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Hastings & Bexhill Bar Billiards league
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Stag finish runners up despite defeat and OKJ win again
Friday 15th March
The Stag finished the season as runners up despite a 3-2 defeat at the Ashburnham Arms this was aided by the Old King John's 3-2 win at the Jenny Lind B.
The Ashburnham Arms ended the season with a 3-2 win against the Stag, Mick Osborne took the first game in a high scoring frame against Chris Aldridge, after their opening breaks Mick got the break back and put in a nice 3k break, Chris fought back with a lovely 2k break to edge closer but Mick managed to keep ahead despite a late 1k break from Chris who recorded a PB. The second frame was a nip and tuck affair, both players edged towards the 1000 mark in small breaks despite Leigh Truslove losing a 800 break. Alec Pope edged ahead and after a few small breaks built a 1k lead. Leigh closed the deficit to 609 but the bar came and with the red falling down Alex won the game. The home side took the lead again as Sandy Harmer beat Peter Payne. Sandy broke off with 1k and after Peters opening breaks Sandy got the break back and hit a 4.8k break before adding another 4k to take him to over 10k and win the frame. The home side won the match as Leigh Truslove beat David 'hot pants' Dow, both players were very close early on, Leigh gained a small lead and a with a 400 break managed to get 600 ahead with the bar gone, 'Hot pants' couldn't get near Leigh as the Ash won the game. In the final game Colin Southouse just squeezed past Lynne Truslove in a very tight game. Colin broke off with a fantastic 8280 break, Lynne managed to get a good break of 1k, Colin came back on and managed to get the highest score of the night with an eventual score of 11,020. Lynne yet again produced a great performance under a different circumstance. The Ash end the season with a win as they look forward to the Rix Cup.
The OKJ ended the season with another win to finish the season with 12 successive wins, they ironically ended the season against the only team that beat them this season as they got their revenge with a 3-2 win at the Jenny Lind B. The champions got off to the perfect start as Roger Andrews beat Jez Horsler with both players scoring their teams highest score of the night, the home side fought back and got themselves in to the lead as Alex Reardon squeezed past Gary Tomlin and super sub Chris Law beat Mark Bailey to make it 2-1. Nigel Doe levelled the match as he pipped Steve Astley by 130 and the reliant Andy Ellison won the final game to give the away side the win as Andy ended the season with a 100% record away from home.
With the season we now look to the Rix Cup which will be starting on 27th March, all details to follow.
A massive thanks to Roger Andrews who has been keeping all the stats for this season and now we are delighted to share the averages with you by clicking the link here or Download from here
PS. The fixtures in page four are only advisory and will need to be confirmed later in the summer
Stag leap to second in penultimate week
Sunday 10th March
The Stag have moved in to second place and are in the driving seat to claim the runners up spot after a 5-0 win at home to the Jenny Lind A. The Champions the Old King John continued their winning run as they overcame the Ashburnham Arms at home 3-2. W
ith the JLB not playing this week, the Stag were keen to regain the second place spot and knew they needed a win against the JLA. With Andrew galavanting in the fjords and Jimmy unable to cross the Stag threshold, it was up to Ray, Matt and Paul to stop the Stag charge. First up was David v Matt and the match started badly with both players losing their breaks to pegs. Other attempts were better with David making breaks of 2890+ 2300 to pretty much leave Matt with not enough time to catch up. Next up was Colin v Paul. Paul knew he had an uphill struggle and although he had chances to score, there was no way he was catching Colin who was in fine form, scoring three 2k's and a total that tickled 10k. Next up was Peter "The Maverick" against Ray.
Ray has been in fine form this season and so Pete was asked to stop going for the 200 every shot and play to win! The game was tighter than the score suggests and Ray was very unlucky at times. The redraw after the break saw Chris play Paul and this was a real rollercoaster of a game with neither player really taking an advantage until the last couple of minutes and with the scores relatively close, Chris bagged enough points to leave Paul with not enough time to catch up. The last match was Alec v Matt and as Alec pointed out, when he plays fifth, his aim can sometimes be out, due to fatigue (or something!!) and he felt the pressure to come up with the clean sweep. Fortunately, it didn't show and both players battled well. Matt was unlucky with the pace on the break shots a couple of times but Alec, who is sometimes guilty of the same, remained focused and steady and led throughout the game to take the win. The match was played in a very friendly atmosphere and there was much laughing. Mainly with the Stag team taking the mickey out of each other but the JLA boys had fun too and some went out afterwards for late night drinks together.
The OKJ won again as they beat the Ashburnham Arms 3-2. In the first game Andy Ellison started with a 1k break and Dave Pear e replied with a similar break, Andy got the break back and got a 2000 break to win the frame and continue his superb winning record. The home side went 2-0 ahead as Chris Lamb beat Leigh Truslove. Chris raced in to a 2k lead, Leighs luck wasn't in as he lost a 300, 1000 and 200 break. Chris managed the game well and ended up with 3k. The visitors got a game on the board as Mick Osborne beat Derek Whiting. Derek was coming off a win last week but Mick got in to a decent lead from the off and despite a loss of a good break of 3500 he won the leg. Sandy Harmer beat Roger Andrews to level the match, Roger started brightly but Sandy got in to a lead, Roger gave Sandy his birthday and Christmas present as he left the break short and put the break down four times to give Sandy enough chance to build enough breaks to win the game. The home side took the match as Nigel Doe produced a good performance to beat Lynne Truslove, despite Nigel's good breaks Lynne was the real winner after a tough few weeks as she recorded her PB for the season. Lynne had two 1000 breaks and held her own in a good game but Nigel deserved the win as the OKJ win again that continues their winning streak.
League Fixtures
Week 1: 4-10-23
Jenny Lind A 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
The Stag 3-2 Jenny Lind B
Week 2: 11-10-23
Old King John 4-1 The Stag
Jenny Lind B 4-1 Jenny Lind A
Week 3: 18-10-23
Jenny L:ind A 2-3 OKJ
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 Jenny Lind B
Week 4: 25-10-23
Old King John 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
The Stag 4-1 Jenny Lind A
Week 5: 1-11-23
Jenny Lind B 4-1 Old King John
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 The Stag
Week 6: 8-11-23
Jenny Lind B 2-3 The Stag
Ashburnham Arms 3-2 Jenny Lind A
Week 7: 15-11-23
The Stag 1-4 Old King John
Jenny Lind A 2-3 Jenny Lind B
Week 8: 22-11-23
Jenny Lind B 4-1 Ashburnham Arms
Old King John 4-1 Jenny Lind A
Week 9: 29-11-23
Jenny Lind A 3-2 The Stag
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 Old King John
Week 10: 6-12-23
Old King John 4-1 Jenny Lind B
The Stag 4-1 Ashburnham Arms
Week 11: 10-1-24
Ashburnham Arms 3-2 Jenny Lind A
Jenny Lind B 2-3 The Stag
Week 12: 17-1-24
The Stag 1-4 Old King John
Jenny Lind A 1-4 Jenny L:ind B
Week 13: 24-1-24
Jenny Lind B 4-1 Ashburnham Arms
Old King John 5-0 Jenny Lind A
Week 14: 31-1-24
Jenny Lind A 2-3 The Stag
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 Old King John
Week 15: 7-2-24
Old King John 3-2 Jenny Lind B
The Stag 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
Week 16: 14-2-24
Jenny Lind A 2-3 Ashburnham Arms
The Stag 4-1 Jenny Lind B
Week 17: 21-2-24
Old King John 3-2 The Stag
Jenny Lind B 2-3 Jenny Lind A
Week 18: 28-2-24
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 Jenny Lind B
Jenny Lind A 1-4 Old King John
Week 19: 6-3-24
The Stag 5-0 Jenny Lind A
Old King John 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
Week 20: 13-3-23
Jenny Lind B 2-3 Old King John
Ashburnham Arms 3-2 The Stag
Full Fixture List
OKJ win the title
Friday 1st March
The Old King John have regained their crown and are Winter League Champions after a 4-1 win at the Jenny Lind A, the OKJ have only lost one match on their way to the league title which have only included 22 legs lost in their 14 matches. The Jenny Lind B have regained second spot with a 3-2 win at the Ashburnham Arms.
After the draw Ray Norton opened for JLA against Andy. Both players had small breaks to start, but the table was not playing ball having been shifted back to its original position on Monday. On many occasions slow shots were refusing to drop, instead ringing, or veering slightly off course, and it looked like we were in for an "interesting" night. Andy managed to recover from the table variations, and midway managed to assemble the highest break of the night, 2.1K to ensure that the first frame went to the OKJ. Typically, Ray's game only picked up after the Bar dropped! The late running Mark B’s frame was shifted down the order, and Jimmy played Roger, next. Jimmy started really strongly and had an initial break of over 1.4 k when he dropped the break shot in for the 4th time! Roger also started strongly but he kept his starting break, and after that Jimmy was struggling to get back into the frame, whilst Rogert had a few 1k breaks to ensure that he was over the horizon when the bar dropped. Next up was Andrew vs Nigel, Nigel was on really good form pulling all his special shots out of the bag, and whilst Andrew was scoring smaller breaks, Nigel was heading into the distance. Andrew fell foul of the ball left between the 50 and white peg, and rather than ploughing the peg on the way up, somehow managed it on the way back. instead. Lady luck had left the building for the Jenny A team at this point, Nigel running out an easy winner. After the sandwich break, and still without Mark arriving, we played the last drawn frame, Matt against Derek. Derek started steadily and made a few hundred, and then the usually reliable Matt stepped up, but things went downhill. Both players continued making very small breaks with the table quickly loading up with all the balls out on the table. Half way through, Derek black pegged, and that left Matt with a 500 lead, bur rather than Matt taking advantage, it galvanised Derek who came back, and in a few breaks including 500 from the break shots, overtook Matt, whilst Matt’s game play self-destructed. At the bar, Matt’s game also picked up, but he was too far behind to catch! Mark having finally arrived, he played Paul, and again the scoring was very sketchy, breaks were lost on both sides and the table was turning really evil, trying not to let any balls fall! The amount of ringing going on was huge, and neither player was massively ahead. Paul was on the table as the bar fell, and having lost the red early on, was slowly clawing back Mark’s lead. The final ball remained and Paul was just under 200 behind. He dropped the white in the 200 hole, the table having been moved out from the wall, and the frame was won by just 10 points! Our table needs some more TLC to fully level it, as it has not really recovered from being shunted aside during the Fat Tuesday celebrations. Match score JLA 1, OKJ 4, probably sealing the league championship.
The home side took the lead as Sandy Harmer beat Alex Reardon. After a break of just under 1k from Alex, Sandy replied with a 3k starting break. Alex started a comeback and near the end was only 800 behind until Sandy got another 3k break to seal the game which was described by an unnamed source as 'really boring'. Jez got in the lead early and was looking to run away with the game but Dave worked hard and managed a 600 and 1k break to go level near the end of the game, Jez managed a decent break at the end to level the match. The away side took the lead as Steve Astley produced a good performance to beat Leigh Truelove, despite an untidy start to he game Steve managed to get control of the table and end up with over 4k to make it 1-2. The home side drew level as Mick Osborne scored the highest score of the night as he beat Rob Boucnik, after a slow start Mick got in to the groove and a 3k, 2k and 1k break meant he won the match despite a good effort from Rob. In the final match of the night we saw a lot of constructive criticism throughout the game but despite that Alex Reardon and Dave Pearce tried to impress, Alex took an early lead and managed to stay ahead throughout, Dave lost a couple of breaks that could've changed the game but Alex kept what he needed to win and won the game and match for the Jenny Lind B.
Jenny A win the derby as OKJ close in on title
Saturday 24th February
The Jenny Lind A took the spoils in the Jenny Lind derby as they defeated the B team 3-2 as the Old King John are within touching distance of the title after a 3-2 win at home to the Stag.
The Eastbourne contingent of the Stag team turned up 10 mins late, which seemed to have caused a bit of a stir, but once the 1st game got underway things lightened up and an enjoyable evening was had by all. The rule of the day as mentioned at the start of every match at The OKJ was to hit the break "hard". Alec Pope opened up against Andy Ellison and hit the break off well but relaxed on his third attempt gifting Andy a chance to forge ahead and following some steady progress ended up 2k ahead, both then swapped breaks for most of the game, with Alec slowly catching up and remaining in contention until the last few minutes where Andy recovered the break and regained his opening lead as the bar fell 1-0 OKJ. Chris Lamb stated off against Colin Southouse steadily with a 1k+ break but he failed to keep 1 up losing his opening break Colin took to the table and made a creditable 5680 opening break, Chris got the balls down quickly and progressed with other break but again failed to keep one up for the second time on a similar break total as before. The clock was ticking and Chris had no time to make further inroads to his deficit 1-1 OKJ. Tom Pope came to the table against Mark Bailey both traded blows for the whole game with no one getting away. Tom sneaked in at the last minute to take the game by only 270 points 1-2 OKJ. Roger Andrews slipped up early against Peter Payne leaving the 1 up short but bagged 450, Peter came to the table and sadly for him failed to hit the break hard enough to sink either ball, Deja Vu from his previous outing at the OKJ. Roger got the break back and bagged a 2k+ break, Peter had no luck following plenty of chances to make a come back. Roger continued confidently and looked good for achieving the nights high score but another failure to keep 1 up and losing a 2k+ break put paid to his aspirations finishing on 6740 2-2 OKJ. So to the decider, Dave Dow who looked like death warmed up, probably shouldn't have been playing tonight opened against Nigel Doe, the Stag were hoping that the "in form" Mr Dow would banish his opponent to the sidelines, but it was not to be, Nigel played carefully and kept adding to his total. Dave had opportunities but nothing seemed to work. Nigel opened up a 2k+ lead and Dave was unable to reduce the deficit 3-2 OKJ. Nice evening with the OKJ lads with plenty of giggles, Peter Payne won the football card which made his night marginally more successful.
The Jenny Lind A shocked the B team with a superb performance to win the Jenny derby. The 'visitors' got off to the perfect start by winning the first two games with Jimmy Sullivan and Matt Jones who impressed again with a score of 4370 to give the A's a 2-0 lead, the home side fought back with Andy Horsler scoring their highest score of the game with 4490 to make it 1-2 but the comeback was very short lived as Andrew Lipscombe won the fourth game to complete the win for the A's. Alex Reardon continued his great season with a good score to make it a respectable 2-3 scoreline.
After an eventful week 17 the Old King John only need a 3-2 win (6 points) to confirm themselves as champions.
Stag go second after big win
Saturday 17th February
The Stag have gone second in the table after a big 4-1 win against the Jenny Lind B, the home were without Peter Payne and Colin Southouse due to valentines day duties but even without they produced a superb performance to leapfrog the Jenny Lind B in to second. Meanwhile at the bottom of the table the Ashburnham Arms defeated the Jenny Lind.
The draw was made by home team captain Ray, and “team selector” Sandy, in the absence of Dave P, Ash team Captain. We were sadly informed that Dave White has retired his cue.The third match was played first as Lynn and Leigh had only just arrived and that matched Andrew Lipscombe against away captain Dave Pearce. Dave started tentatively, abut came off quite quickly and Andrew forged ahead with a good initial break, both players then settled into a Set of 500-600 breaks and then coming off pattern, but Dave seemed fated to drop more pegs each time, and even though Andrew pegged on a 1k break, he was still ahead and when the bar went Andrew was victorious. Next up was Jimmy and Sandy, Jimmy was in better form than of recent times, and managed a good start, and then Sandy opened with a really impressive break from the start only to then peg. The Table has started to throw balls up the middle and both players struggled to make large scores, until Sandy got the break shot back and forged ahead, this time keeping his 1.8k break. Both players then swapped middling scores and Sandy seemed to come away with the better break each time, until when the Bar went there was an unassailable 1k difference. It was noted that the table had been moved towards the wall even further, owing we think to the crowds for Fat Tuesday – more of that later. Next up was the delayed Paul vs Lynn. Lynn confidently broke and made a reasonable start, whilst Paul’s recent break shot confidence has now alluded him, and he scored very poorly. Lynn continued to score, and Paul then started to get into the swing, although neither player was scoring highly, but it was close. Both players lost scores to pegs, and somehow many balls seemed to cluster around the 30 holes but refused to drop. When the bar dropped and Paul was on the table and managed to clear the balls leaving the red ball up, requiring the red in the 200 to win. As I’ve mentioned the table has been shifted closer to the wall, which meant Paul’s normally dependable (if that is even a thing) 200 shot was not possible from the right side and needing the red ball he took aim from the left and pegged. Lynn finished of the frame and it was then 2-1 to the Ash. After the sandwich break, home Captain Ray Norton played Leigh Truslove, who was inexplicably being heckled by wife Lynn. Ray’s recent confidence with the break was short lived, but still managed to make nearly 700, when Leigh took over but managed to leave the balls short on break 3. Ray forged ahead and Leigh got into the swing of things but still managed to drop more than his fair share of Pegs. The balls again started sticking in the corners, but the scores were close maybe 500-700 apart, but with 5 mins to go a wayward ball hurtled up the table and Leigh black pegged. Ray continued slow and steady and despite some excellent shots from Leigh with a final shot at the 200 the black peg fell again and Ray cleared up. 2-2 into the final frame, Jimmy was selected to play a second match, now after a few wines. Mick and Jimmy played out a tentative final frame, which left many balls lining up down the middle, which encouraged Jimmy to play some outrageous shots, and losing pegs, while Mick was playing the long game and kept his scores ticking over. The balls appeared to be being kept up by a series of “wack-a-moles” on many occasions and only when the Bar fell did Jimmy’s luck change, allowing him to get on to the score card. Final result Ash 3 Jenny A 2.
The returning B team then manhandled the table back to as near as its original position, and will hopefully level and secure it early next week.
With the table booked and the tension palpable it was sure to be a valentine’s night to remember with the Jenny B team heading to the Stag. David and Jez are first to dance. Jez breaks off chalking up 1400. David is chasing, but it doesn’t take him long to knock in 1310 and level up. It could be any one’s game, both have multiple chances to inflict damage on each other. David is 300 down as the bar drops, the table is his. Alas, he leaves the 1 up short allowing Jez back to the baize to clear up and take the win for the Jenny B. Stag 0 – Jenny B 1. Chris and Andy play next. Andy misses the break but puts a score on the board while Chris knocks in 800 on his break and pegs. It’s a scrappy middle of the game, with Chris managing to bank a 900 break to take the lead. Both players were unfortunate to miss a few shots, the balls weren’t playing ball in this match. In between the battling both players knocked in a few balls but with Chris edging away. As the bar drops Chris clears up to claim victory. Stag 1 – Jenny B 1. Alec and Steve were the next match. Both didn’t manage to capitalise on the break, but with Steve getting straight back to break he set to work knocking some balls in. It was level scoring throughout until the bar dropped. Both players could have taken the victory with the red ball being one last one left. Alec pots it to take the win. Stag 2 – Jenny B 1. Tom and Alex were next up to the baize. Tom took an early lead with Alex not quite getting to grips with the break. Alex was battling but could never find rhythm. Tom capitalised when given the opportunity and built up an early 2 bag lead. If Alex didn’t have bad luck he wouldn’t of had any luck at all. Stag 3 – Jenny B 1. David was drawn to play for a second time and this time he played Rob. Both players scored off the break. With David out to set the record straight he cleared the table early on to get back to break and take a 1300 lead. Both players continued to score, though not one more than the other. The bar goes with David having secured the 4th game of the night for the Stag team. Stag 4 – Jenny B 1
OKJ win battle of the top two
Monday 12th February
The Old King John have yet again extended their lead at the top of the table after a 3-2 win at home to second placed Jenny Lind B, meanwhile the Stag won a nail-biter at home to the Ashburnham Arms 3-2 in a match where all games went against the break.
Tonight sees the Ash visit the Stag for what’s set to be a night of drama. Kicking off Pete plays Mick. Mick’s break comes to an end after leaving the 1 up short, while Pete steps up for his break and chalks up an impressive 3550. Mick’s back on the table and doesn’t inflict any real damage to Pete’s score. Pete contributes another bag to his score before Mick comes back on the table and knocks in an 1810 break, but it’s too little too late. Stag 1 – Ash 0
Next up Tom plays Lynne. Tom gets off to an ok start before leaving a ball short. Lynne misses the break and Tom’s back to the table, but playing loose he takes a few pegs. Lynne chips away at his lead for most of the mid match to and for before putting in a decent break to take the lead. With Tom chasing the bar drops and like a Dundee United he sinks the red rather than saving it for the last ball. Tom clears the table but is 60 short of victory. Stag 1 Ash 1
In the third game Colin plays Leigh. Colin sets off with an impressive 5810 break and Leigh follows with a 540 break. The rest of the game plays out slower with each player contributing roughly a bag to their break scores. Stag 2 – Ash 1
Chris plays Dave next. Chris builds a break but misses, no score. Dave’s on the baize and sets to work knocking balls in until he pegs. No score after both breaks. Chris is back to the table with the break but left the 1 up short, Dave returned to the table but doesn’t capitalise on the situation, allowing Chris back to build an 800+ break before pegging. It’s a scrappy match with both players continuing to miss and peg alike while chalking up small breaks. Towards the end of the match Dave takes the lead and as the bar goes, he scores his biggest break of the night to take a 500 point lead. Chris is back on but there’s not enough points on the table. Stag 2 – Ash 2
And so, it comes down to the last match. Alec plays Sandy. With Sandy breaking off with a 2480 break. Alec’s break is shorter lived than he would have wanted and it’s an exchange between the two for the first third of the match. Alec finds rhythm and knocks in 2370 to draw back with Sandy, it’s game on! Sandy’s back to the table with 840 but misses. Alec plays a ball and walks the black peg, but it stays on his feet, the room erupts. With Sandy’s next visit its unfortunately more wood for him. The game is still anyone’s until Alec steps up and pockets a few reds in the 100 gets back to break and contributes 1360 to his score. The bar drops and its victory for Alec and the Stag. Stag 3 – Ash 2
The top two battled it out at the OKJ and the league leaders came out on top 3-2. The home side won all their first three games with Nigel Doe hitting the highest score of the night with 6410, Andy Ellison and Mark Bailey who's good form continued all winning, the visitors rallied as Steve Astley and Jez Horsler (4,980) won the final two games of the night to halt the run-away train that it the OKJ who have now extended their lead to 20 points going in to the last quarter of the season.
OKJ extend lead at the top
Saturday 3rd February
The Old King John have opened up a 16 point lead at the top as they took advantage of the Jenny Lind B's bye week as they won 3-2 at the Ashburnham Arms. The Stag returned to winning ways with a close 3-2 win at the Jenny Lind A.
The Old King John have opened up a big lead at the top of the table after a 3-2 win at the Ashburnham Arms, Andy Ellison gave them the lead after a steady start Andy got a few decent breaks together to give himself a lead that Leigh Truslove couldn't catch. Sandy Harmer levelled for the home side and started with his highest break of the season with 7200, Roger Andrews managed to get 2000 all together in the end with a few small breaks but with the time Sandy took up there wasn't any chance of a comeback as Sandy ended with 10,660. The home side took the lead with Mick Osborne beating Nigel Doe, both players started very similarly and were level until Mick managed two small decent 1500 breaks to give him breathing space which Nigel couldn't catch. Mark Bailey produced a fine performance to level the match against Leigh Truslove in his second outing. Mark produced a couple of solid breaks and was in the lead for the entire match as Leigh was scratching his head as to why no balls were going down. In the final game of the night Chris Lamb defeated Lynne Truslove, Chris started well and managed to build a decent lead, Lynne saw a few pegs and Chris played a fine game to ease home the win and secure the 3-2 scoreline for the league leaders,
The draw was made with out the late arriving Jimmy, who was under the weather. First up was home team Andrew against Alec from the Stag. Alec started brightly but managed to leave the 2 balls up on his first break, and Andrew made a good >1k starting break. Both players swapped reasonable scores, but Alex was not adapting to the table as he normally does, but toward the end of the frame when easily ahead Andrew pegged, leaving Alec a chance. However he did not manage to take advantage, and was 1k behind when the bar dropped - first blood to the home team. Next up was home captain Ray against acting Captain for the night, in the absence of Tom, David. Ray did not start well and came off the table with a 400 score, and then David stepped up and was straight into his game scoring an impressing 2.5 k from the break. Dave was in a Duracel bunny mood to which Ray had no answer. David scored well on every visit, and despite taking some risky shots was well ahead at the Bar and only Ray dropping the last ball prevented David getting a 6k score. Next up was Matt and Peter, Peter scored well and so did Matt and the scores were nip and tuck for the most part, Matt played well but did not quite score as well as Peter, and gradually Peter with some 4-pin inspired shots moved ahead making the overall 1-2 for the Stag. After the excellent sandwiches, Paul and Chris started, with both players making some uncharacteristic small scores but the frame was even, Paul was on a good break which would have secured the frame, but inexplicably managed to peg, leaving just a few hundred between them as the Bar dropped. Paul's local table knowledge managed to get him over the line and he dropped the winning last ball into the hundred. All even with the last frame to play, which pitched the late arriving and poorly Jimmy up against Colin. Colin started well and made a good initial break before jimmy started but jimmy made the fatal mistake of dropping the 2 balls 4 times, and after that Colin was away. Colin made another 2 k break,and despite his reduced table timeand really extravagant shots Jimmy clawed his way on to the score board, whilst Colin disappeared over the horizon, finishing with 6.3k against Jimmy's 1k. Final score Jenny A 2 Stag 3.
Top two win big in Week 13
Sunday 28th January
The Old King John and the Jenny Lind B had very good weeks for their title chances as they both won big, the Old King John defeated the Jenny Lind A 5-0 at home while the Jenny Lind B beat the Ashburnham Arms 4-1.
The night started with an absolute cracker between Mick Osborne and Andy Horsler, Mick started well with a 1200 break, Andy replied with a 2500 break. Mick came back with a 1300 break to level the scores, Mick got in the lead by 500 before Andy got the break back and hit a lovely 2k break. Mick got near level but Andy managed to create a 1k lead heading in to the final minutes, Mick got the break back and scored a 1500 break to gain the lead, Mick held his nerve in the final shots to win the first leg with Andy knocking the black peg down with the final ball with 5500 points on the board. The second game was a totally different affair as Steve Astley drew the game level with a win over Sandy Harmer, Steve started strongly and kept the lead throughout as Sandy struggled to get going. Steve managed to easily stay in the lead and ran out a deserved winner. The home side gained the lead with Rob Boucnik winning against Dave Pearce, a very even game early on but Dave losing a good break halfway through woke Rob up and a good 1k break saw him lead in to the final minutes and ran out the winner. The home side took a further lead as Alex Reardon beat Leigh Truslove, Alex started with a good break to give himself the lead, Leigh started to claw back the deficit and was within touching distance throughout the game but Leigh couldn't get the vital break to take the lead as Alex won the fourth game. The returning Lynne Truslove played Jez Horsler in the final game of the night which saw Jez take an early lead which saw him through the rest of the game as Lynne struggled to get the break back.
The Old King John recorded a 5-0 win over the Jenny Lind A, Mark Bailey started the night well for the home side swiftly followed by Andy Ellison doubling the lead. Roger Andrews recorded the highest score of the night as his good form continues, Chris Lamb and Nigel Doe won the final two games of the night to ensure a 5-0 win.
OKJ win big at the Stag while the B's win the Jenny derby
Friday 19th January
The Old King John made a big statement in the title race with a 4-1 win at the Stag, the Jenny Lind B have stayed in contention with a 4-1 win in the Jenny derby.
Jenny A v Jenny B
After the draw was made Alex started off against home player Andrew, Alex started with an impressive 1.8k break and then Andrew broke but could only manage just over 500, before leaving the table. Both players exchanged mid level breaks, and no one dominated, but the deficit remained at about 1.k until the bar dropped.
Jez from the B team stepped up against Paul, and Jez forged ahead and managed to put daylight between them with an excellent 3k break, Paul was having none of the run of the table and many pegs fell on the way to his 1.3k final sore whilst Jez kept scoring to roll out by 4k.
Matt has next up for the home team against guest star Chris Law. Chris started off well and steady and then Matt took over and bagged a 1.3 k start. Both players made reasonable breaks and Matt slowly forged ahead, whilst Chris executed some fine but unconventional shots. Matt finished a good 1.4 k ahead but in reality it seemed much closer until the bar dropped.
After the excellent sandwiches, Home captain Ray stepped up against on the day Captain Steve from the B's. Ray managed a good 1k + break from the start, whilst Steve faltered early, Ray made another 1.3k break whilst Steve continued to struggle, and by just over half way there was a 3 k difference. Spurred on by that Steve then compiled a 4k break to storm into the lead, leaving Ray at the bar to finish with a reasonable score but disappointed to be 3k behind, sealing the victory for the B team.
The returning Jimmy, bolstered by many Teas, took to the table and despite all his efforts did not manage to trouble the score board for much of the match, whilst Andy Horsler was his usual dependable mid scoring self. Jimmy finally managed to get on the score board and somehow scored 1.3k, whilst Andy finished a comfortable winner on 4k. A good evening was had by all.
Tonight sees the OKJ visit the Stag at home.
To kick off preceding’s, Chris Played Andy. Andy got the break off the bat and put in a decent contribution. While Chris struggled to settle in and started slipping behind. Andy capitalised on all of Chris’s misfortune to build a 2 bag lead. Bar drops. Stag 0 – OKJ 1.
Tom and Roger were up next, with Tom leaving the break short Roger got straight to work with his first break chalking up 2300. Tom’s game got no better with pegs and missed opportunities. Leaving Roger to clear up and bank a solid 5640. Stag 0 – OKJ 2
Pete played Mark in the third round. Mark set off smoothly with a 1300 break, Pete responded with a 960. The game swung from side to side until Pete took a peg and Mark steamed off to take the win. Pete would have won if style scored points, he knocked in a few beautiful 200 shots, its always on! Stag 0 – OKJ 3
David takes on Gary next to hopefully stem the whitewash. Can David keep the momentum from last week’s win at the Jenny? David opened with a nervy 650, Gary matched it and takes a small lead. David is left chasing but pulls his sleeves up and takes the lead. With Gary chasing he takes a peg letting David is back on the baise. David doesn’t mess about and capitalising on Gary’s mistake he clears the table and gets back to break. From here on out David is in control. Bar. Stag 1 – OKJ 3
The last game of the night sees Alec play Nigel. Nigel takes to the table in fine form and puts in a decent opening break. Alec left the break short a few times but manged to pot the cue ball to continue building the break. With each visit its clear Nigel means business and he builds a significant lead over Alec. A third of the way through the game Alec is presented with the red just to the left of the 200 hole, if he gets it it puts him back in contention, alas, he missed and black pegs. Nigel romps home with the win. Stag 1 – OKJ 4
Stag keep pressure on top of the table in Week 11
Sunday 14th January
The Stag continued their improved form this season with a 3-2 win at the Jenny Lind B, a result that see's them go level on points with them. Meanwhile the bottom two battled it out with the Ashburnham Arms squeezing past the Jenny Lind A 3-2/
The Ashburnham Arms remain undefeated in 2024 as they beat the Jenny Lind A 4-1. The first game was the best game of the year so far as Andrew Lipscombe produced a great performance to beat Dave White, after a level start Dave took the lead with a 1k break but the rest of the game was very one sided as Andrew produced a 1k break then a 1600 break to win the first game.
The Ashburnham leveled the score with Dave Pearce beating a luckless Paul Wickens. Dave started well and built a 1k lead, a further 1k break built Dave a strong lead, despite Paul's efforts luck wasn't on his side. Dave ended the game 2k ahead.
The home side went ahead as Sandy Harmer beat Ray Norton, Rays game was similar to Paul's where lady luck wasn't on his side, Sandy built a strong lead with an opening 3k break and added a further 2k in little breaks to win the game.
The away side levelled with Matt Jones producing a stellar performance to beat Mick Osborne, Mick struggled early on as Matt built a decent lead, Matt scored a 1k break and suddenly was 2k ahead, Mick tried hard to get the break back but despite all his efforts they were to no avail.
The final game of the night between Matt Jones and Dave White wasn't one for the record books with both players struggling with all the balls up the back, Dave built a small lead but extended it throughout very slowly and somehow won the game and the match with 960.
The Stag go level on points with the Jenny Lind B after a 3-2 win, Dave Dow produced a great score to place the visitors ahead and Colin Southouse made it 2-0 shortly after. The home side started their comeback with Steve Astley scoring over 5k and Andy Horsler producing a season PB to level the match at 2-2 but the visitors has Peter Payne to thank as he won the final match of the night to give them the 3-2 win.
Hastings represented in four pin competition
Saturday 9th December
Players from the league represented East Sussex in a four pin competition last weekend. The 4 pin Iinter-county Tournament was held at the Inn on the Green Ockey on 2nd Dec 23 , There were 3 teams of 6 involved, Hastings, Worthing and Redhill representing East Sussex , West Sussex and Surrey respectively. .
Click Here to read Clive Thompson's fantastic write up and stat about the day.
OKJ top the tree at Christmas
Saturday 9th December
The Old King John will be top of the table at Christmas after a 4-1 win in the top of the table clash against the Jenny Lind B, meanwhile the Ashburnham Arms will be bottom of the pile after a 4-1 defeat at the Stag.
As always, it’s a pleasure to welcome the Ash team to the Stag to bang some balls about the baize. First up Alec played Mick. With Mick missing the break, Alec took an instant 1300 lead. It didn’t take Mick long to get his eye in and he came back at Alec with a 1700 break. With Alec continuing his current form, his next two visits to the table saw breaks of a bag and 880 to seal the victory. Stag 1 – Ash 0
Next up Chris was to play Sandy. Sandy got straight to business knocking in a 860 break, while Chris worked hard to build his own break before losing it to the wood. There was a bit of back and forth, and Chris came within 150 of Sandy before Sandy chalked up 1410 and steamed into the lead. The bar goes as Chris is on the table, but there’s not enough points available. Stag 1 - Ash 1
Back are raring to go after lasts weeks defeat, Colin is drawn to Lee. It’s a slow start to the match and everything is square at 800. Colin works hard and builds a decent break before taking a peg. Lee responds with a mighty 1530 break. Colin builds another break, only to lose it to a peg. I hope he’s going to plant some saplings for the amount of wood he’s chopped down this game. With Colin 1500 down he’s back on and works away to clear the table. He’s back to break and finds his rhythm to put in a superb 3470 break given the circumstances. The bar drops and lee is back on the baize but there isn’t enough points to take the lead. A brilliant match with Lee putting Colin under pressure. Stag 2 – Ash 1
In the fourth match we have Pete (the 400s always on) Payne against Lynne. Pete kicks off with a decent 810 break. Lynne doesn’t find the break allowing Pete back to the table to chalk up a bag break. Lynne finds her groove and replies with a 500+ break. With each of Pete’s visits he makes short work of clearing the table and getting back to break. Lynne made a final solid break, but it wasn’t enough to catch Pete up. Stag 3 – Ash 1
The final match sees Lynne to play Tom. With it being Lynne’s second match, she doesn’t have a break. Tom breaks off to knock in 700, while he’s closely matched by a solid start from Lynne. Tom’s back on the baize and finds rhythm to make a break of 2180. Lynne’s back on but not given the opportunity to respond as Tom knocks in a 1520 and leaves an awkward red for Lynne. With a mighty attempt Lynne dislodges the red but unfortunately doesn’t pot allowing Tom back to the slate. As the bar drops Tom clears the table except the last two balls, which Lynne pots. Stag 4 – Ash 1.
The Old King John went 10 points clear in the table after defeating the Jenny Lind B 4-1. Mark Bailey produced his highest score of the season to beat Andy Horsler, the away side levelled as Jez Horsler continued his great form by beating Chris Lamb in a close game where 9000 was scored. The home side took control from there on, Andy Ellison and Roger Andrews won the next two to complete the victory before Nigel Doe scored the highest score of the night with 5,550 to seal the 4-1 win.
Jenny A off the bottom as the OKJ go top
Saturday 3rd December
The Jenny Lind A have climbed off the bottom of the table after a superb 3-2 win at home to the Stag, whilst at the other end of the table the Old King John have gone top after a great comeback 3-2 victory at the Ashburnham Arms.
After the draw, and as some of the Stag has only just arrived, we played game 2 first. Andrew and Chris played out a very close game with neither player dominating, both had reasonable breaks and the frame could have gone either way. Chris was marginally ahead when Andrew put together a break to take him into the lead as the bar dropped. Chris was unable to catch but made the score very close by dropping the final ball in the 200 hole.
The next frame was Paul against Peter. Peter made a 1k odd start, but Paul’s much improved break shot recently, failed him on this occasion, and whilst both players took turns in scoring the initial break was enough to split the players as the bar dropped.
Next up was Jimmy vs Alec. Alec broke well and took a commanding lead whilst Jimmy’s game has deserted him of late. Nothing worked out for Jimmy whilst Alec was potting balls and scoring mid-range breaks, Alec rolled out an easy winner.
After the sandwich break (what no twiglets?) home captain Ray took on Colin. Ray initially started well but left the one up short, then Colin started and looked to score well only to peg. Ray continued and then scored about 1k, and Colin returned and scored moderately before his touch deserted him. Ray continued to score and keep Colin from the table and made another 1k break. Colin then regained the break shot but again his scoring broke down, and again Ray played on making a reasonable score. Tension in the Pub was rising, but Ray kept his cool to keep his score and ensure that Colin could not return, playing a series of 30 shots. However, Colin did regain the break shot but again did not manage to get his scoring going and when the bar dropped there was a 2k lead. There was a stunned silence from the Stag and jubilation from the Jenny side!
Going into the final frame with the match in the balance, Matt and David played out a game of 2 halves. In the first half Matt could not hit the side of a barn, and Dave made a few reasonable breaks to get 1.5K in the lead. Matt then started his come back and after a false start he then dropped in a 2.3k Break to storm into the lead as Dave’s scoring disappeared, and Matt took the frame and the Jenny had won! This was greeted with virtual knee slides and shaking of hands and cheers. A great night for our last game before Xmas.
The Old King John produced a superb comeback to defeat the Ashburnham Arms 3-2. Sandy Harmer started the night brightly for the home side against Gary Tomlin, Sandy accumulated a few 1.5k breaks to give himself a good lead, Gary who was playing some nice shots unfortunately knocked the black peg down near the end in an attempt to win the shot of the season award. The home side took further advantage as Mick Osborne found some form after a Jekyll and Hyde season, Nigel Doe started with a 1k lead but Mick came in to his own with a great 3k break, Nigel tried to reply but couldn't get a good break going. Mick got back on and after a 2k break the bar went to put the home side 2-0 ahead. Away captain Chris Lamb pulled the away side back in the game with a captains performance, Chris started off with 2.5k break and after Leigh Truslove lost his opening break Chris was at it again with another 2.4k break, Leigh managed a respectable 1400 as Chris saw out the game despite Leigh knocking the black peg down at the death. The away side drew level as Roger Andrews produced another great performance to see off Dave Pearce, both players were level after their opening breaks but Roger capitalized with a 1k break and a 3k break to take the fourth game. In the final game of the night with the match on the line Lynne Truslove and Andy Ellison played out a very tight game. Lynne started the stronger with a 1k break, Andy managed to get level whilst Lynne lost a decent break that would've seen her take a good lead, Andy built a decent 1k lead and managed to hold it to secure a great comeback for the away side and take the game 3-2.
Tough at the top as top two win big in week 8
Sunday 26th November
The top two in the league are ensuring any title challenge will be a tough one after both sides won again this week, both with a 4-1 scoreline, the Old King John winning big at home to the Jenny Lind A whilst the Ashburnham's poor run continued at the Jenny Lind B.
The Jenny Lind B continued their title challenge with a 4-1 thumping win at home to The Ashburnham Arms. Andy Horsler started brightly and a 1k break at the start was what separated himself and Leigh Truslove throughout the game. Leigh couldn't close the gap despite some decent breaks and Andy made him pay with a nice break at the end of the game to ensure a win. Jez Horsler continued the home side's good start with a win against Sandy Harmer, Jez took an early lead and held it throughout in a nip and tuck game, Jez scored a 2k break half way through to give himself a good lead but Sandy couldn't catch up with the split shot giving him headaches and Jez deservedly ended the winner. It was plain sailing for the home side as they ensured the victory on the night in the third game as Steve Astley beat Dave Pearce, but unlike the previous games Dave really gave it a good go and was level with Steve throughout but a decent break near the end of the game saw Steve home. Alex Reardon made it 4-0 to the home side with a good performance to beat Lynne Truslove, Alex started well and was ahead by 1500 early on but Lynne fought back and at one point was only 300 behind but Alex who's performances this season has rightly won him plaudits from across the league showed once again how he has improved by taking control of the game with a 1500 break to ensure the win despite a good performance from Lynne despite her twisted ankle. Mick Osborne stepped up for the away side and avoided the dreaded 5-0 as he beat Andy Horsler. Both players have played better game this season as both players scrapped out throughout the game but Mick managed to keep some small breaks to break away from Andy and made sure of the win to make it 4-1 to the home side.
The Old King John continued their title challenge with a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A, Nigel Doe scored the highest score of the night with 7,620 to see off Ray Norton, Andy Ellison backed Nigel up with a win against Paul Wickens and Roger Andrews good run continued as he saw off Jimmy Sullivan to make it 3-0 to the home side. Andrew Lipscombe produced a good score of 3,730 to beat Gary Tomlin but the home side ensured the 4-1 win as Chris Lamb beat Jimmy Sullivan in the final game of the night.
B's win Jenny derby as OKJ win at Stag
Saturday 18th November
Jenny A VS Jenny B
After the draw Matt Jones opened for the A team Vs Steve for the B team. Steve was in great form and scored a 2.3k initial break, Matt started and made a modest start, Steve then followed up with a series of 1k Breaks whilst Matt struggled on his normally reliable break shots. The outcome was inevitable, and there was a 4k difference at the end.
Home Captain Ray Norton then faced Alex, Ray made a good 1.5k break from the start, but that was matched by Alex’s start. Smaller breaks from both players followed, with Alex scoring marginally more at each attempt. The frame was hampered by some balls lodging up behind the 10 hole, but when bar fell, the frame went to Alex.
Next up was Jimmy against the debut of Matt Pickles for the away team. Neither player made a significant score from the break and the frame settled into small turns by each player, with Jimmy forging ahead. Matt made a remarkable 400 shot and kept it only to lose the lot an attempt to get another ball from behind the 10 hole, and black pegging. The frame continued and Matt made a few more shots and had a large deficit and just before the bar went, he made the cardinal mistake of taking his second black peg. Jimmy cleared up, and Matt slightly redeemed his self by taking the final ball into the 100 hole.
After the excellent sandwiches, the second half started with birthday boy Jez against Andrew. Jez was also in great form despite the amount of booze that had been consumed, and both players made reasonable 1.5K breaks, with Jez slightly taking the advantage at each turn. Andrew seemed to look like being able to catch towards the end but suffered from some ringing balls to leave Jez the leader at the Bar.
Last up was the returning Matt Jones vs Andy Horsler, Andy did not make the advantage of his sole break over Matt and the frame was very close throughout, with neither player making huge breaks, the very lose scoring continued to the end with Matt just keeping his lead by 500 at the bar.
Tonight, saw the OKJ head into the Oldtown to play the Stag for an evening that included a few nail biting games. First up Peter played Mark. Pete set out strong and quickly developed a bag lead over Mark. Mark never found his rhythm and Pete continued to pot well with his highest break of the evening being 2930. Mark got going, albeit too late, as the bar went, he was 4000 points behind. Stag 1 - OKJ 0
Next up Tom played Andy. With neither player getting anywhere on their first break, Andy made series of decent breaks to take the lead. Tom was chipping back but to no avail, by the time the bar had dropped Andy had it in the bag. Stag 1 – OJK 1
Chris played Nigel for the third game of the evening. Both were potting balls and were level at 1300, before Chris took a 1100 lead. Nigel cleared the table and got back to break. Levelling the scores once again. The bar drops. Nigel is 130 behind with 1 white and 1 red on the table. The red goes in, and Nigel needs to pot the white in the 200 to secure the victory, If Chris puts it in the 100, the game is his. After 3 tense attempts each, Nigel finally pots the white, wobbling the black peg on the way in. the game finishes with 30 points difference. Stag 1 – OKJ 2
Alec played Roger next, each exchanging equal blows until Alex draws out a grand lead and then goes on to lose just shy of 600 in his next break. Roger gets back to break and its nip and tuck again until the bar drops. Roger misses, Alec clears up, but the remaining balls were awkwardly placed leaving Alec 60 points shy of the victory. Stag 1 – OKJ 3
Last up David played Gary. With Gary making a respectable break out the gate while David managed to miss his. After a bit of faffing, David composes himself and sets to work. David was bagging points, but unfortunately, he couldn’t answer Gary’s consistency on the evening. When the bar goes Gary is a bag up. David takes the Black peg to sum up his evening. Stag 1 – OKJ 4
Stag mount title challenge while the Ash finally win
Saturday 11th November
The Stag made a statement of intent and proved their title challenging credentials as they stunned leaders Jenny Lind B with a 3-2 win at the top of the table side, at the bottom of the table the Ashburnham finally won their first game of the season....and you guessed it they won 3-2.
The home side started well as Leigh Truslove beat Andrew Lipscombe, Andrew took an early lead but Leigh fought back with two breaks of 700 to take a commanding lead, Andrew started a comeback and over a few breaks managed to get within 300 near the end, when the bar went Andrew was only 100 behind but Leigh managed to clear to win the game. The away side levelled through Ray Norton. Ray put his mark on the game early on, a couple of decent breaks gave Ray a 2k lead while Dave White kept on knocking over white pegs, it was nearly half way through the game when Dave managed to keep a break but if halved Ray's lead. Ray increased his lead with a handy break and Ray saw out the game as luckless Dave struggled getting the break back. Sandy Harmer gave the home side the lead as he defeated Jimmy Sullivan, Jimmy struggled early on but despite losing a 2k break Sandy managed to get breaks of 4k and 2k to end up with 7k to take the frame. The away side levelled as Matt Jones produced a superb performance as he beat Dave Pearce, Matt dominated from start to finish including a 1040 break to easily level the match for the visitors. The final game of the night saw Lynne Truslove and Paul Wickens battle out a close game, both players started with decent breaks which saw them go nip and tuck throughout the early stages, Lynne took a small lead and the two player battle it out with Lynne just ahead, Paul lost a small break just before the bar went and Lynne managed to clear and just claim the win in a great game to close a great evening of bar billiards.
The Stag produced a great performance to win at the league leaders the Jenny Lind B, Tom Pope and Colin Southouse put the away side 2 up, Steve Astley pulled a leg back for the home side before Peter Payne secured the win for the visitors. John Doe made sure the home side took four points from the night to give the visitors a 3-2 win.
Please excuse the errors on last weeks league table. the Stag were missing two points from the games won column, this has now been fixed on this weeks table. Thanks to Roger Andrews for spotting the mistake and winning this weeks spot the error competition!
Jenny B go top while Ashburnham move off bottom
Monday 6th November
The Jenny Lind B went top of the table after a sensational 4-1 win at home to league champions the Old King John, at the other end of the table the Ashburnham Arms lost 3-2 again at home to the Stag but the result moves them off the bottom of the table.
The away side had the best start possible as Colin Southouse produced a sublime break of 10120 to defeat Mick Osborne, Colins starting break was enough to win the game and he eventually ended up with 14k. The home side levelled as Dave Pearce edged past Tom Pope in an entertaining game. Tom got in the lead after a 1k break, Dave was struggling to keep up with Tom while he extended his lead, Dave managed a solid 1040 break to get in the lead just at the right time to take the win. Sandy Harmer and Alec Pope played out an interesting leg, Sandy took the lead early but Alec fought back and the game was even for the middle part of the game until Sandy scored a 3k break to gain the lead, Alec pulled back but it was little too late as Sandy took the win. Chris Aldridge continued his winning form as he beat Leigh Truslove, Chris started brightly as Leigh struggled, Chris built a steady lead and with Leigh struggling to get the break back Chris took the game. Peter Payne secured the win for the visitors as he produced a solid performance to see off Lynne Truslove, Peter started well and took the lead and with some good breaks established a solid lead, Lynne produced some good breaks to end on a decent score but not enough to take the win.
The top two in the league met at the Jenny Lind as the B's took on the Old King John. the visitors had the perfect start as Nigel Doe scored 5530 to give them the lead but the rest of the evening wasn't going to be as enjoyable as the Jenny Lind B took the remaining games. Alex Reardon's great form continued as he saw off Mark Bailey, Jez Horsler scxored the highest score of the night with 6440 to beat Roger Andrews. Steve Astley secured the win by defeating Gary Tomlin and Andy Horsler came out victorious over Chris Lamb in the tightest game of the night to ensure the 4-1win for the home side.
OKJ go top as Stag see off the Jenny A
Saturday 28th October
The Old King John have gone top of the league after a 3-2 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms while the Stag defeated the Jenny Lind A 4-1 at home.
Tonight, sees the Stag play the Jenny A. Matt set the evenings gaming off with an unfortunate miss of the break allowing Tom to take an early lead. Matt was back on but didn’t quite find the pockets. Tom returned to the baize to make a decent contribution and take a two grand lead. From there on Matt didn’t manage to make inroads into Toms lead. Stag wins the first game of the night.
Next up was Peter against Andrew. Peter set out making steady breaks, but not quite milking the table for all its worth. While Andrew had a decent amount of bad luck to set him behind Pete. Andrew took the black peg to add to frustrations of the situation. Peter went on to build up a 2500 lead over Andrew, with the clock running low most saw the game all but finished. Until peter takes the second black peg of the evening leaving Andrew with a 200-point lead. It’s now all to play for, both players take it in turns at the table before Andrew managed to clear up and get back to break build a 900 point lead and the bar drops. Stag 1 – Jenny A 1
David and Paul were to play next. Being less dramatic that the last, this game saw both players exchange blows to stay nip and tuck with each other all game. The scoring potential was limited due to the red ball being tied up on a white peg for a good majority of the game. Upon its release David got to the table to make a solid break and take the lead from Paul and win the game. Stag 2 – Jenny A 1
Playing next is Alec and Ray. Alec banked steady breaks all game to forge ahead of Ray and make a commanding lead. Ray never quite managed to find his groove. Alec capitalised on every opportunity on the baize to take the win. Stag 3 – Jenny A 1
Last up we have Chris against Andrew. This game started out as it was to proceed, sleaves up and scrappy. There was timber from both sides and neither player was able to take a commanding lead. The lead went back and forth all game, until the bar. Chris clears the balls and misses the last. Either player can win, Andrew needs the 200, Chris needs the 100. After 3 attempts each Chris sinks the last ball into the 100 to win the final game of the night for the Stag. Stag 4 – Jenny A 1
It was battle of the ex captains in the first game as Sandy Harmer and Andy Ellison battled it out, Sandy started out with a 2k break but Andy replied with 2.5k to take the lead, both players had chances to get the break back but Andy pegged and let Sandy in and he took full advantage with a 4k break at the bar to take the frame. Nigel Doe and Dave White played out the game of the night, Nigel took an early lead whilst Dave was finding his feet, Dave got a nice break to draw close by but Nigel managed to keep ahead and take the win in the end. The away side was once again ahead as Dave Pearce produced a solid performance to beat Gary Tomlin, Dave didn't start too well but a decent break halfway through the game was enough to take the game away from Gary. The home captain Chris Lamb treated the crowd to a fantastic performance in a match that he dominated while Mick Osborne couldn't get going to draw the match level, it was left to Roger Andrews to win the game for the OKJ, Roger produced a great and consistent performance to control the game against Lynne Truslove who started very slowly but strung some good shots together at the back end of the game. The OKJ take the win whilst the Ashburnham will rue their missed chances when 2-1 up to take the match.
OKJ and Jenny B win again in Week 3
Tuesday 24th October - Apologies for the delay
Last years top two see themselves in familiar positions just three weeks in to the season after they both recorded 3-2 away wins, the Jenny Lind B defeated the Ashburnham Arms whilst the Old King John won at the Jenny Lind A.
The Jenny Lind B took the victory in a close evening at the Ashburnham Arms. Jez Horsler put the home side ahead with a comprehensive victory over Lynne Truslove, Jez started brightly and took a commanding lead as Lynne couldn't find any form whilst knocking over pegs on a regular basis. Home captain Sandy Harmer levelled for the home side, Sandy took the lead but Andy Horsler produced a great break of nearly 2k to nearly go level, Sandy managed to keep small breaks to build a big enough lead to win the game. The third game between Mick Osborne and Steve Ashley was to be the game of the night, Mick started well and built a good lead whilst Steve couldn't get any decent breaks until half way through the game as Steve managed to find form to get a 2k break to give him the lead, the bar went with Steve ahead by 200 but Steve lost a small break which would've seen him home, Mick managed to keep one ball up at the end needing 200 to win and he managed to sink the ball to win the game by 70 points. The away side levelled as Alex Reardon defeated Leigh Truslove, it was a game of close margins and lost breaks but Alex started in the lead and managed to hold off Leighs advances to level the match at 2-2. Alex Reardon was back on again in the decider and he produced a superb performance to beat Dave White, similar to the previous game Alex started brightly but this time managed to keep scoring, Dave was trying to get the break back but was thwarted at every attempt, Alex kept his cool and finished the easy winner to secure the victory for the Jenny Lind B.
The OKJ continued their 100% winning start with a 3-2 win at the Jenny Lind A, Home captain Ray Norton put the home side ahead before the OKJ fought back with three back to back wins, Mark Bailey, Gary Tomlin and Andy Ellison all securing victories to win the match, Andrew Lipscombe produced the performance of the night as his 4810 secured the highest score and a win against Roger Andrews to make the score 3-2 to the visitors.
OKJ start with a win as the B's win the Jenny derby
Saturday 14th October
The Old King John started their title defence with a strong 4-1 win at home to the Stag whilst the Jenny Lind B defeated the A's in the Jenny derby.
Dave Dow took on Nigel Doe in game 1 with neither in control Nigel opened up a small lead and it was nip and tuck for most of the game with Nigel getting the break back several times and but not making it count Dave kept getting a few and finally sneaking ahead sadly for the visitors Nigel got the break back with about 5 mins to go and made a nice 3130 break to lock out the game .OKJ 1-0
Chris Aldridge took on Andy Ellison in game 2 Andy opened with 1050 , from then on both players struggled with Andy staying 1k ahead of Chris for the whole game Andy got a little break at the end to take the game for the home team OKJ 2-0
Alec Pope took on Mark Bailey in game 3, Alec's opening break shot promised so much but alas it was not to be and Alec was off the table in a jiffy leaving Mark to gradually forge ahead, Alec stayed in touch but an awkward ball behind the 10 caused problems for both players for some time keeping the scores low, with Alec unable to get to grips with the table Mark ran out the victor OKJ 3-0
Peter Payne took on Roger in the 4th game, Roger opened in convincing fashion with a well controlled solid opening break of 4540, Peters response failed to make inroads into his deficit leaving both balls short. Roger in commanding form replied immediately with 2500 and 1900 breaks before Peter managed any kind of response OKJ 4-0
Colin Southouse took on Chris Lamb in the final Game, Colin Opened well if not confidently but managed to stay on the table after ending out of position regularly amassing a slow and highest break of the night of 5190, Chris failed to recover, coming off after a short time, Colin got the break back quickly and made a more confident 4200 break ending up with a total of 9710 just piping Roger (9540) for the highest total of the night OKJ 4-1.
Jenny Lind A top of the table....kind of.....after Week One
Friday 6th October
The Jenny Lind A are top of the table after week one by the virtue of alphabetical order! They started the season with a fantastic 3-2 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms. The Stag are also joint top after a 3-2 win at home to the Jenny Lind B.
To Kick off the new season, the Stag welcomes Jenny B for an evening on the baize. Peter and Andy kick off the proceedings with both making decent contributions on the breaks. Peter played with his usual panache and consistently bagged points, while Andy played with a steady flow and impressive consistency. Andy’s ball control allowed him to build up a 1200+ break before, unfortunately, losing it and taking the points back to square. Not letting this affect him, Andy’s next opportunity on the table saw him make another sizable break to take a much-deserved game. Stag 0 – Jenny B 2
Alec and Jez were up next. Jez started on the rocks, not making any great impact, while Alec was out the gate focused and taking no prisoners. Jez didn’t find his rhythm as the game progressed and seemed only to have bad luck. In contrast, Alec played a flawless game to capitalise on every opportunity. Jez took the Black Peg on the last shot, though he hadn’t banked enough to be in contention for the win. Stag 2 – Jenny B 2
Chris and Alex opened the third game with exchanges that saw them nip and tuck for the lead through the first 15 minutes on the clock. In the last 5 minutes, Chris had the run of the balls and built on that to break away and take the game. Stag 4 – Jenny B 2
During the sandwich break, Jez presented the Stag A 4 pin team of Colin, Alec and Peter with the Chris Haynes 4 Pin League cup. The Stag’s first bit of silverware with the table in this arrangement.
Tom and Jez were up next, with Jez out to make amends for his earlier defeat. He wasted no time. Tom never found any rhythm early while Jez made the most of his visits to the baize. If Tom didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t of had no luck at all, while Jez had the run of the balls and capitalised on this again and again. He contributed a well-earned 2200 break and took the game. Stag 4 – Jenny B 4
Colin and Alex were up to play the decider. Colin got to work in his usual way, building a decent break, but only to lose it. Without a break, Alex couldn’t make the most of Colin's error, and Colin was straight back to the slate to build a decent break, only to lose it again. This pattern continued with Colin losing combined points north of 4 grand. With Alex having little time and opportunity on the table, Colin stepped back up to put in a break of 3260 and followed that up with 1900; on these occasions, he banked the points and took a comfortable win for the evening. Stag 6 – Jenny B 4
The Jenny Lind A took the points as they overcame the Ashburnham Arms 3-2, Jenny A debutant Matt Jones started brightly against Leigh Truslove, Matt was just in the lead for the majority of the game playing some nice shots until a 600 break from Leigh near the end was enough to separate both players. A valiant effort for Matt on his debut. Home captain Ray Norton produced a very professional performance to defeat Mick Osborne, Mick lost 1k early on but Ray just kept scoring with each break and suddenly created a 1k lead over Mick who's attempts to get the break back was thwarted at every attempt and Ray ran out the winner by over 1k. The Home side took the lead as Paul Wickens defeated Dave Pearce, Dave struggled early on and as seen in every game Paul kept on scoring leaving the away side scratching to get the break back, Dave tried to recover the deficit but Paul was the eventual winner. The away side drew level and if it wasn't for the Truslove's they would've been in trouble as Lynne Truslove beat Andrew Lipscombe in a topsy turvy game, Andrew took the lead whilst Lynne was struggling to get going, Andrew looked set to increase his lead but lost an important break, Lynne came to life and it was roles reversed as Andrew couldn't get going whilst Lynne was keeping scores and catching, Lynne managed to gain a lead late on and win the frame. Matt Jones was the hero for the home side as he defeated Dave White to secure his first win on his debut! Matt was clearly watching and learning as he produced some nice breaks and was in control of the frame as Dave White just couldn't get close to him, Matt ran out the winner, both sides bellies full after a superb spread by Jez, the Jenny A celebrating and the away side asking if Leigh and Lynne have any other family members that can play.
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