Billiards: Acomb close on title (From York Press)

Billiards: Acomb close on title

11:16am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Sport By Colin Robinson

ACOMB moved eight points clear at the top of the York Conservative Clubs’ Faber Shield Billiards League after a 5-1 defeat of Bootham ‘A’.

Trevor Ventress, with an easy win, and Ken Bower moved Acomb 2-0 ahead and built a 99 aggregate advantage.

Stuart Martel reduced the arrears but Paul Holmes, who continued his unbeaten run, and John Ashwell completed the victory.

Heworth’s flimsy hopes of holding on to the title suffered when they were held to a 3-3 draw by lowly Fulford.

Brian Birch put Heworth ahead with a seven-point win, but Terry Ward brought his number one game with breaks of 29, 31, 64, 29 and 46 to ensure Gary Rogers failed to wipe out his negative handicap by 54 points, despite a break of 54.

Jason Milner (29 unfinished break) and Steve Burdett made it 3-1, but Bob Plant’s victory over Keith Watkinson by 12 points meant Fulford earned a draw by virtue of the aggregate point.

Holmes is now assured of the Cameo Engraving player of the year honour.

Unbeaten with ten wins, his closest rivals only have seven wins with only two games to play.

Heworth reinforced their grip on the York Conservative Clubs’ Slater Cup Snooker Pairs League after thrashing Fulford 6-1 to go 14 points clear.

They led 3-0 before Dean Stockton and Don Butler stopped the run, but Peter Hodgson and Joe Bedford, with a six-point win, and Nick Hodgson and Jamie Faircliffe’s three-point success, completed the rout.

Bootham consolidated second place with a 5-2 win at Acomb.

They also won the first three frames before M Bowker and A Wade and A Haithwaite and P Archer responded to trim the deficit to one.

However, Norman Shipley and Ken Clifford won the last frame for Bootham to snatch the aggregate for their side by only three points.