Nazareth House Snooker League season preview

The Nazareth House Snooker League gets underway on Tuesday 30th September. Four teams will be missing from last season, they are EMI Snooker (Ilkeston) which closed its doors for good during the summer, Sherwood Social Club “B”, Lenton Liberal Club “A” and The Rutland Club.
Two new teams join us though, they are Beeston Snooker Hall and BCI “B”. League Secretary, Steve Butler said “I am really pleased to welcome Beeston Snooker Hall into the league. Beeston has a relatively large number of snooker clubs and I hope that with Beeston Snooker Hall joining us this year, the other Beeston clubs may be tempted to follow suit next season. I am also really pleased that BCI will be entering a second team this year. They have some excellent players now with the likes of Wayne Martin, Jason Bettridge, Tony Collins and John Bednall. They are also developing some young talent as well, as I know only too well because I was recently knocked out of a tournament there by promising ten-year-old Thomas Coleman.”

The Annual General Meeting was held recently and Mike Langdon was voted onto the Committee as the new Tournament Secretary. Mike will be responsible for running the singles and pairs competitions including a brand new Singles Snooker League which has proved so popular that there will be three divisions.

Another new development for this season is the introduction of play-offs. The teams finishing in positions three to six at the end of the season will compete in the play-offs, with the winner taking the third place trophy and a prize. This will apply in both divisions. “With the introduction of play-offs and also the new singles league, there has never been a better time to play in the Nazareth House Snooker League. Players now have a much greater chance to win a trophy, particularly as every player receives a handicap to reflect their ability.” said Butler.

Fixtures for 30 September 2008

Division 1
Arnold Civil Defence "A" v Arnold Civil Defence "B"
BCI Snooker Centre "A" v Beeston Snooker Hall
Stadium Leisure v The Peoples Hall
Cotgrave Welfare v Pegasus Snooker Club

Division 2
Lenton Liberal Club v Mapperley Community Centre
BCI Snooker Centre "B" v Sherwood Social Club
Phoenix Cue Sports v City Hospital Leisure Centre
Wollaton Royal British Legion v Oakleigh Lodge Social Club

Charity Shield raises cash for City Hospital

Charity Challenge Shield

The inaugural Charity Challenge Shield took place on Tuesday 23rd September 2008 at BCI Snooker Centre, Bulwell. The match was won by the Nottingham & Notts Institutes Association Snooker League team, although the match turned out to be closer than expected, with Nazareth House Snooker League going down 8-6.

Two teams of fourteen players competed, each paying a £2 entry fee. A twenty pence penalty was then imposed for every foul shot, of which there were many. The total amount raised on the night for charity was an impressive £75.

The first three matches featured members of both league committees. NHSL Chairman Pete Gormley lost to NNIA Chairman Pete Trout, who had a nice 21 break. NHSL Secretary Steve Butler beat NNIA Secretary Robert Wright and NHSL Vice-Chairman Dennis Peet beat NNIA Treasurer James Robinson.

There then followed two quality encounters with Jason Bettridge (NNIA) beating Gary Spencer (NHSL) and Wayne Martin (NNIA) beating Chris Piech (NHSL). Other NNIA wins came from Jonathan Mason (52 break) v Steve Booth, Tony Collins v Malc Belshaw, Daz Clarke v Zeb Ahmed, Neil Elliott v Matt Ellis and Sam Haugh (34 break) v Stephen Lally.

NHSL wins came from Clary Plowman v Kwok Yip, Mike Langdon v Shaun Parkinson, Richard Tooley v Tim Hudson and John Marshall v Nigel Bradford.

Nazareth House Snooker League Secretary, Steve Butler, said “The evening went really well and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Every time a foul was committed there was a big cheer, it was great fun. I’d like to thank everyone who came for their support and I’d particularly like to thank Pete Trout and the staff at BCI for providing the use of their tables and facilities. We’re definitely going to make this an annual event from now on.”

Nottingham and Notts Institutes Association Secretary, Robert Wright, said “What a fabulous night. It was nice to see so many snooker players in one venue, and everyone enjoying the competition. It was nice not to take the game seriously for once and have a laugh at each others expense.”

Wright also had the honour of choosing which local charity would receive the £75 raised and he chose the Renal Unit at Nottingham City Hospital.

The Committees, from left: James Robinson (NNIA Treasurer), Robert Wright (NNIA Secretary), Pete Trout (NNIA Chairman), Mike Langdon (NHSL Tournament Secretary), Pete Gormley (NHSL Chairman), Steve Butler (NHSL Secretary), Dennis Peet (NHSL Vice-Chairman)

Sherwood's A team secure place in final

Bulwell & District Snooker League – Week 12


KNOCKOUT CUP SEMI-FINAL

Sherwood Social Club 'A' are through to the final of the Knockout Cup after beating Spot On (Hucknall) in the semi-final. The other semi-final between Top Spot and Sherwood Social Club ‘B’ was postponed and will be played shortly.

DIVISION 3

Leaders Ruddington CC were without a match this week which gave second placed Oakleigh Lodge 'B' the opportunity to close the gap. A terrific 5-0 defeat of Oakleigh 'A' by Oakleigh 'B' put them on 33 points, level with Ruddington.

In a repeat of last weeks divisional cup final between Sherwood 'B' and Sherwood 'D' it was the 'D' team that ran out impressive 5-0 winners on this occasion. The win moves Sherwood 'D' into joint third place on 26 points, along with BCI 'C' who lost 2-3 at home to Phoenix Cue Sports.

More information including the latest league tables is available on the league's website.

Sherwood 'B' make it three in a row

Bulwell & District Snooker League

DIVISION 1 CUP FINAL

In the Division 1 Cup Final, held at City Hospital Leisure Centre, BCI 'A' ran out easy winners against Sherwood Social Club 'A'. Lee Crombie got Sherwood off to a winning start with a good 69-60 win over Jason Betteridge. Wayne Martin took forty minutes to defeat Ant Scaborough in the second frame by 66-41. In-form Tony Collins had the biggest win of the night against Brendon Murtagh, racking up 103 points to Murtagh’s 15. That left Jason Turner with it all to do against the experienced Hanson Stowe, however Stowe was victorious by 30 points meaning that BCI 'A' - who finished runners-up in 2006 and 2007 - took the title.

DIVISION 2 CUP FINAL

Mapperley Community Centre received 21 points start in this match against newly crowned Division 2 Champions Top Spot. However, it was not enough to prevent Top Spot winning the match by 92 points.

Dave Milner made a slow start against Mapperley's Richard Payne which enabled Payne to open up a small lead. However, Payne then started to miss a few which allowed Milner to start playing. Milner fluked the brown but by that time the damage was already done and he won the frame by 46 points. Lee Esam had two runs of 16 in his frame against Doug Bough. He also fluked a brown to mirror the play on the other table and took the frame by 32 points to put Top Spot 78 in front at the halfway stage (57 after deduction of 21 point handicap).

Michael Walker hit a quality 23 break which included a superb pink into the middle bag from an acute angle. Wright did his best to keep the score down but a good snooker from Walker forced him into a foul on the pink. Credit to Wright in the end though for potting pink and black leaving Carnell needing to win the final frame by 72 points for victory.

A good 14 break from Carnell reduced the target to 58 but the frame slipped away when Webb fluked a pink off the final red. Carnell then went in off to effectively end any hope of victory for Mapperley.

DIVISION 3 CUP FINAL

Sherwood Social Club’s 'B' and 'D' teams contested the Division 3 Cup Final. After the first two frames the 'B' team moved into a 128-76 lead after good wins for Manny Sant (61-45 against Gareth Evans) and Joey Griffin (67-31 against Andy Fitton). The 'D' team then made a comeback through Kev Smith with a 55-28 win over Ross Scarborough. Les Smith then took on Lee Mayer-Daley, knowing that anything less than a 26 point win would hand the title to the ‘B’ team. Mayer-Daley played very well, defeating Smith by 65-47. Thus the Division 3 title went to Sherwood SC 'B' for the third year running.

More information including the latest league tables is available on the league's website.

Lucky thirteen for Martin

BCI Snooker Tournament - Tuesday 16 September 2008

Thirteen proved to be lucky for Wayne Martin on Tuesday evening. The former professional and three-times winner of the Eastwood Open, organised the first of what he hopes will become a regular snooker tournament at BCI Snooker Centre in Bulwell. Thirteen players turned out, each paying just £5 for a chance to win the £45 first prize. Inevitably it was Martin himself who walked away with the money, beating Sam Haugh in the final.

All players who entered the tournament were given a handicap to even things out a little. Ten year old Thomas Coleman thoroughly enjoyed himself, particularly as he knocked out Eastwood Open semi-finalist Steve Butler in the first round. There were also good first round wins for Jonathan Mason and Toby Irons.

Mason and Martin Yah each took home £5 as losing semi-finalists and Haugh left with £20 in his back pocket as a reward for reaching the final. The final was played over one frame due to time constraints.

Martin is now planning the next BCI tournament which he hopes to hold on a Saturday to allow more time to cater for the anticipated higher number of competitors.

Results

Round 1
Sam Haugh 2-0 Mike Langdon
Thomas Coleman 2-1 Steve Butler
Jonathan Mason 2-1 John Bednall
Toby Irons 2-0 Malc Belshaw
Wayne Martin 2-0 Kwok Yip
Byes: Steve Coleman, Martin Yah, Shaun Parkinson

Quarter-Finals
Haugh 2-0 T Coleman
Mason 2-1 Irons
Martin 2-1 S Coleman
Yah 2-1 Parkinson

Semi-Finals
Haugh 2-1 Mason
Martin 2-0 Yah

Final
Martin 1-0 Haugh

Piech Closing in on Title Glory

Pegasus Snooker League - Weeks 21 and 22

Division One

Chris Piech came through a tough test against Steve Booth unscathed and is now only 4 points behind leader Nav Hussain with three games in hand. Piech got off to a good start knocking in a 35 break in the opening frame before Booth leveled in the second. It was Piech who finished the stronger of the two players though, to run out a 3-1 winner. Mike Langdon bounced back from his disappointing loss to Steve Booth in style. Langdon raced into a three frame lead which included a 33 break against Gary Spencer to give him two valuable and unexpected points. Spencer's woe continued the following week against Andy Orange who is enjoying his best season to date. The match had started well for Spencer winning the opening frame but Orange cleared up from the green to pinch the second and then pushed on in the next two frames to record a 3-1 win. Orange then picked up another point in his 2-2 draw with Steve Booth. Orange had trailed 2-1 but a superb 46 break in the final frame (his highest competitive break to date) ensured the points would be shared.

Bates on the Brink

Division Two

Scott Bates looks set to erase the memory of last season's disappointment at missing out on 1st place in the Trevor Steeples Shield by winning three consecutive matches. The first win came against Brian Steeples before proving to be too stong against current leader Jamie Walker in what was probably the title decider. Bates won the opening three frames before Walker picked up a consolation final frame. Fourth place Luke Robinson was then beaten by the same 3-1 scoreline as Bates moved to within a point of top spot with three games in hand.

Humphrey Causes Upset To Reach Final

Members Cup Semi-Finals

Grant Humphrey stunned Andy Orange to win three nil and bag a place in the Members Cup final. The second division player will now be hoping for a similar result in the final against Mike Langdon who enjoyed a comfortable victory over Steve Butler in the other semi-final match winning by the same scoreline.

View the latest league tables on the Nottingham Snooker Forum.

Top Spot promoted as BCI play the waiting game

Bulwell & District Snooker League - Week 10

DIVISION 1

BCI 'A' moved clear at the top of division 1 with a solid 4-1 home win against Sherwood 'A'. BCI 'E' lost ground on the new leaders with a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to Spot On (Hucknall). City Hospital Leisure Centre moved into the runners-up spot with a 5-0 whitewash of relegated Spot On (Sneinton).

BCI ‘E’ must now play their game in hand against Sherwood ‘A’ and they need to win it 5-0 to finish in first place above BCI ‘A’. Anything less and BCI ‘A’ will be crowned league champions.

DIVISION 2

Stadium Leisure led division 2 for most of the season, however a recent dip in form saw them fall to third place. In the final matches Stadium lost 4-1 to Top Spot who, as a result, finish top of the division. BCI ‘B’ made sure of second place with a 3-2 win against already relegated BCI ‘D’. At the bottom of the table, Masters were unable to avoid relegation as they went down 3-2 to Mapperley.

DIVISION 3

With seven teams competing in division 3 there are still quite a few matches left to play. Ruddington remain top of the division after a good 3-2 win at BCI 'C' who drop down to third. Oakleigh Lodge 'B' moved into second place after a 4-1 home win against Sherwood 'B'. Sherwood 'D' moved into joint fourth place alongside Phoenix Cue Sports as a result of their 4-1 home win against Oakleigh Lodge 'A'.

More information including the latest league tables is available on the league's website.

The Sheriff qualifies at the expense of Holt

Shanghai Masters Qualifying

Nottingham potter Anthony Hamilton, aka The Sheriff of Pottingham, beat fellow Nottsman Michael Holt in the final qualifying round of the Shanghai Masters to secure his place in the final stages of the event which will be held between 29 September and 5 October 2008.

Holt emphatically beat Robert Stephen 5-1 in round 3, a win that included breaks of 74, 49, 36 and 61. This set up the meeting with Hamilton, who only entered the event at the fourth round stage due to his superior ranking. Hamilton wasted no time in taking a 4-0 lead with breaks of 32, 52, 76 and 43. In the fifth frame Hamilton had a knock of 44 as he went for the whitewash, however Holt dug deep to steal the frame with a terrific run of 72. It was all over in the next though as Hamilton secured the match with a 67 break. Hamilton will face Hong Kong’s Marco Fu in Shanghai.

Mansfield’s Lee Spick had more matches to play due to him being ranked a lowly 67 in the world. In round 1 he beat Declan Hughes 5-1. He then went on to beat China’s Liu Song 5-3 in round 2 before bowing out to world number 35 Ricky Walden in round 3.

Round 1
Lee Spick 5-1 Declan Hughes 75(62)-48, 130(130)-7, 63-20, 62-42, 31-73(38), 104(36,36)-10

Round 2
Liu Song 3-5 Lee Spick 107(107)-10, 60-71(30), 77(77)-11, 0-86(86), 74(74)-0, 9-71(50), 18-66(34)

Round 3
Ricky Walden 5-3 Lee Spick 39(39)-76(45), 69(69)-7, 99(99)-0, 2-84(80), 10-108(48, 60), 63(42)-45, 81(38)-41, 110(101)-6
Michael Holt 5-1 Robert Stephen 104(74)-6, 64-50, 68(49)-18, 0-68(51), 77(36)-50, 66(61)-9

Round 4
Anthony Hamilton 5-1 Michael Holt 62(32)-39, 66(52)-54, 76(76)-32(32), 61(43)-14, 48(44)-83(72), 71(67)-28

Eastwood Snooker Open

Sunday 5th October 2008

11am Registration, 11:30am Start

Event to be held at Phoenix Cue Sports, Mansfield Road, Eastwood.

£10 Entry Fee, Half Price for under 18’s; all distributed as prizes.

Straight knockout, with a plate for early round losers.

Limited to 32 Players, on a first come first served basis.

Competition rules:
1. Competition open to all players. The organisers reserve the right to refuse admission.
2. Prize money paid at the event.
3. Straight knockout, best of 3 in early rounds. Best of 5 Final.
4. Plate competition for those eliminated in the early rounds.
5. Entry to the competition is £10. All Entry fees will be distributed as prize money.
6. Handicaps will be issued against professionals and internationals at the organisers discretion.
7. Advance entries would be preferred, if places are available on the day, players will need to register by 11.00am, and the event starts at 11:30am (doors open 10am).
8. All matches played to World Snooker Rules.
9. No dress code
10. The tournament organisers decision will be final in all cases.
11. These rules are property of the "Phoenix Cue Sports" and subject to change.

To ensure your entry please send a cheque / postal order, payable to "Phoenix Cue Sports" and send, along with your name, address, contact number and email (if applicable) to:

24 Mansfield RoadEastwoodNottinghamNG16 3AQ

For any further inquiries please telephone 01773 760 459

Bulwell & District Snooker League - Week 9

DIVISION 1

The top two teams played each other this week, BCI ‘A’ and BCI ‘E’. The clash was expected to be a tight affair, but BCI 'A' came away with a good 4-1 away win over the league leaders.

Wayne Martin beat Wong Yip 83-26 and then Wong’s brother Kwok went down 33-67 to Jason Bettridge, who recently won the BCI Senior Snooker Championship. BCI ‘A’ then went 3-0 up after Tony Collins beat Jonathan Mason 65-44. Sam Hague prevented the whitewash with a 69-37 victory over Hanson Stowe.

Other results:

City Hospital 4-1 Spot On Hucknall
Spot On Sneinton 3-2 Sherwood ‘A’

DIVISION 2

In a double-header between Top Spot and BCI ‘B’, Top Spot ran out 4-1 winners in the first match, but BCI 'B' triumphed 3-2 in the second. Stadium Leisure moved into joint second place with a 4-1 victory over Mapperley. In the bottom of the table clash at BCI, Masters ran out 4-1 winners over BCI 'D', a result which relegated BCI ‘D’.

DIVISION 3

Top of the table Ruddington lost their 100% record as they went down 4-1 at home to Sherwood 'B'. BCI 'C', who didn't have a game, remain in second place because Phoenix Cue Sports lost to bottom of the table Oakleigh Lodge 'A' 4-1. Oakleigh Lodge 'B' beat Sherwood 'D' 4-1 in the remaining match and move up into joint second place.

More information including the latest league tables is available on the league's website.

Pegasus Snooker League - Weeks 19 and 20

Division One

Gary Spencer has thrown open the door for Chris Piech to win this years Pegasus Snooker League by beating current leader Nav Hussain 3-1. It had looked likely that Hussain would be crowned champion but that is now out of his hands and he can only wait and hope that Piech slips up in his 4 games in hand. It was a good quality encounter with Spencer's highest break in the match being a 40 break and Hussain replying with runs of 40 and 39. The result will be of some satisfaction to Spencer who by his standards has had a dissapointing season by being knocked out of the KO Cup at the quarter-final stage and failing to mount a real title challenge. Chris Piech got down to the business of chasing down Hussain with a solid 3-1 win over Steve Butler who knocked in the match's highest break of 30. Mike Langdon's up and down season continued with a 3-1 defeat to his big rival Steve Booth. Langdon had leveled the match but it was Booth who dominated the last two frames with a superb display of long potting and some terrific safety play to bag his first competitive win over Langdon. The result lifts Booth upto 5th in the table whilst Langdon now needs at least three points from his last two matches to avoid finishing in the bottom two.

Division Two

Grant Humphrey continued his charge up the second division table with a good 3-1 win to condemn Brian Steeples to his third consecutive defeat. The result now looks to have sorted out the play-off places with Humphrey and Towle likely to contest 5th place in the table at the expense of Steeples who after going unbeaten for the first six matches will be dissapointed to see his season fizzle out.

Members Cup

Steve Butler booked himself a semi-final place with an excellent 3-2 win over Steve Booth. Butler rushed into a two nil lead with a superb clearance on the colours and had looked likely to progress in the competition at a canter, however Booth is well known for his battling qualities and was not going to lie down. Booth cleared the blue, pink and black to snatch the third after Butler had missed a tough frame and match winning blue along the rail and then leveled the match to stun Butler. It looked that Booth would complete a memorable comeback in the final frame with a healthy lead going into the colours but all credit to Butler who held his nerve with a superb and awkward clearance down to the pink to win the tie by the odd frame in five.

View the latest league tables on the Nottingham Snooker Forum.