Nine in a row for Crucible in Newbury Snooker League

Crucible Sports and Social won their 9th straight Newbury Snooker League title with a well deserved 5-3 win against Paggies Bar.

The first half was a breeze for Crucible, as they roared into a 3-1 lead with Chris Rice, aided by a controlled 40 break, beating Danny Langford two frames to nil.

It was Chris’ son Harry though who took the plaudits, with a creditable 1-1 draw against former League Singles Winner Neil Winkworth.

Rice junior held a narrow advantage going into the colours, where Winkworth is known to be dangerous with his ability to clear the table.

It was Rice though who showed all his composure, as he cleared brown to black to take the frame and secure his point.

Paul Davis suffered his first defeat of the season as he was well beaten by a consistent Derek Wright before Craig Marsh secured the points, win and League title with his two frames against Olly Keen.

The week also saw the Over 50s competition, where Sean O’Shea, Greg Neil, Andy Bolter and defending champion Pat Patel all made the semi finals from an ever growing field.

It was a tight group stage though, with most frames going down to the final two balls.

Greg Neil edged past Sean O’Shea, whilst Pat Patel’s dream of making it three titles in a row were thwarted by debutant Andy Bolter.

The final went the way to the youngster of the group, as Bolter won the title at his first attempt.