Friday saw Spalding Consti Club host the Billiards Shield final between Spalding and District Billiards League champions, Bourne Pyramid A, and Donington.
Unlike normal league conditions, the shield is played to an aggregate score in total.
First on the green baize was John Clapton (r100) for Bourne, who took on Nigel Brasier (r70). The game was close throughout with neither player getting the advantage of a big lead, however Brasier managed victory by 19 points, winning 200-181.
Donington youngster Ben Wrigglesworth (r10) took on Bourne captain John Twell (r70). Giving away a 60-point start, Wrigglesworth knew he would have to play a good game to achieve a win. Twell had a good advantage until around the 130 points mark when he struggled to score as Wrigglesworth clawed back a deficit of about 60 points in around five visits, including a 22 break.
To the end it was a cagey affair but the Donington player managed to secure an 11-point victory, 200-189.
That gave Donington a 30-point advantage, meaning their final player Tony Scully (r40) could afford to lose as long as he scored 170 points. He was up against the league’s youngest and much improving player Reegan Cooke-Holmes (r80).
The game proved to be the best of the three. Scully hit an early 44 break (and secured the highest break by a receive player) to nicely start to claw some points back. A close game throughout saw Cooke-Holmes hold his nerve to keep his team in with a chance. He had to win by 31 points to steal victory for Bourne. Scully scored another good break, of 26, and managed to reach his target, although it was Cooke-Holmes who emerged victorious, 200-184, leaving his team 584-570 adrift on aggregate.
A number of spectators made the trip to see the first of this season’s finals but on the weekend of March 29/30, Springfields Exhibition Centre will play host to a weekend of snooker and billiards finals with 11 team and individual matches.
Thanks were expressed to Neil Burton for organising the final and for his part in refereeing and scoring, along with scorer and league chairman Neil Reynolds, and Marcus Pell of the Gosberton club for refereeing too.
