League hots up as competitive edge kicks in
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
NORMALLY it is a pretty sedate start to the New Year, the Christmas excess is still hanging around, the cue action is suffering from a distinct lack of practice and results mirror the fact.
Well the welcome to 2012 in The Starplan Pool League sends out a very different message - competitiveness is alive and well and long may it continue!
As of now the three title races could not be any closer all three are tied at the moment and with a healthy dose of challengers to boot.
Donaghys A leaders in section one for all of the first half got their second half away to a winning start beating McAleers 3-2 on Wednesday night but find the challenge of Davisons on the tails on level points after week on of 2012 and McAleers have not exactly gone away you know.
In section two Central A clocked in with the first whitewash of the New Year to leapfrog The Mill Court and take the lead from their neighbours with a challenge brewing in Clonoe, Stewartstown and The Moy.
A defeat of titanic proportions to welcome the new year for section three leaders Central B which has opened up the title race to a handful of teams including their conquers Donaghys C, Hallidays The Cobbles B and The Gables B with two points separating the top five. Happy New Year one and all!
Section One
McAleers 2 Donaghys A 3
A cracker at The Donaghmore Road to start the new year off in style and long may it continue as the top two clashed head on with the margin of victory on the night transferring to the league table. Not surprisingly neither of the protagonists were in any mood to let the other take the initiative as the action got underway in earnest.
Keeping tabs was the order of the night Shane Mallon edged out Tony Slevin in the first and Chris Beattie restored parity for the Donaghys men in the second. The trend continued through the third and fourth Ben Downey and Bob Herron displaying all their potting skills which took the match to 2 apiece. The extra point and ultimately the advantage on the table would be decided between Cathal McErlean and the home hero S.P. McAleer and it was the Donaghys man who got the nod in a tense three framer, Donaghys back on top by virtue of the win but McAleers still very much in the picture.
Davisons A 4 The Gables A 1
Davisons A pulled themselves back to the top of the table thanks to this 4-1 win at home to the Gables as the Caufield men opened the second half of the season with a pot fest. Philip Tener led the way with a double eight ball which won the opening two frames and Dee McClements joined in with a seven ball to put the hosts in a comfortable position. The next two games became very tactical both going to the third frame and shared out evenly as Johnny McCurry and Dave Wilson got the points which took the tally to 3-1 in Davisons favour.
Neville Montgomery put the polish on a good Davisons display an eight ball in the first frame and a seven baller in the second welcomed the winners to the top spot for the first time in a few weeks.
O Neills B 1 Falls Bar 4
It may just have got lost in the festive build up but their in last outing in the league Falls Bar claimed one of the big scalps in section one a 3-2 defeat of Donaghys A no less. A trip to O Neills after the festive break showed just how closely matched the teams in section can be on any given night. That may seem a bold statement with the visitors taking four points from the tussle but the score does not fully support the efforts of the losers on this occasion. The home side actually won the first game in all three of the opening jousts and the match required all fifteen frames to decide it. Austin O Neill, Richard Devlin, and Ian Rafferty bowed to Connor Currie, Rory and Barry Devlin after going one up and Marty Donnelly had to fight to make it 4-0 against Colm Cullen. Seamie Higgins denied Falls Bar the full hand when he won the last as Colly Devlin tried his best to the finish.
Section One Table
Pld. Pts.
Davisons A. 55. 35.
Donaghys A. 55. 35.
McAleers. 55. 34.
Falls Bar. 55. 26.
Gables A. 55. 22.
O Neills B. 55. 13.
Fixtures 11th January:
Davisons A v McAleers. Donaghys A v O Neills B. The Gables A v Falls Bar.
Section Two
Central A 5 Davisons B 0
At a time of the year when New Year messages are the norm what about this one from Central A? The Christmas Cup winners took their good form into the second half of the season and look to have benefitted from the run out last week which proved so successful. It was certainly the last thing that Davisons B needed after a less than inspiring end to 2011 and as they tried to get back on track. That I'm afraid will have to wait until next week there is little in the way of consolation here. True Lee Cullen and Derek Lutton did make some in roads but still lost out to Tyrone Whitehouse and Marty Doris in the final two games. Stevie Campbell, Shane Coney, and Dessie Creighton set the early standard for the hosts who are now back in pole position albeit in a shared capacity.
Square Bar 2 Mill Court 3
The Mill Court arrived in Dungannon as the section leaders and came pretty close to losing that honour as The Square again showed their capabilities to give the top teams a fright. It was their ability to recover which stood to the Coalisland men in a closely fought encounter after Darren Loughran had given the home side the lead Ronan Fay and Colm Doris pulled The Mill back into contention. Stevie McCullagh then produced a stunning finish to bring The Square level and the win looked on when Paddy Hughes won the first frame of the final game. But Kevin Doris and the leaders would not be denied as Doris won out and just as well he did the result from Central means they have company at the top.
The Tavern 3 Clonoe 2
Best of the chasing pack Clonoe suffered a costly defeat at The Tavern which blunted their challenge on the top two but in turn gave the Stewartstown men a boost as the second half of fixtures got underway. But that's all the info on this one the home side failed to return the match card in time for the weekly updates.
Auction Rooms 4 Cobbles A 1
It has been tough going for the Cobbles of late now three defeats in the last three outings which has severely dented their challenge in section two a challenge which was right up there just a few short weeks ago. It was a major boost then for the home side who were showing some lack lustre form themselves a win fashioned by a strong back end as the hosts ran out the final six frames without reply. The Dungannon lads were in contention early when Melvyn Farmer got them back on level terms after Donal Daly had shot The Auction Rooms in front. But from there the challenge evaporated Mickey Ballentine, Paddy McKeown, and Raymie Ferguson made sure it was a good start to 2012 for the Moy contingent.
Donaghys B 3 O Neills A 2
A new title for Brendan O Neill or at least that's what the score card suggests as the Donaghys talisman grinded out a good win for the Dungannon men at William Street the second part of a three match salvo for the Donaghys contingent on Wednesday night. An eventful evening which started so sedately with Dermot McCaffery and Marty Bullock easing Donaghys into a commanding position. An in off by Brendan McLarnan in the third frame which handed the point to Brendan Donnelly revived the O Neills fortunes and when Sean Corr recovered from a frame behind to level matters it was back in the melting pot. Sean Corr (II) then put O Neills in front for the first time taking the first against Brendan but then the Grinder really went to work O Neill turned the screw and won the next two to give Donaghys the edge.
Section Two Table
Pld. Pts.
Central A. 50. 33.
Mill Court. 50. 33.
Clonoe. 50. 30.
The Tavern. 50. 28.
Auction Rooms. 50. 27.
Cobbles A. 50. 25.
Donaghys B. 50. 23.
O Neills A. 50. 21.
Square Bar. 50. 21.
Davisons B. 50. 12.
Fixtures 11th January:
Clonoe v Central A. Auction Rooms v The Tavern. Mill Court v Davisons B. O Neills A v The Cobbles A. Square Bar v Donaghys B.
Section Three
Donaghys C 5 Central B 0
A shocker of a start to 2012 for the section three leaders Central B who not only lost on their visit to Donaghys C but were whitewashed as well. But perhaps there is no surprise in the result from William Street the Coalisland lads have only one other defeat in the on their card in the league this season and that was against Donaghys C in the first match of the current campaign. No real consolation for the losers they were second best to a fired up home side Shane McDonald and Brian Toner did take their challenges beyond the two frame mark but lost out to Audi Waugh and Pat Murtagh. In between the home side were totally dominant Paddy McKillion, Dermot Murtagh and Marty McCaughey got home with some ease to kick start a challenge that takes Donaghys right into the thick of the action a point off the pace. Central may well take some heart from their last defeat way back in October from that point they won all their games and consequently led the table at the halfway point and from the fact that by a strange twist of fate the other results on Wednesday night actually helped their cause.
Gervins 2 Dormans 3
Dormans ended a four game losing streak as they travelled into the sticks on Wednesday night to get their 2012 campaign underway. It was in double quick time as well within the first three games they had left Gervins behind at 3-0. The home side contested the opening two games until frame three before Paul Donnelly and Gary Hamill succumbed to Stevie McKee and Aidan O Neill and Fudgie then put the visitors in the winning enclosure for the first time since the first week of November. Credit to Gervins though the bottom team recovered strongly in the final two games Stevie Coney and Brendan Armstrong reduced the deficit considerably.
The Gables B 1 Ceili House 4
Just like Central B The Gables second string will be kicking themselves when they look at this weeks league table in section three. The Carland men missed out on a great opportunity to steal a march on the rest as the action resumed on Wednesday evening. But take nothing away from the Ceili House who arrived at The Gables in mean mood and went away with four points and their second win of the season in some style. Pio O Neill led the Coalisland men from the front and was ably backed by Paddy Lappin, David Graham, and Caolin McGee as The Ceili danced with delight to welcome in the new year.
Cobbles B 3 Hallidays 2
The Cobbles B did the double over their neighbours Hallidays in league action this season at Perry Street and with the win brought the section three title race to new heights. It is now something of a logjam at the top of the table five of the eight teams with strong claims and credentials to go all the way. Middle order won the day for the visitors who by all accounts are pretty familiar with the Hallidays table as they put the local knowledge to good use. Yet The Cobbles had to come from behind to secure the win Johnny Beggs had Hallidays in a good position early in play. But by the time the hosts got their second point the visitors were home and dry. Neill Farquar, Leslie Simpson and Richard Hassan combined in trio to claim the extra point which puts The Cobbles on level par with Hallidays and The Cenral B Leslie Johnston ensuring that for the home side on an eventful night in section three.
Section Three Table
Pld. Pts.
Central B. 40. 24.
Cobbles B. 40. 24.
Hallidays. 40. 24.
Donaghys C. 40. 23.
Dormans. 40. 16.
Ceili House. 40. 15.
Gervins. 40. 12.
Fixtures 11th January:
Hallidays v Gervins. Central B v Ceili House. Dormans v Donaghys C. Cobbles B v The Gables B.
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