Premier Division leaders  Brierley Hill SC A tried to concede 195 points away to Amblecote RBL A in the Stourbidge Snooker League team knockout competition.

Although all five players won, Amblecote kept hanging on by taking the all important colours. David Gilroy held David Oakes to three points and Darren Waldron held the final frame challenge of Darren Oakes. 

By contrast, Baggeridge Social A, lying second in the Premier Division, had a perfect start when Richard Evans avenged an inter-town defeat a few years ago against Dibdale’s Rob Skidmore in style with breaks of 68 and 64.

John Chester and Alan Checketts did well to lose by only two and seven respectively but Ryan Evans extended the winning margin to 100 points.

Gavin Sloan’s 75 and Steve Mason’s 53 gave West Midlands Police an overwhelming victory at Stourbridge Institute C, while Neil Rollinson’s 40 break gave Norton A a fine start against Amblecote Institute B, for whom Steve Ball did particularly well to force a tie against Charlie Randle.

In the all-Kinver clash, the C team’s Steve Jones, winner of his last 17 Second Division frames, had a great result against the prolific Mick Faulkner, winner of his last nine Premier encounters for the A team, but Simon Hickman and Aaron Dakin recovered 150 points between them and Andrew Highfield pulled back the last 35 points in the last frame.

The father and 14-year-old son pairing of Gary and Andrew Smith gave Pockets an unassailable advantage in the opening frames at Harts Hill Social.

In the Plate Competition, Hot Shots SC were impressive in giving Dibdale SC B 202 start and winning by 100 points, while Norton Social B all won all five frames away to Wombourne B to win by 16 points.

Langley Bowling Club did well to take all five frames to beat Stourbridge Institute B comprehensively, and Second Division joint leaders, Amblecote Institute D made no mistake in taking all five frames at Kingswinford Cons C.

There was a tighter finish at Stourbridge Institute, where the E team’s Tom Hamilton, so impressive all season gave his team a decisive advantage to hold off the D team.

Wayne Biggs did well to win a frame for Amblecote Institute C, also joint leaders of the Second Division, away to Premier side, Brandhall Labour, but Alan Hooper with a 48 break and an impressive Darrell Payne won the match for the home team.

Team Knock-Out Cup

Amblecote RBL B (rec 195) 390, Brierley Hill SC A 365 (K Ashmore, E Bastable, M Catalano, D &D Oakes); Amblecote Inst A (rec 41) 306 (A Moore, R Brookes, R Clarke), Stourbridge Inst A 206 (T Johnson, P Bates); Baggeridge Soc A 373 (Rich Evans 68, 64, A Davies, M Jeffries, Roanne & Ryan Evans), Dibdale SC A (rec 124) 273; Harts Hill Social 238 (M Hatton), Pockets SC (rec 23) 338 (A & G Smith, S Rudd, I Barnes); Norton Social A 344 (G Tomkins, R Pitt, C Randle, N Rollinson 40), Amblecote Inst B (rec 78) 266 (M Cooke, S Ball); Stourbridge Inst C (rec 140) 262, West Midlands Police 425 (G Sloan 75, S Mason 53, S Wakefield, C Southwick); Kinver Const A 365 (D Timmington , A Dakin, S Hickman, A Highfield, P Gibbons), Kinver Const C (rec 175) 330 (S Jones).

Team Knock-Out Plate

Brandhall Labour 380 (R Howen, A Hooper 48, D Payne, C Southall), Amblecote Inst C (rec 147) 364 (W Biggs); Hot Shots SC 411 (R Stokes, N Beckley, W Robbins, L Higginbotham, B Hall), Dibdale SC B (rec 202) 311; Kingswinford Cons C (rec 70) 255, Amblecote Inst D 361 (C Lewis, C Homer, G Lyons, M Richards, R Pugh); Langley BC 314 (D Dowse, I & A Hadley, M Nemedi, C Whitmore), Stourbridge Inst B (rec 24) 201; Stourbridge Inst E 257 (T Hamilton, B Arnold, R Cartwright), Stourbridge Inst D (rec 12) 212 ( A Cope, R Tromans); Wombourne B (rec 90) 277, Norton Social B 293 (B Tromans, D Freeman, D Allan, D Cartwright, P Cairns).