a 10-6 win over the Elephant & Castle, and that result was to be the closest match they would play in the competition. A second round ‘bye’ was followed by a 5-1 win against the Royal Hotel, and the form book was turned upside down again in the quarter-final when the Brooklands fell by the wayside, again by a 5-1 scoreline.
It was a surprise to see Rileys Reprobates lose their Knock-out Cup match against the Craven Arms ‘B’ 10-6, but then the winners were the runners-up in this competition last year, and were at their strongest in the early part of the season.
The Alternative Cup saw a hard fought 9-7 win over Christ the King, followed by a more comfortable 6-2 result against Rileys Refugees in the second round.
The next round saw the Phantom Coach roll over 5-0 without putting up a fight, leaving just the Old Ball Hotel in their way. The Reprobates took an early 2-0 lead in that match, and looked to be in for a battle after the home side took the next two to level things, but the visitors pressed on, and took the next three frames without reply, to book a place in today’s semi-final, where they’ve been gifted that walkover.
Challenge Cup
Now in its sixth year, the Challenge Cup is only open to teams in Divisions Four through to Seven, and this year twenty three of them found themselves eligible to play. In the end, this year’s title will be decided between three teams from Division Four, and one from Division Six.
The first semi-final sees the sole Division Six team, the Bird in Hand, taking on the Barras Social Club. The Bird had a straightforward 5-2 win over the Hub in the first round, and twice came from behind to beat the Binley PMC 5-3 in the second round.
The quarter-final draw wasn’t kind to them, as they faced the Elephant & Castle in a local derby. They’d lost both league meetings against the new Division Six champions, who finished a staggering 30 points clear of them in the league. Unfazed, the Bird in Hand set about their business, and started well by taking the first frame. The whole match was close, with no more than a single frame between the two sides at any time, and nothing could separate them after eight frames of pool.
The sudden death deciding frame was played by the same two players who’d played the first frame, and like the whole match, could have gone either way. Vice-captain Chris Taylor potted most of his balls from the break, but then handed the frame on a plate to the Elephant & Castle’s aggregate winner Mark Drage by giving him two shots. As Mark sank the final black the away side erupted, but their elation was short lived as the cue ball bounced around the table before falling into a pocket, gifting a narrow 5-4 victory to the Bird in Hand.
The Barras Social Club got off to a good start when their first round opponents, Cedars Blue, folded, effectively giving them a ‘bye’ through to round two, where they faced fellow Division Four side, the Three Horseshoes Eagles. Both league matches had been tight, and this proved to be no different, with the Barras eventually edging a 5-3 win.
The start to their quarter-final match against the Gosford Arms was identical to the previous round, with them taking an early 2-0 lead, only to see the home side take the next two frames to level the match.
That was the end of the Gosford’s fight back though, as whilst they had good chances in the remaining frames, they failed to convert any of them, with the Barras ultimately recording a 5-2 win.
The second semi-final will be decided between two Division Four sides, with the Brooklands ‘B’ facing Christ the King. The Brookies were gifted a first round ‘bye’, and they might as well have had ‘bye’s in the other two rounds as well, as they didn’t break sweat en-route here today.
Their first victims were the Walsgrave Working Mens Club, who quickly found themselves 4-0 down. The home side did take the fifth frame, but all that did was avoid the whitewash, as the Division Four runners-up took the next to record a 5-1 win.
The Canley Sports and Social had finished just behind the Brookies in the league, and a close match looked on the cards as the Canley took the opening frame in the quarter-final.
Their joy didn’t last long though, as that was the only frame they won on the night, with the Brookies securing another 5-1 victory.
Christ the King got off to a flyer in their opening match against Division Seven runners-up, the Royal Warwicks ‘B’, leading 3-1 at the halfway stage, but soon found the tables reversed as the Tower Street squad won the next 3 frames to take a 4-3 lead. Christ the King dug deep though, and won the next to force a sudden death decider, and duly won that as well to record a narrow 5-4 win.
The former Coundon side consolidated the win with a 5-2 defeat of the Lime Tree ‘B’ in the second round, but saved their best till last, with a 5-1 demolition job of Rileys Refugees in the quarter-final, despite the visitors taking the opening frame.
Champion of Champions
The Champion of Champions brings together the previous years League and Cup winners, to determine who really is the best team out there. The team that’s answered that question for the last eight years has been the Craftsman ‘A’.
Today’s first semi-final sees last year’s Division Five winners, Rileys Smileys, taking on last year’s Division One champions, the Hen Lane Social.
The sides last met two years ago in the Challenge Cup semi-final, with the Beacon Road outfit successful on that occasion.
Rileys Smileys began their cup run with an opening match at the Alvis Club, and took an early 3-1 lead against last year’s Division Two winners. The Hertford Place lads didn’t have things all their own way though, and at the end of normal play the match was tied at four frames apiece.
Former Singles runner-up, Martin Poole, was entrusted with the task of bringing home the bacon in the deciding frame, and the new Division Four champions were all ‘smiles’ when he didn’t let them down. That narrow 5-4 win gave them a quarter-final draw against last year’s Division Three winners, Rileys Reprobates.
The home side took an early 2-0 lead, and the Far Gosford Street visitors replied by taking two of the next three frames, although one of those was awarded to them after the aforementioned Martin Poole arrived at the match an hour late!
The Smileys pushed on though, and they didn’t lose another frame to the new Division Two champions, ultimately recording a 5-2 win.
As last year, the Hen Lane Social had a ‘bye’ in the first round, as did their quarter-final opponents, Reds X. Each had earned home victories over the other in their two league meetings, and this match proved to be another close affair, with no more than a single frame separating the two sides at any time during the first seven frames.
Like the league results, it was again the home side that came out on top though, as the Hen Lane took the final frame to record a narrow 5-3 win over last year’s Knock-out Cup winners to book their second successive Champion of Champions semi-final place.
In another of today’s David and Goliath battles, the second semi-final will be decided between Premier Division champions, the Craftsman ‘A’, and last year’s Division Six winners, the Craven Arms.
The Craffy’s opening match started the same as last years, as they lost the first two frames to the Lime Tree ‘A’. The defending champions recovered to take the next two to level the match, and had to come from behind three times before eventually securing a narrow 5-4 victory over last year’s Alternative Cup winners, after a nip and tuck battle throughout.
The Rotherham Road squad left nothing to chance in their quarter-final match, as they brushed the Royal Hotel aside with a 5-1 victory.
The Craven Arms had similar results on their way to today’s semi-final, albeit the other way round. The Craven Street squad had a comfortable 5-2 win over last year’s Division Seven winners, Rileys Refugees, in their opening match, but ended up doing things the hard way in their quarter-final match against the RAOB, where they quickly found themselves 3-1 down to last year’s Challenge Cup winners.
They were still 4-2 down going into the final two frames, but managed to force a sudden death decider after taking both frames. With momentum on their side, the Craven Arms booked their second Finals Weekend appearance by winning the all important ninth frame to clinch a narrow 5-4 victory.
Captain's Knockout
All our end of season subsidiary competitions were again kindly sponsored by Reds Pool and Snooker Club. In the first of this year’s competitions, the lowest turnout for nine years saw just twenty four captains or vice captains competing to lift this year’s crown.
In the top half of the draw, Royal Warwicks captain Jon McAllister made it through to the final, dropping just the one frame en-route, although he was lucky to get past his opening match against former champion Martin Groves, representing the hosts ‘Select’ team.
Benji won the first frame and was very unlucky in the second as he hung the black. Jon recovered to make it past the Reds Select captain two-one, before despatching Bishopsgate ‘A’ captain Jit Patel and Rileys Refugees vice-captain David Olive without dropping a frame. Jon should have lost the first frame against David though, thankful that his opponent fluffed the black despite having two shots.
To book his place in tomorrow’s final, Jon first had to get past defending champion Glenn Dunn. Craftsman ‘A’ vice-captain Dunnie had his own share of luck on his way the semi-final, first coming from behind to beat Reds X’s Rich Johnson two-one, before being taken to the wire again by Wheatsheaf captain Kristi Caulfield.
Unfortunately for Glenn, his luck was about to run out, and his semi-final clash against Jon was over in the blink of an eye. Jon broke the first frame, and Glenn’s first shot was to pot the black. He didn’t fare much better in the second frame, as after he broke, Jon dished, and booked his place in the final in what turned out to be his easiest match of the night.
The bottom half of the saw another first time finalist reach tomorrow’s final, in the shape of Reds ‘A’ captain Dean Davies. Like Jon, Deano too faced a former champion in his opening match, namely Brandon Club vice-captain Dave Easson. Last year’s runner-up took Deano to the wire, and should have beaten him after getting two shots in the deciding frame with just four balls left, but ultimately gifted him the match after dropping his cue on the black.
Dave did exactly the same thing against John Conniff in their singles ‘last 16’ match, and you’d have thought he’d have learnt his lesson, but clearly not.
Dean made light work of Albany Social captain Joe Ford in his next match, beating him two-nil, and now only Billy White stood between him and a place in the final. Hastings vice-captain Billy had had comfortable two-nil wins over two Hertford Place representatives, firstly Rileys captain Jamie White, then Rileys Rehab vice-captain Russ Harding.
The semi-final between Dean and Billy was also over in straight frames, with the Reds ‘A’ captain emerging the victor, although Deano will be the first to admit that like Jon, he rode his luck on the night, and took his chances well.
Aggregate Knockout
After a disappointing turnout the week before, it was encouraging to see a good turnout of thirty four players competing in the Aggregate knock-out, the second of the five subsidiary competitions sponsored by Reds Pool and Snooker Club.
In the top half of the draw, the host’s co-owner, and sponsor, Martin Kirby was ultimately successful. Representing Reds Select, “Corner” first beat the Bishopsgate Select’s Alan McKenna two-nil, although the match was much closer than the scoreline suggests. His next match was even closer, as Martin came from behind to beat former singles champion Dave Neary from Reds X, two-one. Martin was clearly improving as the night went on, and confirmed just that as he despatched the Spencers Retreat’s Paul Gamble without dropping a frame. Facing Corner in the first semi-final was Royal Warwicks captain Jon McAllister.
Like his opponent, Jon too had only dropped the one frame on his way to the semi-final, coming from behind to beat Reds ‘A’s Matty Smith two-one in his opening match.
His next two matches against the Old Crown ‘B’s Ryan Power and Luke Hart from Rileys, went without a hitch, and both resulted in two-nil wins for the talented youth. To book his place in a second final in successive weeks though, Jon would really have to be on his ‘A’ game against Martin in their semi-final clash.
When Martin snookered Jon on his final yellow in their opening frame, Jon did indeed step up to the mark, and played a great shot, using the corner pocket to get out of the snooker and pot his final ball. Unfortunately for him, he fluffed the pot on the black into the middle bag, and Martin didn’t give him a second chance.
Things didn’t improve for Jon in the second frame as he gifted Martin two shots, and Corner wrapped up a two-nil win to book his place in tomorrow’s final, his first for eight years.
In the bottom half of the draw, it was the Hastings representative Billy White who came out on top. In his preliminary match, Billy sent the Brandon Club’s Dave Easson packing without dropping a frame, and followed that with another two-nil win over the Bishopsgate ‘A’s Jit Ghandi. Billy needed all three frames to edge past the Craftsman ‘A’s Kev Farrelly in the next, but normal service was resumed against the Elephant & Castle’s Mark Drage, as he recorded another two-nil win to book his semi-final place.
Billy had lost out on a place in the Captain’s final after being beaten by Dean Davies, and didn’t look to have an easier time of things here as he faced the Wheatsheaf’s Kristi Caulfield, the 2004/5 runner-up.
Kristi had breezed past his three opponents so far, with the City Howitzers’ Jayson Holloway, the Lime Tree ‘B’s Jamie Roche, and Rileys Smileys’ Carl Shaughnessy all failing to take a frame off the Wheatsheaf captain.
When their semi-final was eventually played a week later, it was Billy who won the opening frame, in which both players had chances to win.
The second frame was a very different story though, and was controlled throughout by the Hastings wild card entry, and Billy went on to secure his fourth straight frames win on his way to the final.
Over 50's Knockout
Two years ago, nine of our elderly comrades contested the first ever Over 50's knock-out, and double that number turned up last year. In contrast to our other subsidiary competitions, this years entrants increased again, and twenty ‘old timers’ turned out at the sponsors, Reds Pool and Snooker Club, eager to be crowned this years Over 50's Champion.
In the first quarter-final, Reds X’s Russ Blinco faced Grapes captain, Phil Dalton. Russ had earlier beaten Steve Lombard from the Craven Arms two-one in their preliminary match, before despatching the Spencers Retreat’s Bert Freeman in straight frames. Phil too had booked his quarter-final place without dropping a frame, leaving Rocket captain George Toms trailing in his wake.
The match between Russ and Phil was also settled in two frames, with the Reds player coming out on top. The second quarter-final saw the defending champion, Mick “The Stick” Adams from the Craftsman ‘A’, taking on Reds Select’s very own “Potting Pensioner”, Roy Pontefract. Stick didn’t drop a frame in his ‘last 16’ match against Grapes player Billy Little, although was thankful of landing nicely on the black after fluking his last yellow in the opening frame.
Roy, meanwhile, had also made it through in straight frames, beating Canley Sports and Social captain Kev Jones in his opening match.
Like the first quarter-final, this one was also all over in two frames, with Mick taking the honours to set up a semi-final clash against Russ.
The semi-final was a repeat of the last year’s semi-final, where Mick had beaten Russ two-nil. The clash wasn’t to be the only repeat, as Mick booked his place in tomorrow’s final without dropping a single frame in the three matches he played.
In the bottom half of the draw, the Nugget’s Gary Shields took on the first Over 50s champion, Rileys No SQ’s captain, Derek Harrison, in the third quarter-final. Earlier, Gary had to come from behind to beat last years runner-up, the Spencers Retreat’s Cliff Rowstron two-one, whilst Derek had an easier time of things, beating the Royal Warwicks ‘B’s Kris Szczypka two-nil.
Like the first two quarter-finals, this one was also over in straight frames, and it was the 2008/9 champion that was victorious. Facing Derek in the semi-final would be either Keith Bryden from the Royal Warwicks, or the Bishopsgate ‘A’s Los Wallace. Both recorded narrow two-one victories in their ‘last 16’ matches, as the Bell’s Rob Townsend, and the Grapes’ Ray Martin respectively fell by the wayside.
Los had gone out at this stage last year to the eventually winner, despite taking a one frame advantage, and sadly for him, it was a case of déjà vu, as he watched Keith come back from a frame down to win two-one.
Derek hadn’t dropped a frame en route to the semi-final, whilst each of Keith’s matches so far gone the distance. In fact, only six of the nights other seventeen matches had gone to the wire, with Keith accounting for a third of them.
Derek helped Keith increase that percentage by taking their semi-final to a deciding frame, and it was again Keith who took the honours, as his place in the final was confirmed with a two-one win.
Charity Speedpool Challenge
The Charity Speedpool challenge was started nine years ago as a way to break up the tension on the day, with four teams invited to compete for the £100 prize in aid of the charity of their choice.
Following increased interest in recent years, and the fact that our annual finals are now held over two days, eight teams are now invited to take part.
Whilst it’s about having a bit of fun in the middle of a very busy schedule, you can be sure that every one of the eight teams involved will be aiming to lift the trophy tomorrow, and the £100 prize. Whoever wins though, the ultimate winner will be charity.
In the last nine years we’ve seen just three winners of the speedpool challenge, with the Craftsman ‘A’ Originals heading the list with five wins. The other winners, Reds ‘A’ (three times), and Reds Select (once), are also in attendance today, so we should be in for some decent entertainment.
The draw will be done around 2:30pm, and the eight teams, and their worthy causes, are as follows :-
Craftsman ‘A’ Originals – Myton Hospice
Kev Farrelly , Keith Thompson , John Dempsey , Glenn Dunn , Paul Quinn
Craftsman ‘A’ Select – Myton Hospice
Stan Makh , Chris McDermott , Mick Adams , Callumn Mulhern , Dave Walkingshaw
League Select – Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Roger Clarke will choose his team from the best players available on the day
Reds ‘A’ – CLIC Sargent
Dean Davies , Adam Prewett , Craig Sturmey , Roger Charles
Reds Select – Breast Cancer
Martin Kirby , Connor Treacy , Roy Pontefract , Simon Curry , Martin Groves
Rileys – St Christopher’s Playgroup
Luke Hart , Tom McLean , Tom Burke , Josh Kane , Jamie White
Rileys Reprobates – Age UK
Vic Makh , Vivek Makh , Surge Tamne , Satty Brar , Gurps Sehmi
Royal Warwicks – Help for Heroes
Jon McAllister , Carl Pinder , Ben Rodgers , Paul Thomas
Ladies Knockout
Reds Pool and Snooker Club again kindly sponsored the Ladies knock-out, which this year saw just nine entrants after last years record turnout of fourteen. The nine ladies keen to lift this year’s title included six of last year's participants, among them the defending champion.
However, as the night unfolded, it became clear that tomorrow would see the crowning of a new Ladies Singles Champion., and a new name etched into the record books.
The opening match of the night was a preliminary one between The Bell's captain, Maggie Tune, and the Canley Sports and Social's Sharon Poulton. Both had lost their opening matches last year, and neither was keen for a repeat performance.
After three very close frames, it was Sharon who emerged the two-one victor. In the first quarter-final, Sharon faced another Bell player in the shape of Debbie Overton. Debbie took first blood in a closely fought opening frame, and then let Sharon back into the match after giving away two shots in the second frame.
Both players gave fouls away in the deciding frame, and either of them could have won the match, but for the second successive match it was the Bell representative that tasted defeat, as Sharon again won two frames to one to seize the first semi-final spot.
The second quarter-final saw two time winner and defending champion, Ruth Venn from the Coombe Abbey Inn, taking on the first of the Rileys Riff Raff's participants, Jess Benton. Both players had chances in a nervy first frame, which was eventually won by Ruth, with Jess not helping her cause by giving away a double helping of 'two shots'. An unlucky 'in off' by Ruth in the next gave Jess a chance to level things, and whilst she didn't take the opportunity at that visit, she ultimately did with a good double on the black.
The deciding frame was similar to the first two, with both players having chances to win, and whilst nowhere near her best, it was Ruth who grabbed the second semi-final place. In the first semi-final, Sharon hung her penultimate red with the frame at her mercy, but got a second bite of the cherry after Ruth failed to capitalise. With Ruth's final yellow hanging over the pocket, Sharon kept her nerve to finish well under pressure.
The writing was on the wall in the second frame as Ruth potted the cue ball on the break. Sharon duly potted five yellows to put herself in the driving seat, and later went on to win the frame, as she booked her place in tomorrow's final with another confident finish.
In the third quarter-final, the Gosford Arms captain, Joe Faulkner, despatched the Grapes landlady, Rose Donohoe, two-nil, although was gifted the first frame after Rose potted the cue ball as well as the black, after Joe had left the black hanging.
The remaining quarter-final was between two of last year's losing semi-finalists, Tara Meadows from the Spencers Retreat, and Rileys Riff Raff captain, Emma Mills. Emma took a one-nil lead after Tara had first snookered herself on the black, and then under hit it towards the middle bag after getting out of her own snooker.
Clearly angered after giving up the first frame, Tara attacked the second frame and would have 7-balled Emma had she not hit the black as hard as she did. The good work had been done though, and Tara eventually went on to take the frame
In the deciding frame, Lady Luck was on Tara's side as she landed nicely on the black after fluking her final ball, which she duly potted to complete the comeback.
In the second semi-final, Joe put one foot in the final after taking the opening frame against Tara, only to see Tara pull level after taking the second. In the deciding frame, Joe threw away her chance of a place in the final, after potting the cue ball at the same time as per penultimate yellow. Tara didn't need a second invitation, and duly cleared the table without the need for the two shots she'd been gifted, and in so doing, booked her place in the final for the second time in four years.
Under 18's
Now in it’s fifth year, just twelve of the City’s talented youths turned out at Reds for this years Under 18’s knock-out, although seven of them were first time entrants.
The first quarter-final of the night was between Rileys teammates Josh Kane and Jack Richards. Josh had been gifted one of the night’s four ‘byes’, whilst 14 year old Jack, the nights youngest entrant, breezed past Ryan Strong from the Craven Arms, Craven Street without dropping a frame in his preliminary match.
Jack had gone out in straight frames at this stage last year to the eventual winner, and history was to repeat itself as Josh played very well to record a two-nil win over his Hertford Place teammate. The second quarter-final saw Dave Olive from Rileys Refugees taking on the Bishopsgate ‘A’s Raj Padam.
Earlier, Dave had edged a close match against the Old Crown ‘B’s Kieran Littlewood two-one, whilst Raj had received the ‘bye’. It didn’t take Raj long to stamp his authority on the match, as he out potted Dave to record a quick two-nil win. The first semi-final between Josh and Raj was a one sided affair as the Rileys player booked his place in tomorrow’s final with two nicely controlled finishes to record his second straight frames win of the night.
In the bottom half of the draw, Kai Ramsay from the Royal Warwicks faced Ryan Mandara from the Bishopsgate ‘A’ in the third quarter-final.
Kai had been gifted the third of the night’s four ‘byes’, whilst Ryan had booked his spot with a narrow two-one win over Rileys No SQ’s Andrew Pearson. Unfortunately for Kai, his night was over before it had really started, as Ryan potted like a man possessed to record a two-nil win without giving Kai a chance. The battle for the last semi-final spot looked to be a real epic, and was a repeat of the final we’d seen in the last two years. 2008/9 winner Jon McAllister from the Royal Warwicks had earlier taken his chances well to beat Grapes player Darren Pringle two-nil, whilst defending champion Vivek Makh from Rileys Reprobates had taken the night’s final ‘bye’.
The quarter-final match more than lived up to its billing, with Jon taking first blood, before Vivek levelled things with a good second frame. With a semi-final place at stake, the deciding frame became a tactical one, with Jon emerging the narrow two-one victor.
In the semi-final between Ryan and Jon, it was Jon’s ‘Steady Eddie’ style of play that was rewarded, although Ryan was unlucky not to take the first frame. As he cued up his final yellow, Jon still had a full compliment of balls left, but as Ryan missed the all important pot on the yellow, Jon’s snooker behind his many reds resulted in two shots and he went on to finish the frame. Jon went on to take the second frame as well, and booked his place in the final for the third time in as many years.
Whilst Jon undoubtedly has the experience of playing under pressure on the big stage, Josh is an exciting prospect, and if he plays anything like he did on his way to the final, he’ll give Jon more than a run for his money tomorrow.
