PARKSIDE ELECTRICAL has ended its sponsorship of the Pool League. The committee and members wish to thank Peter Harvey for his financial support over the last 6 years.

MARKET PROMOTIONS has taken over the role of sponsor of the Pool League. More information can be found on the Sponsors page.

21st October 2012 @Rileys, Stafford.

RILEYS CUE v BEAR & PHEASANT

Rileys Cue became Summer League Champions for a 5th time as they saw off the challenge of the Bear & Pheasant winning 4-2.

Frame ONE. Dave Whitfield was drawn against Dave Arrowsmith and it was Arrowsmith who broke off and in no time was in his stride in his attempt to clear the table until he unfortunately snookered himself on the black. He then awarded 2 shots to Whitfield and he then set out to clear the table with a composed manner until he also fell short on the black. However he managed to place the cueball tight on the top rail thus leaving Arrowsmith a difficult chance on the black. He missed and so left Whitfield a long black and he held his nerve to pot it in the corner to put the Cuemen 1-0 up.

Frame TWO.  Mike barker was up next against Andy Rawlinson and it proved to be a one-sided affair. Barker broke and they split ideally as he set out to clear the table. With Rawlinson watching, all he could do was hope that Barker would lose position. Barker did lose position but a fine double set himself up for a straight black to complete a dish and so put the Cuemen 2-0 up.

Frame THREE. Dave Barker was paired against Giles Eastwood and that also turned out to be a one-sided affair like the previous frame. This time Eastwood broke but unfortunately potted the white off the break. Barker siezed his opportunity and it was a faultless and composed finish that saw the Cuemen race into a 3-0 lead.

Frame FOUR. Rob Wharne was on next and he faced the challenge of James Morrison. Wharne broke and he looked on course as they split beautifully. Then, uncharacteristicaly, he lost position leaving himself a tough long red into the corner. He missed it to let Morrison back in and he set out to take a stranglehold of the frame. He gradually took control and although Wharne responded well with some fine tactical pool, it was Morrision who had the first chance and he cleared the table with a fine pot on the black to pull one frame back to trail 3-1.

Frame FIVE. Martin Priestley was drawn against Andy Rawlinson and it was a tussle between these two. That reflected in the game as it never showed the quality of the previous four frames. However, nerves were evident with Priestley trying to close the match out and Rawlinson trying to claw another frame back. Rawlinson had the first chance and it looked as though he was going to finish it off but a missed red into the middle let Priestley in but he then missed a yellow into the corner. Rawlinson this time made no mistake as he potted the black to pull the score back to 3-2.

Frame SIX. Dave Barker was again paired against Giles Eastwood and this time it was Barker's turn to break. A dry break let Eastwood in and this time it was his turn to show his potting ability. Things were on track until his last colour. he left a difficult long red into the corner and just when it looked as though it was going in, it rattled the jaws and stayed out. This brought Barker back to the table and he had no alternative but to play snookers to bring him back into the game. A misjudged error by Eastwood then let Barker in. Barker, as he did in his earlier match then set out to clear the table in a composed manner and left himself a straight black to win the match for the Rileys Cue. Their 5th Summer League Title in eight years.

Also a special thanks to Lynda Simpson for refereeing the Final which was played in great spirit.

The new Winter League Fixtures for the 2012-13 season are now online.

There will be 3 divisions running from 28th October 2012 until 16th June 2013. As usual, matches will not be played on Bank Holidays weekends.

There are 13 teams in the top division which means that each team in this division will have 2 byes over the season.

There are 12 teams in each of the 2nd and 3rd divisions. In order to finish the fixtures across the League on the same day (16th June 2013) it has been necessary for each team in the bottom two tiers to have 4 byes over the season. These will be split into 2 byes in each half. This will mean some teams may have byes on consecutive weeks of the season.

• Division 1 Fixtures
• Division 2 Fixtures
• Division 3 Fixtures

SEMI FINAL RESULTS

RILEYS C 3-4 BEAR & PHEASANT @Hop Pole

RILEYS CUE 4-0 RILEYS ALBION @Rileys

Rileys Cue will play the Bear & Pheasant in the Summer League Final @Rileys on Sunday 21st October. Bear & Pheasant had to overcome 2011/12 Winter League Champs Rileys C in a close fought Semi. Giles Eastwood led the way with an 8 ball finish in the first frame and then Jim Simpson won the 3rd. It was left to James Morrison who won 2 frames including the last to secure the Bear & Pheasant a place in the final. Ant Whitehead (2) and Alan Sim replied for Rileys C. Rileys Cue (winners in 2005, 2007, 2009 & 2010) saw off the challenge of Rileys Albion with 4-0 success. After their heroics the previous week, the Albion lads never got going and it was down to Rob Wharne, Martin Priestley, Dave & Mike Barker who saw the Cuemen through to their 4th consecuetive Summer Final after their Plate final win in 2011.

QUARTER FINAL RESULTS

RILEYS C 4-0 OXLEATHERS B @St. Georges

RILEYS CUE 4-2 GPO CLUB A @Metropolitan Bar

RILEYS ALBION 4-2 TAP N SPILE @Hop Pole

BEAR & PHEASANT 4-0 ST. GEORGES @Tap n Spile

Winter league champs Rileys C progressed to the semi finals with a comprehensive 4-0 win over winter 3rd div champs Oxleathers B. Alan Sim, Ant Whitehead, Mark & Scott Billingsley all won. 4 times Summer league champs Rileys Cue were made to work hard for their 4-2 success over GPO Club A with Rob Wharne & Dave Barker winning 2 frames each and Barker achieving an '8 ball dish'. Mark Sheerin & Mick Bryant replied for the GPO. Rileys Albion pulled off an excellent 4-2 victory over Tap n Spile thanks to Dan Hibbs, Craig Guy, Liam Watson & Derek Marley. Jamie Woolley won both of his frames for the Tap. Bear & Pheasant also made light work of St. Georges A with a 4-0 success. Andy Rawlinson, Giles Eastwood, Jim Simpson & James Morrison all won.

SEMI FINAL RESULTS

METROPOLTAN BAR 2-4 STUDIO REBELS @Rileys

RILEYS 3-4 HOP POLE C @Tap n Spile

QUARTER FINAL RESULTS

STAR & GARTER B 0-4 HOP POLE C @Rileys

METROPOLITAN BAR 4-1 JOINERS ARMS @Oxleathers

STAR & GARTER 0-4 STUDIO REBELS @Rileys

STAFFS BULL B 1-4 RILEYS @Star & Garter

STAFFORD A v LEEK

Played on Friday 28th September 2012 @Rileys, Stafford.

Stafford went into this match hoping to return to winning ways after there 10-8 defeat in their previous game with Burslem. Martin Priestley & Mark Billingsley returned to bolster the ranks.

Stafford again started slowly as they soon trailed 3-0 to an impressive start from the visitors. However Stafford started to show some of the form they had at the start of the season as Lee Whitehouse, Mick Addison, Gav Davies & Dave Barker all won to put the Stafford lads 4-3 up. Leek levelled the scores before Mark Billingsley made it 5-4 at the halfway stage.

Stafford were hoping to start better in the second half but they again lost the first 3 frames to trail 7-5 and were looking towards another defeat. Then Lee Whitehouse and Mick Addison pulled it back to 7-7 but Leek made it 8-7 after a fine clearance from their player. It was then test of character and nerve that was needed to pull Stafford back and both Gav Davies & Alan Sim put the Stafford lads 9-8 so leaving Mark Billingsley the opportunity to be the hero. It looked as though his opposite player had the game won but narrowly missed the black. Billingsley showed his composure and cleared the table to win the match 10-8 for Stafford.

A fine comeback against a useful Leek side which keeps Stafford top of the table with 4 games to play. However they need to start getting of to a better start after poor starts in the last 2 matches.

MOM goes to Mick Addison with his 2 wins on the night with good clearances, Lee Whitehouse, Gav Davies & Mark Billingsley played their part when things were looking bleak for the team.

Rob Wharne becomes Stafford Sunday Pool Singles Champion for a 3rd year in a row!

Lynda Simpson becomes Stafford Sunday Ladies Singles Pool Champion for the first time in its 2nd year!

Rob Wharne joined an elite of previous multiple champions with his 3rd title after seeing of the challenge of Steve Finney 5-3 in the final of the Stafford Sunday Pool League Singles Knockout. Only Mark Bailey & Chris Fox have won the title in history on 3 consecutive occasions. Bailey (actually on 4 occasions) in 1993, 94, 95 & 96, Fox in 1985, 86 & 87.

Rob Wharne (Rileys Cue) was drawn against 2007 champion Andy Rawlinson (Rileys A) in the Quarters and ran out a 3-0 victor including 2 'dishes' to set up his night. Steve Finney (Rileys Dogs) (2009 & 2010 runner up) was drawn against 2011 runner up Dave Whitfield (Rileys Cue) and also recorded an identical score to put himsef through to the semi final. 2009 champion Dave Barker (Rileys Cue) saw off the challenge of experienced Mick Addison (Hop Pole C) also with a 3-0 success which included a 'dish' to reach his 4th semi final. Giles Eastwood's (Rileys A) first appearnce in a Quarter Final saw him overcome 2003 runner up Spencer Trow (Emerald Rebels) 3-2 in a hard fought match.

The first Semi Final saw a repeat of last year's match between Rileys Cue teammates Rob Wharne & Dave Barker drawn against each other. Barker was 2-1 up and looked to be a good position to take the 4th but an uncharacteristic miss let Wharne back in and he never looked backed as he sealed the next 2 frames to win 4-2. The other Semi Final saw Giles Eastwood pair up against Steve Finney and this match followed a similar pattern with Eastwood opening up a 2-1 lead but Finney ground out a fine finish to take the last 3 frames to win 4-2 and put himself in the Final for the 3rd time in 4 years.

The Star & Garter B team in Group A of the Summer League has been deducted 10 points after failing to submit the result card from their 7-1 victory over Oxleathers A on 19th August. This is a repeat offence by this side (despite several warnings) and the point deduction is in line with 16a of the League Constitution.

STAFFORD POLE v STAFFORD A @Hop Pole, Stafford

Played on Friday 17th August 2012

Dave Whitfield (capt, Stafford A) had 12 players to pick from for their local 'Derby' at Stafford Pole. Lee Whitehouse (Holiday) was the only absentee but he welcomed back both Martin Priestley & Mark Billingsley. Ian Lewis (capt, Stafford Pole) was missing due to his honeymoon, so Brendon Ruttledge took over the captain's role.

Stafford Pole welcomed back former Stafford A player Spencer Trow to the side and he pulled off a great clearance to put the Pole 1-0 up. Back came Stafford A and they responded well with wins from Dave Barker, seeing off the challenge of Dave Baker, Giles Eastwood who narrowly beat Gaz Bryant & Mick Addison who cleared well to beat debutant Simon W Davies. Paul Loughhead & Jason Armishaw responded with fine wins over Dave Whitfield & Sean Alldritt to level the scores at 3-3. Mike Barker played well for his win over another ex Stafford A player, Simon Key, and then both Mark Billingsley & Alan Sim cleared well to put the Stafford A side 6-3 up at the halfway point.

The 2nd half saw Dave Whitfield make 2 changes with Martin Priestley coming in for Alldritt & Jim Simpson replacing Whitfield. Ruttledge brought Craig Parsons in for Bryant. Giles Eastwood and Mick Addison both recorded their 2nd wins on the night with wins over Dave Baker & Spencer Trow respectively. Craig Parsons pulled off an excellent win over the in-form Dave Barker to make the scores 8-4 to the Stafford A lads. Gavin Davies then made it 9-4 with a win over Simon W Davies but Paul Loughhead had other ideas as he cleared well to make it 9-5 for his 2nd win on the night. Mark Billingsley then had the honour of securing the win for Stafford A with a fine clearance to beat Armishaw and then Martin Priestley made it 11-5 with success over Ruttledge. Simon Key saw off a spirited challenge from Jim Simpson and Ant Whitehead pulled off some fine potting to beat Mike Barker to make the the final score 11-7 to the Stafford A team.

A much improved performance from Stafford A to make up for the disappointing result at Afford Plaza (they drew 9-9). However with Plaza losing to Stone it means that Stafford A now have outright lead in this section and will need to maintain this form for the rest of the campaign.

MOM goes to Mark Billingsley for his 2 wins on the night but Mick Addison continues to impress after another double while Giles Eastwood's return to form was good timing going into this match with his 2 wins.

Next up sees Stafford A host Burslem on 7th September while the Stafford Pole travel to Stone on the same night.  

Just a reminder to teams who need to know this particular rule, this is in the Constitution:

16. All result cards are to be handed into the designated drop-of point which is:

         RILEYS or JOINERS ARMS by no later than 20:00 the following Thursday.

16a. Any Result Cards that do not meet this deadline, the OFFENDING TEAM will lose all points and will be deducted from the league.

16b. Winning teams are responsible for handing the results, in the event of a drawn match, then it is the responsibility of the home team.

Can all team captains OR designated contacts within their teams please note that it is their responsibilty to adhere to these rules, NOT league officers or committee members to contact or chase the teams for the results.

Regards, League Committee.

 

RILEYS CUE  4 - 2 JOINERS ARMS A

 

This years Final was a repeat of the 2008/9 Final where Rileys Cue ran out 4-3 winners that time. Rileys Cue were defending there crown but were made to work hard the previous week with a hard fought 4-2 victory over 2nd div winners Rileys Dogs whereas the Joiners Arms A defeated newly crowned league Champions Rileys C in their Semi by the same score. That was the Rileys C first defeat of the campaign (24 matches).

 

Rob Wharne (Cue) was paired up against old teammate Kev Brown (Joiners). Brown broke and immediately went for the clearance, but after a few pots he lost position on his last ball. He bravely went for it but fell short and let Wharne in. that was the last time Brown played a shot because Wharne showed his quality by clearing the table in fine style to put the Cuemen 1-0 up.

 

Martin Priestley (Cue) was drawn against Paul Shepherd (Joiners) and the match struggled to match the standard of the first frame. Shepherd always had the upper hand in a tactical frame but Priestley had a chance to take the match away but a poor positional shot left him short and Shepherd duly cleared to level the scores.

 

Dave Barker (Cue) was paired against Tim Teece (Joiners) and this was always going to be close. Barker was struggling to get a hold of the match and after some fine tactical play by Teece, Barker fouled to give Teece 2 shots. Teece knew the importance and took the game by the scruff of the neck and looked in great position then suddenly He screwed the cueball too far with 2 shots on the black, he snookered himself. He failed to get out of the snooker and Barker seized the initiative to clear the table to put the Cuemen 2-1 up.

 

Mike Barker (Cue) was drawn against Daz Waters (Joiners). This was always going to a close match, so it was important to take the first chance when it arrived. Barker had the first chance and was looking good but a missed pot gave Waters the opportunity to take control. After a few exchanges of tactical play Waters had his chance and a composed finish saw him clinch the frame to again level the scores at 2-2.

 

The 2nd half saw the level step up and first up was Dave Whitfield (Cue) paired against old rival Paul Shepherd (Joiners). This was going to be the turning point of the match. Shepherd broke off and the split was ideal. Shepherd went for reds and looked on course for a ‘dish’ but then he fell just short on his penultimate ball. He tried to hit the whole red ball but clipped Whitfield’s Yellow. Whitfield with 7 yellows and first visit to the table saw the chance as the balls were spread well. He composed himself and took his chance and a fine shot on his last ball gave himself an easy pot on the black to put the Cuemen 3-2 up.

 

Rob Wharne was again paired against Kev Brown and this time it was Wharne to break. Brown must count himself very unlucky this time as Wharne again Cleared the table with some fine potting & Finishing to seal the match 4-2 to the Cuemen who made it 3 Stan Bent Final wins in a row. This will some form of consolation to make up for the disappointment on losing their first div crown.

A great Final played in Great Spirit and three 8 ball clearances on the night to be seen.

RILEYS  2 - 4  OXLEATHERS C

Oxleathers C of the 3rd division picked up their first silverware with a 4-2 succes over 2nd div Rileys. This was a close fought match played in great spirit between two evenly matched teams. Both teams went in with 6 players and it was wins for Jonathon Lowe, Tom Vernon, Charlie Grant & John Lee Marshall who sealed a 4-2 win for the Ox C team. Jamie Bailey & Shaun Cooper responded for the Rileys team with their wins.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

SUNDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2012 @RILEYS STAFFORD - 7.45pm PROMPT

All existing and new teams are invited to join the

PARKSIDE ELECTRICAL Stafford Sunday Pool League WINTER SEASON 2012/13.

SUBSCRIPTION FEES - £45 per team

Teams who cannot attend on the night must contact

Mr. D Whitfield or Ms. L Simpson

EVENING AGENDA

1. Minutes from last years AGM.
2. Chairman’s report. 
3. Secretaries report. 
4. Treasurers report.
5. Election of officers and committee members*.
6. Proposed changes*.
7. Constitution.
8. Any other business (AOB). 

*ALL TEAMS PLEASE NOTE that election of OFFICERS and

proposed new changes must be put in writing or via email and sent

 to the LEAGUE SECRETARY by Sunday 26TH AUGUST 2012.

Changes CANNOT be made on the night.

SCPA INTERLEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION - 27th July 2012

AFFORD PLAZA v STAFFORD A @Plaza, Fenton.

Stafford A travelled to Fenton to play a top of the table clash against Afford Plaza. Skipper Dave Whitfield was missing Mark Billingsley, Martin Priestley & Lee Whitehouse but welcomed back Sean Alldritt & Gav Davies.

Stafford knew the importance in getting off to a good start which was evident with wins from Gavin Davies and Dave Barker in the first three frames to lead 2-1. Alan Sim narrowly lost to England Ladies trialist Leanne Cragg whereas Giles Eastwood could only sit and watch his opponent break and clear to level scores at 2-2. Mick Addison and Sean Alldritt saw off the challenge of 2 promising county juniors to put the Stafford lads 4-2 up and with Mike Barker losing his frame it was Dave Whitfield who consolidated a 2 frame cushion to lead 5-3. Jim Simpsom was victim to a blackball fluke to give the hosts a deficit of one frame.

Stafford started the 2nd half in disastrous fashion. Missed chances, poor selection of shots and losing focus saw the hosts run in the first five frames to give them a 9-5 lead and leave Stafford A staring defeat in the face, in what was a crucial match of the campaign. However, the team spirit and determination saw Stafford slowly but surely come back into the match. Dave Whitfield played against one of the promising county juniors and held his nerve to stop the rot at 9-6. Mick Addsion and Mike Barker then mustered fine clearances to bring the deficit back to one frame and gave Sean Alldritt something to play for. He was in big trouble with his opponent in complete control of the deciding frame. However a strange shot selection gave Alldritt 2 shots and he somehow managed to bring his last colour and black out into the open. He then duly potted them to level the match score at 9-9. Great comeback and an important one it was!

For the first time this season Stafford A showed signs of complacency and losing 6 frames on the spin was evidence of this. But the positives were there to be seen as they then showed true grit and determination to come back and level the match. This result still sees Stafford A lead this section at the halfway point of the season. 

MOM goes to Sean Alldritt for his last frame heriocs and his 2 wins on the night. Also fine double wins for Mick Addison & Dave Whitfield (his first double of the season) led to the fine comeback.

Next up sees Stafford A play a local derby this Friday 17th August against Stafford Pole @ the Hop Pole.

With the new Premier League season kicking off on 18th August it's time to start thinking about the players you would like in your Fantasy Football team.

All Stafford pool players are invited to join the League of Cuemen for the 2012-13 season. Entry is free with the option to make transfers during the season as well as changing your starting line-up every game-week from your chosen squad of 15 players.

Last year's league was won by Mike Barker who held off a strong challenge from Lee Haidarovic.

Click here to enter your team and you will be automatically added to the League of Cuemen. You shouldn't need the league code but, just in case, it is: 677792-172727.

Good luck to all managers.