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Jenny B hold second place after thumping win
Saturday 22nd February
The Jenny Lind B hold on to second place in the table after a 4-1 win against third placed Cutter A. The Old King John continued to build their lead on the chasing pack as they beat the Jenny Lind A 5-0 and the Ashburnham Arms have crept up on the Cutter A after a 3-2 win at the Cutter B.
Jenny Lind B 4 Cutter A 1 - Report by Steve Astley.
We kicked-off at the Jenny Lind this week with Peter (Cutter) playing Jez (JLB). Pete didn’t do well with the break shot and Jez punished him with a 3K start. Pete didn’t manage to make much of his visits to the table and a further 4K break made it look like Jez had secured a solid victory….. but it could’ve all gone horribly wrong for Jez with the final ball stuck behind the 10 hole. Luckily for the JLB Jez didn’t black-peg and it was JLB: 1 Cutter A: 0 and a new personal best for Jez. In the second game Rob (JLB) faced Alec (Cutter). Rob pulled away in the first half of the game but eventually Alec got the break back and smashed in an impressive 3K+ break leaving Rob little time to catch up: One all. Third game: Chris (Cutter) vs. Andy (JLB): Scores were pretty close until Chris took off and calmly built up 4K only to lose it by missing a ball! At his next visit to the table Chris black-pegged and Andy took a second victory for the JLB. (Bad luck Chris!) After some smashing sandwiches Steve (JLB) took on Colin (Cutter). Steve broke off with an impressive 4K+ break and Colin was replying with a similar score before losing it to a white peg giving Steve the break back in the process. Steve lost another thousand to a forth break shot and Colin had to put a spurt on to catch up. In the end Steve’s initial break won the game and the night for the Jenny. Finally Tom (Cutter) played Alex (JLB). Alex seemed to have the advantage over Tom but when he lost a nearly 2K break it could’ve been anybody’s game. In the end Alex pushed it over the line making the final score JLB:4 Cutter A:1
Old King John 5 Jenny Lind A 0 - Report by Andy Ellison.
Although a glance at the scorecard might suggest an easy time for OKJ against Jenny A, there were several factors at work. Jenny were afflicted by a plague of pegs, none more so than Rob in the first game. Nigel for OKJ put together a total of 3860 to establish a winning position, Rob spent an equivalent time on the table but couldn't hold on to his scores. Next up Andy for OKJ started with 2600 but Andrew was challenging his score when he succumbed to the curse of the peg and so left himself too much to do to catch up. Andy's 5400 proved the best of the night. Best break went to Chris with 3750 against Paul who also challenged the woodwork more than the advisable amount. After the break Roger against Ray was a closer game for a while but a 2430 break put Roger en route to 4800 and a clear win. Mark started brightly for OKJ in the final pairing but Matt worked his way into the game. However his problem came with a failure on the one-up rather than a peg but the outcome was the same, allowing Mark to record the win for 5-0 to OKJ on a very sociable evening.
Cutter B 2 Ashburnham Arms 3 - Report by Sandy Harmer.
Dave White pipped Sam Croxton at the death as the visitors took the first game, Sam took the lead and held that for the first 15 mins, Dave lost a 1k break but managed to level the game late on, a 400 break took Dave in to the lead when Sam knocked the black peg over whilst on a potential match defining break. The visitors doubled the lead with Sandy Harmer beating Joe Lyons, Sandy took an early lead and built a 2.5k lead, Joe managed to gain some rhythm and a 1400 break took him close but Sandy extended his lead and won the frame. The visitors sealed the win with Mick Osborne seeing off Phil Swain, Mick took control after the early stages to the finish despite Phil's best efforts after being even early in the game. The visitors rallied back with Dave de Gruchy getting the home side on the board, Dave took control early on but after building a 1500 lead his scores dried up, Lynne gathered momentum and after a few breaks a 600 break placed Lynne within 400 of Dave, Dave used his experience to build a further lead to secure the game. Phil Swain in his second game of the night won the second game of the night for the home side as he beat Dave Pearce, a very tight game with the lead swaying from player to player, Dave lost a good break late on to the despair of his teammates, Phil managed to keep the last ball up and sink the ball to win the game.
Results
Results
8/1/25
Old King John 5-0 Jenny Lind B
Cutter A 4-1 Ashburnham Arms
Jenny Lind A 3-2 Cutter B
15/1/25
Jenny Lind B 3-2 Cutter A
Old King John 4-1 Jenny Lind A
Cutter B 0-5 Ashburnham Arms
22/1/25
Cutter B 4-1 Cutter A
Jenny Lind A 1-4 Jenny Lind B
Old King John 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
29/1/25
Cutter A 1-4 Old King John
Ashburnham Arms 2-3 Jenny Lind A
Jenny Lind B 3-2 Cutter B
5/2/25
Ashburnham Arms 1-4 Jenny Lind B
Cutter B 1-4 Old King John
Jenny Lind A 2-3 Cutter A
12/2/25
Old King John 4-1 Jenny Lind B
Cutter A 3-2 Ashburnham Arms
Jenny Lind A 3-2 Cutter B
19/2/25
Jenny Lind B 4-1 Cutter A
Old King John 5-0 Jenny Lind A
Cutter B 2-3 Ashburnham Arms
Full Fixture List Here
OKJ extend lead at the top
Saturday 15th February
The Old King John extended their lead at the top of the table to 28 points after a 4-1 win at home to second placed Jenny Lind B. The Cutter A are just behind in third after a close 3-2 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms and the Jenny Lind A continued their improved form as they beat the Cutter A 3-2.
Old King John v Jenny Lind B - Report by Andy Ellison.
A quick glance at the scorecard might suggest a clear pattern of games in the match between OKJ and JLB this week, but in reality the individual games were very different. Skipper Nigel kicked off for OKJ and his 2k break put him in a strong position against Rob. However the scoring dried up for Nigel and Rob worked his way back into the game. He narrowed Nigel's lead to 200 but broke down as the bar fell. Nigel stepped in gratefully, cleared up and claimed the win. Two of the League's most prolific scorers in Roger and Jez met next but the game didn't take off quickly. Ultimately Roger's break of 3280 proved decisive as Jez looked good but couldn't build a significant break and Roger's winning 5400 was the best of the night. The next game between Chris and Alex was different in that neither player dominated in the early stages. The variance in the scores came from a 3k break put together by Chris late in the game that put OKJ into a 3-0 lead. Andy for JLB dominated the next against Mark. There were good opportunities for both players but it was Andy who made the most of them and with 4320 achieved a win with his side's best of the night. Rob returned for the last game but found himself facing a 3k opening break by Andy for OKJ. The oddity of this game was that neither player could establish a score after the initial phase. The balls went into awkward places and the initiative was lost. However Andy had done enough to make the scoreline 4-1 in favour of OKJ, strengthening their top of the table position.
Cutter A v Ashburnham Arms - Report by Colin Southouse
Dave White started proceedings for the visitors with nice 3000+ opening break against Alec Pope whose reply was weaker than expected, both traded breaks thereafter but Dave was always ahead and kept the opening margin right to the end thanks to several 700-1000 point efforts. Chris Aldridge was in the driving seat and was pulling away from Lynn Truslove for most of the game, he had 4000 on the scoreboard and was approaching a further 1000 break until a wicked lip on the left 50 hole turned the offending ball back on itself and picking up some additional momentum as well, pushing it toward the black peg with just enough force to topple it leaving a happy Lynn in the driving seat with little time for Chris to make amends. Lynn played well enough to get her new PB of 1920 and the well earned game win Sandy Harmer started steadily against Peter Payne and continued to add scores regularly, it looked like the game was over with only a few minutes to go and being 1500 ahead, but Peter managed a sustained steady break of 3500 to end up nearly 2000 ahead with little time for Sandy to catch up. Peter took the spoils and ended up with a season high of 5000. Colin Southouse started poorly with a measly 1200 opening break against Mike Osborne, but Mike fared equally badly with both players gifting openings that were continually rejected for the whole of the 1st 10 minutes of play Mike caught up gradually and ended up 1500 ahead with little left. Colin got the break back at last and posted a quickfire 3000 to the bar and scraping victory from the jaws of defeat. The Cutter A were 1 player short so their last player was drawn unluckily by Dave Pearce as Colin Southouse was back on the table. Dave made some inroads to his total scoring regularly but failed to keep his scores by pegging out while also gifting the break back to his opponent who graciously received the opportunities with aplomb ending up on 11,590 the top score of the night. Nice evening with the Ash, plenty of banter and Great to see Willy White out and about again and playing well.
Jenny Lind A v Cutter B - Report by Ray Norton
Having lost narrowly to the Cutter A, last week with a Bar refusing to drop, after some fettling the table was operating correctly this week. Jimmy was drawn against Dave, a repeat fixture from earlier in the season. Dave started well but in trepidation of committing a 4-up, did the 4-pin 50-30 style shot and kept going. Jimmy started strongly and nearly fell foul of the 4-up, but logged a reasonable start. The players swapped middling scores, jimmy lost a small break on the 4-up, and then he built a massive 2.5k break only to see a white peg sacrifice itself to leave the scores pretty even. Dave forged slightly into the lead and was ahead when the bar fell, and soon Jimmy found himself over 300 behind with just 3 whites left on the table. One white in the middle 100 did not move the other into a favourable position. He thought long and hard a planned a magnificent around the angles shot to force the white at pace into the 200 hole. A stunned silence was the followed by a round of applause for his outrageous shot. Jimmy then clinched the frame into the 100 hole with the final ball, to win by just 30 points. Following that Paul played Sam, Paul’s Monday club form yet again had eluded him, and a close frame ensued and by about 9 minutes both players were within 10 points, and the frame went a little scrappy as each player attempted to gain control. Sam lost a 1k break committing the 4-up, whilst Paul lost a similar 700 for the same reason. The speed of the table is causing players to pause when playing the one up shot. Sam then took to the table and forged well a head with a few middling breaks to end just over 1k at the end. Next up was Kaz against the ever-improving Joe, whilst opening the frame with a 1.5k break, before Kaz scored a low start. Joe scored well when he had the chance, and late on Kaz lost her 500 odd points on a wayward black peg. Without a chance of winning, despite playing some good shots, Kaz finished with a flourish to drop the white in the 200 hole. After the excellent sandwiches, next up were Andrew and Phil opened up but did not score too well, while steady Andrew started well and outscored Phil at every opportunity, the dreaded 4-up was always in the back of the player’s minds, and despite that Andrew logged a 1k Break, while Phil struggled to manage the table. In a largely uneventful frame, Andrew ran out an easy winner by 2k. Last up, in the deciding frame, was home captain Ray against away captain Jay, back from his extended holiday back in India. Jay’s lack of practice time was evident in a low scoring opener, whilst Ray scored 500 odd. Each player scored minimally and lost small breaks and Jay was unlucky to lose a larger break to a peg. Ray then forged ahead, so he thought, with a near 1k break only to lose that when he missed, with the ball on the back cushion, between the 20 and 30 in the righthand side that last week lost Colin a 5k break. Play continued until the red ball lodged in front of the 10 hole directly in line with the black peg. Both players played off the side shots to dislodge it, and that continued for what seemed about 10 shots each. Ray eventually played a shot to leave the white in a position to allow Jay to move the red, only to see those 2 balls go down the 10 and 20. Ray attempted to put the ball there again and went straight into the 20, and any attempt at ringing on the right hand 20 hole was not working and left the ball unhelpfully in a pocket. The balls eventually cleared with a few minutes to go, and Ray knocked in a small break to win, in a very low scoring but really interesting and eventful frame. Final Score Jenny A 3 Cutter B 2.
Results
Away wins galore in Week 13
Sunday 9th February
It was away wins galore in week 13 as all the matches were won by the away sides. The Old King John continued their fine form with a 4-1 win at the Cutter B, the Jenny Lind B hold on to second spot with an impressive 4-1 win at the Ashburnham Arms and the Cutter A found some form to win 3-2 at the Jenny Lind A.
Jenny A VS Cutter A - Report by Ray Norton.
After the draw, Jimmy was drawn against a limping Alec. The table was playing up and the bar was not dropping, so we used a 20-minute stopwatch timer instead, Alec did not start well and Jimmy moved well into the lead after the initial breaks. Alec seemed to take his time to adjust to the resurfaced table, whilst Jimmy contrived to lose a 1k break, and apart from the that scores were quite level, with Alec catching up the scores were nearly 2k each, until with about 5 minutes to go Jimmy forged ahead with his second 1k break which he kept this time. A healthy 700 difference when the balls ran out! Fresh from her near win last week, Karen was unfortunately drawn against Colin. Her initial break score was 100, before she came off, and Colin – on fire this week racked up a 5k break, only to lose it when a ball finished on the back cushion between the 20 and 30 holes, and his shot went straight down the hole! Karen was briefly in the lead, but did not manage to hit the difficult ball either, and Colin brought it back into play. Colin them amassed another 2.7K break and left the balls in a difficult position for Karen from which she did not manage to score, and colin returned to complete his second 5.2k break to complete the match – total points accumulated by scorer Chris was over 12k, 8k was kept! Next up was home captain Ray against Chris. Chris didn’t manage the break in his first few attempts, whilst Ray chalked up a lead, the more Chris broke the closer he managed, and he was a little ahead when Ray started on a 900 break, that was eventually lost as the ball found the “unsweet” spot on the righthand side behind the peg between the 30 and 20 again, which had caught out Colin. Chris was by this time 1200 odd in the lead and Ray after a few tentative non scoring shots started playing positively and started to catch with another 700 break. As the impending “bar” was about to fall Chris had a slender lead and ray polished most of those off to leave the last remaining ball the red, that made all the difference, Chris missed his first attempt into the 100 hole, and then Ray went just past on his attempt to win into the 200 hole, then Chris wrapped up the game. After the excellent sandwiches, next up were shipmates Paul and Tom. Paul played consistently but fluffed some break shots, whilst Tom was slow and steady, each player seemed to suffer big game nerves, with Paul consistently under scoring from his Monday Club exploits, whilst Tom kept his scores. The gap between the scores was growing and by the “bar” Tom was 1k ahead, whilst neither player played badly, Paul’s luck was really not with him. Last up was Andrew and Peter, dubbed a potential “Black peg fest” from their previous week’s exploits. In this game neither player went anywhere were near the Black but there were plenty of shots that appeared to accelerate off the back cushion to give some concern. Scoring from both players was steady and again the top right of the table caused some worries, a few white pegs fell from each player, but no large scores were lost. Peter had edged 1k into the lead by about mid game, when Andrew stepped up and made a 2k break which put him well into the lead. Ending with a “well held” shot to keep his score rather than push for a risky continuation, Peter started to come back into the reckoning towards the end, but Andrews large break was sufficient to secure the frame. Final Score Jenny A 2 Cutter A 3, The team will have a look at the table before next week regarding the lack of Bar droppage!
Cutter B 1 Old King John 4 - Report by Andy Ellison
OKJ kept up the momentum at the top with a reversal of the loss at Cutter B earlier in the season. The outcome didn't seem likely when Sam set off with a 2k break for Cutter in the opener. Andy's break in reply reached 1900 but he hit a peg and Sam progressed to a winning total of 3790, the best of the night for his team. However Roger stepped up for the visitors with a convincing performance against Joe for Cutter. There were no major breaks in the game but regular scoring saw Roger through to a total of 3790 and a clear win. Nigel was in charge from the outset in the next and posted a 3850 break to establish a dominant position. The relatively inexperienced Callum never gave up but couldn't match the imposing total of 4850 that Nigel built. After the interval Mark began with a solid 1k and a close encounter with Jay was on the cards. However Mark's good start proved crucial as neither player kicked on in the latter stages but it proved to be the game that put OKJ in a winning position. The final game between Dave for the home team and Chris for OKJ was much anticipated with both players in good form. Chris was away first without dominating but Dave took a black peg with a miscue and didn't recover. There was still some jeopardy though as the game reached it's climax. With about 5 minutes left, Chris settled into a 3k break and saw out the game with a total of 5410, the highest of the evening, that provided the 4-1 win for OKJ.
Ashburnham Arms 1 Jenny Lind B 4 - Report by Steve Astley
At the Ashburnham Arms this week the action kicked off with Andy (JLB) taking on Sandy (Ash). Sandy was first to make any significant dent in the scores with a 3400 break and Andy struggled to get into his stride. Sandy made another 3k+ break but lost it to a missed ball but Andy still couldn’t get going. Sandy took the first game for The Ash. In the second game Mick started for The Ash but Jez took full advantage of his visits to the table and secured the first win of the night for JLB. The third game seemed to be a more balanced affair as Dave (Ash) and Rob (JLB) battled it down to the final ball. Rob couldn’t find the 100 hole so Dave needed to put that last ball in the 200 hole to win but tragically knocked over the black peg in the process losing 1840 points and gifting victory to Rob. Next Leigh (Ash) and Steve (JLB) battled it out. Steve was the first bother the scoreboard in any significant fashion with a 2K+ break and Leigh struggled to get going allowing his opponent several chances to increase his lead. In the end Steve won with a personal best score also securing the night’s overall win for the Jenny B. Finally Alex (JLB) played Lynne. Alex didn’t start well and Lynne looked like she might claw back some points for The Ash but unfortunately lost her break to a peg. From then on Alex built up a steady lead as Lynne continued to find her shots attracted to pegs. Alex won the game. Final score: Ashburnham Arms 1, Jenny Lind B 4.
Results
OKJ win big in top of table clash
Sunday 2nd February
The Old King John extended their lead at the top of the table after a 4-1 win at the Cutter A, the Jenny Lind B are now in second place after a 3-2 win at home to the Cutter B, meanwhile the Ashburnham Arms lost pace with the Jenny Lind B after losing at home to the Jenny Lind A 3-2.
Ashburnham Arms v Jenny Lind A - Report by Sandy Harmer
The first game started with Jimmy Sullivan producing a stunning 2450 break to take a commanding lead. Dave Pearce tried his hardest to close the gap but it was Jimmy's night as he ended up with nearly 4000 to take the first game. Leigh Truslove and Karen Standing fought it out in the second game, Leigh built a 800 lead and looked comfortable until Karen produced a good 700 break to draw level, Karen kept playing well and established a lead and at the bar was ahead by 200 points, with the last ball left Leigh sunk the ball down the 200 hole to take the win. The home side took the lead with Sandy Harmer beating Andrew Lipscombe, after their opening breaks Andy fought back and both players were on just over 2000 points with the game very well poised, but Andrew knocked the black peg down in unexpected circumstances, Sandy took the reigns as he got the break back and hit a further 3.5k to ensure the win. The visitors levelled the game as Paul Wickens beat Lynne Truslove, Paul took the lead and Lynne was on her way to level the scores only to knock the keg down, Paul took control of the game to win the game. Visiting captain Ray Norton took the final game by edging past Mick Osborne, Ray was in the lead throughout the game with Mick drawing level on a few occasions but a 600 break right at the end of the game gave Ray the advantage that Mick couldn't catch to ensure the Jenny Lind A take the win on the night.
Cutter A 1 Old King John 4 - Report By Andy Ellison.
Leaders OKJ strengthened their position with a strong performance at the Cutter. The pattern for the evening was set by Andy for OKJ with a personal high break of 6660 from the outset. This left Alec with very little time to reply but he responded well with a break of 2120 and with only one more visit each there was minimal further scoring. The second game pitched the two Chrises against each other and there was little to choose between them in the early exchanges. Chris Lamb for OKJ settled into a 2k break though and pushed his total to a winning 4100. In a similar match Peter and Nigel met up in the next. Once again neither player settled easily. Peter looked good on the break but couldn't maintain the momentum, Nigel eventually pushed ahead and his total of 3530 gave him a 1k winning margin. After the break with the Cutter's excellent catering, Mark looked good initially with a 1k+ break. Colin didn't match this in his opener but he didn't hesitate when given a second opportunity with a break of 8190. This made up the bulk of his total and gave Cutter their win. Peter returned for the last game and built up a good lead against Roger. With the time limit approaching, Roger fell back on his instinctive game and stayed on the table. He carried on after the bar fell and completed a break of 2230 by potting the final ball which saw him through to the narrowest of wins.
Jenny Lind B 3 Cutter B 2 - Report by Steve Astley
In the season’s third battle of the B’s Jenny Lind welcomed away team Cutter B. In the first game Phil started with a good 1K+ break and Steve had difficulty with the one up leaving Phil ahead all the way to the end. Cutter B 1, JLB 0. In the second game Andy Horsler (JLB) steamed ahead with two impressive 2K breaks and Joe for the Cutter struggled to get his game on. Joe did eventually kick into gear and started knocking balls in left, right and centre but unfortunately it was too late and Andy took the game for the Jenny. The third game was an exciting match between Sam (Cutter) and Alex (JLB). Both played well and if it weren’t for Sam loosing seventeen hundred points to a forth break shot he may well have won. That’s bar billiards for you! JLB 2, Cutter B 1. After a break for sarnies Dave (Cutter) took on Jez (JLB). Dave had the run of the first ten minutes of the game going 2k into the lead but Jez gave himself a talking to and put together a personal best break of nearly five and a half thousand, securing JLB’s third win of the evening. For the final game the Cutter B generously donated one of their players, Callum, to play for the Jenny! Although relatively new to the game Callum played with flair and was ahead of opponent Rob until he miscued and black pegged with only a few minutes to go. Rob then took full advantage of the situation and bagged a second win for the Cutter. Final score: Jenny Lind B 3, Cutter B 2.
Results
Cutter B shock the A's in the Cutter derby
Monday 27th January
The Cutter B's debut seasoned went to another height this week winning the Cutter derby against the title chasing Cutter A 4-1, the Cutter A's misery wasn't helped as the Old King John extended their lead at the top after a 3-2 home win against the Ashburnham Arms. The Jenny Lind B went level on points with the Cutter A and the Ashburnham Arms with a 4-1 win at the Jenny Lind A.
Old King John 3 Ashburnham Arms 2 - Report by Andy Ellison.
The clash between old rivals OKJ and Ash threw up a few surprises this week. Andy and Dave P were first up and the main feature of the early game was the white peg being hit and moved but staying up by both players in successive breaks, a unique happening! After this, Andy for OKJ settled into a 3k break, keeping Dave away from the table and securing the win. The next shock came in the meeting of two of the league's most prolific scorers, Nigel and Sandy. With no apparent causal factor, neither player could establish themselves at the table but it was Nigel who claimed the win in a low scoring game. Garry was called in for his first game in several weeks for OKJ and faced the experienced Mick. Garry battled well but Mick scored more heavily and claimed the win. After the break Sandy returned in the unusual position of "lucky loser", facing Mark for OKJ. This time he showed a little more of his normal form and prevailed despite Mark's efforts and put the scores level at 2-2. Lyn arrived to feature in the decider for Ash against Roger and was in the game in the early stages. However Roger eventually settled into his high-scoring mode and built up the best total of the night of 6300 and secure a vital 3-2 victory for the league leaders.
Cutter B 4 Cutter A 1 - Report by Tom Pope.
Tonight’s a local derby with the Cutter B playing host to the Cutter A. Sam and Colin are playing first with Sam missing the break. Colin is on and doesn’t do much better. After a few attempts Colin gets his eye in and head down and knocks in an impressive 10,000 break on the Cutter table (Well done Colin!). Colin leaves the table after achieving 10 grand. The bar drops shortly after. Cutter B 0 - Cutter A 1. Phil plays Chris next. Chris takes an early 2000 lead, but Phil kept chipping away at it. For a moment it could have been anyone's game. Phil comes out on top. Cutter B 1 - Cutter A 1. Joe and Tom are next on the baize. In a similar unfolding to the pervious game, Tom takes a 1500 lead, while Joe kept chalking up points. It could be anyone's. Joe is on the table when the bar drops and needs to clear up to win, which he does. Cutter B 2 - Cutter A 1. Dave plays Peter in the 4th bout of the evening. Dave pegs during his first break while Pete pulled ahead by 2 bags. Dave didn’t have the run of the balls for his second time at the table while Pete chalks up a 2600 break. If Dave didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have had end luck. The bar goes with Pete a solid 6000 in the lead, he had played an excellent game. Until, Dave Black Pegs, and leaves the red ball dangerously close to the black peg. Pete steps up and takes the red ball and Black Pegs in the same instance. we are in a 0-0 score with the bar dropped and 6 whites left. Dave clears them up and takes the win. Cutter B 3 - Cutter A 1. Rob plays Alec in the final match tonight. Both took a moment to find the table, with Alec scoring early and taking a 1000 lead. Alec then goes to knock in 2600+ before pegging. Rob finds rhythm to make a grand break and take the lead. the bar goes. Rob wins! Cutter B 4 - Cutter A 1
Results
Cutter A lose ground as Jenny B find form
Saturday 18th January
The Cutter A lost ground on the leaders the Old King John after a 3-2 defeat at the Jenny Lind B whom have found some form on their newly recovered table. The Old King John extended their lead to 12 points after a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A as Roger Andrews produced a sublime performance to score 13,510, meanwhile the Ashburnham Arms keep third spot as they beat the Cutter B 5-0 away from home.
Old King John 4 Jenny Lind A 1 - Report by Roger Andrews.
Old King John v Jenny Lind A: Paul up first for Jenny A left his opening break short allowing OKJ captain Nigel, to continue where he left off last week with a 4640 opening break. Paul never really got going in the game and Nigel followed up with 3850 break for a 1-0 lead for OKJ; Next up Mark didn’t get off to a good start and Andrew took advantage with his opening break just short of 2000, Mark continued to struggle to find his best form while Andrew steadily increased his score to bring the Jenny back level at 1-1; Game 3, Kaz off first against Andy, but neither player was very comfortable at the table and a miscue from Kaz to demolish the black peg half way though the game, left the door open for Andy to take the win and maintain his 100% home record, 2-1 to OKJ; Captains agreed an unusual order of play and Kaz was on again after the break against Roger. After a modest 750 opening break and no reply from Kaz, Roger made three sizeable breaks to ensure the win, 3-1 to OKJ; Last up, Chris v Matt. Both players had a steady game with Chris always just in control, Chris stayed ahead to give OKJ a 4-1 victory on the night.
Cutter B 0 Ashburnham Arms 5 - Report by Sandy Harmer
The Ashburnham Arms turned on their best performance of the season as they beat the Cutter B 5-0. The first game started with both players losing decent breaks, Dave White firstly with 600 then Rob Boudnik with 1300. A 900 break put Dave ahead and he extended his lead throughout the game with Rob trying to catch up, Dave saw the game through as Rob couldn't catch up. Mick Osborne showed everyone how to play the table as he beat Dave de Gruchy, Despite an early tussle Mick took charge with five decent breaks taking him to victory despite Dave's vest efforts to catch lady luck wasn't on his side. The third game saw the closest game of the night with Leigh Truslove and Sam battling it out, Leigh gained the advantage early on but as the game wore on Sam got himself acquainted with the table as with some good breaks he took the lead, the lead swapped a few times as Sam managed to gain the lead with the last ball remaining, Sam missed and Leigh whacked the ball in the 100 hole to take the frame. The visitors extended their lead with Sandy Harmer beating an ever improving Phil Swain, Sandy started off with 3970 to take a commanding lead, after that Phil was the better player and scored more but couldn't catch Sandy's original break. Visiting captain Dave Pearce sealed the win as he edged out Joe Lyons in a really tight game, both players were very close for the majority of the game with the lead changing constantly, Dave built a 800 lead, Joe replied and closed the gap leaving Dave just 140 ahead, Dave potted the last ball to seal a 5-0 win for the visitors.
Results
2025 starts with Jenny A gaining first win
Sunday 12th January
The year has started with a bang as the Jenny Lind A gained their first win with a 3-2 home win against the Cutter B, both sides were without their respective captains but managed a strong and challenging match. The Old King John bounced back from that night at the Cutter with a 5-0 hammering of the Jenny Lind B, the Cutter A are still on their tail after a 4-1 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms.
Cutter A 4 Ashburnham Arms 1 - Report by Tom Pope
Opening the New Year saw the Ash head down the hill to play the Cutter A. Kicking off proceedings was Tom and Mick. Mick broke off banking a 2200 break. With Tom chasing throughout the game, he never manged to put Mick under any pressure. Cutter A 0 – Ash 1. It was a pleasure to see Dave White turn up to bring some much-needed reinforcements for the Ash. Both Dave and Pete were off to steady starts until Dave drew out a 1500 lead. Pete spent much of the game chasing and struggling to string a break together until the last 5 minutes where he put in an impressive 3540 break. The bar drops as Pete leaves the table. There aren’t enough points for Dave to win. Cutter A 1- Ash 1. Alec and Dave P were up next. Both missed the break and took a moment to settle in. Dave, as seemed to be the Ash way tonight built up a 2 grand lead. Alec spent much of the match chipping away until he put in a 2 grand break of his own to take a 600 lead. Bar drops, Dave needs to stay on the table, but he misses leaving Alec to clear up. Cutter A 2- Ash 1 Colin and Sandy are next in the ring. Colin breaks off and sets to work, he walks away from the table with a solid 8290. Sandy isn’t messing about either and responds with a respectable 4640. After a little back and forth the bar goes. Cutter A 3- Ash 1. To close the night Chris plays Mick. Chris chalks up 1600 on his opening break, while Mick responds with 1400. Chris is back on and puts in a 2230 break to take a clear lead which Mick never manged to catch. Cutter A 4- Ash 1.
Old King John 5 Jenny Lind B 0 - Report by Andy Ellison.
OKJ bounced back from the Christmas break and memories of defeat in their last fixture with a dominant performance against a depleted Jenny B side. However things were not as straightforward as the scoreline might suggest. Alec for Jenny B made an excellent start with a break of 2300 while Nigel struggled initially. Finding himself in arrears prompted Nigel into action and he responded brilliantly with a 4800 break and a 6k total to win and set the tone for the evening for OKJ. Next up, Andy for Jenny B struggled at first until he realised that he was using the wrong cue! By this time Mark for OKJ had established a lead and he hung on as Andy came back when using his own cue. Chris and Steve fought out a closer game in the third, neither player could establish a solid base but Chris pushed ahead to a total of 3.5k which proved enough for another success for OKJ. After the interval Roger for OKJ showed no rustiness from the festive break as he launched into his best performance of the season with an outstanding break of 5700 in a resounding 10k total, with Andy, in his second game, being given little opportunity. Steve also returned for a second time and had little luck in his meeting with Andy for OKJ. A 3k total saw Andy home and the completion of a 5-0 success for OKJ,
Results
Xmas break begins
Monday 16th December
The season now hit the Christmas break, the season resumes on the 8th January 2025. We hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and we look forward to battling it out next year.
In the meantime some light reading for you all with this seasons averages very well populated by Roger Andrews, many thanks as always to Roger, enjoy!
2024-2025 Averages
Top of the table wide open after Cutter B shock OKJ
Monday 16th December
The top of the table is wide open after an astonishing Cutter B performance as they beat the Old King John 4-1, the Cutter A couldn't take advantage as their game with the Jenny Lind A was postponed due to their table being recovered, the Ashburnham Arms have somehow sneaked up on the top lot with a 3-2 win at home to the Jenny Lind B.
Cutter B v Old King John - Report by Andy Ellison - League champions and current leaders OKJ were put in their place on Wednesday by newcomers Cutter B. According to OKJ skipper Nigel, "we never turned up". Phil set the tone for the hosts with a very impressive personal best of 3630 which Mark couldn't match. Rob followed up with an equally convincing win against Derek and Dave secured the overall victory for the home side by the interval with another strong performance against the experienced Roger. There was no let-up after the interval either, Jay recorded the second personal best of the night with 2320, and although Nigel was closer to his opponent's score than his teammates had been, Jay was the clear winner. OKJ made the scoreline a little more respectable at 4-1, but in somewhat dubious circumstances. Observing the absence of a fifth player, Geoff the landlord asked if he could step in, despite never having played the game. Cutter B agreed, so Andy for OKJ was presented with a great opportunity. On the positive side, he did accrue the highest break of the night with 3k and put OKJ on the scoreboard. Geoff will have learned an incredible amount from his showing and hope he continues his enthusiasm for our game.
Ashburnham Arms v Jenny Lind B - Report by Steve Astley - In the first game Steve started for the Jenny but stopped at the one-up shot. Sandy then proceeded to more or less take the game for The Ash with a magnificent 5.5K break. Somehow Steve managed to score over three thousand during the rest of the frame but it was always going to be Sandy’ s win. In the second game Dave broke off for the Ash and had knocked in 900 points before losing his score to a white peg. Andy replied with a break of over 1.5k before also losing his break when he missed a ball that was hidden down the middle of the table. Dave came back with another 800 and then remained ahead throughout the game. 2:0 to The Ash. Mick (Ash) was the first player to make a dent in the scoreboard in the third game with an impressive 3650 break and it looked like the game was his as several minutes of faffing around ensued. But Alex (JLB) wasn’t done yet as he got the break back and built a good 3k reply. Sadly for Alex it wasn’t enough and Mick eventually secured a third win for The Ash. Leigh broke for the Ash in the forth game against Andy who was playing his second game of the night. Andy took an early lead but Leigh looked like he was about to catch up as he got built up a break of nearly 2k only to lose it when he played the break shot four times in a row. Andy proceeded to consolidate his lead and took The Jenny’s first win of the night. Finally Steve returned to the baize for his second time against Lynne for the Ash. In a reasonably well matched frame in which both players had time at the table Steve managed to hold on to more of his scores and finished with the second win for the Jenny.
Results
Title race hots up as Cutter A cut OKJ's lead
Saturday 7th December
The race for the title is in full swing and as close as ever after the Cutter A beat the Old King John at home 3-2, the result leaves just two points between the teams. Meanwhile the Jenny Lind B made it two wins on the bounce as they overcame the Cutter B 3-2 and the Ashburnham Arms are on the Jenny Lind B's tails after their 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A.
Cutter A v OKJ - Report by Tom Pope - Tonight’s match saw the OKJ visit the Cutter A at home for the first time. Chris and Roger kicked us off with Roger building a decent break before pegging. Chris knocked in a 1000 on his opening break with Roger returning to the table and drawing out a 1000 lead. With the bar dropping soon, Chris chalked up 2500 taking a lead that Roger didn’t have the time to come back from. Cutter A 1 – OKJ 0. Alec and Mark were next on the baize. The game was nip and tuck throughout. As the bar went mark had a small lead but allowed Alec back on the table to clear up and snatch the win. Cutter A 2 – OKJ 0. Tom and Chris were up next, Chris broke with a 2500 break while Tom didn’t make the most of his break. With each of Chris’ visits to the table be scored heavy, while Tom didn’t capitalise on his opportunities. Chris wins. Cutter A 2 – OKJ 1. Colin and Andy stepped up to the baize with Colin banging in over 7000 at speed. Andy responded with a 2000 break, but it wasn’t enough to make a dent in Colin’s commanding lead from the outset. Cutter A 3 – OKJ 1. Peter and Nigel were last on the slate. Nigel built a break only to lose it while Peter didn’t find his. Nigel quickly built up a lead over Peter. Peter battled it on but Nigel took a comfortable win for OKJ. Cutter A 3 OKJ 2
Jenny Lind B 3 Cutter A 2 - Report by Steve Astley - This week The Jenny Lind hosted the clash of the B’s as Jenny B team welcomed Cutter B for a night of thrills, spills and close shaves. Cutter’s Phil took on Jenny’s Steve in the first. Both players messed up the break shot and the scores ran to and for throughout the twenty minutes. The last and decisive ball on the table was the red ball and it was Phil who potted it drawing first blood for the away team. It was a similar story in the second game when Heather Bishop (Jenny) played Matt Pickles (Cutter). This game also hinged on the final ball and Pickles dropped the ball straight into the 100 hole on his first try chalking up a second win for the Cutter. The third game wasn’t quite so evenly fought as Alex Reardon took an early lead for the Jenny over Cutter’s Rob Boucnik. All seemed to be going Alex’s way until he toppled the black peg near the half way point. This seemed to spur Rob on and and he built a 700 point break before knocking over a white peg himself. Undeterred Alex set about making amends and for the third time tonight the scores were close as the bar fell with Alex holding his nerve and taking the win. Following the break Jenny’s Andy Horsler played Cutter’s Jay Amin. Andy managed to take the lead in the early stages as Jay tried to catch up but Andy persevered and remained ahead eventually taking the frame to make it two all. Finally Dave de Gruchy stepped up for the Cutter against Jenny’s Jez Horsler. Neither player made much of the break shot initially but it was Jez who was first to make a move with a one thousand break. Determined not to be outdone Dave pulled his finger out and drew up close behind Jez on the score board. So it was game on as both players tussled for the lead. Jez eventually pulled ahead with a 1700 break but close to the end Dave managed to get the break back only to miss-cue a moment later leaving Jez in the lead as the bar fell. Jenny B: 3 Cutter B: 2
Ashburnham Arms 4 Jenny Lind A 1 - Report by Sandy Harmer - Paul Wickens and Mick Osborne battled it out in the first game, both players were level early on but a nice 1.5k break gave Mick the lead, despite his best efforts Mick held the 1500 lead throughout to win the first game. Ray Norton levelled for the away side with a win against Leigh Truslove. Ray started well and gained a 700 lead but that didn't deter Leigh as a few small breaks and Leigh was nearly level, Ray managed to navigate the table well enough to build a lead and take the game. Sandy Harmer gave the home side the lead, Sandy started well and took an early lead which was held throughout the game against Karen Standing, Karen in her first away game played some nice shots and gained confidence with every shot. The home captain Dave Pearce led by example with a captain performance to beat Andrew Lispcombe, Dave took an early lead and whilst Andrew in his fetching Christmas jumper couldn't get going Dave made a good lead with a 1.5k break, Andrew tried to catch up but Dave's steady breaks saw him easily in the lead at the bar. The home side added further to their lead as Lynne Truslove won the final game of the night against Jimmy Sullivan, Jimmy struggled early on and Lynne built a good lead, two good breaks meant Lynne had a 1500 lead whilst Jimmy was scratching his head as to what else he could do, but finally Jimmy's luck changed and a nice 800 break brought him back in to contention, Lynne had other ideas as a late rally meant she built a further lead to ensure victory.
Results
Nigel runs riot at OKJ, Southouse loses and B's win the Jenny derby
Sunday 1st December
The Old King John maintain their lead at the top of the league after a 3-2 win at home to the Ashburnham Arms, they gained revenge after their opening day defeat at the Ash with Nigel Doe playing a starring role as he produced a stellar performance to amass 9050 even with a loss of a 3k break in the middle. The Cutter derby was won by the A's 3-2 despite Joe Lyons producing shock of the night with a win over Colin Southouse. The Jenny Lind derby ended with the B's taking the spoils in a 3-2 win.
Jenny Lind A v Jenny Lind B by Steve Astley. The second Jenny Lind derby of the season kicked off with Andy Horsler for the B’s vs. Karen Standing for the A’s. Andy’s maverick style paid off throughout the game with many balls finding the 100 hole and for her part Karen attained her highest score in a match so far but sadly it wasn’t enough to beat an old timer like Andy. In the second game Matt Jones (A team) faced Alex Reardon. Alex took an early lead but Matt snuck up on him as time progressed levelling the scores after 15 minutes. Both players then fought to take the lead and it was Matt who eventually managed to develop a 600 break to take him ahead as the bar dropped. Team captains Steve Astley and Ray Norton then played each other in their second dual of the season. Neither player made much of their initial breaks but Steve came back on his second visit and started to rack up points. Ray had a frustrating evening on (what’s left of) the baize and nothing seemed to go right for him giving Steve plenty of time to rack up a second win for the B team. Following a break for some tasty sandwiches Paul Wickens (A) confronted Chris Law (B). In a diabolical game it seemed neither player could do anything right with pegs flying and missed shots all over the place. The scores were so low and so close that either contender could have taken the frame and what started out as terrible viewing turned into the most exciting trial of the night. It went down to the last ball with Paul the eventual victor. To finish the night Jez Horsler (B) played Andrew Lipscombe (A). Once again on this shabby Jenny Lind table both players failed to make anything of their initial breaks but it was Jez who then got to work and started to attain some points. Andrew never really managed to get going and Jez took the frame making it 3-2 to the B team.
Old King John v Ashburnham Arms by Andy Ellison: OKJ gained revenge for the early season reverse when they entertained Ash. Mick got away to a flying start for Ash with a 2k break. Roger fought back and was involved in the closest game of the night once again. Both players added score but Roger found himself behind as the bar fell. He cleared up, including a final 200 shot, but finished 100 behind. Nigel started the second for OKJ in determined style with a 4k break-off. Giving Leigh little chance, he added a similar break and only a peg prevented another 3k but a 9k total resulted. The third game between Andy and Lynne was pedestrian by comparison, neither player building significant breaks. Andy led for most of the time and kept ahead to put OKJ into a 2-1 lead. Chris and Dave met in what looked to be the night's crucial clash. Chris was in a determined mood and reluctant to leave the table, hence the two 2k breaks that restricted Dave's table time and gave the home team a winning position. Sandy was keen to restrict the winning margin to the minimum and settled into a 3k break. Mark recorded steadily but couldn't match Sandy's heavier scoring and the final score of 3-2 to OKJ proved a straight reverse of the early season scoreline.
Results
Cutter A move in to second after week five
Saturday 23rd November
The Cutter A moved in to second spot after their 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind B, the Ashburnham Arms have placed pressure on the Jenny Lind B after they also won 4-1, with a home win over the Cutter B. The leaders the Old King John continued their strong form with a 5-0 win at the Jenny Lind A.
Jenny Lind A v Old King John: The OKJ team took advantage of their second visit to the Jenny in as many weeks to record a 5-0 victory against Jenny A. Without ever dominating, OKJ showed a degree of adaptation to the vagaries of the table that helped them to secure the win. From his least -favoured starting position Chris led the way for the visitors with a win against Ray. He couldn't replicate his high break from the previous week but he was happy to take the win anyway. Next Andrew for the home team and Mark fought out the closest game of the night with Andrew finding it difficult to hold onto his scores. Mark did better in this aspect of the game and secured a clear win in the end. Roger put OKJ into a winning position by the interval with a strong performance without ever dominating in his game against Matt. Roger did well with the basic break-off shot but couldn't build into a high break, however he did enough to win. After some anxiety about the catering arrangements, excellent pizzas arrived and the evening progressed well! Obviously well fortified, Andy for OKJ was able to record the best total of the night in his meeting with Paul. Even then there were plenty of errors and 3150 won't enter any record books! OKJ were pleased to welcome back skipper Nigel for the final game and he followed the pattern for the evening by forging ahead of Heather without building a significant total. There were errors on both sides once again but Nigel was keen to ensure that his team secured the 5-0 victory.
Ashburnham Arms v Cutter B: The Ashburnham Arms secured a 4-1 win at home to the newcomers the Cutter B. Sandy Harmer started preceding against Rob Boudnik, Sandy raced in to the lead with a 4k break, Rob struggled to get going as Sandy added a further 2k as he took the leg. Mick Osborne put the home side further ahead as he beat Joe Lyons, Mick started with 1k, Joe put together some nice breaks but Mick added to his score and won the leg. Leigh Truslove won the third frame to give the Ash the win, Leigh went toe to toe with Jay Amin, Leigh taking the lead and was ahead, both Jay and Leigh lost meaningful breaks near the end of the game to keep the game very close Jay tried to keep the balls up at the end to take the lead but sunk all the balls to give Leigh the win. Dave Pearce put the home side further in to the lead as he beat Phil, Dave started well and gained a 1k lead but Phil once getting to grips with the table got a 1k break to level the match, a 600 break from Dave game him breathing space but Phil managed to get close at the end and with a few shots at the end he managed to take the game to the last ball, Phil missed the 100 but Dave found the 100 to take the win. Dave de Gruchy ensured the away team went away with a victory as he beat Lynne Truslove, both players very close early on but Dave settled quicker as he took the lead midway through the game and with two 1k breaks took advantage against Lynne who scoreline didn't represent the hard work she showed. A 4-1 win for the Ash but on another day could've been so much closer.
Cutter A v Jenny Lind B: The Cutter A were expecting a tough match tonight against league rivals Jenny B. Nice to have a visitor playing for The Cutter in the form of old Hastings stalwart Mike Daw having a break from the Brighton league tonight. Steve Astley was his opponent in game 1 and he started well with a 1.9k break, in reply Mike struggled early to get the one up red in the correct spot and came off a couple of times on about 1K, Steve notched up a nice 2100 score to put additional pressure on but Mike was up to the challenge with a nice 6500 break leaving zero time for Steves reply. In Game 2 Peter started unusually well against Alex opening up a lead which Alex was unable to claw back with both players matching breaks for the rest of the game In Game 3 Jez played steadily against Alec, getting several nice breaks in a row ending on a seasons high of 6130, Alec must have upset the BB Gods as everything he tried failed and it was topped off with a moving cue ball which toppled the Black peg half way through. Game 4 saw Colin getting to grips with the cutter top with a not as sweet break as Mikes as he spent a fair bit of time at the bottom of the table but stayed in play compiling an opening break of 8830 leaving Andy Horsler no time to catch up, a dejected Andy came off early and Colin played out another 5420 to claim a seasons best of 14450 in the final game Andy Horsler took the place of a missing player against Chris Aldridge, Both Chris and Andy struggled to make a telling score but a determined Chris plodded on and maintained his lead throughout leaving the Cutter 4-1 up at the end of proceedings
Results
OKJ go top as the Cutter B secure their first win!
Tuesday 19th November
The current champions the Old King John went to top spot for the first time this season as they overcome the Jenny Lind B 3-2 in the top of the table clash, meanwhile congratulations to the Cutter B who secured their first ever win with a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A. The Cutter B also continue their strong form as they won 4-1 at the Ashburnham Arms.
Jenny Lind B v OKJ: The early season top two met at the Jenny and the expected close encounter ensued. Steve was away first for the home team and showed the best form of the evening on a difficult table. The relatively inexperienced Derek took longer to settle for OKJ and although he began to play some good shots later in the frame, Steve was already on his way to a 4k winning total that proved to be the best of the night. Andy for JLB was first to register in the next but Roger for OKJ didn't let him get away and pushed into the lead. In what proved to be the closest game of the night Andy came back but time up left him 200 short, leaving the match score level. Neither player came to grips with the table in the third outing. Chris for JLB had difficulty keeping his scores, allowing Andy for OKJ to claim an unconvincing win. A better game followed the break with Jez following up his excellent sandwiches with a strong start against Chris for OKJ. Chris came back with a battling 2k break, the best of the evening, but Jez left him too much to do and a black peg was the result of a fruitless chase. With the game level at 2-2, OKJ had to rely upon the player replacement rule for the first time ever as illness and unavailability left them with only 4 players. Andy stepped up to face Alex and another limited game ensued. Once again neither player could generate a significant break and in a copy of his earlier game Andy held on for the vital win and a 3-2 success for OKJ.
Ash v Cutter B: Mick Osborne and Peter Payne were in a stalemate early on with both players being stuck on 1k, Mick managed a 500 break to gain a decent lead, Peter wasn't gaining any points with his kamikaze shots and that led to Mick getting the break back and running the table out with a 1500 to take the win. Chris Aldridge produced a game of high quality as he beat Sandy Harmer, Sandy took an early lead but Chris got to grips with the table and was level half way through, Sandy messed up his break and Chris took advantage with 1300 to take the lead, Sandy couldn't clear and with a few breaks between them the lead was cut to 700 when the bar went and Chris ran out the deserved winner. Colin Southouse started with a 4k break but despite looking comfortable a mistake led to him losing the break, Leigh took a small lead but Colin came back with a lovely 7570 break which saw the Cutter A take the lead. Alec Pope sealed the win for the Cutter A, Alec started very slow as Dave Pearce took the lead and led by nearly 800, it was roles reversed for the second half as Alec started scoring as Dave couldn't get going, Alex managed to get ahead at the end to win the game. The last game between Lynne Truslove and Tom Pope, not much could separate both players as the game was the epitome of nip and tuck, Tom just staying ahead and a 300 break near the end sealed the win for Tom as the Cutter A ran out 4-1 winners.
Results
OKJ chase unbeaten Jenny Lind B
Sunday 10th November
The Jenny Lind B stay top of the table after being victorious in the battle of the unbeaten sides as they beat the Ashburnham Arms 3-2. The Old King John are hot on their tail just two points behind after a 4-1 win at home to the Cutter B, meanwhile the Cutter A topped up their points tally after a 4-1 win at home to the Jenny Lind A.
OKJ v Cutter B - Following their success against experienced Cutter A last week, OKJ faced newcomers Cutter B in their latest home fixture. Roger led the way for the hosts and produced the best score of the night, with two strong 2k+ breaks in his 6k+ total. The second game between Mark and Rob was closer but Rob's failure to hold on to breaks cost him dearly, allowing Mark to secure the win. The next one, between Andy and Jay was close in the early stages, Andy settled into a 3k break but lost it to a peg so restoring jeopardy in the closing minutes. Jay came to the table with time up and the red ball potted so even a perfect shot into the 200 pocket wasn't enough to retrieve the game for him. The best game of the night was between Garry and Dave with both players producing inventive shots but neither able to sustain a match -winning break. It went down to the wire with Dave holding his nerve for a success for Cutter B. Rob returned for the visitors in the final frame but so did his peg-hitting habit, negating some good shots. Chris performed steadily for OKJ and was able to pick up the frame and a 4-1 win.
Jenny Lind B v Ashburnham Arms - In week three of the league the Ashburnham Arms returned to the Jenny Lind to play the Jenny B team. In the first game Ash Captain Dave played Andy. Dave made a good start only to see Andy level the scores halfway through the game. Not to be outdone Dave soldiered on to lead by 600 points with only five minutes to go. Andy tried a brave but risky shot into the 200 hole but black-pegged leaving Dave to finish the game one up to the Ash. In the second game JLB’s Alex seemed to dominate the scores over Mick who managed to rally towards the end but didn’t get past the winning post. One all. Next up: Sandy (Ash) vs. Jez (JLB). Sandy missed the break on a table that all agree is in need of a new cover and Jez took home advantage to stay ahead throughout the frame scoring a second win for the B team. Steve (JLB) played Lynne (Ash) in the forth game. Despite neither player being able to profit much from the break shot both still did quite well with each knocking in their highest scores this season and Steve coming out on top in the end. As both teams were a player short this week a draw was taken to see who would play in the last game. Highest scorers were eliminated from the draw and Alex was picked for JLB while Sandy got a rare chance to play twice in one night as he was outscored earlier by Dave. Clearly disappointed at not performing as well as his Captain earlier Sandy made a point of winning the game. Final score JLB 3, Ash 2.
Results
Jenny B lead the way in week two
Sunday 3rd November
The Jenny Lind B lead the league table after week two with a 3-2 win at the Cutter B, they remain unbeaten along with the Ashburnham Arms after they won 3-2 at the Jenny Lind A. Despite their unbeaten runs the Old King John find themselves second after their first win of the season with a thumping 5-0 win against the Cutter A.
Cutter B v Jenny Lind B: In the first game Jai the Captain of the Cutter faced Jenny B’s Alex. It was a slow game but quite even until Jai lost a 500 break to a white peg. This seemed to give Alex the impetus to forge ahead and eventually win the game. Next up Rob (Cutter) faced off against The Claw (Jenny B). In the second carefully played game the scores were close throughout with Rob having the lead as the bar dropped and Chris knocking over the black peg with the final shot in an attempt to save face. By the third game the table seemed to have warmed up with “hot shots” Jez (Jenny) vs. Dave (Cutter). A more dramatic game than the previous two but ending in a similar fashion with Jez black-pegging and Dave taking the Cutter into the lead. After hearty sandwiches and roast potatoes the match resumed with Joe (Cutter) and Andy (Jenny). For the second time this season Andy’s experience saw him through and he remained ahead throughout the game. Joe also black-pegged at the end leaving the score at two apiece. In the final Steve (Jenny) managed to grind out a win against Graham (Cutter) giving an overall win to the Jenny B.
Jenny Lind A v Ashburnham Arms: After the draw, with home captain Ray sitting out due to excess players (never happened before!), new player Karen Standing played away Captain Dave Pearce, after both players managing to fluff their opening break’s Dave finally started the ball rolling, but did not score too heavily. Karen responded in dribs and drabs, to start her score but seemed to come off the table too soon each time. Each of Dave’s scores were larger as the frame went on, but with the impression that at any time the pegs could fall, from either player. By the end Karen had increased her last week’s scores by 50% and Dave run out a convincing winner. Next up was Paul and Lynne, Paul started quite strongly, and Lynne did not score anywhere as well as she normally does, but it was good to see her back on the table without her oxygen. Paul seemed more relaxed after his epic efforts at the Monday Marathon and quickly amassed a 1k break, and then play alternated with neither player dominating. A few unfortunate pegs followed, and whilst Lynne had table time it rarely amounted with big scores, while Paul maintained his advantage to the end, ending nearly 2k in the lead. Next up was Andrew and Mick, both also returning from their Monday efforts. Mick was hoping to score better today as he had arrived for Monday without his queue, but sadly his proper queue was not working either. Andrew sped into a lead, but the table, desperately in need of recovering was starting to play up. At one point three balls amassed behind the right hand 20 hole and Andrew attempted to move them, only to see the ball ricochet back up the table at twice the speed it went up. Mick had become increasingly frustrated by his game, and with Andrew a good 1200 ahead, the turning point came. Whether it was the divot in the cloth, or just a poorly judged shot, Andrew collected the black peg going up the middle of table and suddenly Mick was well in the lead with just minutes remaining before the Bar. Andrew was quite rightly furious with himself, and despite a valiant attempt to close the points difference was nearly 1k behind at the end. Neither player was happy, Mick suggested it was his worst game ever, and Andrew wanted the ground to open up around him. After the break for Jezz’s excellent sandwiches, play continued with Jimmy and Leigh. Leigh was playing a slow and steady game, and was racking up reasonable points whilst in the first half Jimmy was demonstrating his flamboyant self, without much success. As the game went on however, Leigh became more tentative, whilst Jimmy had calmed down and started to rack up some scores. Towards the end of the frame, it was neck and neck with each player scrambling for what meagre points were on offer, and it was so tight as the bar dropped that either player staying on the table would have won. As it happened the final ball needed to be put in the 200 hole for Jimmy to win, which he did. Game on…2-2. Sandy and Matt started last and the usually dependable Sandy did not score well on the initial break, but that was followed by Matt, much to his horror, knocking in the break shot in 4 times, losing his score. After that the normal state of play resumed and Sandy started with a 1k break and Matt nearly matched it, and that pattern continued with Sandy out scoring Matt at each visit, Matt staged a comeback with a 1k break of his own, but Sandy continued to be ahead by 1500, through to the end. Result Jenny A 2 Ashburnham 3. As had been mentioned, the table is in desperate need of a recovering and re-levelling, as some of the slow shots were veering away by as much as a ball. However, contact has been made but it seems the cloth is in short supply, but we will chase Simon at the Jenny for an update. Having said that we all had an enjoyable night.
Old King John v Cutter A: Chris recovered from a nervous start to build a 3k break and move ahead of Alec and claim the first win for the OKJ. In the second Roger and Tom started slowly but Roger more than matched break in the earlier frame to secure a clear victory. In the next Colin came off the table surprisingly early for Cutter and Andy was happy to step in with 4.5k. Colin came back with 2.5 himself but Andy saw out the frame with his next visit so the game was played out in a total of only 4 visits. Skipper Nigel was not to be outdone by the earlier performances of his team and although his highest break fell short of the best of the night, his total of 9k was the highest. Chris from the Cutter and Mark fought out the closest frame of the night with the lead changing hands several times. Home table knowledge helped Mark to edge home and complete the 5-0 win for OKJ.
Results
Bar Billiards 10 hour charity Marathon
Sunday 3rd November
The league completed a fundraising event at the Jenny Lind on Monday 28th October 2024 for Macmilan support and Myositis UK. The target was to score 150,000 points, despite the outstanding efforts from all the players we fell short of the target with a total of 147,080, despite this the night was a roaring success with a total of £1007.45 raised for the charities, thank you goes to all the players who participated, the Jenny Lind for hosting and to Jez Horsler and Ray Norton for organising such a successful event!
2024-25 Season starts
Saturday 26th October
The 2024-25 season has finally kicked off and it started with the league champions losing their first game as the Ashburnham Arms defeated the Old King John 3-2. Meanwhile the brand new Cutter derby resulted in the A's beating the newcomer B's 4-1 and in the Jenny derby the B's beat the A's 5-0.
Results are now located in 'This Season'.
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