St Chads blow chance of catching leaders after loss

St Chads’ slim chance of catching the leaders in Division 1 were effectively extinguished after a highly-competitive home match against a strong West CA line-up.

The hosts managed to establish a 3-0 lead as Keith Weatherby’s straight-game win over Kevin Wilson was followed by two nip-and-tuck affairs. Firstly, Charlotte Weatherby pipped Anthony Barella 11-9 in the decider, before Paul Baines nicked the fifth end, 12-10, against Adam Webster.

The tide was to turn however, as the visitors displayed admirable tenacity.

Wilson recovered from a two-game deficit to beat Charlotte Weatherby 11-7 in the decider, and Webster battled to a 12-10 clincher against the same opponent.

Ultimately, Barella and Wilson achieved doubles, although both were extended by Baines, as West ran out 6-4 victors.

Marc Cotton, Max Duffin, and Chris Blake were on duty as leaders Thompson A completed a 10-0 triumph over Sacriston Aces.

Both top-tier St Gabriel’s teams enjoyed wins. George Gibson and Lee Eadington scored maximums as they defeated Unionist Club A 8-2, whilst Jake Helm and Joe Muldowney did likewise for Gabriel’s B in their 6-4 win at Sacriston Bombers.

Elsewhere, Backspin A slumped to a 10-0 loss against Mount CA.

In a third versus first clash in Division 2, Unionist Club’s Dave Bannon was involved in three five-enders against Brandon Air.

He defeated Lee Tinkler 117, but went down to Paul Dale 10-12.

Inthefinalmatch,Bannon retrieved a two-game deficit to squeak past Jamie Lupton 11-9.

Air’s 7-3 victory extended their unbeaten streak, and aided the promotion hopes of second-placed Brandon Bullets who increased their advantage over the chasing Unionists.

Redby CA A achieved a 6-4 win at Silksworth IM B.

Nigel Tree and Jeff McKenna had fired two-apiece for the hosts but, with the scores locked at 4-4, Malcolm Deneven stopped McKenna 11-4 in the fifth end.

Despite going 2-0 down, Frank Booth’s fighting spirit saw him chop down Tree 11-5 in the decider.

Elsewhere, St Gabriel’s D gained a hard-fought 6-4 win over East Boldon Amigos.

A treble salvo from David Snowdon was supported by Gary Anderson’s twin-strike.

Neil Wilkinson and David Byers both managed to edge out Istvan Soos in five-game thrillers but Gabriel’s had done enough.

At Silksworth IM A, hattricks from Howard Brown and Bob Sanderson helped them to an 8-2 success against Redby CA B.

There were two big wins for Brandon teams in Division 3.

Crusaders cemented poleposition with a 9-1 win over St Gabriel’s E, whilst Devils completed a whitewash at Sacriston Eagles thanks to Christopher Leishman, Ian Cumpson, and Paul Lupton.

In a closer affair, maximums from William Walton and Ryan Campbell enabled East Boldon Cowboys to come away from Lanchester CC with a 7-3 win. Neil Forster, Martin Johnson, and Nigel Cardale recorded consolation singles for the hosts.