WEEKLY UPDATE 21st DECEMBER 2023

The last update of 2023 and so on behalf of the League Committee I would like to wish all players and web site visitors a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Successful New Year 

Not much action on the tables this week but plenty of shenanigans off it. The draw showed, that in the preliminary rounds of the Individual Billiards and Snooker competitions, there would be two snooker games and one billiards at Princeville, with the other billiards being at Littlemoor. (Peter Turner and Jeremy Dixon might be inclined congratulate themselves on being the only ones to play their match as drawn!!) First Ralph Allan relinquished home advantage, requesting to play Trevor Kershaw at Princeville, rather than opening up at Littlemoor for just the one game. Then John Bedford advised that he and Richard Bowes had postponed their snooker match until 20th February, when both would be playing pairs at Princeville, and would play the snooker on the same night. Then Peter Wood damaged his back playing football over the weekend and request postponement of his billiards against Stephen Kershaw. I still went along to referee for Trevor and Ralph, only to see later on Facebook that Richard Bowes and John Bedford had actually played their snooker, but at Pudsey Congs.

So what happened in games actually played. Peter and Jeremy go started first at Princeville, with Jeremy going in off at the break to add to Peter's 42 point handicap advantage. Another in off later in the frame, plus some good pots from Peter saw the home man take the first frame with three colours remaining. Trevor and Ralph both got going early, as the second table offered more encouragement than in some weeks. Ralph's first scoring visit was a break of 19, to add to his 80 point handicap advantage and both players seemed to score as every visit as the scoreboard rattled along. An excellent 39 break by Trevor (13 in off reds with the white in baulk)  reduced the deficit to around 50, which Ralph maintained until the 50 minute mark - although still about 25 short of the 200 target. With the clock not in play in this competition the game continued, as the cushions started to attract the balls, as often seems to happen on this table as the evening progresses, and the scoring slowed somewhat with Trevor gradually catching up, and after a bout of safety play, Ralph needed 11 and Trevor around 30. Trevor's opportunity seemed to have arrived but an unfortunate cover followed by a miscue prevented a break developing and Ralph got the 11 required for victory, in a match which had lasted about 70 minutes.

On the other table the snooker was still going on, as Jeremy had dug in to take the second frame and after about another 15 minutes he took the third as well, to complete his recovery and a 2 - 1 victory. Information I've received about the game at Congs, says that Richard Bowes also came from a frame down to beat John Bedford and included breaks of 30 and 31 twice in doing so. In the final frame, Richard only won it on the black, with John telling me that he had missed an opportunity to pot the final black that he cannot forgive himself for. Hopefully he will have got over it by the time the league program recommences on 2nd January. It's a derby week at Princeville, while the Deaf Centre teams visit Pudsey

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary