Comrades Club Team Stats 18/09/13 (Match 2)

A TEAM	Pl	W	L	Pts for	Av	Pts ag	Av	%	Breaks over 25
Pete Billingham	2	1	1	110	55	80	40	50
Dave Greathead	2	1	1	110	55	87	44	50
Kev Higgs	2	0	2	74	37	114	57	0
Jon Hawkins	1	0	1	33	33	68	68
Nigel Prior	1	0	1	31	31	50	50
Aaron Tame	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Tom Williams	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Nigel Woods	0	0	0	0	##	0	##	###
	A Team rediscover winning ways (just) with a 3-2 win over newly promoted Challow C away. Aaron makes it a winning debut & despite battling hard Tom loses to Ian Bowman (post Honeymoon blues?). Cuz has the 'W' nicked from him on the black (Gutted!), but Anchorman wins... playing 4th! We're off the bottom!!!
B TEAM	Pl	W	L	Pts for	Av	Pts ag	Av	%	Breaks over 20
Simon Ellam	1	1	0	74	74	52	52
Rob House	1	1	0	68	68	33	33
Andy Rance	1	1	0	68	68	62	62
Pirom Phai	1	1	0	63	63	27	27		24
David Rowe	1	1	0	50	50	31	31
Dave Glaves	0	0	0	0	##	0	##	###
Brian Orton	0	0	0	0	##	0	##	###
	The B Team took a weeks rest after their historic 5-0 win over the A Team. Bit of a shame that they had a BYE really as they need to keep the momentum going, at the heady height of the Top of the Prem (well, 2nd behind Wantage who've played 2 matches & beat Ab Con A 3-2 this week).
C TEAM	Pl	W	L	Pts for	Av	Pts ag	Av	%	Breaks over 17
Alan Wells	2	2	0	87	44	47	24	100
Joey Edwards	2	1	1	72	36	73	37	50
Hugh Baker	1	1	0	66	66	61	61
Pete Beaumont	1	1	0	53	53	40	40
Bob Elliott	1	1	0	49	49	25	25
Jake Crockett	1	1	0	41	41	30	30
Dan Milles	1	0	1	30	30	72	72
Kev Pickworth	0	0	0	0	##	0	##	###
Luke Wells	0	0	0	0	##	0	##	###
	The newly formed C Team follow last weeks debut win by taking all 5 points at Harwell RBL! Bob, Alan, Joey, Jake (making his debut) & Vice Captain Pete all 'do the business' & they proudly sit 1 point clear at the top of the combined 2nd & 3rd Div! Well done! Keep it there boys!

Greene King Autumn Handicap Tournament 2013

The annual Greene King Tournament was resurrected this year after a years hiatus (but our good Secretary, Brian Orton kept the trophy in safe storage...his front room!).

After much work by Andy Rance, 17 players of past, present & future (including Specially Invited Guests) turned up for the 10.00am start on Saturday 14th September. This was a great attendance considering that this tournament always clashes with holidays, but despite notable absentees the entry list was sufficient for Andy to make 3 Groups for the Round Robin Stages. 3 would qualify from each Group A & B (6 players in each) & just 2 to qualify from Group C (just the 5 players in this one!).

The handicaps were pretty good as during the Group Stages, most of the frames were going down to the colours & most to the higher value colours! Considering Andy had to guesstimate some, ranging between -14 to +21, I think he did a good job!

After the GSMS Tournament back in May finishing around midnight, Andy chose the lesser frames format & the Group Stages were complete well before 6.00pm (thank goodness! Lol!).

After the Group Stages the Knockout Quarter Finals lined up. In the top half of the draw, Simon Ellam (vanquisher of D&DS&BL Singles Champion in the A v B 'derby' match on Weds!) won Group A & faced Invited Guest Lee Wood (from Challow) who was Runner Up in Group B-Well done Lee!!! Phil Hall (Invited Guest & current holder of the GSMS!) made the trip up from Devon & qualified as Runner Up in Group C to face Dave Greathead (Club Veterans Champion & League Over 50s R/Up) who was 3rd place in Group A. In the bottom half of the draw, Dave Rowe (Club Singles Champion) won Group C & faced his B Team Captain & Event Organiser, Andy Rance! And the last Q/F was the 'battle of the Captains' as C Team Captain Pete Beaumont faced A Team Captain Pete Billingham.

With the Knockout Stages littered with Captains, Vice Captains, Ex-Captains & Champions, the 'draw' was a quality line up with some mouth watering matches in prospect! As most of the non-League players bowed out in the Group Stages, it was evident from the handicaps that the experienced players had been required to produce their best to qualify. One 'perennial' player who didn't qualify (this time), was 79 years young, Don Sirrett! Now Don hasn't missed a Club All Day Tournament since the inaugural GSMS in 1996, so it was very fitting & with great pleasure that Andy Rance presented him with the Best Non League Player Trophy!

Simon won through in his Q/F & faced Phil in the Semi Final who 'fluked' a blue (was that a 'Greathead' v Greathead!?) to beat Dave.

Dave Rowe (despite playing his Captain & with the veiled joked threat of 'I can always drop you' from Andy) won through his Q/F & faced Pete Billingham who overcame Pete Beaumont.

So the semi finals began. Simon v Phil was a repeat of the GSMS Final, but Simon couldn't quite capture the form he had in that event & bowed out 2-0 to Phil who qualified for his second successive All Day Tournament Final!

Pete knocked in a 34 in winning his first frame v Dave Rowe who was straight back on level terms when Pete played a loose safety shot on the green in the second. In the decider it was a close affair & Dave slotted in some of his lovely trademark long pots to pile on the pressure! It ended up being decided on the pink & Dave left a shot to the middle for Pete to clinch it.

During the SFs, a group of the C Team new boys, Joey Edwards & Luke Wells & friends (both having played in their first Comrades All Day Tournament & succumbed at the Group Stages), came back in to watch & practice! How keen are they!? Brilliant to see & heartening for the future of the Comrades Snooker Teams!

So, in the Final it was the ex-A Team Captain, Phil Hall to face the player he named as his successor in that role, Pete Billingham! Phil had put Pete out of the GSMS in the Q/F & started in a similar vein, potting clean, cueing smooth & scoring regularly! He ran away with the first frame & Pete was struggling after his titanic battle v Dave Rowe in the S/F. Phil continued this form in the second (aided by a few 'Sorry's') & with just pink & black on the table, Pete needed a snooker to avoid defeat & the white wash! After moving the black off the rail & a few attempted safety shots, he laid a peach of a snooker with the pink in the open! Phil missed the 'get out' & Pete took pink & a long black to level it at 1-1! In the deciding frame it was one way traffic with Pete racing to a 58-1 lead with 3 reds left! A few shots later it was all over & after his worst defeat as Captain (the 0-5 drubbing by the B Team on the Wednesday before), Pete had prophetically written below the 0-5 which Simon had written on the dry wipe board, 'It's not the adversity, it's how you respond!'. Perhaps after the 2nd frame snooker required, he should have added 'And NEVER give up!'?
Pete later said 'Well, I couldn't let Phil take ALL our trophies to Devon! You know what Pirates they are down there!'

And he also bagged both High Break prizes with his 49 in the Group Stages & the 34 in his S/F.

A great day was had by all & a few of the players hung around for the later stages to watch & helped out with refereeing the S/Fs & Final (Thank You Nigel Woods, Andy Rance, Simon Ellam & Dave Rowe! Plus spectators Gavin Twigg & his Father in Law Mark Kelly).

A HUGE Thank You to Oz & Lucy & their Bar Staff for feeding & watering us all day-lovely chilli!

Thank You to Brian Orton for sorting out Sponsorship from the Brewery, Greene King.

And last, but by no means least, thanks are due to Andy Rance, the event organiser. Without his expertise on the computer & organisational skills, there wouldn't be tournaments! And as you can see from the photos, he was ably assisted in the presentations by his impromptu Master of Ceremonies, Simon Ellam!

D&DS&BL Week 1 Match Reports

And so, the 2013-14 D&DS&BL Season got under way on Wednesday night.

Despite losing Fairmile (team folded!), Fawley (unable to field a full squad!) & Didcot Con A (last minute withdrawals!) all from from the Prem/1st, poor Vic Hartley & others were on Version 4 of the Calendar Fixtures before a match even started!!!  Headache!

Fortunately Wallingford Comrades Club, bolstered by a Summer influx of players (some on a 'Free Bosman' & others slightly more expensive!) had 24 players registered for just 2 teams!

Step up 'Captain KP', Kev Pickworth who used his powers of persuasion to get Andy Rance to re-take the helm for the B Team & volunteered himself & Pete Beaumont (as his able Deputy) to Captain & steer a newly formed Wallingford C Team!  They've been pitched in to the combined 2nd & 3rd Division & I'm sure they will all become household names by the end of the season.

As per usual, the opening match for the A Team (without their new Summer Signing of Aaron Tame-welcome aboard Aaron, Get Well soon!), & also missing their Novice Champion Tom Williams (who is still on Honeymoon) faced the B Team in their annual 'derby' opener.

Captain Pete Billingham opened against Simon Ellam & it was Simon who made the running all the way, racing off to a 20+ point lead.  The League Singles Champion pegged it back to nearly level, before Simon took off again after playing some lovely snookers & safety, only to be pegged back to a couple of points difference.  Simon put in a last, telling few pots to take the first frame by 74-52 (126 aggregate points indicating a hi scoring quality frame!) to take 1st blood for the B Team.

Second frame saw Nigel Prior (VC) facing Club Singles Champion Dave Rowe.  A mouth watering frame in prospect!  The frame was a very tight affair & with a lot of respect being shown by each opponent, knowing that any mistake would be severely punished it lasted a while with plenty of tactical safety.  It ended up being decided on the colours & it was Dave who took the honours by 50-31.  2-0 to the B Team & justifying their 'promotion' to the Prem in the Summer re-organisation!

Frame 3 was Kev 'Cuz' Higgs facing B Team debut man Pirom Pongsathorn, the Thai Typhoon who is better known as just Phai (pronounced 'Pi'...thankfully!).  Phai has been practicing with Andy (& his 'secret coach', Alan 'Stace' Stacey) & it obviously paid off as he knocked in a 24 from the off to put Cuz on the back foot.  However, Cuz was in scintillating form in practice & pegged the deficit back immediately.  Cue a safety battle & a telling safety shot from Phai put Cuz under pressure & it proved to be the decisive shot as Phai triumphed by 63-27 to seal the win for the B Team who now led 3-0.

The A Teams Secret Weapon was wheeled out (at late notice) & Jon 'Hawkinator' Hawkins faced Rob House in frame 4.  Jon had been called in at the last minute after Aaron signed off sick.  Without any practice & up against a seasoned match player, Jon was always going to face a stern challenge.  Rob made all the running & making a 22 (including a 'Greathead' fluked red!), it proved to be the telling contribution.  Jon did have a slim chance with 35 on & being 37 behind when Rob went in-off. Jon proceeded to take red, black, yellow, a lovely drop green to the middle leaving the cue ball awkwardly near the cushion for the brown.  The brown was missed as he 'dug deep' for the blue & it was to be the miss that Rob needed to seal the win by 68-33.  4-0 to the B Team & could the unthinkable happen?!

With the Captains words ringing in his hears ('We need this one Dad'!), the A Team Anchorman Dave Greathead stepped up to face B Team Captain Andy Rance.  Dave made the running at the start & pulled a lead.  He held it through to the last red on the table & when it looked like he was going to ensure it wasn't the first 0-5 of Captain Pete's reign, he missed a relatively straight forward cut pink to the middle & Andy took full advantage.  He sealed the win by 68-62 to complete the B Teams white wash of their A Team rivals!

Congratulations to the B Team on a fantastic (historic?) victory.  I know during the current Captaincy that the A Team have never suffered a 0-5, in fact I think you'd probably have to check with Phil 'The Legend' Hall's comprehensive records to see a) the last 0-5 loss for the A Team & b) the last time the B Team beat the A by 0-5?!

Meanwhile on Table 1, the first game for the newly formed Wallingford C Team saw them play experienced opponents, Abingdon Con B.

Hugh Baker started for the C Team & like some of his team mates, admitted to having a few nerves!  He fought a titanic battle (an hour & a quarter!), against Richard Palfrey & despite being behind & needing a snooker with only the pink & black left, he showed his steely determination.  He got the 6 point foul he needed after a lovely snooker & potting a superb 'length of the table' black to finish the frame in style to win his & the teams first ever game by 66-61!  Well done Hugh!

Next up was another new Summer Signing, Alan Wells.  Now Alan is a bit of a dark horse having played in the Hounslow League some years ago & he obviously knows his way round the table!  He showed this experience against Mark Pratley &  never looked in any danger, making it a flying 2-0 when he eased to a 36-19 victory.  C Team 'cruising'?!

Next up were two of the new youngsters, who understandably showed a few nerve but accredited themselves extremely well.  They both showed they have plenty of ability & will certainly grow with confidence over the next few games.  Joey Edwards lost 22-44 against Paul Onion & Dan Milles lost 30-72 against the vastly experienced Fred Brett.  Good effort lads, keep the determination & learn from the mistakes & you'll go a long way!

So, with the match poised at 2-2, the final game was awarded to Pete Beaumont after Dave Hancock declined to play due to fading light (PB... forever the Cricketer, but I read that as a Walk Over as the Bar was shut & it was past Closing Time!  LOL!).  However, the records will show that the C Team WON their first ever match in their tentative first steps in the League!  Congratulations lads & Thank You PB for all your efforts (& KP... go enjoy your holiday!  Your new team is in good hands!).

So, the B Team have their first BYE next week (should have been their first 'home' match v  Didcot Con A!) whilst the A Team are consigned to the practice tables before facing newly promoted Challow C away in a repeat of last seasons Jim Taylor Cup Final.  Wallingford C have their first away match at Harwell RBL B (don't expect the tables or lights to be as good as ours there boys!  You may need head torches!!!).

Couple of things before signing off...

1.  The Greene King Handicap Tournament is tomorrow (Saturday 14th) & briefing is 1000am... sharp!  Andy Rance has put in a HUGE amount of effort to get this annual tournament back up & running after a 2 years hiatus, so those that have entered please ensure prompt arrival.  The Greene King Brewery have helped out with sponsorship (Thank You Brian Orton & Oz/Lucy!), so it will be quite a lucrative prize pot!  Enjoy & play well!

2. Another Thank You, this time to John Beardsley who works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure our tables are kept to the enviably highest standard in the League!  Tables 1 & 4 (the 'match' tables) are both due for recovering soon, plus on-going maintenance to keep 2 & 3 to an equally high standard.  Thank You John, your efforts do not go un-noticed & are greatly appreciated!

'Til next time... Love the game, Respect your opponent... Fear No-One!