The Princeville Patriots make their first away trip to LS postcode terriority with a match against Pudsey Congs. Coming back for the Patriots was I.Tomlinson, rumoured to be offered a consultancy role with the Blackpool Supporters Trust on how to produce a Financial Forecast, as requested by Blackpool magnate Owen Oyston.
First up was K.Tomlinson v Pudsey League Chairman D.Raw. As the reporter was making his way to the School Street venue by public transport to Farsley, followed by a 30 minute walk through Owlcotes and into Pudsey Town Centre, he was informed that Keith did not played badly but suffered a heavy loss of 75pts as Dennis played superbly well with three breaks in the twenties.
Next up was D.Hardcastle v A.Stevens, sadly for Don he did not get to grips with the table and Albert had a fair bit of run-in as he won by 45pts.
Playing the third game was I.Tomlinson (sponsored by Grandma Nicholls Fish & Chip Shop) and D.Hirst. On the baize it was a night to forget for Ian as David played some sublime Billiards after a few fluke shots early doors, producing an array of fine long half-ball in-offs and four breaks in the Twenties to win by 85pts. Ian was visibly annoyed by the lack of run-in and could not find any momentum as he brayed the cue ball in anger.
The final game was played by M.Hirst and J.Butcher, a fixture where both players are guaranteed to put on a good performance and one where both players respect each other in terms of ability. Mick got off to a good start and produced a break of 29 early doors, making a Pudsey Congs 5-0 whitewash a real possibility. James employed a tactical approach by playing a range of percentage shots and scored points in instalments in an attempt to slow the game down and get a feel to a table in which the balls ran at pace, during which Mick's points scoring was drying up. Gradually James played with increasing confidence and built a couple of breaks in the teens to possess a handy lead.
In the final minutes, James was starting to stutter as he tried to advance further. Mick capitalised on this by producing a break into the teens and looked in position to sneak at win at the bell, but ran out of position in the final minute. James kept posession from there and restored some pride for the Patriots, who got comprehensively beaten 4-1.
