WEEKLY UPDATE 31st MARCH 2024

The play off semi finals were played this week, and after the first 8 matches in the play off competition had all resulted in home wins, both matches this week went the way of the visitors, but in one case by the narrowest of margins.

At the Deaf Centre, both tables were in use for the match between Deaf Centre A and Princeville D (who were back to full strength after relying on reserves to get them this far). Steve Gatenby had returned from a month visiting family abroad, and seemed none the worse for his time away, as he beat Ian Ford 205 - 175. Deaf Centre's Jeremy Dixon has led the Players Table in recent weeks but on this occasion appears to have had no answer to Chris Jarvis's onslaught, which included a 37 and several other runs into the 20's. Chris had caught up the 55 handicap difference by half way and went on to win by 80. With Princeville 2 - 0 up and 110 in front on aggregate, Brian Robinson was faced with a thankless task against Mick Cockcroft, but he stuck to the task and a final break in the high teens saw him 6 in front at the bell to prevent a whitewash.

Things were much closer at Pudsey where Pudsey A faced Deaf Centre B. First up were Peter Allan for the home side, against Peter O'Connell for the Deaf Centre, and Dave Howarth's report tells us that this one was close all the way with the visitors Peter O'Connell coming out on top at the bell - but only by  7 points. Peter Wood then accumulated 239 points for the visitors in defeating Ralph Allan by 49, which could have been worse for Pudsey but for some later scoring by the home man. So Deaf Centre led by 2 - 0 and were 56 ahead on aggregate, going into the final game between John Allan and Ihjaz Hussain. John concedes 40 points on handicap and, forgetting that the handicaps are on the scoreboard at the start, played the game thinking that he needed to win by about 100. He played well enough to win by 64, but thinking the match was lost, congratulated the Deaf Centre players, before going outside for his customary smoke. The scores were then totalled on the scoreboard and it was realised the Pudsey had actually won the aggregate point for a 2 - 2 score line. John was hastily recalled for a shoot out; winning the toss he put his opponent in and Ihjaz duly scored. John, then under pressure in every sense, missed the shot and failed to score - so had to congratulate the visitors again on their victory, in what had been a very close encounter.

The final on 9th April is therefore between Deaf Centre B, who finished third in the league and Princeville D who finished fourth, Deaf Centre B will therefore have home advantage

Both scorecards can be seen on the Scorecards page although Brian Robinson's score of 182 doesn't appear to have been included in the total, which should read 440.

There is no billiards this coming week due to Easter - unless any individual or pairs matches have been rescheduled - and the following week spectators will be welcome at the Deaf Centre for the Play Off final.

At Wednesday's League Committee meeting, the draws were made for the Individual and Pairs Quarter Finals and these can be seen on the Merit and Pairs page, with videos of the draws on the Facebook page. I have also added the schedule for the remaining weeks of the season on the Fixtures and Results page leading up the the Finals Night and Presentation in May

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary

 WEEKLY UPDATE 23 MARCH 2024

First round of the Individual Snooker this week, although as it turned out, very few games were actually played at the normal tine and at the venue drawn. However, by the end of the day all eight matches had been played, which is excellent news, with the quarter final draw to be made at the League Committee Meeting on Wednesday (27th).

Matches played ahead of the date resulted in Ihjaz Hussain, Ian Ford and Brian Robinson beating Ralph Allan,  Dave Howarth and Gareth Kershaw. In a game played on Tuesday afternoon, Trevor Kershaw beat John Allan 2 - 1. It didn't look like going that way when, after Trevor broke off, John displayed some excellent potting to make a break of 18 and was soon leading 30-1, and a little while later 45-2. Trevor allowed the game to run into the colours, but only to provide opportunity to pot a few balls, before John potted blue, pink and black to conclude a petty quick frame. The second frame was almost a complete reverse, as Trevor did most of the scoring for a very comfortable win. With only about 45 minutes gone, it looked like a short session but the third frame was more cagey and took almost as long as the first two combined. Not much went right for John in the final frame and Trevor did little wrong, to complete a 2 - 1 win

In one of three evening games at Princeville, I didn't trouble the scorers too much, as Jeremy Dixon won 2 -0 - the second frame being closer than the first. The other match at Princeville had been switched from the Deaf Centre, with Peter Wood playing Mick Cockcroft. This one went much the same way as the afternoon game. Visitor Peter Wood ran away with the first frame and Mick Cockcroft did likewise in the second. Mick had a 14 point handicap advantage over the current trophy holder, and early in the third frame had an 18 break to establish a commanding lead. Mick was now full of confidence, while Peter perhaps was left wishing he had played the match at the Deaf Centre, as he suffered his first ever defeat in this competition, having won the trophy in his first two years of entering.

In the all Pudsey encounter, Richard Bowes beat Peter Allan 2 - 0. Richard needed blue, pink and black to snatch the first frame, but a 35 break in the second meant that Peter already needed snookers when he fouled the blue attempting the brown. A free ball with black over the pocket prompted Peter to concede

Chris Jarvis is the eighth quarter finalist, after Brian Haigh conceded their game due to an ongoing family concern

This coming week is the play off semi finals, with champions Pudsey A hosting Deaf Centre B and Deaf Centre A at home to Princeville D. There are no matches on Easter Tuesday, with the final of the play offs on 9th April, when home advantage will go to the finalist finishing highest in the end of season league table

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary

 

 WEEKLY UPDATE 16 MARCH 2024

Quarter Finals of the play offs this week, and as with the earlier round both matches were won by the home teams - Princeville D and Deaf Centre B. In the Qualification play offs, the Deaf Centre teams faced off against each  other, while Princeville D visited Pudsey A. The winners of those matches qualified for home semi finals, and so this time round Princeville D will visit Deaf Centre A, while Deaf Centre B head off to Pudsey. These matches will be played on Tuesday 26th March, with the final two weeks later on Tuesday 9th April. As in all rounds of this competition, the team with the highest league placing will be at home in the final.

Princeville D were on top from the start against Princeville B, as Graham Bentley pulled back his 65 point handicap deficit against Peter Turner with 15 minutes remaining. This was quickly followed by a run into the mid teens and only some late scoring from his opponent kept the deficit to 33. Mick Cockcroft pulled back his 35 point deficit even more quickly against John Bedford, on a night when little went right for the B team man. Mick's win added another 26 points to the D team's aggregate advantage. At least the handicaps started level in the last game, but with the league secretary needing to pull back 60 points against Chris Jarvis to force a draw and a shoot out. Things began well with a 32 break, and with a little over 10 minutes to go the margin was around the 60 mark, but Chris finally shook off his holiday lethargy, with a run in the 20's, and my 15 unfinished at the end was a token gesture, as time was always against a larger break. 3 - 1 to Princeville D

At the Deaf Centre I don't know the order of play but the times on the scorecard suggest that both tables were in use. Richard Bowes is quoted as saying his was a 'below par effort' as he lost by 20 to Ihjaz Husain. Peter Wood won again for Deaf Centre B, his 11th win in 13 games this season, while Sid Ash saved Pudsey B from being whitewashed, with a 4 point victory over Peter O'Connell - the closest game in either of this week's two matches. 3 - 1 to Deaf Centre B.

The scorecards for both games can be found on the Scorecards page

This coming week is the first round of the Individual Snooker. I believe that 3 of the 8 games have already been played and I will report on them next week. Meanwhile, Trevor Kershaw and John Allan will be playing at Princeville  on Tuesday afternoon, and Peter Wood has requested that his game against Mick Cockcroft be switched to Princeville, due to difficulties arranging access at the Deaf Centre. Richard Bowes and Peter Allan are due to meet in Pudsey, while the other games at Princeville on Tuesday evening involve myself and Jeremy Dixon, and Chris Jarvis against Brain Haigh. It looks like being a busy night.

The next round of all the Merit and Pairs competitions will be drawn at the next League Committee Meeting on Wednesday 27th March, 7.30 at the usual venue

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary

 WEEKLY UPDATE 10th MARCH 2024 (amended 12 March)

This week was the first round of the Individual Billiards Merit competition, and all the results can be found on the Individual Merit and Pairs page - along with the results of two first round snooker matches which were played two weeks early.

Chris Jarvis and Ralph Allan got this round of billiards matches off to an early start back on 1st February, when Ralph, who was drawn at home, agreed to play at Princeville after a Pudsey League fixture there. Chris had an early break into the 30's and rounded off with 59 unfinished for a 200 -150 victory. Brian Robinson and Gareth Kershaw were also off the mark early, playing on Monday instead of Tuesday at the Deaf Centre. Brian has been in good form this season, so Gareth's win by 200-174 suggests he must have played pretty well. Brain Haigh must have done likewise at Princeville on Tuesday evening, beating Mick Cockcroft 200 - 131. Earlier in the day I played John Bedford at the same venue, in something of a marathon which took 90 minutes to complete. My break of 36 brought the scores more or less level after about 50 minutes, but with our scores only  around 120, there was still plenty of billiards to be played. There was never a lot in it after that and at 193 each, I played a speculative round the board canon, which scored and enabled me to sneak home first. The other four matches were all played at Pudsey on Tuesday evening but not, I suspect, at the same venue. Richard Bowes reports that he beat Ihjaz Hussain 200-192, with breaks of 35, 32 and 35 unfinished, while Dave Howarth reports the other scores, in which Jeremy Dixon beat Peter Allan, in a tight finish, 200 - 192, while there were two more comfortable home victories for  John Allan (200 -176 against Peter Turner) and Dave Howarth (200 - 160 against Ian Ford).

The draw had matched Dave Howarth and Ian Ford in the Snooker competition as well, so they stayed on to play that game as well, Ian exacting revenge by 2 frames to nil. The draw similarly matched Brain Robinson and Gareth Kershaw in both competitions, and they also stayed on  to to play snooker on Monday night. The result there also went the opposite way to the billiards, with Brian winning 2 - 0

 The draw for the quarter finals will be made at a League Committee Meeting on Wednesday 27th March, with the Billiards scheduled be played on Tuesday 16th April.

This coming week is the Quarter Finals of the Play Offs, in which Deaf Centre B play Pudsey B and there's another derby fixture at Princeville where the D team are at home to the B team

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary

 WEEKLY UPDATE 2nd MARCH 2024

All four play off matches went to form this week (or at least in line with league position). Pudsey A (top) beat Princeville D (4th) and Deaf Centre A (2nd) beat Deaf Centre B (3rd) in the Qualification matches, while Princeville B (5th) beat Princeville C (8th) - but only just - and Pudsey B (6th) beat Princeville A (7th) in the Elimination matches. So in the quarter finals on 12th March Deaf Centre B are at home to Pudsey B, while it's another derby at Princeville, where the D team play the B team.

The scorecards for these matches can be seen on the Scorecards page

The match between Princeville B and Princeville C was played on Monday, to ensure that both teams could field a full complement of players. Peter Turner (B team) had a rare win, against Graham Bentley, and a big score (224), which John Bedford followed up with another win for the B team, beating Brian Haigh by 15, so going into the final game the B team led 2 - 0 and by 32. I started 30 behind Paul Devitt on handicap, and the scores rarely got more than 20 different to this in either direction. With time running out, I came to the table 38 behind with a tricky in off to play. I took my time, got it and followed it with a cannon to leave me 33 behind. I took my time again with another tricky shot - a pot this time - but unfortunately took too long, because the bell went just as I started to move my cue towards the ball, but before I'd hit it. Although the red went in it didn't count and so the C team had picked up 2 points for a 2 - 2 draw - so into a shoot out. The referee commented that it could be \along night. I won the toss, and perhaps to Paul's surprise, opted to play first. I was relieved to see my ball go down the pocket for a\point. Paul - who had got the shot earlier in the game following a foul - hit the pocket angle, but the cue ball set off across the table towards the red. There was an anxious moment as it passed narrowly behind the red  - and so  a 1 - 0 win for the B team.

In the other Elimination Play off match at Pudsey on Tuesday, it looked as if it might be similarly close, as Sid Ash got a point for Pudsey B, but only by 9, and Trevor Kershaw reduced that, beating Dave Howarth by 5. The close finish did not however materialise, as Graham Tudor continued his recent good form, beating Gareth Kershaw by 51 to win the match for Pudsey B - so for Princeville B, like Princeville C on Monday, it was their last match of the season

In the Qualification Play off at Pudsey, Pudsey A comfortably defeated a depleted Princeville D. Graham Bentley put in a second shift of the week but lost heavily to Ralph Allan, and Princeville reserve Dave Bowers lost by 21 to Peter Allan. Mick Cockcroft then had a good win against John Allan, but it was never going to be by enough to force a shoot out. At the Deaf Centre there was certainly a close finish in one game, as Jeremy Dixon and Ihjaz Hussain finished level on 146, so with half a point each this match was never going to end in a draw. In the game between the players sitting second and third in the Players Table, Peter Wood came out on top by 33, against Brain Robinson, but Ian Ford racked up 246 points to beating Peter O'Connell (191) ensuring the A team had 22 points to spare on the aggregate. So Pudsey A and Deaf Centre A are into the semi finals on 26th March, and await the winners of the quarter finals detailed above.

This coming week is the first full round of the Individual Billiards with 4 of the matches to be played at Pudsey. The match at the Deaf Centre between Brian Robinson and Gareth Kershaw is being played on Monday, when the same players will also be playing the first round of the Snooker competition, having been drawn together in both. I believe Peter Wood is also hoping to play his Snooker first round against Mick Cockcroft on the  same night. At Princeville, I am playing John Bedford in the afternoon, leaving Brian Haigh and Mick Cockcroft to play at the more usual time. Chris Jarvis has already played and beaten Ralph Allan but I have not been made aware of any other changes to the four games to be played at Pudsey

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary