The search of a win in 2015 continues as Princeville Patriots rack up another defeat, this time to a resurgent Littlemoor.
First up D.Bowers faced R.Allan, in a game where momentum often changed between the two players. Dave got off to steady start and strung a few scoring shots to hold a useful lead. However as Dave hit a dry run, Ralph got into the groove and created some mini breaks of his own to take the lead. Dave was never out of the game and tried in earnest to regain the lead, but just lacked that cutting edge to get back in front before Ralph finished on a flurry to win by 20pts.
On the other table it was battle of the captains with K.Tomlinson facing D.Howarth, who could not find another cricket meeting to attend and decided to play himself ahead of freelance Billiards player G.Tudor. It was a game of eight-eighths as Keith possessed a healthy lead for the most part, whilst Dave was sensing deja vu from events on Tuesday night in Sunday School League Billiards and bemoaned at the lack of run-in. With less than seven minutes to go, Keith saw the finish line but started to run out of steam, missing a clinical shot with a red and further scoring opportunities became limited. Meanwhile Dave roared back into the game and produced a unfinished break of 17 in the final passage of play. One shot involved a worked out cannon where the cue ball back heeled off the red and went in-off, then delivered the coup de grace by sending the cue ball full length of the table from a double baulk position and scoring an in-off red to win by 16pts.
Next up was I.Tomlinson against P.Allan, the latter who continued where he started on Tuesday night by quickly getting on the front foot aided with some good fortune. Although Ian felt he wasn't entirely out of the game, run in played a vital part and the match was finished inside 30 minutes with Peter winning by 39pts.
Meanwhile on the other table it was J.Butcher against J.Allan. Making most of the 55pt handicap and home advantage, it was James who had the stronger whilst John was adapting to the conditions. Around the halfway stage, James preserved much of his 55pt start and considered upping the ante in an attempt to win an unlikely aggregate point for Princeville. However John started to get into a scoring rhythm and reduced the deficit to 15pts, however James replied with a 19 break that could have gone onto something bigger had a long range cannon wasn't sliced wide. With less than 10 minutes to go, John regained control of the game with further frequent scoring but just couldn't find that potential match winning break of 30 to really put the pressure on. Eventually James went into Snilliard mode with a cameo of potting to close out the game and win by around 35pts.
In all a good night for Littlemoor who won 4-1, leaving the Patriots with a nervy wait until Sunday to see how title challengers St Andrews "A" have done in their derby fixture against St Andrews "B".
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Patriots v Littlemoor
Weather permitting with the potential risk of snow affecting travel arrangements, Princeville Patriots entertain a resurgent Littlemoor in a Pudsey Billiards League fixture.
Littlemoor are picking up form of late, scoring 8 points out of a possible 10 in their last two games with a 3-2 win over title contenders St Andrews "A" and a 5-0 whitewash against St Andrews "B". Word from the Littlemoor camp suggests they are high in confidence and skipper D.Howarth is facing a selection headache, as he missed the last fixture due to attending a cricket meeting.
Littlemoor have recently visited Horton Bank Top, in the guise of playing as Pudsey in the Bradford Sunday School Billiards League against Princeville "A" on Tuesday. A mixed result on the night for Pudsey who lost 4-3. Interestingly, "A" team player J.Butcher may well have answered Littlemoors selection dilemma with an eventual 52pt victory over D.Howarth. Initially there was nothing to separate the two players as the game began on a cagey and methodical note, equivalent to Rod Lawler playing against Peter Ebdon. However J.Butcher timed his attacking move to perfection and got into gear with some heavy scoring in the last half.
Whilst the Patriots have yet to win a game in 2015, there is inner belief that it's only a matter of time before winning ways are resumed. Littlemoor might feel they have an advantage of playing at the same venue twice in two days, but the Patriots are in the knowledge of what kind of form their opponents are in.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Princeville "A" v Princeville "B" Match Report
The Princeville Derby
2015 is continuing to be a challenging year for the Patriots, as they rack up another defeat to Princeville "B".
In the opening games, I.Tomlinson faced A.Holdsworth whilst D.Bowers played against B.Lawson. It wasn't the best of nights for Ian who was trailing from the back foot, a combination of shots not being executed as intended and the balls running unkindly, though he wasn't far away from getting into a leading position. However Alan had the edge and was rarely troubled as he won by 14pts.
Meanwhile, Dave and Bernard were involved in an intriguing tussle at the baize where the lead often changed. Dave was playing noticeably better than in previous weeks, whilst Bernard himself looked in good touch with some deft strokes. The tension cranked up another notch, Dave being double balked got out and almost got a cannon, only for the moving yellow ball to be a razor blade apart from the white. This left Bernard an awkward stroke to play at, running the risk of playing a push shot. Taking his time, Bernard attempted to play a masse in-off but just couldn't get enough elevation on his cue. Another shot was attempted, but in a twist the wrong ball was played and a foul stroke given.
With less than a minute to go, Dave was two points behind and scored a cannon and had an opportunity to win the game with a distant in-off, but agonisingly rattled the bottom corner pocket. This presented Bernard with a scoring shot, but as he took his stance the buzzer went and the game finished level.
During those matches, the Billiards room became a drop in centre with three visitors making brief appearances. One from the church wanted access to another room, whilst the other two were opposition players from a team who played on Tuesday night to collect some belongings left behind.
In the 2nd half, El Capitan K.Tomlinson faced G.Kershaw whilst J.Butcher was up against S.Kershaw. Keith played a captains innings and maintained a healthy lead for much of the game. Even when Gareth pulled the game back, Keith simply restored his lead and won the game by 26pts.
Meanwhile, Stephen was presented with a task to claw back 90pts and could not have started the game any better. Beginning with a text book break off, stringing a series of scoring visits including breaks of 40 and 37 and finishing those visits with the balls relatively safe. Scoring opportunities were at a premium for James, who spent most of the game off the baize rather than on and was predominantly left with long range shots.
By the halfway stage, Stephen got a handy lead of 20 and in control of the game. However the match was still alive for James with Captain Keith controlling affairs in his game, meaning an aggregate point for the Patriots was still achievable. A rare opening was presented for James and managed to reduce the deficit by 10, but it proved to be a false dawn as Stephen continued his fine scoring and raced to the summit. With time at a premium and only a cue ball pot left as a viable scoring shot, it was go for broke time for James who attempted a cannon off the bottom cushion in order to get a break going. The cannon never materialised, mainly due to a very tight angle and Stephen finished things off with a 41pt victory. This was enough for Princeville "B" to win the aggregate by 29pts and claim the game 3.5-1.5.
We shall see how this affects the league standings on Sunday, despite the 3.5-1.5pt reversal the Patriots remain top of the Pudsey League. How much of a 6pt lead remains to be seen with 2nd place St Andrews "A" visiting Pudsey Congs, 8.5pts from 1st and a team with potential to go on a late season charge.
2015 is continuing to be a challenging year for the Patriots, as they rack up another defeat to Princeville "B".
In the opening games, I.Tomlinson faced A.Holdsworth whilst D.Bowers played against B.Lawson. It wasn't the best of nights for Ian who was trailing from the back foot, a combination of shots not being executed as intended and the balls running unkindly, though he wasn't far away from getting into a leading position. However Alan had the edge and was rarely troubled as he won by 14pts.
Meanwhile, Dave and Bernard were involved in an intriguing tussle at the baize where the lead often changed. Dave was playing noticeably better than in previous weeks, whilst Bernard himself looked in good touch with some deft strokes. The tension cranked up another notch, Dave being double balked got out and almost got a cannon, only for the moving yellow ball to be a razor blade apart from the white. This left Bernard an awkward stroke to play at, running the risk of playing a push shot. Taking his time, Bernard attempted to play a masse in-off but just couldn't get enough elevation on his cue. Another shot was attempted, but in a twist the wrong ball was played and a foul stroke given.
With less than a minute to go, Dave was two points behind and scored a cannon and had an opportunity to win the game with a distant in-off, but agonisingly rattled the bottom corner pocket. This presented Bernard with a scoring shot, but as he took his stance the buzzer went and the game finished level.
During those matches, the Billiards room became a drop in centre with three visitors making brief appearances. One from the church wanted access to another room, whilst the other two were opposition players from a team who played on Tuesday night to collect some belongings left behind.
In the 2nd half, El Capitan K.Tomlinson faced G.Kershaw whilst J.Butcher was up against S.Kershaw. Keith played a captains innings and maintained a healthy lead for much of the game. Even when Gareth pulled the game back, Keith simply restored his lead and won the game by 26pts.
Meanwhile, Stephen was presented with a task to claw back 90pts and could not have started the game any better. Beginning with a text book break off, stringing a series of scoring visits including breaks of 40 and 37 and finishing those visits with the balls relatively safe. Scoring opportunities were at a premium for James, who spent most of the game off the baize rather than on and was predominantly left with long range shots.
By the halfway stage, Stephen got a handy lead of 20 and in control of the game. However the match was still alive for James with Captain Keith controlling affairs in his game, meaning an aggregate point for the Patriots was still achievable. A rare opening was presented for James and managed to reduce the deficit by 10, but it proved to be a false dawn as Stephen continued his fine scoring and raced to the summit. With time at a premium and only a cue ball pot left as a viable scoring shot, it was go for broke time for James who attempted a cannon off the bottom cushion in order to get a break going. The cannon never materialised, mainly due to a very tight angle and Stephen finished things off with a 41pt victory. This was enough for Princeville "B" to win the aggregate by 29pts and claim the game 3.5-1.5.
We shall see how this affects the league standings on Sunday, despite the 3.5-1.5pt reversal the Patriots remain top of the Pudsey League. How much of a 6pt lead remains to be seen with 2nd place St Andrews "A" visiting Pudsey Congs, 8.5pts from 1st and a team with potential to go on a late season charge.
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