Masters in control at top of pool league

A 5-1 win for the Woodside Road side at Horse and Jockey, coupled with a surprise home defeat for clubmates Michelin Inbetweeners at the hands of Fairhill Hustlers, stretched Masters’ lead at the top to nine points.

The biggest challenge, however, could yet come from Connolly’s ‘B’, who, although currently 13 points adrift, have two games in hand, in which they could cut the gap considerably.

Michelin Inbetweeners 2, Fairhill Hustlers 4: George McCullough got the away team off to a good start when he beat Lee Wright in straight frames.

Robert Graham doubled the score when he beat Gary Ormandy by a 2-1 scoreline.

In game three Finton Long pulled one back for Michelin when he defeated Paul Hayes in straight frames.

This spurred on the Hustlers and they won the next two games both by 2-1 scorelines to give them a lead of 4-1, their winners being Justin Kilpatrick and Derek Dunlop who defeated Gareth Rowe and Stewart Frew.

In the last game Michelin pulled another game back when Phil Houston defeated Ritchie Irwin by a 2-1 scoreline. MOM - Justin Kilpatrick.

Connolly’s B 6, Social Sports 0: Pat McAnally put the home team ahead when he defeated Dennis Keenan by a 2-1 scoreline.

Brett McLaughlin, Alan Davidson and Dee Erwin all had wins in straight frames over Eddie Fleck, John Fleck and Richard Campbell to make the match score 4-0 to Connolly’s B, and Alan Davidson had an eight ball clearance in the second game of his match.

In game five Ross Hill won the first frame against Marcus Westhall but Marcus fought back to win 2-1 and make the overall score 5-0.

The same happened in the last game when Richard Turtle won the first frame against Connor Connolly but Connor then won the next two frames to complete the whitewash. MOM - Alan Davidson.

Horse & Jockey 1, Michelin Masters 5: Drew Sloan got the away team off to a flyer when he defeated Norman Clark in straight frames.

Jimmy Knowles doubled the lead with a 2-1 win over Martin McClintock.

In game three David Armstrong made it 3-0 when he had a win in straight frames against Danielle Handley.

In game four and five Michelin grabbed another two wins in straight frames to make the match score 5-0, their winners being Alan Armstrong and Rick McMaster who defeated Eddie Maxwell and Henry Butler.

In the final game Horse & jockey pulled a game back when Richard Handley had a 2-0 win over Brian Hanna. MOM - Richard Handley.

Spotty Dogs 4, Connolly’s A 2: Malcolm Graffin put the home team ahead when he beat Connaire McAuley by a 2-1 scoreline then Niall McElroy levelled the match when he beat Damian White by a 2-1 scoreline.

In game three the Spotty Dogs took the lead again when Robert Artt beat Sean Donnelly by a 2-1 scoreline. Brendan O’Mullan increased the lead with a 2-1 victory over Pat McAnally to leave the match score 3-1 for the Spotty Dogs.

In game five Chris Gordon came from behind to beat Rory McCormick 2-1 and in the last game William Mitchell pulled another game back for Connolly’s A when he defeated Ian Boal in straight frames. MOM - Robert Artt.

Spotty Dogs 2, Fairhill Hustlers 4: In a match rearranged from week seven, Paul Hayes put the Hustlers ahead when he had a 2-0 win over Damian White.

In game two George McCullough doubled the lead with another 2-0 win against Johnny Gordon. In game three Brendan O’Mullan defeated Ritchie Irwin also in straight frames to leave the match score 2-1 for the Hustlers.

In the fourth game the Spotty Dogs levelled the match when Malcolm Graffin came from one down to defeat Derek Dunlop 2-1.

In game five and six the Fairhill won both games by 2-1 scorelines but each player had to come from behind there winners being Justin Kilpatrick and Robert Graham who beat Chris Gordon and Ian Boal. MOM - Robert Graham.

LEAGUE TABLE

Michelin Masters, played 9, points 42; Michelin Inbetweeners 9-33; Connollys A 9-29; Connolly’s B 7-29; Spotty Dogs 9-27; Fairhill Hustlers 9-26; Coach Bar 7-18; Social Sports 8-15; Horse & Jockey 8-9.