As the third week came to an end, we saw the early league leaders, the Prince of Wales, get an early fright after getting pushed by a strong Waggon team. Studio Bar and Gorton Con Club both win to push back into 2nd and 3rd respectively and all teams are off the mark with points on the board. It’s still very early in the season, but could we be looking at the start of an incredibly tight season, who will be in the different leagues at the half point is currently anyone’s guess.
Check out the current league table
Clayton Con Club 4 vs 4 The Sidings
Well, Clayton, without their captain Martin, usually struggles. The Sidings would have felt confident with their new players. But it was the old guard of Tim Bottomley and Dan Savery who took an early lead of 2-0, exactly what you want as an away team. Clayton then struck back with the next two. Indeed, this match was a story of back-and-forward two-frame wins with Clayton managing the last two to secure a good point with a final-frame win.
Gorton Con Club ‘B’ 5 vs 3 Prince of Wales ‘B’
Both teams were hoping to win all three points here, but the home team started strong by winning the first two frames. The Prince ‘B’ team came back with the next two frames to tie it up. The Gorton ‘B’ team then showed some grit and won the next two frames to secure at least a point. But with the Prince ‘B’ winning the next one to set up a nail-biter of a final frame. I bet there were some nervous players on both sides. Gorton’s former captain stepped up and won the final frame for them, giving them a solid win and continuing their great start to the season.
Prince of Wales 5 vs 3 Waggon & Horses
The Prince was the clear favourite going into this match. The Waggon, though, have started well this season and have been pushing hard in each frame of each match, proven when taking a 3-2 lead into the last three frames here. Luckily for the Prince, the second double’s frame went their way, but then, reliable as clockwork, Robo took the next frame to put the Prince ahead. The final frame came down to an incredible shot from Lee Acheson cutting a very thin black along the bottom cushion from a full table-length shot. A great shot to take a great match. It was abundantly clear that the Waggon are certainly here to be counted this season and not a team to be underestimated. The Prince makes it three wins on the bounce and sits at the top of the table for week three.
Strawberry Duck 3 vs 5 Gorton Con Club
The Strawberry Duck can be pleased with the result, even if they didn’t take the points, playing an extremely strong side. As always, the story of the match was Gortons final three frames, as with so many times in the previous seasons, the final three or four frames have come to Gortons rescue. They will be pleased to get back to winning ways after last week’s tight match against the Prince, making it two out of three so far for the season. The Strawberry Duck’s season won’t be decided by this game, and we have so much more to look forward to from them, an away trip next week to the Waggon will be a very close match to call.
Studio Bar 5 vs 3 Steelworks Tavern
This scoreline was exactly what the Studio wanted, making sure there was no repeat of last year’s home defeat to the Steelworks. The two teams have new players creating different line-ups, so this was an interesting one to try and predict. The away side started well, with James Comer getting the first win over Kev Kelly. The following two frames went one each to give the Steelworks a slim lead at the start of frame four, where the Studio drew level with Chris Wilson winning the frame, starting a four-frame win streak to give the Studio at least a 5-3 win. The Steelworks won the final frame and held the match to that scoreline. Good to see Lee Mitchell back playing after his absence for the first two weeks.
The Buxton 2 vs 6 Strawberry Gardens
This was a local Droylsden Derby, with both teams vying for the win. The away team couldn’t have started better, winning the first three frames and putting them in a strong position. But the Buxton team managed to win the next frame, narrowing the gap. However, the Gardens team responded with a win of their own, securing at least a point. The Buxton team kept their hopes alive by winning the next frame, but the Gardens team, led by captain Leigh Mitchell, secured the final two frames to secure a 6-2 victory and all three points.
Waggon & Horses ‘B’ 4 vs 4 The Holdsworth
The match of the new teams started perfectly for the Waggon B, with league veteran Robin Fraser taking the first frame, the Holdsworth team looking to find the right reply did win the next two but with the Waggon ‘B’ squaring things up by winning the fourth frame, the match was wide open for the taking. The second half of the match started well for the Holdsworth by winning the first two frames to guarantee them a point, but the Waggon B dug in and took the final two to secure a draw. I think once these two teams settle down and get used to their new players, wins will come.