Report 1st Feb 2003

 

Results:
Group A: Market Inn A 6 Alma B 0.  Brickmakers A 2 Magnet A 4.  P&H Tilmanstone 0 Lion 6.  Royal Oak 1 Chantry 5.
Group B: Alma A 3 Market Inn B 3.  Magnet B 2 Brickmakers B 4.  P&H Bridge 5 Butchers Arms 1.

The first round of Spring Cup matches took place last Tuesday, and Group A saw a 6-0 win for the Market Inn A at home to the Alma B.  Alan Farra (3960) took the first leg after a 1790 break, followed by wins for Gareth Butcher and Dave Carliell to finish the singles at 3-0.  Things continued in the same fashion in the doubles, the first was won by Gareth Butcher & Ted Hogben, thanks to a 1740 break from Butcher.  The Alma team recorded black pegs in all three doubles as the Market Inn completed the rout.
An all Deal tie saw the Brickmakers A lose at home to the Magnet A 4-2.  The Spring Cup features "off the spot" rules, which often results in many extremely challenging shots, and this was reflected in the score from the first leg, in which Ann Garlinge beat Ward Griffiths 640-560.  Wins for John Higgins and Mike Callanan in the next two singles put the Magnet 2-1 ahead.  Ward Griffiths and Ann Garlinge were involved in another close leg in the first doubles, the margin again just 80 points as this time Griffiths won, partnering Lin Callanan for a 1540-1460 victory.  Paul Garlinge & Craig Lancaster gave the home side hop of a draw after winning the next doubles, bat the match was closed out by Mike Callanan & John Higgins in the final frame.
A perfect start for the Lion, as they travelled to Tilmanstone for a 6-0 win over the Plough & Harrow.  Wins for Paul Smart, Tim Hayes and Neville Potts gave the Lion a clean sweep of the singles, and a 3660-1320 victory for Potts and Terry Laslett over Ann Keen & Karen Keen in the first doubles put the match result beyond doubt. 

The Chantry travelled to the Royal Oak and came away with a 5-1 victory.  The first leg went to the last ball as John Fullager edged the frame against Alan Smith 3880-3810.  The next two singles were not so close as Mick Nichol (5340) and Roger Standen (4600) both won to extend the Chantry's lead.  The first doubles saw the only success for the home side as Stuart Richardson & Alan Smith took won the leg for the Royal Oak.  Kevin Kay teamed-up with first John Fullager and then Mick Nichol to win the final two doubles and the match convincingly.

In Group B, a close match between the Alma A and the Market Inn B ended in a 3-3 draw.  John Mitchell beat Daniel Jackson 6630-4160 in an excellent first leg, followed by victory for Chris Saville (8820) courtesy of a 7140 break for a 2-0 lead to the Alma.  Craig Carlson (5360) took the final singles leg for the Market Inn to reduce the deficit.  Chris Saville & Anthony Chambers took the first doubles leg for the Alma, setting the stage for a dramatic comeback by the Sandwich side.  Matt Newman & Daniel Jackson edged the next game 4320-3270 against Ted Batchelor & Dave Fagg, leaving the match score at 3-2 to the Alma.  In the final frame, a seesaw encounter reached its conclusion with John Mitchell & Ted Batchelor leading by 190 with one ball remaining against Matt Brown & Matt Newman.  Up stepped Matt Brown, the hero of the hour, to duly sink the last ball down the 200 to take the leg 2390-2380 and tie the match.
An all Deal clash between two B teams, the Magnet and the Brickmakers, ended in a 4-2 win for the visiting side from the Brickies.  Things started well for the home side as Rob Robertson took the first leg, but an extremely close second leg was taken by Paul Dargan 1060-1030 against Steve Philpott to level the tie.  Simon Jones enjoyed his customary victory in the final singles to give the Brickies a 2-1 lead, before partnering Simon Hart to extend the lead in the first doubles.  A close fifth leg victory for Simon Hart & Paul Dargan ensured the bonus points went to the Brickies, followed by an 820-430 success for Steve & Tanya
Philpott for a consolation point. 
The Plough & Harrow from Bridge defeated the Butchers Arms 5-1, in Bridge.  Baz Symes took the first leg, but the match was levelled as Doug Vickers beat Paddy Maher 1460-1100.  Keith Symes put his side back on course as he took the final singles, and the points were wrapped up as Ian Dennett played in and won all three doubles games.