Totnes & District Snooker League

Division one

It is still all to play for at the top of division one after two of the main title contenders played off against one another.

Leaders and defending champions Ivybridge A played their clubmates, third-placed Ivybridge B. With just five points between the teams going into the game, and with B having a game in hand over their rivals, this result was going to be pivotal in deciding the honours at the end of the season.

Ivybridge B knew that a win was vital if they were to overhaul their opponents, and they couldn’t have hoped for a ­better start as they rocketed into a 3-0 lead.

Mark Tomlinson secured the opening frame before skipper Mark Colmer made a composed break of 44 to take the second. Derwyn Morris made a fine break of 31 in the third frame for the A team, but he was no match for Mark Hembry, who potted his way victory regardless.

Paul Hutchings then briefly came to the leaders’ rescue by taking the next two frames to make the match interestingly poised at 3-2. Hembry wasn’t to be denied, however, and a destructive break of 45 blew away the opposition in the final frame to give B a crucial win by four frames to two.

The result means A still lead the table, but they have played a game more, and B now sit just three points behind.

Dartmouth missed out on the opportunity to leapfrog the Ivybridge sides as their opponents Modbury were delayed returning from their holiday in Gibraltar due to bad weather. As a result, Dartmouth sit a point further back from Ivybridge B, with Regal a further three points behind them.

All four teams will still ­consider they have a chance of lifting the coveted trophy going into the final two rounds.

The only other action in division one this week saw Halwell B host Woodlands. It has been a very tough season for Halwell B, who have struggled badly due to absence and injury, and it is testament to their fighting character that they are still in with a chance of avoiding the drop.

Another battling performance saw Halwell come away with two points from this match thanks to wins for Paul Gilbey and Charlie Kneil, who had won consecutive frames in the middle of the match to level the scores at 2-2.

Steve Cairns and Colin Drury had previously put Woodlands into a 2-0 lead before Halwell fought back.

With the scores level, Halwell would have been hoping for a share of the points, but Cairns proved too strong in the fifth frame and when visiting skipper Adrian Rendle took the final frame, in consigned Halwell to their 10th defeat of the season.

Woodlands remain clear of the bottom three, but adrift from the top four, in fifth spot.

In division two, Totnes A continued their domination thanks to their 17th straight league win with a 6-0 demolition of bottom side Diptford.

Their were two wins each for skipper Jamie Palmer, Nathan Finch and Howard Finch on route to victory, along with a nice break of 26 for Howard. Totnes now sit a staggering 35 points clear of their nearest rivals.

Mill C had looked to get themselves back into contention for the runner-up honours when they caught up on a previously rearranged fixture away to struggling Halwell G.

Mill have suffered some indifferent form of late, but the 6-0 whitewash here did their hopes no harm whatsoever. Skipper Rob Vaughan set the ball rolling in a tense opening frame, before a couple of wins each for George Banfield and Chris Savery put the visitors five to the good.

Vaughan rounded the night off nicely by taking the final frame, which helped propel Mill back up the table into ­second spot ahead of the week’s regular fixtures.

The question then was, could they build on that impressive win when they hosted mid-table Halwell K? Sadly, the answer was, not really. A ­closely fought match from start to finish inevitably ended in a 3-3 draw – a result that didn’t help either team in truth.

Andy Dix got Halwell off to a flier in the opener before Chris Savery drew Mill level in the second. Alan Rowden then put Halwell back in front before Kristian Newnham clung on to win on the black, to put them 3-1 up with just two to play.

John Trant then got one back for Mill before Savery saved the day for Mill with his second win of the night to secure the draw.

With Mill only drawing, Halwell C had the chance to stake their claim for second spot when they took on clubmates Halwell G.

A mix-up with players, though, led to a bizarre set of events, whereby Halwell C went from having not enough players to too many, and their opponents then became a player short.

Halwell C skipper Edward Wilton took the opening frame for his side before late call-up Geoff Holt drew level in the second for G.

Kevin Wreyford then put C back in front by beating the player who had just played for his side in the previous frame, and when Jonny Harris won on the final black in the fourth frame, C were 3-1 to the good.

Wilton, clearly disappointed by his team’s performances of late, then switched sides and played for the opposition and nearly won, only losing out on the final black to Wreyford, who claimed his second win of the night.

Harris then took his second of the evening to secure a 5-1 win, which was enough to move C back above Mill into second place with a game in hand.