This report was sent to the County Times on 11th January, 2010
EOM Newtown Pool League has just completed its first half of a season that has seen their numbers climb to 46 league teams stretched across three divisions. This season there is greater significance to half way stage as the league positions at this point are set to dictate the handicap teams will receive in the new Divisional Knockout Cups. These Competitions were designed to allow different sides to compete in the prestigious Finals Day at the end of the season by handicapping the top sides in the various divisions. The League’s Management Committee met this week to decide the rules for the new competition which sees all the top half of the division drawn against teams from the bottom half, with the added spice of players competing with teams in the bottom half will be allowed to remove up to three of their balls at the start of the frame and thus give them a greater chance of clearing up at the first visit. It remains to be seen if they will be able to actually capitalise on their advantage! The new Cup will start on Sunday 31st January.
At present, the Premiership is being totally dictated by the current Champions, The Elite with none of their challengers able to beat them over the first 13 weeks. The Angel, who added to their strength with the acquisition of Welsh Youth star, Drew Hughes, have not proved to be as competitive as was expected and languish five point behind the Elite, and threaten to be usurped for second place by Terry Marshall’s Full Montys side who are going strong. There is a very young side from Llanbadarn this year, after they came in to replace the Dolfor Inn side that existed last season, and they are doing very well, challenging for fourth position.
With two sides demoted from the Premiership each season, the bottom area is not where any side wants to be. At present, the newly promoted Squashed Grapes who came up from Division Two last season, are struggling to cope with the standard and, despite an excellent start to the season, are not getting the wins they need. The battle is now on between Argae Hall B and Unicorn Caersws to avoid the second relegation spot.
Division Two is a very interesting and highly competitive division. This year, a new side featuring some excellent former Premiership players was formed at the Red Lion in Castle Caereinion, called Castle Conquerors and they currently head the division and are on target to realise their ambition of getting straight into the Premiership where they belong. Winning the Second Division is no mean feat as there are several very strong sides, not least of which is the other Red Lion side and last year’s demoted side, Kerry Lamb. Steve Sherlock (picture attached) is the skipper of the Castle side and he has kept his side together very well, especially after they dropped so many points earlier in the season.
An excellent challenge from Argae Hall A also has to be admired as they have for ever been the “bridesmaids and never the bride” but currently second, they have a very good chance of staying up there with the leading sides.
Division Three has been pretty much dominated by a new team who took the pre-season favourites by surprise; led by Lee Jones, the Kerry Lamb B side are currently four points clear of second placed Dyssil Blues who are skippered by Simon James of the Upper House Inn, Llandyssil. The hot favourites were Pheasant B and Angel B who did very well last season, but they have been pushed back to third and fourth respectively, both on 21 points and five pts behind the Lamb. It certainly looks like a four horse race at the moment, with the Lamb B installed as clear favourites now they have won 13 out of 15 games.
Each Division has its own Player of the Year title, and so
far The Elite’s Glyn Davies is the star in the Premiership as he lead with
19/22 followed by Brian Jones of the Full Montys on 19/24. The prodigous Wayne
Smith (picture attached), also of the Elite, is third with 17 out of 21. Wayne,
a previous Welsh Champion, recently lost the Welsh Open Singles title to five
times winner, Ben Davies of
In Division Two, the lead is shared between Argae Hall A’s Robbie James and Kerry Lamb’s Gary Edkins and Wayne Summers, all of whom are on 24/30. Roger Jones of Abermule is next with 22/28.
Division Three is led by last year’s winner, David Lloyd Jones who now plays at Pheasant B. He has 23 wins out of 28, but after encountering his main challenger in their match last week, he now has to share the lead with Herbert B’s James Bevan who has exactly the same stats. Darren Pugh of Kerry Lamb B is third on 22/25 and Jamie Jones of the Monty Pythons is fourth on 22/30.
The League’s successful Youth League and Cups begins next week, once the bad weather has cleared up and will feature youngsters playing at Under 18 and Under 14 levels. The successful players will compete on League Finals Day where they have traditionally been one of the most watched finals of the whole day. Applications can still be made to the League Secretary, Owen Durbridge, to join the Youth League and all applicants will be contacted this week to attend a meeting at Newtown Football Club to get the League under way for 2010. The current Under 14s Youth Champion is Connor Davies (picture attached) and the Under 18s Champion is Luke Evans (picture attached).
This report was sent to the County Times on 21st September, 2009
The EOM
Newtown Pool League started its 28th season a couple of weeks ago
with clear favourites in all three divisions which saw a rise of member teams to
a record 46.
The
Premiership has two front runners in The Elite, the current champions and The
Angel, who were formally known as the Grapes. They have added Welsh
International star, Drew Hughes to their number which will undoubtedly increase
their chances and they, like The Elite, opened with comfortable wins. The new
teams who were promoted from Division Two last year, have had reasonably good
starts with both the Grapes Diehards and Cambrian A both taking a point off The
Lion, also a side expected to do well. The Diehards also did well last Sunday,
beating the Monty Dons.
In
Division Two, the demoted sides of Football Robins and Kerry Lamb had
indifferent starts with the Robins shorthanded due to holiday commitments so
they have postponed their games, whilst the Kerry Lamb lost their first match
but won their second. The pre-season favourites were both from Castle Caereinion
where the established Red Lion A have lived up to their expectations and won
both opening fixtures, whilst the newly formed Castle Conquerors threw away a
comfortable lead last week against Cefn Coch A before drawing.
Division
Three has the Herbert B at the top of the table - a rare treat for the
team led for the last few years by Angharad Jones. Whilst they relish in their
100% record, they are being pursued by the pre-season favourites Angel B, who
were known as Buck Caersws C last year and finished quite high up the table.
They too have won both their opening games.
On 13th September several members of the Newtown Pool League represented Wales at the European Pool Championships in Selsey where the Under 16s containing 12yrs old Connor Davies of Newtown finished runners-up to England in the final, whilst the Under 21s retained their European champions title by beating Scotland in the final. The team contained Newtown members, Drew Hughes, Dave Morgan, Graham Hicks and Jake Bayliss. They are to be congratulated on an excellent achievement.