Thompsons’ crown under threat from dynamic duo
Something is stirring in the Sunderland & District League this season.
Not only does there appear to be to be a credible challenge to long-term Division One champions Thompsons, but the threat comes on a twin front as Backspin A and Brandon Air both sniff the aroma of title glory.
Brandon Air hit the front after recording an 8-2 victory at East Boldon Amigos.
Dan Dodds notched a convincing treble and Backspin’s winning margin would have been even wider had David Byers not nicked two decisive fifth-ends against Jamie Dent, 11-8, and Troy Maddison, 11-7.
Brandon Air and Thompsons are locked in hot pursuit and are only two points behind the new leaders.
At the wrong end of the table, the St Gabriel’s teams need to muster some points quickly, the A team fell 8-2 at St Chads, where Keith Weatherby scored a hat-trick, while the B team succumbed 6-4 at home to Unionist Club A with Richard Wilson again proving invincible on the night.
In Division Two, Redby CA completed two fixtures, the first being a trip to Unionist Club B.
Although Jamie Westwater and Richard Karczewski grabbed doubles, Redby’s Ken Tweedy went one better by defeating both players in five ends as the teams shared the spoils.
Quickly back in action against St Gabriel’s C, Redby trailed after Geoff Young retrieved a deficit to stop Tweedy’s run of five-end successes.
David Revell increased the visitors’ lead with a straightgame victory over Amanda Paxton.
From that point, however, Redby took all before them and it was Frank Booth’s turn to shine with a three-set haul to see Redby home 8-2.
Honours were even at West CA B, where Mike Lyons and Firdaus Nazeri hit two apiece. Both were denied by different Brandon Crusaders as Brian Childs beat Nazeri in four ends, and Joe Childs rescued the draw when he overcame Lyons 11-9 in the crucial final set.
There was another incredibly tight battle at Silksworth IM where a mere two ends made the difference between defeat and victory for St Gabriel’s D.
Silksworth established a 4-2 lead, and prospects of an away win looked remote.
David Snowdon led the fight-back as he out-lasted Alan Bickle, 11-6 in the fifth.
Tony Watson worked hard to beat Graham Sleep in four close ends, before another gritty performance from Gary Anderson frustrated Bickle in a five-ender.
The decisive set was played out by the two number-ones.
In a tough battle, fortunes fluctuated back and forth, but Snowdon eventually clinched the contest, at deuce in the deciding end, to earn Gabriel’s the slimmest of 6-4 victories.
Division Three promotion contenders East Boldon Cowboys suffered a setback, going down 7-3 at Brandon Energy. This was despite the fillip of a Will McCallum hat-trick, as the Energy trio of Colin Pritchard, Bill Maclennan, and Abbey Maddison scored doubles.
Elsewhere, there was a Durham City derby, where the Scorpions stung the Tornadoes 8-2.
Therewasamaximumfrom Oliver Wilkinson while Paul Salkeld and Harry Veitch contributed two apiece.