Red-hot Ashmore pots his way to a super ton
Karl Ashmore had the Stourbridge League officials scrambling for the record books following a stunning display for champions elect Townsend Social.
Ashmore compiled a superb total clearance of 137 in the opening frame of his side’s 3-2 Premier Division victory over Stourbridge Institute A.
The Social cueman’s brilliant display came in the opening frame of the night and is the second highest break in the league’s 71-year history.
Terry Pritchett, playing for Shenstone Club against Bearwood Cons in February 2009, holds the record with a 141.
Dan Petch and Phil Thompson followed Ashmore’s super show with victories to clinch the match for Social before Ashley Aston and Paul Garbett hit back for the visitors.
Social now need eight more frames from their last three matches to clinch the title.
Two of Social’s championship rivals clashed with Baggeridge Social A running out 3-2 winners against Pockets SC A.
Jason Hickman, on the black, Justin Donoghue and Darren Oakes won for Baggeridge, but the frames claimed by Rich and Tom Pepperall at least enabled Pockets to cling on to a three-point advantage in second place.
Hotshots SC won 4-1 away to Pockets SC B and the defending champions now have a share of third, albeit 12 points behind Townsend, who they entertain next.
Bal Sembi lost for only the fourth time, when one of the division’s senior performers, Dave Timmington, rediscovered a little of the touch he had 40 years ago playing for a dominant Cradley Heath Conservative team.
Norton Social A came away from West Midlands Police with a 3-2 win thanks to Graham Tomkins and black ball results for both Rob Pitt and Steve Mason.
Like Sembi, Norton’s Andy Smith lost only his fourth frame, outpointed by Kev Franklin.
They still have most wins, 15, but they have been joined at the top of the leaderboard by Ashmore.
Norton Social B went 2-0 down at home to Brandhall Labour through Alan Hooper and Wayne Robbins, who had a break of 50.
But Norton came back through Paul Bowen, Tony Brown and Andrew Brown to clinch the win.
Simon Thomas’s break of 63 against Ash Sidaway gave St John’s Social a great start at Amblecote institute A, and Mick Brezwyn and Paul Manning secured the win before Rick Wooldridge and Dave Oakes, who had a run of 58, earned some consolation for the hosts.
Kingswinford Cons C still lead the way in the First Division after a 4-1 victory against Moor Pool & Snooker saw them ease three points clear of their closest rivals, Kinver Constitutional A.
It was a comfortable result for the leaders which looked like being matched by Kinver when Rob Jeffries and Dean Banks put them 2-0 ahead, but Mark and Gregg Reece levelled the match for Cons B, and Kinver had to rely on Jim Woodhouse’s 13th consecutive win to clinch the result.
The teams challenging in third and sixth places faced each other and Paul Gibson, John Chester and Gavin Foy, now representing Bearwood Cons, all made a winning return to the club formerly known as Dibdale SC, now Bahia’s Snooker Club, where they played together for several years.
With a match in hand, third-placed Bearwood remain three points further adrift of Kinver A.
Kinver Constitutional B kept alive their outside chances of promotion with a 3-2 home win against Amblecote Inst B thanks to Adam Sprague, Les Cross and Tom Postings.
Kinver’s C team came back from 2-0 down at Kingswinford Cons A, courtesy of Andy Sloan, Chris Randle and Arnie Tromans, to complete a treble for the Kinver teams.
Long-time Second Division leaders Amblecote Inst D need just one frame from their last two matches to be mathematically certain of the title.
They defeated Amblecote RBL 4-1 with Carl Butcher continuing his pursuit of most wins, now 17.
Amblecote Institute C edged a little closer to securing second place with a hard-earned 4-1 victory at Kingswinford SC.
Steve Ballinger gave KSC a good start, but Roger McManus, Ray Vanes, Cary Homer and Mitch Skidmore completed a recovery.
Stourbridge Old Edwardians B had to settle for a 3-2 result on the tables of Stourbridge Inst D. Brothers Jack, Brett and Sam Ball all won for the visitors, while the Bacciocchi brothers, Dino and Dominic, struck for the Institute.
