WEEKLY UPDATE 2 NOVEMBER 2024

First week of the league fixtures and all eight teams picked up points, with three 3 - 1 results and a 2-2 draw. Who exactly got what at the Deaf Centre is not entirely clear but time will tell.

The fixture list and handbooks (for those who have them) showed 

Deaf Centre A v Princeville A and Deaf Centre B v Princeville C

The scorecards showed

Deaf Centre A v Princeville C and Deaf Centre B v Princeville A

The team selected as Princeville A were listed under Princeville C, while the team selected as Princeville C were listed under Princeville A

Last seasons Deaf Centre A were shown under Deaf Centre B and vice versa

The names on next week's scorecards may provide some clarity but the early league table and results page should be viewed with some caution at this stage.

On the tables Deaf Centre had reserve Graham Lambert in one team and Brian Robinson playing twice to cover a vacancy in the other. Gareth Kershaw posted on Facebook that although his handicap is shown as 85 on the scorecard he played off 80, which is the correct handicap (well he would wouldn't he) but as he won by 42 it didn't matter much anyway. Edward Lawson reported that there was a mix up with scores at the start of his game (and as he lost by 5 he clearly thought didn't work to his advantage). Among this carnage Trevor Kershaw appears to have been on top form, defeating Ihjaz Hussain by 99 and including a break of 40, which makes him the early leader in the race for the highest break prize

In the other match Graham Bentley got the other Princeville team off to a good start, beating Ian Ford by 32, and Keith Tomlinson beat Graham Lambert by 22 to give Princeville a substantial lead, but Jeremy Dixon then claimed two points for the Deaf Centre team beating Paul Devitt by 56 to squeeze the aggregate point by just 2. (Late Correction. Since posting this I've been told that Graham Bentley and Ian Ford actually played last, with Princeville 34 behind, and so it was Graham's win by 32 that came up just short. Still a 2-2 result though) 

At Princeville things were a little more straightforward, although Dave Bowers and Don Hardcastle had been drafted in and I didn't arrive until the tea break, by which time John Bedford had lost heavily to Ralph Allan (again) in their third meeting of the season already, and on the other table Chris Jarvis had recorded a 34 break in beating Richard Bowes by 49. Don Hardcastle hung onto 9 of his 54 start against Peter Allan, to secure Princeville B's only point of the night, before I lost to John Allan in a low scoring game on a table that felt as if it had had the sprinklers on. The game between Dave Bowers and Graham Tudor seemed to keep the spectators entertained in a variety of ways, with Dave coming out on top by 36. In the last game however, Dave Howarth gave a sterling performance in beating Mick Cockcroft by 74 to almost steal an unlikely aggregate point for Pudsey B, the final deficit being only 11.

So last seasons champions Pudsey A are among the early leaders as one of 3 teams with 3 points apiece

In this coming week's fixtures the Deaf Centre go to  Pudsey where it's A v A and B v B, while it's derby day at Princeville with A v D and C v B. Just a reminder to captains to record breaks over 20 for players on handicaps of 85 and above - while for the rest of us it's still breaks over 30.

On Wednesday (6th Novemver0 there is a League Committee Meeting at Bradford Deaf Centre at 7.30pm. The draws will be made for the preliminary round matches in the Individual and Pairs competitions, so get your entries in to your league representatives (or to me) before then

Stephen Kershaw

Secretary