Last updated 19:29, Thursday, 27 November 2008

WITH the third week of the Eddie Shimmings Snooker Championships completed there are now just four players remaining unbeaten – three in the premiership and one in division one.

This season is developing into a wide open title race with the form book being torn up every week by several players.

Last year’s West Cumbria Winter Snooker League Champion and this year’s county singles runner-up Peter O’Hagan, of Workington, kept his nose in front of the challengers with a defeat over brother Steven.

Peter took the opening frame with the help of a 42 break only for Steven to peg things back to 1-1 in the second. But it was this year’s county finalist who got into his stride with more consistency, taking the next two frames with breaks of 41 and 37 before completing a 4-1 victory with the final frame of the evening.

Steven regained some of the lost ground in that match when he earned a very useful 5-0 win over Whitehaven’s Vito Shipley although the opening frame was tight before he held a 2-0 lead with a convincing second frame.

Peter then compiled a 32 break to assure himself of the win bonus.

League veteran and former county champion Mike Dawson became the second Workington player in as many weeks to thwart current county champion Robert Sim’s attempt to regain the title.

The opening two frames were shared including a 46 break from Sim. Dawson won a convincing third frame for a 2-1 lead only for a determined Sim to make 34 and 32 breaks to take the match to the final frame.

But it was Dawson who drew on all his experience to compile a frame and match-winning 39 break for the 3-2 win. Dawson goes second on average frame points for and against.

Maryport’s Mike Park earned a very useful 5-0 win over Mark Tunstall, of Workington, including a break of 51 in the third frame.

This year’s county semi-finalist joins Dawson in second place, both one point adrift of O’Hagan.

Ex-county champion Alan Moore earned his first win of the season when he was up against Whitehaven’s Stuart Shepherd.

Moore took the opening two frames before Shepherd pulled the third back. Moore took the vital frame in a tight fourth, going on to take a comfortable final frame for 4-1.

In division one, Cleator Moor’s John Madine went top of the table with a solid 5-0 win over Ryan Henry, of Whitehaven, after a tight opening frame.

Madine, however, came unstuck in his fifth match of the season when he was up against Maryport young cueist Ryan Ismay.

Ismay took the tight opening frame but then settled the better to take the next two and an unbeatable 3-0 lead helped by a break of 33 in the third. Madine tried to battle back and earned a fourth-frame win before Ismay completed a 4-1 victory.

Ismay produced the same result when up against Workington’s Stuart Ryan.

Ismay went 2-0 up only for Ryan to snatch the third on a black ball.

Ismay then stepped up a gear to make a frame and match-winning break of 45 and took a tight last frame for 4-1. Ismay is now the only unbeaten player in the division but six points adrift, in second, of Madine, and with two games in hand.

Workington’s Steve Buchanan pushed himself into third place when taking on Cleator Moor’s Alex Chiesa. Both players shared the first two frames before Buchanan took the last three frames of the evening to record a 4-1 win.