Report submitted by Stourbridge & District Snooker League

HOTSHOTS SC A remain a point clear at the top of the Premier Division after beating one of their title rivals, Pockets SC A, 3-2.

They had a scare, however, when Callum Downing lost to the progressive Tom Pepperall, while Roy Stokes was taken to the pink by Wayne Dobson. Bal Sembi then stroked in an excellent break of 102 against John Betton, reminiscent of the 107 he made against John 18 months ago while representing Brandhall Labour, and Dave Green made the match safe for Hotshots, taking the black to avoid a re-spot against Gary Smith, for whom it was his first defeat. Charles Newey then took another point for Pockets, his 37 break helping to defeat Milan Krstanovic, who hadn’t lost a frame at home for a year.

Hotshots’ B team looked likely to do their A team a favour when opening up a 2-0 lead away to reigning champions, West Midlands Police thanks to Wayne Robbins & Dawid Konior, who had a lucky 3rd red on the way to a fine 46 break, but Eliott Bastable & Gavin Sloan won comfortably to level the scores and Carl Southwick completed the recovery to take the match 3-2 for the Police.

Townsend Social look certain to press for title honours and Karl Ashmore, Darrell Payne and Phil & Dave Thompson gave them a 4-1 win at Kinver Const A, and they lie 3rd, five points further away; Graham Tranter, with the help of a break of 32, defeated Dan Petch for Kinver’s point.

Pockets SC B beat Baggeridge Social 4-1 partly thanks to a good result for Jamie Shuck against Luke Whale, and a vital clearance of yellow to pink by Gareth Ward after Neil Fellows had taken the lead. Gavin Evans & Tony Kidd also won for Pockets with Frankie Bennett replying for the visitors.

First Division report: Norton Social B, who have often looked capable of winning the First Division title over the last three years, made it 6/6 wins in a titanic battle at home against one of their likeliest rivals, Stourbridge Inst A. Luke Grosvenor won on the pink against Nick Aston but Steve Howell countered with a decisive win for the visitors. Paul Bowen then won comfortably for Norton but again the Institute levelled thanks to Paul Garbett’s outstanding pink-ball finish. Ashley Aston then looked sure to take the decider but Carl Webb came to Norton’s rescue by clearing the last three balls to complete a great contest between the teams.

Moor Pool & Snooker won 3-2 away to Stourbridge Inst B with Simon Dingley, Lee Whitehouse & Ian Priest all on target and they remain 4 points behind Norton in 2nd place, although they were joined by Kinver Constitutional B who came away from Amblecote RBL B with a 4-1 win. Here Jack Ball deserves credit for coming back from 40 points adrift, clearing yellow to pink, only for Jason Hickman to take a superb black to take the frame. Adam Sprague won his 6th successive frame for Kinver before Sam Ball earned a deserved consolation point for the Legion.

Dave Reece and his son, Gregg gave Kingswinford Cons B a 2-0 advantage at Old Edwardians but Harry Hall and Chris Cowley, a decisive winner with two visits of 28, levelled the scores. Andrew Brown took the decider for Cons in another close contest, with a fine blue and a pink using the rest down the side cushion, after George Birch had gone in-off after potting blue.

John Rees & Tim Carter gave Kingswinford Cons A a 2-0 lead at home to Amblecote Institute B but Jason Colbourne & Sam Harrison levelled the scores before Mark Colbourne completed the recovery in the deciding frame against John Cowan.

Dave Flavell gave Wombourne a good start away to Kingswinford Cons C but the home team, who have taken a while to adjust after last season’s promotion, took the match 4-1 thanks to Simon Spittle, making his first appearance for the team, John Cartwright, Leigh Bennett, who had a break of 32, and Wayne Whitmore, to lift themselves from the foot of the league table.

Second Division report: Kinver Constitutional C took advantage of a slip by joint-league leaders, Amblecote Institute D at Bahia’s SC, to move 4 points clear at the Second Division by virtue of a 5-0 victory secured, ironically, on the tables of the Institute’s C team. Frame scores were very tight but Kinver, for whom Ron Smith, Chris Randle & Andy Sloan have won all bar two frames so far, took the balls which mattered most of all.

Adam Kensett, now with 5/5 wins, and Steve Butcher with 5/6, won again for Amblecote Institute D at Bahia’s, but the home team, who did well to finish 3rd in their first season last year, took the match 3-2 with Matt Redfern, Daniel Smith & Reece Bahia all winning quite comfortably.

Stourbridge Institute D came away from Amblecote RBL A with a 4-1 success, with Sean Hassett making a return to the venue where he won last season’s over 65 handicap final; the addition of Roy Newton to their team has had a significant impact and they look set for another good season. Ron Peplow & Glen Harris also won for the visitors with Rob Boylin taking a frame for the Legion.

Paul Curry and Steve Ballinger had each won their first five frames to give Kingswinford Snooker Centre a solid start to the season, but both lost in black-ball finishes at Stourbridge Inst C, against Alan Jeffries, who needed snookers on the colours and Sam Mattocks respectively, but their team-mates, Matt Surmacz, John Salisbury & Steve Hill all won quite decisively to rescue the match 3-2.

Premier Division results:

Hotshots SC A 3 (R.Stokes 29, B.Sembi 102, D.Green) Pockets SC A 2 (T.Pepperall, C.Newey 37)

Pockets SC B 4 (J.Shuck 22, G.Evans, G.Ward, A.Kidd) Baggeridge Social 1 (F.Bennett)

Kinver Const A 1 (G.Tranter 32) Townsend Social 4 (K.Ashmore 29, D.Payne, P. & D.Thompson)

West Mids Police 3(E.Bastable, G.Sloan, C.Southwick) Hotshots SC B 2 (W.Robbins, D.Konior 46)

Amblecote Inst A v Norton Social A postponed until 7/11/17

St John’s Social bye

First Division results:

Stourbridge Inst B 2 (C.Green, A.Long) Moor Pool & Snooker 3 (S.Dingley, L.Whitehouse, I.Priest)

S/b Old Edwardians 2 (H.Hall, C.Cowley 28, 28) Kingswinford Cons B 3 (G. & D.Reece, A.Brown)

Norton Social B 3 (L.Grosvenor, P.Bowen, C.Webb) Stourbridge Inst A 2 (S.Howell, P.Garbett)

Amblecote RBL B 1 (Sam Ball) Kinver Const B 4 (J.Hickman, A.Sprague, D.Simmonds, M.Hines)

Kingswinford Cons A 2 (J.Rees, T.Carter) Amblecote Inst B 3 (S.Harrison, J.Colbourne, M.Colbourne)

Kingswinford Cons C 4 (S.Spittle, J.Cartwright, L.Bennett 32, W.Whitmore)  Wombourne 1 (D.Flavell)

Second Division results:

Bahia’s SC 3 (M.Redfern, Reece Bahia 24, D.Smith) Amblecote Inst D 2 (A.Kensett, S.Butcher)

Amblecote Inst C 0 Kinver Const C 5 (R.Smith, A.Tromans 25, A.Sloan, S.Spruce, C.Randle)

Amblecote RBL A 1 (R.Boylin) Stourbridge Inst D 4 (R.Peplow, S.Hassett, R.Newton, G.Harris)

Stourbridge Inst C 2 (A.Jeffries, S.Mattocks) Kingswinford SC 3 (M.Surmacz, J.Salisbury, S.Hill)