SNOOKER: Title race heading for exciting finish

And The Pair Again Occupy The Top Two Positions On The Leader Board, But Are Joined In The Title Hunt This Time Around By Three Other Teams – Shantallow, Dee’s And Tracey’s – All Near Enough, If Good Enough, To Envisage A Tight, Tense Climax.

The Oak Leaders’ Major Form Problem Since The Turn Of The Year Continued Unabated Last Week When They Fell 4-2 To The Aoh Visitors. An Unexpected Victory For The Hibs, Spearheaded By Talented Teenager Shea Moore (2-0). Ray Barrow And Seamus Cusack Contributed By Sharing The Spoils In Their Two-Frame Sessions With Shea Norris And Reigning Senior Champion Stephen Brady.

Cyms Picked Up The Majority Of Points In Crucial Home-And-Away Starts Against Tracey’s Bar (4-2 And 3-3), A Seven-Point Haul Which Sees The Donegal Defenders Move To Within A Single Points Off The Pace. Chris Gibbons’ 2-0 Verdict, Added To 1-1 Cameos From Phelim Mcclafferty And Gareth Kirwan (56 Break), Secured The Letterkenny Side’s Home Decision. Gerald Mccloskey And Emmett Casson Won A Frame Apiece For The Visitors, The First-Named Potter Illuminating The Proceedings With An Excellent 83 Compilation.

Shantallow House’s Productive 5-1 Home Outing Against Relegation-Bound Oak ‘B’ Was Back Boned By Peter Doherty And A Sharpish Joe Porter (2-0 Wins). Jan Biernat’s Share Of The Frames With Peter Murphy Saved The ‘Brush’ For The Bishop Street ‘Reserves.’

Dee’s ‘Muckers’, Who Have Leapfrogged Into Title Contention On The Back Of Seven Straight Victories, Continued Their Purple Patch Form At Tracey’s ‘147’ (5-1). Simon Cooke (56 Break) And Maurice Ferguson Put The Waterside Team 4-0 Up, Only To Be Denied Maximum Points By Phil Mcconomy’s Equality In His Two-Frame Session With Stephen Heaney.

Limavady Beat Visiting Cyms ‘B’ 5-1 In A Nondescript Game As Far As The Title Race Is Concerned, But An Important Outing For Karl Doherty, A Contender For The Individual League Play-Offs, And The ‘Roesider’ Bagged Both Frames In Some Style (Followed Up A Superb 81 Sequence In The First With A 42 Run In The Second).

Oak 2, Aoh 4 – Shea Norris 1, Ray Barrow 1; Paul Donaghy 0, Shea Moore 2 (39 Break); Stephen Brady 1, Seamus Cusack 1.

Cyms 4, Tracey’s 2 – Phelim Mcclafferty 1, Gerald Mccloskey 1; Gareth Kirwan 1, Emmett Casson 1; Chris Gibbons 2, Anthony Mcgill 0.

Shantallow 5, Oak ‘B’ 1 – Joe Porter 2 (38 Break Per Frame), Gregory Mccann 0; Pete Murphy 1, Jan Biernat 1 (49 Break) ; Peter Doherty 2, Shea Conway 0.

Tracey’s ‘147’ 1, Dee’s 5 – John Harkin 0, Simon Cooke 2; Hugh Campbell 0, Maurice Ferguson 2; Phil Mcconomy 1, Stephen Heaney 1.

Limavady 5, Cyms ‘B’ 1 – Karl Doherty 2, Paul Doherty 0; Liam Mcdermott 1, Adrian Mcfadden 1; Dean Mcaleese 2, Conor Neely 0.

Tracey’s 3, Cyms 3 – Gerald Mccloskey 2, Phelim Mcclafferty 0; Gavin Gallagher 0, Chris Gibbons 2; Anthony Mcgill 1, Gareth Kirwan 1.

How They Stand – Played 84 Frames – Oak 53 Pts; Cyms 52 Pts; Shantallow 49 Pts; Dee’s 48 Pts; Tracey’s 47 Pts; Aoh 42 Pts; Limavady 37 Pts; Tracey’s ‘147’ 35 Pts; Cyms B 34 Pts; Oak B 23 Pts.

Alfie Mcginley League – Eight To Qualify – Stephen Brady And Title Defender Peter Doherty Are Neck-And-Neck At The Top (20 Frames). Chris Gibbons Moves Into Third Spot (One Frame Less), Followed By Paul Donaghy, Gerald Mccloskey, Phil Mcconomy And Joe Porter (18), Karl Doherty And Gareth Kirwan (17).

Next Monday’s Matches – Cyms ‘B’ V Tracey’s Bar, At Letterkenny, 8 Pm; Limavady V Oak Grove ‘B’, 8 Pm; Tracey’s ‘147’ V Cyms (Letterkenny), 8 Pm; Shantallow House V Aoh, 7-30 Pm; Oak Grove V Dee’s ‘Muckers’. 7-30 Pm.