It was double delight for twins Dave and Mike Barker as they swept through the field at the recent Doubles Knockout Finals Night.

The brothers saw off the challenge of Danny Haynes and Kev Moore in their quarter-final. Meanwhile, Simon Davies and Al Sim also won their last-eight match over Paddy Singh and Jamie Woolley without dropping a frame, but were made to sweat in both games. The two other quarters went to deciders. Chris Broomhall and Shaun Cooper held their nerve to see off Russ Pibworth and Stuart Hardy, while Bin Singh and Mark Sheerin eventually overcame John Daniels and Ian Crowe.

Both of the semi-finals may have ended in 3-0 scorelines but they were two contrasting games to watch. The Barker pairing flew out of the blocks in their clash against Bin Singh and Mark Sheerin as Dave led the way with two quality clearances before Mike stepped forward to take advantage of a foul and clear up in the 3rd frame. In the other semi (Chris Broomhall/Shaun Cooper v Al Sim/Simon Davies), Chris pulled off a good finish to take the opening frame. The match then developed into a tactical battle as neither side appeared willing to take too many risks and go for game. This pattern appeared to favour the Broomhall/Cooper pairing as they battled hard to stay in both frames and indeed went on to win them as Shaun sank the two crucial black ball pots.

In the final (Dave/Mike Barker v Chris Broomhall/Shaun Cooper) it initially appeared to be a case of anything you can do... as Mike first pulled off a brilliant clearance from nowhere (that even the best sat nav system would have given up on) in the opening frame before Dave took his turn and dished up after a dry break in the 2nd frame.

The 3rd frame saw the first exchange of visits to the table before Chris worked himself into a great position after pulling off a superb escape shot from a self-inflicted snooker. Unfortunately, he eventually ran slightly out of position and this contributed to him missing his penultimate colour. Fortunately, he missed it to the pocket by the black-ball thus leaving the 8-ball in a pretty secure position. Mike had a plan though and, slowly but surely, he worked through his set of balls before chipping in his final colour off the ball that Chris had left blocking the black-ball. The pot on the black was not the easiest but it was dispatched with aplomb and the Barker pairing went 3-0 ahead.

In the 4th frame Dave went for game early, but a loose positional shot saw the cue-ball drop into a middle pocket. However, Chris and Shaun could not take advantage of the two visits and, on his next visit to the table, Mike laid a good snooker from which Shaun failed to escape. That brought Dave to the table with a relatively easy finish at his mercy (thanks to the visit in hand) and he duly slotted home the remaining colours followed by the 8-ball.

So, it turned out to be a comprehensive run to the finish line by the Barker brothers as the only frame they dropped in the whole tournament was in the first round. Double congratulations to them and also congratulations to Chris and Shaun who beat some fancied pairings on their way to the final.

MARKET PROMOTIONS STAFFORD SUNDAY POOL LEAGUE DOUBLES KNOCKOUT

FINALS NIGHT To be played on SUNDAY 21st July @Kennys Sports Bar.

DRAW - 7 15pm, START - 7 30pm, SCRATCH - 7 45PM

Quarter Finalists

1. Bin Singh & Mark Sheerin (Joiners Arms/GPO Club A)

2. Paddy Singh & Jamie Woolley (Tap n Spile)

3. Dave Barker & Mike Barker (Perkins Cue)

4. Simon W Davies & Alan Sim (Perkins VVV)

5. Chris Broomhall & Shaun Cooper (Morrisman)

6. Russ Pibworth & Stuart Hardy (Penny Potters)

7. Danny Haynes & Kev Moore (Oxleathers B)

8. John Daniels & Ian Crowe (Tap n Spile)

Quarter Final - BEST of THREE Frames

Semi Final - BEST of FIVE Frames

FINAL - Best of SEVEN Frames*

*(Time allowing, then best of Five frames).

Good luck to all players!

MARKET PROMOTIONS STAFFORD SUNDAY POOL LEAGUE SINGLES 2013

FINALS NIGHT. SUNDAY 14th July, To be played @Kennys Sports Bar

7:45pm DRAW, 8:00pm START, 8:15pm SCRATCH.

QUARTER FINAL LINE UP

1. Mike Barker (Perkins Cue) - Runner up 2007.

2. Dave Barker (Perkins Cue) - Champion 2009, Runner up 2006.

3. Paddy Singh (Tap n Spile) - Quarter Finalist 2005 & 2007.

4. Mark Billingsley (Perkins VVV) - Semi Finalist 2007 & 2009.

5. Kev Brown (Hop Pole C) - Champion 1998 & 2002. Runner up 1994.

6. Liam Collins (Luckpenny Garters) - Debut.

7. Rob Wharne (Perkins Cue) - Champion 2010, 2011 & 2012.

8. Dave Whitfield (Perkins Cue) - Runner up 2011.

QUARTER FINAL - Best of FIVE Frames

SEMI FINAL - Best of SEVEN Frames

FINAL - Best of NINE Frames

STAFFORD A v CANNOCK CHASE

Played on Friday 28th June 2013 @Kennys Sports Bar, Stafford.

Stafford A entertained League leaders Cannock Chase in their latest league fixture. Dave Whitfield (capt) had Lee Whitehouse, Alan Sim, Simon Davies & Jim Simpson all missing. He had both Mark Billingsley and Martin Priestley come back into side and he gave new signing Dave Richardson a first league start of the season.

Mike Barker and Giles Eastwood were on first and got Stafford off to a great start, both winning their frames in style. Mick Addison was on next and never got a chance and so gave Cannock their first frame of the night. Mark Billingsley got off to good start but unfortunately snookered himself and his opponent snapped up his opportunity to level the scores. Dave Barker also had chances in his frame but failed to make the most of it and so lost his frame. Martin Priestley never got going in his frame and a poor shot let in his opponent in and Stafford were 4-2 down.

Frames continued to be shared for the remainder of the match with the visitors finally claiming a 10-8 victory.

Rob Wharne returned from the recent Pool World Championships in Blackpool without a sun tan but with plenty of silverware.

A magnificent run saw Rob progress all of the way to the semi finals in the Men's Individual event. It included victories along the way over practice partner and current England captain, Lee Kendall, as well as Keith Brewer who has won everything in men's pool during his career.

The Stafford cueman eventually lost to Tom Cousins from Wales by  the scoreline 10-4. Tom put in a very solid performance containing few unforced errors and he continued his good form as he went on to claim the title.

Further glory followed as Rob took his bow on the international scene, playing a major role in England claiming the Men's title.

19 wins out of 24 frames during the round robin league stages gave Rob the highest win percentage of anyone competing in the tournament, making a mockery of his rookie status.

The Perkins Cue player continued his form into the final as he dished up in the opening frame, helping to settle the collective nerves of his teammates. But a stubborn Ireland team could not be shaken off and England were forced to dig deep as the clash turned into a classic. England went on to eventually claim the title in the deciding frame of the match.

Rob's semi final and the team final were both filmed and should be screened on Sky TV in the coming weeks

STAFFORD pool star Rob Wharne is set to make his Sky Sports debut at the eight ball pool World Championships in Blackpool.

In the individual competition Wharne has been unbeaten in four knockout rounds on his way to the semi-final tomorrow which will be televised on Sky Sports.

He started off his individual run by beating Anthony Chia of Australia 8-3, he then beat Tom Church from England 8-6, in the last 16 he beat Michael Hope 8-4 and in his quarter-final he beat Karl O’Donoghue 9-5.

Wharne is also part of a ten-man England team who are top of their 12 country group in the team competition with the top two teams going straight into a televised semi-final.

Wharne has previously won the National Amateur Final in 2011 and has reached the WEBP World Masters Final which he lost 9-5 to Neil Raybone.

On the local pool scene he has been successful winning three Stafford Sunday singles titles in the last three years and now the Sunday Pool League have an England international in their ranks.

After two close attempts in 2011 and 2012 it was at the third time of asking he achieved his prized goal of selection for the England team for the championship.

Source: http://www.staffordshirenewsletter.co.uk/ Sport/Stafford-pool-star-breaks-in-to-eight-ball-01072013.htm

STAN BENT TEAM KNOCKOUT FINAL

Played on Sunday 16th June 2013 @Hop Pole

ST. GEORGES A  4 - 0  TAP n SPILE

St. Georges A are the new STAN BENT TEAM KNOCKOUT Champions 2012/13 for the first time after they romped home 4-0 against the Tap n Spile. The scoreline did not reflect however on the match as both sides pushed each other hard with a tactical and careful approach.

In frame 1 Kev Plimmer (Georges) was up against Paddy Singh (Tap) and after a lengthy battle it was Plimmer who got the ball rolling for the Georges.

The next frame saw Jason Armishaw (Georges) take on Ian Crowe (Tap). This again proved to be a grueller as both players slugged it out and it was the experience of Armishaw who had the final say as he made it 2-0 to the Georges.

The 3rd frame saw Mick Ferguson (Georges) paired against Jamie Woolley (Tap). This frame was the opposite of the first two frames as both players went for it from the start but both fell short towards the end. Then after an exchange of tactical play, Woolley handed an opportunity to Ferguson and he snapped it up to give the Georges a healthy 3-0 lead.

In the 4th frame, Tom Tonna (Georges) was paired against John Daniels (Tap) and Tonna was on for a clearance from the start. It looked straightforward for Tonna but a missed penultimate pot gave Daniels hope. After a lengthy exchange of tactical play, Daniels misjudged a snooker and let Tonna back in. He made no mistake this time and buried the black to win the Trophy for St. Georges A to the delight of his fellow team mates.

The SUBSIDIARY TEAM KO FINAL saw Perkins Cue narrowly edge out Star & Garter A by the scoreline 4-3.

STAN BENT TEAM KNOCKOUT SEMI FINALS

Sunday 9th June 2013. 8:00pm Start

ST. GEORGES A 4-0 GPO CLUB A played @Metropolitan Bar.

TAP n SPILE 4-3 HOP POLE C played @St. Georges.

SUBSIDIARY TEAM KNOCKOUT SEMI FINALS

Sunday 9th June 2013. 8:00pm Start

JOINERS ARMS 2-4 PERKINS CUE played @Tap n Spile.

METRO BAR A 0-4 STAR & GARTER A played @Hop Pole.

All matches best of SEVEN frames (4/3 split) Toss of coin for alternate breaks.

Hop Pole C hope to regain the Stan Bent Team KO Cup from when they won it in 2008/9. After losing out in the league to Perkins Cue they have to see of the challenge of potentially dangerous opposition, the Tap n Spile in their Semi Final. The other Semi final sees mid table 1st div side St. Georges A (Sub Team KO winners 2007/8) pitted against GPO Club A (also Sub Team KO winners 2005/6). The postman successfully survived 1st divison status and also did knock out highly fancied Perkins VVV in the quarters.

In the Subsidiary Team KO, League Champions Perkins Cue (Stan Bent winners 2007/8, 2009/10, 2010/11 & 2011/12) have a tough Semi final draw against fellow 1st Div side Joiners Arms (Sub Team KO winners 2004/5) who will want to finish on a high after narrowly escaping relegation on the last game of the season. In the other Semi, 3rd div Champions Metro Bar A will want to achieve a league & Cup double in their first season but have to overcome a determined Star & Garter A side (also from the 3rd div) to progess to the final.

Both FINALS will be played @Hop Pole on Sunday 16th June 2013. 8:00pm Start.  

DIVISION ONE

Perkins Cue are the new 'Market Promotions Stafford Sunday Pool league Champions' 2012/13 for the Sixth time (previously in 2004/5, 2006/7, 2008/9, 2009/10 & 2010/11). The successful quintet are Rob Wharne (capt), Dave Whitfield, Martin Priestley, Dave & Mike Barker. Finishing in Runners-up spot were the Hop Pole C who had Duncan Sunderland (capt), Alan Mason, Simon Key, Baz Davies, Mick Addison & Kev Brown. Bear & Pheasant finished in 3rd place. At the other end of the table, both Waggon Rebels and Staffs Bull B (their first season) lost their fight to stay up and will have to play next season in Division 2. The Most Individual wins goes to England player Rob Wharne of Perkins Cue with 35 wins out of 39. Also the 'Jim Simpson Trophy (8-Ball)' went to Wharne with 9 clearances.

DIVISION TWO

Oxleathers B are the '2nd division Champions' after a close battle with runners up the Morrisman. The Oxleathers B were 3rd division Champions the previous season (2011/12) and now will be plying their trade in Division 1. Representing the Oxleathers side was Kev Moore, Danny Haynes, Kev Genner, Alan Hill, Chris Nolan & Tim Sargeant. The Morrisman will be joining them and were well supported by Kieran Johnson, Chris Broomhall, Charlotte Shelley, Shaun Cooper and Jamie Bailey. Luckpenny Garters finished in 3rd place. At the other end of the table both Highfields Club A and Hop Pole D were relegated to the 3rd Division. The Most Individual wins went to Dave Rose (Highfields Club A) with 32 wins from 40. The 'Jim Simpson Trophy (8-Ball)' was shared amongst Chris Broomhall, Kieran Johnson (both Morrisman), Alan Hill (Ox B), Graham Nunn (Hop Pole B) and Wayne Smith (Joiners Rebels).

DIVISION THREE

Metro Bar A won the 3rd Division by 56 points in their first season. Roy Brown (Capt) was ably supported by Andy Palin, Dave Ashton, Alan Farrow & Paul Shepard. The Met Bar capped a fine double, securing runners up spot in their final game with a 5-3 win over Hop Pole A. Steven Rogers (capt), Gaz Nicklin, Pete Sandhar, Matt Bradshaw & Andy Laing were the successful team. GPO Club B finished in 3rd place. The Most Individual wins was shared between both Andy Palin & Dave Ashton (both Metro Bar A) with 30 wins. The 'Jim Simpson Trophy (8-Ball)' went to Roy Brown (Metro Bar A) with 2 clearances.

DIVISION ONE

Perkins Cue have retained their league crown after their 7-1 victory over GPO A. It is their SIXTH Title in 9 Seasons. Rob Wharne (capt), Dave Whitfield, Martin Priestley, Dave & Mike Barker have featured all season. Runners up spot is still up for grabs with Hop Pole C currently 2nd, although they have completed their season they must sit and wait to see if 3rd place Bear & Pheasant can win their final game 5-3 (against Perkins Cue) to take the runners up spot. The relegation still has not been decided with 4 teams fighting to stay up. Staffs Bull B, Joiners Arms, Wagon Rebels & GPO A are hoping to overcome 'end of season nerves'. 

DIVISION TWO

Morrisman are top at the present time but have completed thier fixtures and lead by just 3 points. Oxleathers B need only a draw (against Highfields B) to secure the title after also being 3rd div champions in 2011/12. Luckpenny Garters need to win 8-0 (against Hop Pole B) to overtake Morrisman. At the over end of the table Highfields A need a big win (v Oxleathers C) and hope both Hop Pole B and D sides lose.

DIVISION THREE

Metro Bar A won the 3rd division time some time ago. Roy Brown (capt), Alan Farrow, Dave Ashton, Andy Palin and Paul Shepard were the victorious squad. 2nd place is up for grabs and both 2nd and 3rd place teams meet this week. Hop Pole A need to win at least 5-3 to go above Metro Bar and so go ahead on most draws. However if the Hop Pole win 5-3 then the GPO B must win 8-0 to snatch the runners up spot by a single point.

Good luck to all teams in their quest for silverware and survival!

SCPA Elite Division. 24th May 2013.

Leek A 6-12 Stafford A played @Prince of Wales, Leek.

Stafford A made the long trip to Leek hoping for their first points of the season. Team Skipper Dave Whitfield was without form player Mark Billingsley and Martin Priestley but did welcome back Lee Whitehouse into the side.

Stafford needed a good start and Whitfield decided to change the order which hasn't been too successful this campaign. This had an instant impact as both Simon W Davies and Mike Barker both won with ease with some fine attacking play. Giles Eastwood continued the good start with a clinical performance to make it 3-0 to Stafford and things got even better when Alan Sim recovered from certain defeat with a fine clearance to make it 4-0. Dave Whitfield was on next and he was given a great opportunity after his opposite player went in-off. He controlled the frame and when given the chance he duly took it with a fine pot on the black to put the Stafford lads 5-0 up! Dave Barker came unstuck in his game as the home side claimed their first frame of the night but that was short-lived as Mick Addison wrapped up with a fine clearance to make it 6-1. Gav Davies never got going and unfortunately lost his frame but Lee Whitehouse pulled out a great pot on the black to give the Stafford team an excellent 7-2 lead at the halfway point.

Whitfield (capt) decided to rest Dave Barker and give Jim Simpson a place in the second half.

It was important that Stafford continued their fine start and it was Giles Eastwood who added another frame to Stafford's score with yet another fine clearance. Alan Sim lost out in a tactical battle against his opposite number and Mike Barker missed a great opportunity to win his frame as Leek started to hit back. Simon Davies settled Stafford nerves as he managed to win a tactical frame to put the Stafford lads 9-4 up. Lee Whitehouse was on next and it looked as though he was going to secure Stafford's first win but he lost position and the frame swung back in Leek's favour and so another frame went begging. Jim Simpson was unfortunate in his frame as he still looks for his first win of the campaign and suddenly it was 9-6 and the nerves were evident to see. However Gav Davies had other ideas as he looked in a great position to win but he left himself a tough double on the black. This did not deter him as he coolly dispatched the black and, to a great cheer, clinched Stafford's first league win of the campaign. It was then left to both Mick Addison and skipper Dave Whitfield to play out the final 2 frames. Addison comfortably won his frame in no time while Whitfield was less convincing as he watched his opposite player pot the black but go in-off into the middle. The 12-6 result in favour of Stafford A could prove vital later in the season.

MOM was a difficult choice as all players played a major part in this fine performance but it goes to Giles Eastwood for his 2 wins on the night, being crucial at the start of both halves. 

Stafford's next Fixture is the SCPA Interleague KO cup to be played @Players, Newcastle under Lyme on Saturday 15th June, 11am Start.

Existing and New Teams are invited to join the Market Promotions Stafford Sunday SUMMER Pool League.

Closing date for Entries is on SUNDAY 16TH JUNE 2013. The venue for signing in will be the HOP POLE (Stan Bent and Subsidiary Team KO FINALS Night) between 7pm and 8 30pm.

ENTRY FEE is £25.00 per team and must be paid on the night

If you cannot make the SET DATE, send an E-Mail to the League Secretary to confirm your place.

The Season will start Sunday 28th July.

STAN BENT TEAM KNOCKOUT QUARTER FINAL REPORT

2009 Winners Hop Pole C have made it into the Semi Finals of this years Stan Bent Team KO after coming back from 2-1 down to win 4-2 at the Oxleathers B (2nd div). Wins for Alan Mason, Mick Addison (2) and Simon Key saw the Pole through. St. Georges A (1st div) joined the Pole after running out 4-2 winners over the Joiners Rebels (2nd div). Tom Tonna, Jason Armishaw (2) and Neil Addison all won. The GPO Club A pulled off an excellent win over the Perkins VVV. The GPO were 3-1 down but wins for Mark Sheerin (2), Mick Bryant and Phil Alldiss put the 'postmen' into the Semi Finals. Tap n Spile were the fourth team to reach the Semi Final after their 4-1 victory over visiting Staffs Bull. Paddy Singh (2), Jamie Woolley and John Daniels saw the Tap through.

SEMI FINAL DRAW to be played on Sunday 9th June 2013:

TAP n SPILE v HOP POLE C @St. Georges

ST. GEORGES A v GPO SOCIAL CLUB A @Metropolitan Bar

Winners will play in the KO FINALS on Sunday 16th June at the Hop Pole.

SUBSIDIARY TEAM KNOCKOUT QUARTER FINAL REPORT

Runaway 3rd div leaders Metro Bar A pulled off a shock over 1st div Bear & Pheasant. they ran out 4-0 winners with wins for Dave Ashton, Paul Shepard, Alan Farrow and Andy Palin. Joining them in the Semis is the Joiners Arms as they saw off the challenge of Radford Rejects in a close 4-3 success. Perkins Cue were also made to work hard for their 4-3 win at the Metro Bar with the deciding game being decided by potting the black but then going 'in-off'. Wins for Rob Wharne and Dave Barker with 2 wins each saw the cuemen through. The final place in the Semis was taken by the Star & Garter A as they ran out 4-2 winners at Staffs Bulls Hitters.

SEMI FINAL DRAW to be played on Sunday 9th June 2013:

JOINERS ARMS v PERKINS CUE @Tap n Spile/p>

METRO BAR A v STAR & GARTER A @Hop Pole/p>

Winners will play in the KO FINALS on Sunday 16th June at the Hop Pole.

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