This week saw a return to league action after last week's break foe Le Rose Cup action and what a busy week and a half it was with all but one of the outstanding matches played in Division One of the Ormskirk & District Amateur Snooker League.



Firstly, Reigning Champions Southport Conservative Club, contested three matches over this period and this leaves them in a very commanding position to create history and make it a sixth consecutive First Division crown. Their scheduled match this particular week saw them go into battle with title-chasing Olympic BC B and after a tense affair it saw the spoils shared with a 3-3 draw. This match saw Olympic B's Karl Weeks in top form with a terrific break of 46 to seal his frame success. The other matches played by the Champions elect were both their outstanding matches with Maghull RBL B and it saw two 6-0 demolitions recorded by the Southport outfit to continue their relentless march towards the title although the Maghull B team were only able to field a five man side in both matches. The first match saw Southport's Paddy Tyndall in good nick with a really nice break of 43 in his frame victory. Meanwhile, the second match saw Southport's Gareth Hibbott in tremendous touch with a fabulous break of 84 in his frame win to seal this week's 'Break of the Week' prize and his fifth of the current campaign. These matches see the Southport Conservative Club lads sit a huge eleven points clear of their nearest rival and the Olympic BC B team drop into third place, some twelve points off the leaders.

Gareth's break began after a safety battle with his opponent and was left with an excellent chance and as reliable as ever he didn't disappoint. Gareth opened with his first two reds, both followed by pinks, to deliberately get good position on his third red which was obstructing the black ball. After potting that red it certainly opened things up for him. Gareth then potted a further five reds, with that usual precise potting and pinpoint positional play, all with high valued colours going into a cluster of five reds off the final one to open things right up and quickly reach forty eight. Another excellent four reds and blacks followed and off the fourth black, Gareth went up the table for the penultimate red which lay very awkwardly on the baulk side of the middle pocket but the break now reached a brilliant eighty. Unfortunately for Gareth, he landed very straight on the red and could only stun it in


leaving a difficult angle on the green ball to gain position on that final red. He dispatched that green ball but couldn't get close to the red and missed a long thin cut red to bring an end to a fantastic contribution on eighty four.

Gareth joined the Ormskirk League at the commencement of the 1999-00 season and represented Southport SC every year since its sad closure just after the conclusion of the 2011-12 campaign. With Southport SC, Gareth won the First Division Title on no fewer than seven occasions, four Kenney Cup triumphs within the space of five seasons including a hat trick of wins and two Le Rose Cup successes. Gareth then joined Les Dodd SC and has helped his side capture the Division One crown for the last four seasons but they moved to their current home in Southport Conservative Club early last season. On a personal note, Gareth has the huge distinction of recording a run of 73 matches unbeaten, spanning over three and a half years starting on 12th October 2010 and ending 4th February 2014, an astounding fact particularly in one frame matches. Gareth has also been Individual
Champion of the League four times in 2007-08, 2009-10, 2013-14 and again last season. He
has also been Pairs Handicap Champion on four occasions, including the last two years, with his partner Andy Booth. With the invention on the UK League Snooker Tournament by site founder, Richard Ormiston in 2009, Gareth has been an ever present in the team representing the Ormskirk League and he has been an invaluable member of the team as he has helped us capture the Title an amazing three times. In 2010 in Manchester and again in 2012 where we triumphed at the superb South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester and again last November at The Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds were he won the 'Player of the Tournament' award with a magnificent ten wins from ten matches played. He represented the team again last November for the ninth time and is one of two players in our squad who has played in every year of this terrific tournament. This year as defending Champions we
just failed by the narrowest margin possible to qualify for the knock-out stages. Gareth also won the ApolloBet.com Merseyside Snooker Open in 2016, a very prestigious event steeped in history. Finally, Gareth now owns an amazing fourteen spaces on the Ormskirk League's Centurion Plaque and no one will be surprised if he adds to that this term.

Maghull RBL A continue their superb form of late and engineered their seventh consecutive win with a 4-2 away triumph at the expense of Stanley Club A. This latest victory was also achieved without a full quota of players as the Maghull A side unfortunately only had a five man team. This result sees them move into second spot in the league table and although the title might take some winning, as they lie those eleven points off the pace-setters and have played a match more than them, but second place is very much within their reach. The match also saw Maghull's Paul Davies in fine form with a classy contribution of 42 in his frame success.

Aughton Institute E moved into fourth slot in the league proceedings after their two matches played this past week. Firstly, their scheduled match this time around saw them go into battle with struggling Scarisbrick NSC and they ended their evening's work with an excellent 6-0 demolition of their opponents. The match saw, once again, Aughton E's Robbie Wilson in very good nick with a really nice break of 38 in his frame win. Secondly, the Aughton E outfit clashed with Maghull RBL B in their match from much earlier in the current campaign and it saw a comprehensive 5-1 away victory for them.






Aughton Institute A also contested two matches over the last week or so and their match within this week's fixture week saw them compete against Maghull RBL B. At the end of that match it saw both sides unable to be separated as a 3-3 stalemate was the outcome but it did see the Aughton A team battle back from a 3-1 deficit. The other match played was the encounter with Skelmersdale Wardens A which was interrupted by a power failure and after completion of that match it saw a 5-1 triumph for the Aughton A outfit. These two results sees the Aughton A boys move into fifth in the league standings as well as looking very well placed to go one better than last year's runners-up place in the Division One Merit League.

Upholland Social drop into sixth in the current league table but did sit our their free week this time. They sit level on points with the team directly above them and have a match in hand over them too. They are also still very much in contention to retain the Division Merit League crown they captured last term.

Rainford X SSC clinched their fourth success of the season with a 4-2 win over Olympic
BC A and this latest win goes a long way to sealing their First Division spot for next year as they find themselves seven points clear of relegation zone. The match also saw Rainford's Richie Spring Jnr in solid form with a well constructed break of 37 in his frame victory.

The other match played this week saw Skelmersdale Wardens A record their third and most important success of the campaign with a 4-2 win over fellow relegation-threatened St Cuthberts. The outcome sees them still in the relegation zone but are now level on points over the Halsall lads who lie one place above them in the table.

Upholland Social sat out their free week this week as mentioned above.

Other notable break this week was – G Hibbott (Southport Conservative Club) 36.

The Division One merit table sees Aughton Institute A remain as leaders and have now opened up a very healthy seven point lead after their win and draw this past week or so, they sit on 114 points. Olympic BC A now hold second place solely despite defeat this time around, they lie on 107 points. Scarisbrick NSC drop into third spot after their very heavy reversal this particular week and are on 105 points. The twenty first week updated table can be found below.

The only outstanding match is below and will be played Tuesday 3rd April 2018...

Aughton Inst E v Southport Con Club (Originally Scheduled Date - 13th February 2018)


Division 2

This time around saw leaders, Aughton Institute D show what a good side they are as they got straight back to winning ways after a heavy defeat in their last league match two weeks earlier. This particular week they went into battle with club compatriots, Aughton Institute C in the tenth Aughton 'Derby' match so far this season and it saw the Aughton D boys clinch a 4-2 triumph at the end of a well fought, tense evening of snooker. The result sees the Aughton D side extend their advantage to a healthy five points at the summit of the league table and with just six league matches remaining find themselves in a very strong



position to capture their maiden Second Division crown, the Aughton C team drop into fourth in the league standings. The match also saw Aughton C's Dave Ball in good nick with a nice break of 29 in his frame success.

Skelmersdale Wardens B continue in second position despite being held to a 3-3 draw with struggling Stanley Club B. The Skelmersdale B oufit raced into a 2-0 lead early in the encounter but just about held on for the draw at the end of a well fought contest. The Skelmersdale Wardens B lads sit those five points behind the pace-setters. The match also saw Stanley B's Steve O'Hare in terrific touch as he compiled a superb break of 42 in his frame win and this break was enough to take over as the Division's highest break to date. In fact, if this remains the highest break then Steve will have compiled the highest break in Division Two the last three campaigns, a statistic he should be very proud of.

Aughton Institute B went into battle with Stanley Club C this time around and a match which saw them behind for most of the contest but they battled back from 2-0 & 3-1 deficits to force a 3-3 draw. This outcome saw them move into third spot in a very tight current league table.

The other match played this time around saw Skelmersdale Wardens C produced their best performance of the season with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Farmers Club. This was also their third successive win and as a result sees the Skelmersdale C outfit move into fifth spot in the league proceedings and sit just a single point off the two teams directly above themselves.