Snooker News

Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League -

Administrator - Barry Adlington | baisie147@hotmail.com |

League

Cups

Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League

(Weekly Report 14/01/25 & 16/01/25)

The Miss Rule For 2024-25 Season

The miss rule will remain exactly the same as the previous two seasons as we all felt it worked very well so it is as follows for the forthcoming 2024-25 season.

In DIVISION 2 LEAGUE MATCHES, ALL SECOND DIVISION CUP MATCHES & ALL DIVISION 2 INDIVIDUAL & PAIRS MATCHES there will be ONE compulsory miss awarded and NO further misses called after this.

If a FIRST DIVISION team OR player is playing a SECOND DIVISION team OR player then just TWO COMPULSORY MISSES ONLY TO BE CALLED AND THEN MOVE ON SO NO DISCRETION GIVEN TO THE MARKER

In DIVISION 1 LEAGUE MATCHES, ALL FIRST DIVISION MATCHES & ALL DIVISION 1 INDIVIDUAL & PAIRS MATCHES then the rule is UNCHANGED from previous seasons so it's TWO compulsory misses awarded then over to the marker�s discretion.

Alternate Picks

Alternate pairings will continue to be used in LEAGUE MATCHES & KENNEY CUP GROUP STAGE MATCHES. Home captain to provide the first name followed by the away captain providing two names. After the completion of the first two frames a third name to be nominated by the home captain followed by two names from the away captain. Once again, and finally, the fifth name to be nominated by the home captain followed by the final two names from the away captain.

Player Handicaps 2024-25 List

The Player Handicap list can be found on our website under the DOCUMENTS section. Representatives are expected to print this out and display in your appropriate club and maybe a good idea would be for all captains or a team player to take a picture of it and store on your phone. THE PLAYER HANDICAP LIST WILL BE UPDATED ONCE DURING THE ENTIRETY OF THE SEASON WHICH WILL BE AT THE CHRISTMAS BREAK BUT THE COMMITTEE HAVE THE POWER TO AMEND ANY PLAYER'S HANDICAP AT ANY TIME IF WE FEEL IT IS INCORRECT SO OBVIOUSLY UNFAIR. Thank you for your co-operation in advance.

Early Start Matches

Please be aware that matches played at Farmers Club will ALWAYS be a 7.30pm start. Thank you for your co-operation in advance.

Reminder � Submitting Results

Can I ask all team captains that if you are borrowing a player from another team (within the league rules) that you text myself (Barry Adlington) IMMEDIATELY to inform me of this and I will place that players name in your team list. This enables you to submit your result correctly. Thank you for your co-operation on this matter.

Neutral Venues Now On Website

Neutral venues for Semi-finals & Finals can now be viewed on our website. This obviously makes it easier for players to view their information without having to contact myself or wait until they are next in their club to consult the monthly circular. Circular.

Olympic Bowling Club Dress Code

I have been asked by the Olympic BC committee to remind everyone around the league of their dress code when visiting the club. Smart jeans and trainers are now allowed to be worn but they still have the minimum requirement of a collared shirt or t-shirt. This has not been adhered to recently and can I remind everyone that we must respect the club rules for future visits. Thank you.

Division 1

This time around we returned to league action for the first time this year in the First Division of the Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League. We saw Leaders, Stanley Club, met struggling Aughton Institute A this week and at the end of the contest it saw the Stanley outfit go marching on as they produced their seventh win of the current campaign with a solid 4-2 away victory. The match began with the opening two frames split between both sides to see the encounter firmly up for grabs at 1-1. The middle two frames saw the Stanley Club team move up a gear as they took both frames to take control at 3-1. Frames five and six saw both sides clinching a frame apiece and this was enough to earn the Stanley outfit their success. The outcome sees the Stanley Club side move a very useful three points clear of their nearest rival at the top of the league table.

Olympic BC B went into battle with Scarisbrick NSC and at the conclusion of affairs it saw the Scarisbrick team engineer a fabulous 5-1 home triumph, their third consecutive league victory. The initial two frames of this encounter saw the Scarisbrick NSC lads quickly into their stride as they grabbed both these frames to move into a commanding 2-0 lead. Frames three and four were divided between the two outfits and this still saw the Scarisbrick side firmly holding the upper hand at 3-1. The final two frames saw the Scarisbrick boys managing to win both frames to claim their terrific victory. This result sees the Olympic B side remaining in second position in the standings but now drop those three points behind the pace-setters whilst the Scarisbrick NSC guys move up to sixth.

Rainford X SSC came up against Aughton Institute E this time and after a fine battle it saw both teams sharing the spoils in a 3-3 draw where there was never any more than a frame in the contest. Frames one and two saw each team grab one frame apiece and this left the match in the melting pot at 1-1. The second two frames saw, once again, the two frames split between the two sides to see an exciting finale assured at 2-2. The concluding two frames, for a third time, saw each team win a frame each and this saw the encounter through to the stalemate. This outcome sees the Aughton E boys unchanged in third spot in the league proceedings, some six points adrift of the leaders but they do have an all-important match in hand over the two sides above them. The match also saw Aughton E�s, Robbie Radford in very good touch with a nice break of 32 in his frame success.

The other match played this particular week saw Defending Champions, Fleetwood Hesketh SSC clash with Upholland Social and it saw neither team being able to cement a win in a 3-3 stalemate. The first two frames of the contest saw the Upholland boys very quickly into their groove as they sealed both these frames to open up an authoritative 2-0 advantage. Frames three and four saw the Fleetwood boys hit back very strongly by taking both frames to soon reach parity at 2-2. The last two frames were, once again, divided up between both sides and this took the match through to the draw. The result sees the Fleetwood Hesketh outfit still lying in fourth place but now find themselves eight points off the summit but do have an all-important match in hand over the top two sides. The match also saw the stupendous Gareth Hibbott in the usual sublime form as he constructed a magnificent break of 90 in his frame victory to earn Gareth this week�s �Break of the Week� accolade for a staggering seventh time already this season.

Gareth�s break began after his opponent broke down on twenty eight and left him a good opportunity although Gareth trailed by a huge fifty seven points. His opening red was potted into a centre pocket and this was followed by the blue ball where Gareth brought the cue ball down to gain position on a couple of reds near the pink. He dispatched those two reds, both with pink balls, to soon move onto twenty. The next three reds lay around the black spot and Gareth took all three reds, each one with the black ball, with much aplomb and this took him to forty four. Gareth managed to gain position on a very awkward red lying near the side cushion and he managed to pot this into a centre pocket and followed it with another black which took him through the half-century mark. He took the final two reds, both followed by baulk colours, and this left the six remaining colours, mainly on their spots, to complete a magnificent clearance. Those colours were took with aplomb and once the blue was potted his opponent needed a snooker but was obviously unable to try for one as Gareth completed that wonderful clearance of 90 under much pressure it must be said.

Gareth joined the Ormskirk League at the commencement of the 1999-00 season and represented Southport SC every year until its sad closure just after the conclusion of the 2011-12 campaign. With Southport SC, Gareth won the First Division Title on no fewer than seven occasions, four Kenney Cup triumphs within the space of five seasons including a hat trick of wins and two Le Rose Cup successes. Gareth then joined Les Dodd SC and has helped his side capture the Division One crown for four seasons but then they moved to Southport Conservative Club early in the 2016-17 season were they won a further two crowns to make it a fantastic six consecutive titles. At the start of the 2018-19 season they moved again to Fleetwood Hesketh SSC and have now sealed an incredible eighth successive titles as well as clinching a unique �Treble� last season as his side captured the league title (now a handicapped league), Kenney Cup & Le Rose Cup. On a personal note, Gareth has the huge distinction of recording a run of 73 matches unbeaten, spanning over three and a half years starting on 12th October 2010 and ending 4th February 2014, an astounding fact particularly in one frame matches. Gareth has also been Individual Champion of the League a grand total of nine times which includes the last three seasons. Gareth has now compiled an amazing 31 centuries in our Ormskirk League but it�s the Southport League statistics we certainly need to mention as his century haul in that league as an incredible 82! How unbelievable is that especially as it is one frame per week per league. I know he an ambition to reach one hundred centuries and I am certain he will certainly achieve that magnificent achievement!!! He has also been Pairs Handicap Champion on four occasions with his partner Andy Booth. With the invention on the UK League Snooker Tournament by site founder, Richard Ormiston in 2009, Gareth has been an ever present in the team representing the Ormskirk League for all the fifteen years it has been held and he has been an invaluable member of the team as he has helped us capture the Title for now a sensational four times. Firstly, in 2010, in Manchester and again in 2012 where we triumphed at the superb South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester. A third Title was magnificently achieved in 2016 at The Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds were he won the 'Player of the Tournament' award with a magnificent ten wins from ten matches played. Our incredible fourth crown was in 2023, again at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds were Gareth, once again, took the player of the tournament award with a majestic eight wins out of eight in his frames played and as well as that took the highest break award too with a magnificent 113 clearance. Gareth also won the ApolloBet.com Merseyside Snooker Open in 2016 and won it again in early 2023, a very prestigious event steeped in history. Gareth won the Merseyside Champion of Champions in 2019 representing our Ormskirk League and earlier on the same day he captained his Fleetwood Hesketh side, again representing our Ormskirk League, win the Merseyside Team Champion of Champions title. He is currently in the final of this year�s event which will be played in two weeks time. He has also won the Merseyside Individual Champion of Champions five times and is also the current Mersey Masters Champion. Achievements of such high magnitude!!!

Division 2

This particular week saw long-time Division Two pace-setters, Aughton Institute B, go into battle with club compatriots, Aughton Institute C in yet another Aughton �Derby� encounter and at the conclusion of this contest it saw the Aughton B lads continuing to power on with a solid 4-2 triumph and their seventh win in the first ten matches played. The match began with the first two frames being divided between the two sides to leave things delicately poised at 1-1. The next two frames showed us why they are in such a strong position for the league crown as they clinched both frames to move into a commanding 3-1 lead. Frames five and six were, once again, split between both teams and that was suffice for the Aughton Institute B outfit to take the win. The outcome sees the Aughton B team extend their advantage, once again, at the apex of the league table to an impressive eight points.

St Cuthberts B clashed with Farmers Club A this time and after a very close battle it saw both teams sharing the spoils in a 3-3 draw. Frames one and two saw the Cuthberts B outfit very quickly out the traps as they grabbed both frames to see them race into an early 2-0 lead. The middle two frames saw the Farmers A lads grab a foothold in the encounter as each side took a frame each but it still saw the St Cuthberts B team holding the aces at 3-1. The last two frames showed us why the Farmers Club A are the twice reigning Champions as they fought back strongly by winning both these frames to force the draw. This result saw the Farmers A boys drop into third place in the standings, eight points behind the pace- setters. The match also saw St Cuthberts B�s, Mick Pickles in very good nick with a very nice break of 30 in his frame success.

Next saw Olympic BC A come up against title hopefuls, Aughton Institute D and at the end of the evening�s play it saw the Aughton D lads come away with a fine 4-2 victory. The initial two frames of the match saw each team take one frame each to leave proceedings in the melting pot at 1-1. Frames three and four saw the Aughton Institute D outfit step up a gear as they clinched both frames to move into a very useful 3-1 advantage. The final two frames were, once again, split between the two sides and the frame the Aughton D boys won was enough to see them over the line. The outcome sees the Aughton Institute D move up into second spot in the league table, some eight points behind the leading team, but with an all-important match in hand. The match also saw Olympic A�s, Carl Deaves and Aughton D�s, Gary Dwyer in good touch, both with nice breaks of 21 in their respective frame wins.

The next contest saw Farmers Club B met St Cuthberts A and in a very close match where there was never any more than a frame between the two teams it ended with a 3-3 stalemate. The opening two frames of this encounter saw each team grab one frame apiece to see things well balanced at 1-1. The next two frames saw both divided up between both outfits to see them inseparable at 2-2 and an exciting finish looked guaranteed. The concluding two frames were also split between each team and this saw the match through to the draw. This result sees the Farmers B lads continue in fourth position in the league proceedings, some nine points off the pace but with an all-important match in hand. The match also saw Farmers B�s, Grant Chappell in fine form with a very nice break of 30 in his frame victory.

The final match this week saw Skelmersdale Wardens B take on their club compatriots in Skelmersdale Wardens A in a first Skelmersdale �Derby� match in years. The encounter turned out to be a close affair as it saw neither team able to record a win in a 3-3 draw. The first two frames of this match saw them being divided up between the two sides to see it delicately poised at 1-1. The middle two frames saw the Skelmersdale A outfit kick in the turbo as they managed to seal both frames to move into an authoritative 3-1 lead. Frames five and six saw the Skelmersdale B boys come fighting straight back by winning both frames to salvage a well earned draw. The outcome sees the Skelmersdale Wardens A team sitting in fifth whilst the Skelmersdale Wardens B side occupy sixth in the standings.

Other notable breaks this week were � L Bostock (Farmers Club A) 29, P Banks (St Cuthberts A) 25, B McCallim (Farmers Club B) 25 & R Caldecott (Farmers Club A) 21.