Titles secured; Pot Black and McVeighs are champs

But what was different this time is that the scenario was being enacted in Division Two, longtime leaders Gervins B losing away to bottom-of-the-table Mitchells B and thus opening the door to a horrible devastating sucker-punch overhauling manoeuvre from the defending champions!

The Plater’s Hill team, who lost in the main cup final last year, seemed set for silverware at the start of the night, going in with a potentially decisive two points advantage. But in the Ardcumber clubrooms, the young Gervins quartet found that the league’s normally most hospitable guys restricted that aspect of their hosting to off-table matters.

Early straight frames defeats for Shea Fee and Pearse Kelly by Jonny McCann and Niall Tennyson set the pattern for the night and pretty soon they were fearing the worst as Peter Loughran was also a 2-0 victory against Mal O’Neill, Chris Maye winning without loss to Seamus Mitchell to instill some badly-needed hope into the Coalisland camp.

Alas, their aspirations of securing a title play-off at least were cruelly dismantled by the McVeighs A squad who were clearly determined to have one last throw of the dice by whitewashing McKees B - and away from home, too!

Danny McVeigh won a nailbiting black ball decider against Oliver O’Neill after Kieran Corr had given the away team a winning start on the black in frame two against Marty Doris. And the trend continued when John McArdle edged out Stevie McNulty, Jerome McVeigh completing the heroics by eclipsing James Conway in another decider.

Happy days are back for Pot Black after losing last year’s title in a play-off, a 2-2 draw in McKees enough to crown them Division One champs.

Dermot Loughran beat Colm Kelly 2-1 in first game. Loughran cleared the colours in two visits to pinch the opener, lost the second on the pink after leading most of the way but recovered from an early deficit with a timely run of 29, getting home on the green.

Owen McKee levelled by winning in a decider, against Mickey Quinn. McKee won the first on the pink, despite a 32 break by Quinn, who responded with a last red win in the second. The final frame was nip and tuck until the McKees club boss took it on the blue thanks to a great long pot.

Peter Reilly won the point that ensured the league title for Pot Black with a 2-0 win over Brendan McLarnon. A couple of 20s gave Reilly the first on yellow and he clinched the second on the pink after potting a long straight blue.

Damien McBride earned the home side a draw by coming from behind to inflict s first league defeat on his old St. Patrick’s Hall teammate. Patrick Wallace had breaks of 39 and 56 in winning the opener on blue but McBride settled the second by potting an excellent final pink and won a scrappy decider on ‘salmon’.

Division One

Gervins A 1-3 Max A

C.Kelly 1-2 M.Nugent

54-64, 64-47, 34-60

D.Gribben 2-0 B.Hughes

64-44, 72-40

A.McGuckin 0-2 S.McParland

32-66(57), 48-62

P.Gervin 0-2 J.Maguire

30-63, 39-67

McKees A 2-2 Pot Black

C.Kelly 1-2 D.Loughran

47-49, 55-38, 25-55

O.McKee 2-1 M.Quinn

85-77(32), 41-74, 73-50

B.McLarnon 0-2 P.Reilly

43-71, 48-58

D.McBride 2-1 P.Wallace

63-95(39, 56), 87-67, 72-55

Division Two

Max B 2-2 Mitchells INF

J.Shortt 0-2 K.Hughes

26-66, 32-64

N.McGleenan 0-2 R.Starkey

35-53, 50-59

S.McQuillan 2-0 T.Dunlop

71-38, 72-46

S.Taylor 2-0 G.McNeill

61-17, 86(52)-19

Mitchells B 3-1 Gervins B

J.McCann 2-0 S.Fee

56-42, 51-40

N.Tennyson 2-0 P.Kelly

85(45)-13, 76-21

P.Loughran 2-0 M.O’Neill

74-36, 56-29

S.Mitchell 0-2 C.Maye

0-1, 0-1

McKees B 0-4 McVeighs A

O.O’Neill 1-2 D.McVeigh

58-72, 66-51, 53-63

M.Doris 0-2 K.Corr

42-69, 67-74

S.McNulty 1-2 J.McArdle

42-62, 78-12, 44-59

J.Conway 1-2 J.McVeigh

41-72, 86-36, 32-58

Division Three

Mitchells C 2-2 McVeighs B

R.Barrow 2-0 D.Stevenson

52-33, 59-22

A.Mulgrew 1-2 D.Stinson

48-45, 9-44, 28-40

D.McGuckin 2-0 S.McKeown

47-36, 49-36

C.Argue 0-2 D.Lutton

28-49, 21-60

Gervins C 3-1 McKees C

S.Day 1-2 F.Hughes

39-78, 47-57

J.O’Neill 2-0 P.McGlinchey

58-29, 50-13

R.Wilson 2-1 P.Doris

64-32, 25-61, 49-4

P.Maguire 2-0 R.McKee

72-30, 56-13

League Division One

Pot Black 32 20

Max A 32 18

Mitchells A 32 16

Gervins A 32 13

McKees A 32 13

League Division Two

McVeighs A 40 24 Gervins B 40 23

Max B 40 21

McKees B 40 19

Mitchells INF 40 18

Mitchells B 40 15

League Division Three

McKees C 44 27

Gervins C 44 26

McVeighs B 44 23

Mitchells C 44 12