STAFFS INTER-LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION MATCH 4

Stafford Blaze vs Leek (20/05/2011) @ Leek.

Stafford Blaze hosted Leek in the latest fixture of the Premier Inter-League season.  Once again skipper Lee Haidarovic did not have a full squad to choose from which has been very apparent since the beginning of the season.  Unavailable for this latest game included Craig Parsons & Kieron Johnson (work commitments); Ian Lewis (illness); Will Edge (personal reasons) & Lee Whitehouse (no show).  On a good note Spence Trow (the MVP player of last season) was persuaded into coming back and skipper Lee gave him a starting place at the expense of the captain.

The match started off like a horror show as, frame after frame, the Blaze fell further behind with reliable and experienced players all falling to their Leek counterparts whom went into a quickfire 4-0 then 5-1 lead.  However, Simon Davies (his first win of the season), Scott Haidarovic, Chris Broomhall & Brendon Ruttledge all kept their nerves to lead the fightback and go into the interval trailing 5-4.

The second half however was a carbon copy of the first half as Leek again stormed into a 4-0 then 5-1 lead. Again, the Blaze came back with successes for Spence Trow, Paul Loughhead, Simon Davies & Chris Broomhall (2 wins on the night).  Unfortunately, by the time Chris had won his game the match was already lost as on the other table the two captains squared up and Leek skipper Colin Leather (at his second visit) cleared the table to give the Leek side the win.

This latest setback should be fatal regarding a challenge for the title this season, next up for the Blaze is an away trip to Afford Players which will be another difficult task.

This match, held at St Georges, was brought forward due to a problem with the original scheduled date.

It was the Rickerscote team who flew out of the blocks going into a 2-0 lead before the Cue Ts hit back with two wins of their own, including an 8-ball from Steve Finney in the 4th frame, to share the spoils at the half-way stage.

Ricky A then reclaimed the lead by winning the first frame after the interval. Once again the Cue Ts hit back to level the score at 3-3 thus taking the tie into a final frame decider.

So, it was left to the captain of each team to battle it out and send their side into the final. Inevitably, for such a close match, the frame went down to a black ball game. Clair Maslin (Cue Ts) then had a chance at glory when she went for a difficult cut into a corner pocket but the black stayed up and, worse still for Clair, it stayed over the pocket. Up stepped Mick Bryant who seized his chance to pot the black ball but was agonisingly helpless as the cue ball followed it into the same pocket.

It completed a remarkable run to the final by the 2nd division team who had already dispatched two established 1st division teams (Rileys C and Hop Pole C) in the previous two rounds of the competition.

The Cue Ts now have a wait to see who they will play in the final. The other semi-final is due to be contested between Rileys Cue and Rileys A at the Rickerscote Arms on 12th June.

STAFFS INTER LEAGUE ELITE DIVISION MATCH THREE

Stafford Sunday v Cannock Chase @ Rileys 15th April

Stafford had the bare 9 players to pick from. 4 players dropped out during the week and so back came experienced Kev Brown, who was making his first start of the season as Stafford went in search of their first point of the campaign.

Simon Key got the Stafford lads off to a good start with a fine clearance and Steve Finney pulled off good win over County and Tour player Lee Grout. Captain Dave Whitfield, facing defeat was then given a chance and he duly took it with an 8 ball clearance to level it 3-3. However Cannock showed their quality and then raced into a 7-3 lead with Stafford looking at another poor defeat.

Simon Key then executed another great clearance along with Steve Finney as the Stafford lads fought back. Tom Tonna and Mick Addison also contributed with fine potting to level the tie at 7-7. The next 2 frames were of high quality with Dave Barker dishing off his opponent's dry break, while Dave Whitfield was on the receiving end against his opponent Rob Murray who also dished.

The scores were 8-8 going into the last 2 frames. Kev Brown was up against his Doubles partner Andy Rawlinson (who plays for Cannock) and it was the latter who came out on top to make it 9-8 to Cannock. So it came down to Mike Barker to salvage a draw. After an exchange of nervy shots, Barker had a chance but missed the black and let his opponent in to seize the chance and give Cannock a 10-8 victory.

This was a much improved performance by the lads and some notable performances stuck out, especially from Simon Key who was the MOM. Steve Finney also picked up a double on the night.

STAFFS INTER-LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION MATCH 3

Afford Plaza vs Stafford Blaze (15/04/2011) @ Fenton.

Stafford Blaze travelled to Fenton for their first away game of the new season against table topping Afford Plaza.  Skipper Lee Haidarovic had some work to do to even get a side for this game as no less than five players pulled out of the game within the past 24 hours.  Having said that, he did just that, by giving an earlier than scheduled debut to new signing Craig Parsons.

The first half of the match witnessed some high quality throughout, where only one mistake was needed to be on the losing end.  Up against a very good side, the Blaze found themselves a quickfire 7-1 down with only Chris Broomhall picking up his first win in 5 games with a 7 ball clearance.  A win for Brendon Ruttledge in the last game of the half gave the score a disappointing look of 7-2.

However, the second half started more brightly and 4 wins in the opening 5 frames saw the Blaze fightback to 8-6 with John Grobnik, Dave Baker, Ant Whitehead and Chris Broomhall all winning.  But, some more superb finishing by the home team saw the next two frames go in favour of the Plaza giving them an unassailable lead of 10-6. Craig Parsons gave himself a debut to remember with his first victory as a Blaze player after his opponent missed a relatively straight black, leaving it in the jaws.  However with three difficult pots still to go, he kept his nerve to sink the black.  Scott Haidarovic was unlucky in his last game to make the final score 11-7.

Man of the match was Chris Broomhall with 2 wins on the night including a superb first game clearance.

STAN BENT TEAM KNOCKOUT Sunday 27th March 2011.

It was the Quarter Finals of the Stan Bent Team KO and big victories for lower league opposition were very possible.

Rileys Cue T's from the 2nd div were still on a high after knocking out highly fancied Hop Pole C (winners 2009) in the previous round and did the same to 1st div Rileys C. Russ Pibworth got them off to a good start then Steve Finney pulled off a double to make it 3-2. Then it went to a decider and it was left to Ainoa Villar who saw the Cuties home with a fine snooker escape to pot the black.

Rickerscote A who currently lead the 2nd div unbeaten faced a tough challenge from in-form Tap n Spile. It looked as if it was going to form with the Tap going 2-0 up but back came the Ricky as they went 3-2 up. Phil Alldiss won 2 of those and when it went to a decider it was left to John Lainton who also picked up his 2nd win of the night to put the Ricky through 4-3.

Rileys A, 2nd in the 1st div, were made to work hard for their 4-3 win over a spirited 3rd div Perkins Social. Andy Rawlinson (2) incl a 'dish', James Morrison and Jim Simpson saw the Rileys team home.

2008 & 2010 winners Rileys Cue were up against 3rd div leaders Ricky C and after the first 2 close frames where Kev Brown and Dave Barker were successful for the Cue men both Dave Whitfield and Mike Barker cleared with one visit to book their Semi Final spot after running out 4-0 winners.

STAFFS INTER-LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION MATCH TWO

Stafford Blaze vs. Burslem (25/03/2011) @ Riley’s Stafford.

Stafford Blaze took on visitors Burslem in the latest Inter-League match on Friday night hoping to get a first win of the season under their belt.  The majority of the team that played Trent Trophies Baize were available with the exception of Simon Davies who was replaced by the newly signed and returning Scott Haidarovic.

Unfortunately the Blaze couldn’t have got off to a worst possible start when the experienced pairing of John Grobnik and Dave Baker both lost their opening matches.  This left Paul Loughhead to try and keep his personal 100% record alive and did so in stunning fashion with a five ball clearance.  Further wins for Brendon Ruttledge, Scott & Skipper Lee Haidarovic meant that the Blaze only went into the second half trailing 5-4.

The second half started off as a tight affair as the opening four games were shared with John & Ant Whitehead coming out on top but Dave and Paul losing.  However this is when the Blaze started to fall apart as no more wins during the remainder of the second half saw them slump to a disappointing 12-6 defeat.

On reflection, the Blaze didn’t do enough in the second half to challenge and of the seven frames dropped in the second half, only one of these frames may have gone the other way if luck was on the Blaze’s side as the visitors thoroughly deserved the two points.

Hopefully this can be forgotten when the Blaze go on their first away game of the season on the 15th April.

There was no man of the match in tonight’s game as nobody did enough to warrant the MVP award.

STAFFS INTERLEAGUE ELITE DIVISION MATCH TWO REPORT

Afford v Stafford Sunday (25/03/11) @ Longton Snooker Club

Stafford Sunday were hoping to put up a better performance travelling to Afford in this SCPA interleague Fixture. They welcomed back Alan Sim, Martin Priestley & Simon Key. Dave Barker and Mick Addison got Stafford off to a good start but then missed chances and careless play let a 2-1 lead become 6-2 down. However, Tom Tonna cleared well to nick the last one of the first half to trail by 3 frames. 

Simon key returned to the team and showed how much he was missed with a quality clearance to make it 7-4 down. The frame of the night however belonged to Tom Tonna as he broke off and duly cleared to record a fine dish and put Stafford back in it. Alan Simm was gifted a frame after his opponent potted the black but went 'in-off' to make the scores 8-6 down. Unfortunately the next 2 frames were the deciding frames and with a bit of luck could have gone Stafford's way, but it was not to be and Stafford trailed 10-6. Sean Alldrit and Steve Finney managed to put some respectability into the scoreline, winning the last two frames, although Sean's game also saw his opponent pot the black followed by one of Sean's balls in the middle. The Final Score was a 10-8 loss but an improvement from the last match.

The MOM on the night was without question Tom Tonna for his 2 wins, incl a dish.

STAFFORD SUNDAY POOL LEAGUE SINGLES & DOUBLES COMPETITION 2011

It is that time of the year for all participating players who played in the Parkside Electrical Sunday Pool League Winter 2010/11 Season to have the opportunity to enter this Annual event.

Players who qualify must have played in at least 3 matches (NOT 3 frames) during that season.

There will be Prize Money (dependant on how many entries) plus Trophies. 

Entry Fees are SINGLES - £2.50 each and DOUBLES - £5.00 per pair.

EMAIL the League Secretary for applications and arrangement of Fees.

ALL Monies to be handed to the LEAGUE OFFICERS. Contact Details on your Fixture Lists. Memos will be distibuted to the teams over the next couple of weeks.

STAFFS INTER-LEAGUE ELITE DIVISION MATCH ONE

Trent Trophies B v Stafford Sunday (18/02/2011) @ Green Baize, Hanley.

Stafford Sunday opened their Inter-league campaign in the Elite Division for 2011 against a very strong Trent Trophies B side. Captain Dave Whitfield gave debuts to both Neil Dale and Ben LeMaistre as some of last season's squad were not available due to other commitments. Sean Alldritt, Mick Addison and Steve Finney won their 1st frames as Stafford struggled to keep up with the quality from the home side as games passed with ease thus going into a 6-3 deficit at the interval. The second half saw Stafford have more of the play with chances going begging and this resulted in TTB making the most of the opportunities. Tom Tonna and Sean Alldritt (his 2nd win of the night) were the only victors and so left the final score 13-5 to the hosts.  

STAFFS INTER-LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION MATCH ONE

Stafford Blaze vs. Trent Trophies Baize (18/02/2011) @ Riley’s Stafford.

It’s a new season in the Staffs Inter-League competition and with no local derby this year it was up to the Blaze to put together a string of fine results in order to challenge for this year's title.  Incoming players for the 2011 season included Simon Davies & Kieron Johnson who will hope to fill the void left by the departing Spencer Trow and Scott Haidarovic.

Team captain Lee Haidarovic was unable to call on a full squad for his first outing back as captain but believed he still had enough to secure all two points against a Baize side that only picked up a point from their respective matches last season.

The Blaze started off brightly and efficiently with the experienced pairing of John Grobnik and Dave Baker being too good for their Hanley based counterparts.  Good solid wins for Paul Loughhead and Ant Whitehead meant that the Blaze would take a quickfire 4-0 lead.  However, in typical Blaze fashion, sloppy play in the next 4 frames from the Blaze had them pegged back to 4-4 before Brendon Ruttledge luckily scrapped a win to give the Blaze a slender 5-4 interval lead. 

The second half was a carbon copy of the first as both John, Dave and Paul all won but then a mixture of sloppy play and luck came into play to bring the TT team back in the game to make the score 8-8 going into the last two frames.  Ian Lewis & Brendon Ruttledge were the two players whom hopes were relying on and whilst Ian lost his game, Brendon kept his nerve to win his to make the final score 9-9.

Man of the Match was a close call between John and Dave but the latter gets the vote for his brilliant six ball clearance in his second game.

Next up Burslem at home.

The new Interleague Season will be starting on the 18th February 2011. Stafford Sunday will now be competing in the Elite division after being promoted from the Premier section. Stafford Blaze will be competing in the Premier division. Stafford Blaze will hope to challenge this season with their experience and established side. Stafford Sunday will have to raise their game as they pit their skills against very strong opposition such as TTA, TTB, Cannock, Leek A and Afford.

Two teams gained victories over higher division opposition in the 1st round of the Stan Bent Team ko. Rickerscote C from the 3rd div defeated 2nd div St. Georges B 4-2. Brian Lycett (2), Dave Ashton and Les Murphy were the victors on the night. 3rd div Perkins Social also achieved the same score over 2nd div Rangers Social. James Devlin (2), Rob Harris and Warren Bradbury all won. Staffs Bull L put their poor league form to one side after they ran out 4-3 winners over fellow 1st div side Rileys. 2010 holders Rileys Cue came through with a comfortable 4-0 win over 3rd div Metro Bar. Both Bear & Pheasant sides also recorded 4-0 victories over the Joiners and Rileys Rockets. To See more results from the 1st Round click on the Knockouts link.

All of the 2010/11 Winter League fixtures are now available. The Winter League continues to operate with three divisions. Divisions 1 and 2 each contain 11 teams whilst 10 teams will play in Division 3. The consequence of this is that there will be fixture byes in all divisions. One team will have a bye every League Sunday in the top two divisions. Two teams will have a bye in the 3rd division on League Sundays with the exception of 2 dates (14th November and 27th February) when all 10 teams have a fixture. This is in order to start and finish all 3 divisions on the same dates.

Rileys Cue are the 2010 Summer Knockout Champions after coming back to beat Rileys Rebels 4-2 in the final.

Frame 1 saw Rob Wharne (Cue) take control against John Grobnik after pushing the black near to a pocket that he had covered. But a rare miscue by Rob when going for game let John back into the game and, after a tactical battle on the few remaining balls, it was the Rebels player who eventually sank the black.

Dave Baker's (Rebels) attempted dish from the break in the 2nd frame fell just short after he jawed a very fine cut on his last red to the middle pocket. Martin Priestley stepped up for the Cue men but missed an awkward pot that left Dave a shot on his ball. He duly dropped it in the middle and the black followed to put the Rebels into a 2-0 lead.

Pressure was now on the defending champions as Dave Barker (Cue) broke off in the 3rd frame. The balls scattered but nothing dropped. However, the white ball had found a safe place on the table leaving Alan Simm no option but to take on a very difficult combination shot which failed. Dave now had a finish on and, slowly but surely, cleared the table in his next visit.

The final frame before the interval saw age versus youth as Kev Brown (Cue) attempted to level the match score while Sean Alldritt (Rebels) was hoping to give his team a 3-1 lead. Kev had the first chance to seal the frame but jawed a tricky black. This allowed Sean to establish a footing and he progressed to have a shot on the black. But fear of a possible in-off caused him to not only miss the shot but also pot the cue ball, leaving Kev an easy black to level the match score at 2-2.

The Rileys Cue captain, Mike Barker, tackled Gaz Baker in a 5th frame that saw Gaz establish control of the table by covering 2 corner pockets whilst Mike was trying to protect the black ball. Eventually, Gaz saw a possible finish on but missed a relatively easy pot on his penultimate colour. This forced Mike to go game earlier than he probably would have liked but he held himself together and took out a top finish to put his team into the lead for the first time.

Frame 6 saw a rematch of the first frame as John Grobnik (Rebels) looked to make it a double over Rob Wharne and force a last frame decider. As in their earlier frame it was John who had the first opportunity to claim the win but he fell just short as his final colour skimmed the middle pocket. After a short exchange of shots it was Rob who claimed the victory and sealed a 4-2 victory for the Rileys Cue.

The win saw the Rileys Cue team claim a clean sweep for 2010 adding the Summer League title to victories in the previous Winter League and Stan Bent Trophy.

Rileys Cue Ts are the Summer Plate Knockout Champions after a convincing 4-1 victory over Albion in the final.

Ainoa Villar (Cue Ts) set the ball rolling with a win over Dan Moore (Albion). Cue Ts captain, Clair Maslin, should have made it 2-0 but followed the black in with the white ball to present the game to Dan Hibbs. A win in the 3rd frame for Russ Pibworth (Cue Ts) over Ant Varkulys (Albion) restored the lead to the Cue Ts. Back-to-back wins for Steve Finney over Dean Marley and Dan Moore in the 4th and 5th frames secured the win for the Cue Ts.