Cleveland League

Combined Challenge Bowl Final

The match comprises one game of snooker, then one game of billiards (120 up) followed by a final game of snooker. The winner is the person with the best aggregate score.

The final was played between brothers Gary and Dave Beckett, both players for Redcar WMC, and was held at the Redcar Lakes Social Club.

The match was refereed by Gilly Hartshorn and Phil Vaughan.

Gary broke off in the first game but it was younger brother Dave who took an early 18 points lead when potting several incredible long shots before missing a pot on the black. Gary pounced on this mistake and took a grip on the game when building up a score of 39 points. Dave quickly responded increasing his tally to 37 but then missed an easy red due to a spectator moving in his line of vision. Gary went on to compile a 20 break and this, along with some excellent safety play, helped him to clinch the first game 65-44.

Dave broke off with a ten point handicap advantage in the billiards game and managed to maintain this advantage at 29-20. He then stepped up the tempo when compiling an outstanding 39 break taking the score to 68-37.

Dave continued to dominate the billiards and finally won by 120 points to 70.

The aggregate score advantage gained by Gary in their first frame of snooker had now been reversed with Dave now in the driving seat leading by 29 points.

The final frame started with several fouls being made. Dave took a firm grip on the game when compiling a 23 break and he then gradually increased points tally to lead by 52-2. Gary was now struggling and needed to dig really deep to have any chance at all of recovering from this deficit. Gary then compiled what can only be described as an incredible defiant and workman like break of 60. Gary then went on to pot the colours from the green ball to the pink and incredibly won the game 87-59. Gary ended up the overall winner on the night in an exceptional final.

Worthington CIU Winter League

Cockton Hill and Spennymoor B proved triumphant in play-offs last week. Cockton Hill took the runners-up spot in the First Division, while Spennymoor B beat Sacriston in the play-off for the Third Division top two spots.

Old Shildon, who had already landed the First Division Championship, staged the play-off for the runners-up place. Cockton Hill got away to a great start when Kevin Mordica hit top form to beat Fishburn A's John Griffin. George Chapman then increased the Hill's lead when he beat Brian Quest in the second frame, which was much closer than the first.

The third frame seemed to be all over in Cockton Hill's favour when Harold Lomax moved into a forty points lead against John Cater. However Carter hit back and could have took the point but failed on a clearance of the colours, leaving Lomax to take Cockton Hill to victory when he potted the last pink. Andrew Aisbitt and Lee Taylor were the Cockton Hill players not needed, while Peter Davison and Charlie Hirst did not play for Fishburn A.

The Third Division play-off at Tow Law saw tight safety the order of the day for the first frame, although both players were very nervous and missed shots they would normally have scored with. Eventually Alan Richardson of Sacriston was given a winning chance when Kurt McCormack left a fairly easy blue to the middle pocket. However, instead of rolling it in, Richardson tried to power it in to make the white come round the angles. The blue did not go down and McCormack cleared up to put the Moors ahead.

The second frame followed a similar pattern of safety and missed opportunities. However Steven Bradley of Sacriston moved ahead leaving Wayne Parry of Spennymoor needing a snooker on the blue and the last three balls to win. Bradley snicked the blue into the corner pocket but then watched as the white slipped in-off at the other end. After a spell of safety, Parry took on a long blue, potted it and followed with the pink, leaving a very difficult black along the end rail. He took the second point for the Moors with a magnificent pot.

Willy Nixon of Sacriston completely dominated the third frame as he never allowed Alan Shaw the slightest chance after opening out with an 18 break. The frame was easily won to pull Sacriston back into the match.

Micky Anderson gave Spennymoor an early lead with a 16 break but Kevin Laing quickly pulled back into the frame. However, Anderson put himself in the position of needing just one ball from the last three. Nixon pulled off a great pot to take the blue and gain perfect position on the pink, which he potted and left a thin cut into the corner pocket to take the black. Sacriston players leapt in the air when the black went down but their joy was short lived as the cue ball agonisingly slid across the table and fell into the middle pocket, with the Moors players taking over the celebrations.

Division One

P W L Pts

Old Shildon 20 17 3 70

Cockton Hill 20 13 7 57

Fishburn A 20 13 7 57

Wheatley Hill A 20 11 9 54

Brandon 20 10 10 52

Spennymoor A 20 10 10 48

Shotton Palms 20 9 11 47

Newton Aycliffe 20 10 10 46

Stanley Central 20 9 11 45

Witton Gilbert 20 6 14 45

Wheatley Hill B 20 2 18 29.

Top break: A Aisbitt (Cockton Hill) 105

Division Two

Willington 20 19 1 75

Ferryhill 20 13 7 57

Newhouse A 20 13 7 56

Wingate 20 13 7 53

Langley Park 20 12 8 51

Belmont 20 11 9 51

Sherburn Vill. 20 7 13 49

Meadowfield 20 8 12 47

Crowtrees 20 5 15 41

Hunwick A 20 5 15 35

Durham City 20 4 16 35.

Top break: Paul Atkinson (Willington) 105

Division Three

Spennymoor B 20 14 6 66

Sacriston 20 15 5 66

Newhouse B 20 14 6 61

Fishburn B 20 15 5 58

West Auckland 20 13 7 57

Hunwick B 20 10 10 54

Billy Row 20 10 10 50

Tow Law A 20 9 11 43

Leeholme A 20 5 15 38

Tow Law B 20 3 17 35

Leeholme B 20 2 18 22

Top break: D Jackson (Newhouse B) 51

Worthington CIU Team Knock Out Plate

The semi-finals both went to the very late stages of the final frame before Crowtrees and Fishburn B won their way through.

At Sherburn Village, Stanley Central gave away 43 points start to Fishburn B. In the first frame Wayne Oliver managed to extend this lead by just a single point but then Jim Dufton cut the Fishburn lead to thirty points after he won the second frame. Michael Vicary and Walter Cornell then pulled Stanley Central through to a 27 points lead with good wins. In the final frame Fishburn's Winston Hodgson excelled himself with a 28 break as he cut back the lead on Dennis Payne until both players needed the final black. Hodgson took it to give Fishburn a six points victory.

Cockton Hill gave Crowtrees 75 points start in their semi-final played at Spennymoor

Sonny Hann took the first frame for Crowtrees by just a single point, but then Andrew Aisbitt, Paul Weighill and George Chapman all made good wins to steadily overhaul the start and push Cockton Hill into a one point lead going into the final frame.

Sean Johnston of Crowtrees pulled out all the stops against Lee Taylor, who had guided the Hill through the last frame in the quarter final against Tow Law, and steadily built up a lead where he needed either the pink or the black for victory. He took the pink to take Crowtrees through to their first final since joining the league.

Worthington CIU Summer Singles

First round draw - to be played on or before 23 April: Stephen Hughes (Meadowfield) v Jack Wright (Wheatley Hill A); Peter McGowan (Sherburn Village) v Keith McLauchlan (Crowtrees); Charlie Blake (Old Shildon) v Adrian Twist (Sherburn Village); Karl Whitfield (Fishburn B) v John Hall (Brandon); Paul Hickman (Shotton Palms) v Keith Mitchell (Newton Aycliffe); Eddie Rhodes (Spennymoor) v Andrew Sugden (West Auckland); David Geraty (West Auckland) v Wayne Oliver (Fishburn B); Kevin Keers (Langley Park) v David Watson (Witton Gilbert); Graeme Jackson (Brandon) v Robert Roche (Langley Park); Malcolm Hughes (Meadowfield) v Alan Greener (Sherburn Village); Dave Walker (Wheatley Hill A) bye; Sonny Hann (Crowtrees) v George Whitelock (Fishburn B); Tom Parkin (Willington) v David Blyth (Wheatley Hill B); Scott Mallaburn (Sherburn Village) v Michael Pratt (Old Shildon); John Hall (Crowtrees) bye; Alan Buist (Fishburn A) bye; Sean Johnston (Crowtrees) v Raymond Coates (Langley Park); Barry Shaw (Leeholme) v Craig Hughes (Meadowfield); Kevin Davison (Witton Gilbert) v Stan Bennett (Willington); Neville Blenkinsop (Hunwick) v Kevin Sample (Brandon); Andrew Dent (West Auckland) v Ronnie Peacock (Wheatley Hil A); Willis Joynes (Witton Gilbert) v David Jackson (Newhouse); Billy Goggins (Old Shildon) bye; Charlie Donaghy (Tow Law) v Dennis Dodd (Spennymoor); Michael Pratt (Durham City) v Peter Laverick (Crowtrees); Kelvin Fletcher (West Auckland) bye; Brian Graham (Brandon) v Paul Nord (Langley Park); Frank Nicholson (Old Shildon) v Steven Bennett (Old Shildon); Stephen Coates (Langley Park) bye; John Bower (Sherburn Village) v Lawrence Jones (Leeholme); Michael Bell (Fishburn B) v Jimmy Evans (Shotton Palms); Arnold Fleming (Hunwick) v Michael Bower (Sherburn Village).

Worthington CIU Summer League

Fixtures. Tuesday, May 1 - Division One: Newton Aycliffe v Fishburn A; Wheatley Hill A v Spennymoor A; Stanley Central v Witton Gilbert; Shotton Palms v Wheatley Hill B; Willington v Old Shildon.

Division Two: Brandon v Newhouse B; Langley Park v Crook Belle Vue; Newhouse A v Meadowfield; Durham City v Sherburn Village. Ferryhill have a bye.

Division Three: Leeholme A v Hunwick; Crowtrees v West Auckland; Spennymoor B v Leeholme B; Fishburn B v Tow Law; Sacriston have a bye.

l There are still vacancies for two teams from CIU premises. Any team interested should telephone (01388) 730444 immediately.

South West Durham Association

Barnard Castle Glaxo made a great start in their first match ever in the league when they whitewashed the visiting Bishop Auckland Gents B team. Darlington Northgate were the only other team to record a maximum win, with their hosts at Darlington Snooker Club B being the victims.

Results: Old Shildon 1, Darlington Cricket Club 3; Hopetown 2, Harrowgate Hill 2; Albert Hill 3, Bishop Auckland Cricket Club 1; Barnard Castle Follys 1, Darlington Snooker Club A 3; Darlington Snooker Club B 0, Darlington Northgate 4; Bishop Auckland Gents A 2, Shildon Elm Road 2; Barnard Castle Glaxo 4, Bishop Auckland Gents B 0; Darlington East End 3, Ferryhill 1