Snooker News

Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League -

Administrator - Barry Adlington | baisie147@hotmail.com |

League

Cups

Kenney Cup | Le-Rose Cup |

Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League

(Weekly Report 08/04/25 & 10/04/25)

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.

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 continue with our league action as we reach the penultimate round of matches in the top flight of the Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League. This week we saw pace-setters, Stanley Club take on Rainford X SSC which sees each match so crucial towards the destination of this season’s Division One title. At the end of the evening it saw the Stanley Club side dealt a crushing blow as the Rainford X boys prevailed with an excellent 4-2 triumph. This result now sees them drop into second position in the league standings where they sit three points adrift of the new leaders with just the one match remaining and a steep challenge lays ahead. The Stanley Club outfit, once again, done themselves no favours by only being able to field a five man team. The Rainford X SSC lads occupy fifth in the league proceedings.

Aughton Institute E went into battle with Upholland Social looking to get straight back to winning ways after their previous two very disappointing results and they certainly rose to the challenge as they manufactured a terrific 5-1 home victory that steers them into a very strong position with just that final week of matches to contest. The outcome now sees the Aughton E boys move strongly back to the top of the league table where they lie those three points ahead of their nearest rival and four points from their final match will definitely see them crowned as Champions. The match saw Aughton E’s, Jordan Scogings in fine nick as he produced a very nice break of 36 in his frame success.

Olympic BC B clashed with Defending Champions, Fleetwood Hesketh SSC, this particular week and at the end of affairs it saw the spoils shared in a 3-3 draw. This was always a very close contest as there was never any more than a frame between the two teams. This result sees the Fleetwood outfit continuing in third spot where they are five points out the lead and can still defend their crown but will need a ‘perfect’ result next week and the leaders to have a major slip-up. Sadly, the Olympic B boys still lie in fourth place in the league table but are now seven points adrift of the leading side so cannot grab league glory. The match also saw Fleetwood’s, Gareth Hibbott in exceptional form, once again, as he compiled a very classy break of 69 in his frame win. Staggeringly, this break earned him this week’s ‘Break of the Week’ accolade for an unbelievable ninth time.

Gareth’s break began when his opponent, himself an excellent player, had opened up a very useful lead. Gareth was faced with a difficult, long red ball pot but executed it with aplomb as not only did he pot the red but he gained ideal black ball position. He went onto take a further three reds, all with high-valued colours, but there was some excellent pots as a couple of thin cuts were required to continue the break but with Gareth’s sublime break- building, positional sense and potting he overcome each hurdle. This took his break to thirty. Gareth potted his next red, going up for the blue ball, but fell a little short so took the blue to leave a tricky, mid-range red but, once again, played a delightful stun run-through onto the black. After that black was dispatched he took another red and pink to move through the half-century mark and onto fifty one with two reds of the frame remaining and a clearance looking a distinct possibility. Once again, Gareth potted the next red travelling up for the blue ball but again fell a little short. Again, he dispatched that blue ball to leave another awkward, mid-range red and proceeded to play another stun run-through for the black which he handled with aplomb. That black was potted along with the final red and black which took him onto the final six colours on sixty seven. Gareth took the yellow, with the aid of the rest, but didn’t get ideal on the green and very narrowly missed it to bring to an end a tremendous break on sixty nine.

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!!!

The other match played this week saw Scarisbrick NSC come up against Aughton Institute A and it saw the Aughton A team record a very solid 4-2 away win, their third successive success as they continue to finish the current campaign on a very strong note. The outcome sees the Aughton Institute A boys move up into sixth in the league proceedings whilst the Scarisbrick side drop into seventh.

Division 2

This time saw the final round of matches in Division Two and an exciting finale looked a guarantee!

Firstly, we saw leaders, Aughton Institute D come up against their club compatriots, Aughton Institute C in an intriguing encounter and at the end of the match it saw neither side being able to seal a victory in a battling 3-3 draw which saw the Aughton D lads much the happier as they found themselves 2-0 down early in the match and what transpires during the evening saw this was enough for them to clinch the Second Division crown. Huge congratulations go to the Aughton Institute D boys for grabbing their third league title in the last seven seasons. This result sees the Aughton D side winning by a single point from their nearest rival in a memorable battle between the two teams for large part of the season. The Aughton C boys finished their campaign in an extremely creditable fourth slot. A special mention must go to Aughton D’s, Gary Dwyer as he completed the league campaign were he won a majestic seventeen matches out of seventeen for an unblemished 100% record and this will be more than enough to capture the Graham Fairclough Memorial Trophy.

Aughton Institute B took on St Cuthberts A in their quest for the title and after a good battle with their opponents which started incredibly well for them as they held a 2-0 early advantage but sadly for them went onto a 4-2 reversal which saw them fall that tiny bit short for glory. They should be incredibly proud of their entire season as they led comfortably for a good number of weeks and it could easily have gone their way at the finale and the runners-up spot should fuel them for the next campaign. The St Cuthberts A lads finished their league campaign strongly after a largely disappointing term but they have excelled in the two cup competitions and have a semi-final coming up to look forward to. The outcome sees the Aughton B boys completing in that second position, some seven points clear of the side directly below them. The match saw Aughton B’s, Steve Morrison in fine touch with a really nice break of 27 in his frame win.

Reigning Two-time Champions, Farmers Club A clashed with Skelmersdale Wardens B and after a good tussle it saw both teams sharing the spoils in a 3-3 stalemate although the Skelmersdale B lads will feel the happier of the two sides as they fought back from 3-1 down to seal the draw. This result sees the Skelmersdale Wardens B lads finishing in a fantastic third position in their debut season in our league, a feat they should be immensely proud of. The Farmers A outfit ended in a disappointing seventh for them after the amazing last two seasons they have endured.

The next contest saw Skelmersdale Wardens A go into battle with Farmers Club B and it saw the Skelmersdale A lads sign off on a very positive note after a somewhat disappointing season for them with a terrific 5-1 triumph. The outcome sees the Farmers B lads end in a good fifth after a steady campaign whilst the Skelmersdale Wardens A outfit completed in eighth spot.

The final match of the last week saw Olympic BC A met St Cuthberts B and it was the Olympic A lads who came out on top with a solid 4-2 home victory to finish their season well and go into their up and coming semi-final with confidence. This result sees the Olympic BC A outfit end in ninth. Meanwhile, the St Cuthberts B boys completed in tenth.

Other notable break this week was – S McBrinn (St Cuthberts A) 24.