Last updated 19:43, Thursday, 05 June 2008

JOHN STREET Club produced an extremely professional performance to claim the 7 a Side Team Handicap KO title in the Cockermouth & District Snooker League with a 4-1 victory over division two underdogs Maryport Social B in a real David versus Goliath clash.

With the John Street players giving away 20 points start each frame the final started with Simon Frazer facing Maryport’s Social B’s leading player Paul Lister.

A fantastic long red from Frazer with his first shot of the match resulted in a 28 break and from then on he never looked back.

The fast cloth on the Railway Club table proved difficult to handle for Lister and with another fine long pot, this time on the blue the frame was sealed, 73-43.

Next up was Maryport Social B Captain Colin Sealby taking on John Street’s Stuart Ryan. The scores were level with just the black remaining. Ryan prevailed with a 52-45 win.

At 2-0 to John Street Club a solid performance from Maryport’s young rising star, Ryan Ismay was required if he was ease his team’s nerves and he certainly delivered. A confidently constructed 26 break from Ismay gave him a substantial lead and even though John Street’s Tony Elliot replied with a smaller contribution of 22 the writing was on the wall and with a stylish colours clearance Ismay completed his win in style, 89-42.

John Street’s Mark Tunstall gained a 20-point advantage with just the colours left. A fine snooker on the green from veteran Maryport’s Pete Donachy left him with a slim chance of stealing the frame; however it was Tunstall who showed his class in finishing the frame with some excellent potting to win 71-36.

In what turned out to be the last tie of the evening John Street’s Steven O’Hagan took on another Maryport young gun in Shane Kane.

Kane was in first, but missed a black off the spot that provided O’Hagan with the chance he needed to create a fine 30 break and put his team on the verge of victory.

There was no way Kane was going to give this frame away but with O’Hagan drawing on his experience he fashioned an opening to claim the title with a 71-36 win.

This result sees division one giants John Street complete the double after winning the division one league title last week and with a 4-0 drubbing of Derwent A in the first play-off semi-final just a few days later another unique treble is in their sights, a feat they also achieved last season.

The second division one top four play off semi-final also took place this week and in what can only be described as an epic the Railway Club came back from a position of 3-2 down to defeat Maryport Soc A 4-3 and move through into the final.

The first two frames were shared as Maryport’s Julian Plaza overcame Neil Henderson albeit to a fortunate pink and Railwayman Kevin Basnett presided over Wayne King with the help of a 27 break.

Frames three and four were also shared with Railway’s Paul Graham finishing strongly to defeat Kevin Henderson and Maryport Social A’s Garry Southern proving victorious over an out of sorts Barry Collins.

Railway’s David Little couldn’t quite manage to convert a good opportunity in the frame and this gave the necessary impetus to Sal Cakmak which he converted with some fine potting for a 3-2 lead.

The last of the planned six frames of the evening saw Former County Champion Ivor Messenger requiring a win against Railwayman Steve Garroway to take his team into the final. Garroway responded to the pressure to lead throughout but as the final three balls presented themselves the match looked over for the Railwaymen, however a rare miss on the pink from Messenger left Garroway with the chance he needed to tie the match. He duly delivered with a fine pink to take the contest into a one frame playoff.

Railway’s Paul Graham and Maryport Social A’s Sal Cakmak were the two names drawn out of the hat for the decider and in a pressure cooker tie the occasional miss could be excused.

Inevitably a scrappy encounter unfolded but it was Railwayman and Doubles Finalist Paul Graham who proved the stronger of the two players and with some tremendous potting under pressure a top four final spot was delivered.