It’s last night drama for both titles

Indeed, the bids for glory could quite easily extend well beyond the planned schedule because not only is there every chance of play-off, but there could also be three teams involved for each title!

If Pot Black win 3-1 and there’s a draw between Gervins A and Max Keady A, all three would be level at the top; in division two, the same situation would be created if McVeighs A, get one fewer point than Mitchells B - and Max Keady get one more than the Cookstown-based team.

Mark Nugent recovered from losing the first comfortably to Peter Reilly to get home 2-1 by winning two close, scrappy frames on the colours.

Patrick Wallace beat Barry Hughes 2-0 in a high quality match. Wallace made an 81 break to the green from 0-55 in the opener, Hughes having scored 34 on his first chance, and cleared from yellow to pink to pinch the second.

Richie Comiskey put the home team back in front, beating Dermot Loughran 2-1. A 32 by Loughran put him in front, only for Comiskey to clear from the last red. The Pot Black man won the second on the yellow and made an early 30 in decider but the Max man came back strongly once again to win it on penultimate red.

Mickey Quinn kept Pot Black’s title aspirations alive by coming back from 1-0 down to Philip Gribben to win in a decider. Gribben won the first comfortably and was 20-odd in front in the second before Quinn produced a timely run of 67 to blue. He went on to win the last in bits and pieces on second last red to earn the draw.

In the other match in the top division, Micthells A’s already slim hopes of getting into the fight for honours were finally killed off when they got a rude awakening away to bottom of the table McKees A. Stevie Campbell beat Seamus Mitchellin straight frames, while his brother Jason made a return to action after a lengthy lay-off and got the better of John Currie, also without loss. Colm Kelly ended the nice little winning run of Joe Loughran in a couple of very tight frames, before the Cookstown pain was eased when John Hagan flattered only to deceive to Feargal Keenan in the only contest to required a deciding frame at the Gortgonis venue.

The Division Two title is certainly going to be warmly deserved by whichever team prevails, longtime leaders McVeighs A again having to work hard to get two points against visitors Mitchells B. Jerome McVeigh losing a cracking contest to Ryan Robinson who needed a snooker on the blue in the first and got two. McVeighs potted the pink and black to win second, but Robinson potted brown and blue to snatch the decider.

Danny came from behind to beat former clubmate Conor Gillespie, but there was disappointment for John McArdle after he took the opener against Kevin Kelly, Kieran Corr earning a priceless second point at the expense of Peter Loughran, as again the player who won the first ended up with egg on his face.

Max Keady B thus had the chance to make up some ground but their game away to Gervins B finished 2-2 as well.

Paul McParland and John Maguire won the first and last for the favourites but Louis McGale lost to the impressive Daniel Nixon who made a 33 break and Chris overcame injury to beat John O’Reilly.

A 4-0 win at Mitchells C earned Gervins C the runners-up trophies in Division Three.