Durham County

There were mixed fortunes for the Durham men's teams when they travelled to South Yorkshire for the Region One Inter Counties Championship.

Before the games began Durham A led the league by nine points from Cleveland and seventeen from their hosts, while the Durham B team were eleven ahead of East Yorkshire in the B League.

Durham A gave their championship hopes a real boost when they recorded a 28-16 victory. There were four wins from four matches for Mattie Green of Chester-le-Street and Andy Seal of Sherburn Hill, while Paul Armstrong of Shildon, Jed Clamp of Chester-le-Street, Dave Hodgson of Durham and John Bourne of Chester-le-Street all scored three points from four games. The points scored by Hodgson keeps him in second place in the Region Ranking list.

The Durham men's B team collapsed badly when they only managed to take two points from the final round and went down to a 27-17 defeat.

The Durham Ladies team were beaten 29-15 although Helen Littlewood of Langley Moor won all her four games. There were two points each for Joanne Makepeace and Barbara Patterson of Ferryhill, Sue Seal of Sherburn, Claire Tritton of Chester-le-Street and Kay Brennan of Crossgate.

County Super League

At the halfway stage of the league programme John Mason of Crook B leads the race for the Individual Player of the Year with 11 wins while second pace is currently shared by Bishop Auckland's Chris Bowran, Steve Wary of Ferryhill B, Shildon's Paul Armstrong and Gavin Witton of Crook B - all with ten wins each. The players tied in third place are Dave Hodgson of Durham, Steve Phillips, David Waites and Craig Poskett of Shildon, Neil Campbell and Doug Bowey of Crook A, Dave Bromley of Newton Aycliffe and Dave Bolton of Ferryhill A.

P W D L Pts

Shildon 7 7 0 0 62

Crook B 7 5 1 1 58

Bishop Auckland 7 4 1 2 51

Crook A 7 3 1 3 51

Newton Aycliffe 7 2 2 3 46

Ferryhill B 7 1 2 4 44

Ferryhill A 7 2 0 5 40

Durham 7 0 1 6 40

Crook League

Crook Queen's Head A recorded their best win of the season when they dropped only four points to the visiting Crook Jelly's Bar A. The Queen's had two singles points from John Howarth, Doug Smailes and Tommy Longstaff with Peter Genner and Neil Harker adding one each. The visitors replied with a point each from Stephen Belshaw, Michael Jewitt, John Gibson and Andrew Heyes, with the doubles shared.

At the top of the First Division, Crook Olde Horse Shoe A hold a two point lead with a match in hand over Crook Hotel A, who are four points ahead of Crook Belle Vue. In the Second Division the Olde Horse Shoe B team lead by twenty points from the Royal Sun B, who are eight ahead of Crook Surtees.

Results: Crook Olde Horse Shoe B 10, Crook Spitfire Club 4; Crook Jelly's Bar B 4, Crook Queen's Head B 10; Crook Coach and Horses B 8, Crook Golden Fleece 6; Crook Surtees 11, Croft SCA 3; Crook Royal Sun A 7, Crook Hotel A 7; Crook Queen's Head A 9, Crook Jelly's Bar A 5; Crook White Swan 5, Crook Mill House A 9; Crook Travellers Rest 2, Crook Olde Horse Shoe A 12; Crook Belle Vue 9, Crook Coach and Horses A 5; Croft SCB 7, Crook Royal Sun B 7; Crook Mill House B v Crook King's Head no result.

Bishop Auckland

League

Spennymoor Football Club celebrated their first victory since joining the league when they beat the visiting Spennymoor Pit Laddie. The footballers had two singles points from Ian Dixon and John Plummer with one from Dave Bell. The Pit Laddie levelled with two single points from both Shaun Archer and John Ramage with Wayne Harris adding one.

The Pit Laddie then moved ahead when Neville Dargue and Shaun Archer took the doubles point. John Plummer became the footballers hero when he clinched the first victory by beating Wayne Harris in both of the captain's games.

Crook Olde Horse Shoe lead the table by eighteen points from Bishop Auckland Derby, who edged a couple of points ahead of the third placed Bishop Auckland King's Head.

Results: Bishop Auckland FC 7, West Auckland Eden Arms 6; St. Helens Wheatsheaf 6, Spennymoor Railway 7; Spennymoor Weardale 3, Spennymoor Ashtree 10; Bishop Auckland Cumberland Arms 3, Crook Olde Horse Shoe 10; Spennymoor Hillingdon 5, Bishop Auckland King's Head 8; Witton Park Rose and Crown 3, Bishop Auckland Derby 10; Spennymoor Football Club 7, Spennymoor Pit Laddie 6.

Tow Law League

Sunniside Comedian moved six points clear at the top of the table after beating their neighbours from the Moss Inn by five points. Tow Law Football Club stayed in second place after inflicting the first defeat of the season on Esh Football Club. Tow Law New Market B are in third place, a point behind the footballers, after they beat the visiting Lanchester King's Head.

Malcolm Clarke and Steve Mather put the King's Head in front at the new Market B but wins from Ian Turner and Ray Weir levelled. Mark Brown restored the King's lead with Ian Simmons squaring the match after the singles were completed. The first two doubles were shared with the new Market B going to victory when Robert Hopps and Ian Turner beat Graeme Thompson and Davy Wales in the decider.

Results: Esh Winning Football Club 4 Tow Law Football Club 5; Sunniside Comedian 7 Sunniside Moss Inn 2; Tow Law Cattle Mart A 3 Tow Law New Market A 6; Billy Row Royal George 7 Tow Law Cattle Mart B 2; Tow Law New Market B 5 Lanchester King's Head 4; Billy Row Royal George 8 Tow Law Cattle Mart A 1; Cornsay Royal Oak v Tow Law Station and Hamilton Row Black Horse v Tow Law Rose and Crown - no result cards (home teams fined as a result).

Willington League

The League Singles Championship will be played on July 29 at four different venues with the winner from each qualifying for the Finals at Oakenshaw Club on August 9.

Draw: Willington Black Horse Stephen Parker (Lion & Unicorn), Brian Smith (Black Horse), Paul Maddison (Hunwick Club), Frank Hibbits (Brewer's Droop), John Chambeen Trow (Lion & Unicorn), Mark Davis (Black Horse), Jason Walton (Oakenshaw), Ian Richardson (Hunwick Club), Steven Stocks (Brewer's Droop), Michael Lee (Australian B), Brian Clough (Market), David Hawkins (Black Horse) and Michael Scott (Australian B).

Brewer's Droop: Ian Williams (Australian A), Stuart Shillan (Market), Michael O'Brien (Hunwick Club), Tommy Parkin (Black Horse), Andrew Carr (Quarry Burn), Dave Bennett (Oakenshaw), Michael Burke (Australian B), Kevin Bake (Lion & Unicorn), Ian Parrish (Market), Tony Atkinson (Football Club), Mark Edney (Hunwick Club) and Gary Trow (Market).

At the Market: Andrew Irwin (Black Horse), Stephen Burke (Australian B), Paul Briddick (Market), Dale Wilson (Oakenshaw), Anthony Binks (Hunwick Club), David Gallagher (Lion & Unicorn), Christopher Heslop (Football Club), Martin Eales (Black Horse), David Robson (Quarry Burn), Jim Bainbridge (Australian A), Darren Parkins (Black Horse) and Jeff Cass (Australian B).

National CIU Singles Championship

There was success for the Ferryhill Club players when they qualified for the last sixteen. Stephen Wray travelled to Grange Villa where he beat Ben Bowen while Andy Seal won Graham Robinson at Throckley Grange.

Worthington CIU Summer Championship

IN the first of the quarter final qualifying round-robins at Crowtrees, Trevor Lomax of Hunwick was unable to attend and was eliminated from the competition. In the match between the two remaining contestants, Jim Alcock of Wingate had a comfortable victory over Heppell Hodgson of Tow Law by 76 points.

Alcock, the holder of the Summer Trophy, scored regularly, without compiling any major breaks, while Hodgson never acclimatised himself to the table and failed one shot he would normally have scored from. Because of Lomax's absence the rules allowed both players through to the semi-final round robins which will be played at Meadowfield and Leeholme later in the season with dates depending on the qualifiers' holiday times.

Cleveland League

Combined Bowl Final

Richard Beckham of Redcar WMC took the individual combined Billiards/Snooker title, beating Keith Corner of New Marske IC by 296 points to132 at Lune Street SC but not as easily as the score-line suggests.

Beckham took the lead in the first frame of snooker, including a 51 break, to go 61-27 up before Corner went into snooker mode leaving the young Redcar star snookered on 3 consecutive visits, and conceding 14 points with foul strokes. Corner cleared the colours to the blue to lead 62-61 before his opponent went in off the pink with a careless shot, giving the New Marske player a simple pink to clinch the win. Beckham potted the black to reduce the frame loss to 68-74.

With both players off scratch, the Billiards leg, was decided early when Beckham compiled a 62 break to take a lead he never relinquished, despite a few small breaks by Corner. Beckham steadily pulled away, and eventually ran out 120-26 winner.

The last frame was a one sided affair, with Beckham running in

back-to-back 42 and 46 breaks before Corner had added to his start and finished with a score of 108-32.

Richard Beckham will be mentioined in the League Roll of Honour for his 132 clearance break during his preliminary round match in the Magnet Cup.

Tow Law Invitation Shield

Ken Robinson of Witton Gilbert won the Tow Law Shield and at the same time assured that no player has had his name on the trophy twice stayed intact as he beat former winner, Charlie Donaghy of Tow Law in the final.

Results: League A Arnold Fleming (Hunwick) beat Peter Laverick (Crowtrees) by 11; John Warriner (Crook Belle Vue) beat Charlie Donaghy (Tow Law) by 16; Fleming lost to Warriner by 46; Laverick lost to Donaghy by 24; Fleming lost to Donaghy by 25; Laverick lost to Warriner by 16.

League B: Fred Lintern (Willington) lost to Keith Mitchell (Newton Aycliffe) by 17; Heppell Hodgson (Tow Law) lost to Ken Robinson (Witton Gilbert) by 27; Lintern lost to Hodgson by 11; Mitchell beat Robinson by 40; Lintern lost to Robinson by 16; Mitchell beat Hodgson by 41.