Brewers Bravos 1 Watermill B 4

A good start for the Bees with Kim Stenning putting the visitors in front. Piers O’Sullivan brought it all square but the lead was restored through Mark Ridley . Paul Blackburn overcame Adam Bateup for the match win, and Martin Range took the last.

Woolpack 1 Laughing Fish 4

A bad start to the new year for the Woolpack, losing at home to the Fish. Henry Brooks high scored with 5K to take the first but Malc Fuller brought the scores level. Jim Ashford restored the lead and Les Whiteman’s win gave the away side the match. Jamie Hall took last point for Fish.

HHUSC 1 Brewers Arms 4

David Page and Derek Taylor put the visitors 2-0 up before the highlight of the evening: Richard Jeffrey’s magnificent 10,560.

A Graham Sparksman 6570 won a consolation frame for HHUSC before Dilly Williamson hit 5130 to take the last leg.

Hurst B 3 Eight Bells 2

Rob Driver secured the first frame for Bells but Colin Robbins and Ian Giffen gave the lead to the home side. A fine 9270 from Neil Higgins against Steve King put it all-square but a final push from Chris Kirkham decided in Hurst’s favour.

St Francis 1 Mill House Z 4

Saints stay in second place in division 1 despite a heavy defeat at home to the Z’s - Johnny Haigh, Clive Thompson, Graham Daniels and Barry Timson putting the visitors 4-0. Then finding himself 3K behind in the last leg, Shaun Morris produced a splendid 5K break and score to grab the last point for Saints and avoid the brush.

Horns Lodge 1 Greyhound 4

In a low scoring match on the Lodge table, Peter Burchell and Ted Stringer gave Greyhound the early lead. Chris Farrow played well for the Lodge to get his side’s only point before Paul Goodwin and Trevor Rees took the final frames.

Cock Inn 2 Hurst A 3

Hurst went off at a furious rate, taking the match with the first 3 legs, through Rob Hall, Peter Edwards and Pete Hall. Cock then rallied, taking the last two through Huw Lincoln and Chris Smith. – précis of report from Roy Wells, Fixtures Secretary

Watermill B 0 Woolpack 5

A sensational result for the Woolpack away to their rivals at the other end of town: Martin Range found himself on the wrong end of a beating from Anne Stockinger in frame 1 followed by a Jan Hinkins win over Sabina Williams in the next. 3 up and match won as Lyn Storr outpointed Gavin Boyd with the last 2 bonus points going to Nigel Bransby and Malc Fuller with wins over Paul Blackburn and Kim Stenning.

Hurst A 4 Brewers Bravos 1

Pete Hall managed to lose 7K before finally coming good for leg number 1, this being followed by a 6K from Lorraine Hall to make it 2-0. A scorching 11K from Adam Bateup stopped the Hurst roller coaster but Rob Hall made the match secure for the home side, scoring 6K. The last leg also went to Hurst with a Peter Edwards 5K.

Greyhound 3 Cock Inn 2

A brave performance from the improving Cock at the Greyhound saw the home side take it with wins from Peter Burchell, Paul Goodwin and Trevor Rees. Jan Smith and Adam Cheesmuir triumphed for Cock.

Mill House Z 4 Horns Lodge 1

It’s a long way to come for just 1 point but Kevin Stevens for the Lodge made sure of that point in the first leg against Johnny Haigh. But Barry Timson, Alan Downs (5000) Graham Daniels (5330) and a bizarre leg from Clive Thompson (scored exclusively in 50’s) took the match.

Eight Bells 4 St Francis 1

A crisp 8160 from Neil Higgins was the main feature of Eight Bells’ 4-1 win over St Francis, for whom Chris Little took the only leg.

Plough 3 Hurst B 2

Hurst stay way ahead of the field in Division One despite this away defeat at the Plough. Wins for Jan Bithell, Dave Knight and Chase Newman pulled it round for the home side after Darrell Skinner and Paul Jobbins had put the Hurst 2-0 up.

Brewers Arms 3 Laughing Fish 2

This defeat means the Fish now share bottom place while the Arms still challenge for honours in second spot. 5K from David Page proved to be pivotal for the Brewers. – precis of report by Roy Wells, Fixtures Secretary.

11 Dec 2011

Bravos 2 Greyhound 3

The new top played its part in a thrilling match at the Brewers. Peter Burchell took the first and 7830 from Trevor Rees took the next. Adam Bateup hit back with 8110 and 5810 from Paul Moyes-Robb levelled the match. Paul Goodwin’s 7060 proved too good in the decider and the points went to Keymer.

Woolpack 2 Hurst A 3

It was a match that went down to the wire and Hurst were fortunate to go away with the win. A welcome 5910 from Malc Fuller stopped Hurst’s rush to the line and Nigel Bransby made it 2 all. 6090 from Rob Hall in the final frame was enough to take the match.

Laughing Fish 4 Watermill B 1

Kim Stenning got the Bees off to a good start taking frame 1 from Ray Carpenter but his team mates couldn’t follow his lead. Andy Brooks and Henry Brooks (10730) put the Fish in front for the first time and there they stayed as first Les Whiteman overcame Martin Range and Jamie Hall took the last .

Hurst B 4 HHUSC 1

Darrell Skinner was the one to suffer in the 1^st frame as Andy Guy hit a personal best with a 4K break and a 8520 final score. Ian Giffin beat Terry Gasson in the next to level things up and a Steve King 8730 put the home side in front. Chris Kirkham won frame 4 to take the match and it was all wrapped up as Colin Robbins hit 6330 in the last leg.

St Francis 4 Plough 1

A good home result for Saints that moves them up the lower division table. A tight game for Matt Geal in his win over Richard Todd to start things off. Dave Knight came back for the Plough with a late win over Roger Wallbank but Chris Little’s victory over Jan Bithell put Saints back in front. Peter Geal held off the attentions of Darren Newnham to grab the match in the next followed by a determined effort from Shaun Morris to take the last from Chase Newman.

Horns Lodge 2 Eight Bells 3

Lodge skipper Kevin Stevens got his side off to the best of starts beating Rob Driver and then watched as Ron Sheridan put in a good effort against Neil Higgins but came in second. A last ball effort in game 3 saw Tony Driver get the point from Peter Shaw with the same last ditch endeavour in the next from Ros Appleby was needed to beat Dave Tiffin and claim the match. The Lodge grabbed the last point as Chris Farrow outpointed Trevor Appleby.

Cock Inn 2 Mill House Z 3

04 Dec 2011

Hurst A 3 Laughing Fish 2

A good start in this lower table contest for the Fish with Jamie Hall taking frame 1 but a cracking 9410 from Peter Edwards put things right for Hurst. Despite spilling a 10K break, Henry Brooks still managed 5390 to get the lead back for the Fish but a stunning 14,840 from Rob Hall which included a couple of 6K breaks levelled it at 2 each. The decider was a thrilling scrap between Jenny Edwards and Ray Carpenter which went the way of the Hurst lady.

Greyhound 5 Woolpack 0

6990 from Trevor Rees and Geoff Fairs with 5790 capped a decisive win for the Greyhound at home to the Woolpack

Mill House Zeds 4 Brewers Bravos 1

It started well for Bravos with a win for Adam Bateup but the champions quickly got to grips with the match. An impressive 9210 from Clive Thompson levelled the score followed by 5290 from Barry Timson. Another good score, 7850 from Graham Daniels and the Z’s had the match. The last point also went to Johnny Haigh for the home side.

Cock Inn 3 8 Bells 2

Applebys to the rescue as the Bells faltered in this reversed fixture. Adam Cheesmuir won a really good scrap against Neil Higgins to put the Cock on the board followed by another close encounter as Huw Lincoln beat Rob Driver to put the home side 2 up. The first of the Applebys into the fray as Ros beat Jan Smith to halt the slide only to see Ben Proctor outplay Tony Driver to claim the match. Appleby II came into play as Trevor grabbed the last frame from Steve Smith a give Bells a more respectable score line.

Plough 4 Horns Lodge 1

A tidy match for Plough over some good opposition from the Lodge. Darren Newnham started well for the home side with 5210, but a good effort from Ron Sheridan saw the match levelled. 5370 from Dave Ingram - celebrating an England call-up - just beat 5140 from Chris Farrow to get Plough back into the lead and a sparkling 8590 from Chase Newman stole the show. Last blood went to Plough’s Richard Todd.

HHUSC 3 St Francis 2

The Haywards Heath derby match got under way with a close called win for Graham Sparksman. Andy Guy showed no mercy in beating Shaun Morris and the ‘other club’ went 2 up. It was match won as Mick Kirwan took out Chris Little but then Saints grabbed 2 important points through Ray Fogwill and Peter Geal.

Brewers Arms 4 Watermill B 1

26 Nov 2011

In a week when reigning champions Mill House Z opened up a 1pt lead over their rivals for the first time this season, good scores seemed generally hard to come by.

There was 5410 for Greyhound’s Geoff Fairs and a sparkling 8080 from Trevor Rees at the Laughing Fish, but a surprise lapse from Henry Brooks on his own top as he succumbed to Peter Burchell to give Greyhound the match.

The Cock produced a surprise result taking a win from the usually hard to beat Plough, Kevin Stoner leading the way with 5200.

Finally there was 7850 for Brewers Arms’ Derek Taylor away to Hurst B - which included a 6720 break. Richard Jeffrey secured the win in defeating a determined Steve King. - Clive T

21 Nov 2011

An excellent away win for Hurst A over Brewers Arms helped them in their chase for the top. A splendid 7520 from Peter Edwards was quickly balanced as Derek Taylor hit 6110 in frame two. Hurst went back in front as Jenny Edwards overcame the attentions of Richard Jeffrey but once again the Arms were back as David Page beat Rob Hall in a close encounter. Tucking away the ladies best break so far (4320), Lorraine Hall finished on 5040 to take the match and the win bonus.

There was small comfort for any of the other away teams, with Greyhound and Mill House Z both inflicting whitewashes. Geoff Fairs (5050) and Trevor Rees (9680) were chief tormentors of the Watermill, whilst Alan Downs (8170) Graham Daniels (7270) and Clive Thompson (8000) helped to land the Fish.

No big scores at the Eight Bells, where Woolpack came away with a solitary point, thanks to Sarah Hughes in her first game.

Likewise Adam Cheesmuir was the Cock’s only winner at the U.S.C.

There was 9470 for Colin Robbins in the 4-1 win over St Francis, and the week’s results are completed by a good match at Plumpton Green where Bravos kicked off with two caracking wins from Paul Moyes-Robb and Adam Bateup, only for Plough to seize the upper hand through Darren Newnham (10660), Jan Bithell (5260), and Dave Ingram (6770) who just managed to secure his frame before the lights went out! – précis of weekly report from Roy Wells, Fixtures Secretary

Meanwhile, Mid Sussex had four registered players in the Sussex B team which won Division 2 of the Open County Championships at the Post Office Club in Reading on Sunday 20^th November: Henry Brooks (Laughing Fish), Dave Ingram (Plough Plumpton), Kevin Hall (Hurst A) and Neil Higgins (Eight Bells). All played vital roles, Henry, Dave and Neil all winning 3 out of 5 and Kevin top-scoring with 10k in the win over Northants. Hurst B’s Colin Robbins was in the Surrey A side which finished runners-up by a single point. The victory means that Sussex B will be playing in Division 1 again next season, against the reigning champions Sussex A…!! - Dave Ingram, V/Chairman SCBBA

19 Nov 2011

The Hurst A’s Jenny Edwards has emulated her own achievement of two years ago by qualifying for this years Ladies Grand Prix event, which is for the 8 best lady performers over the season in National ‘Open’ events. Grand Prix points are remarkably difficult to obtain, and can only be earned by reaching the Last 16 in one of these major events.

Back on 10^th April, Jenny had a remarkable run in the Portsmouth Open , beating top-40 rated players Geoff Powell of Oxon and Gary Powell of Surrey before eventually losing at the Last 16 stage to Ian Lelliott. A week later, in the British Isles Open Ladies Championship at Salfords Club, Horley, she beat Oxfordshire’s Sonia McIntyre and Melissa Stanbridge before losing in the Quarter-final to eventual winner Sandra Race.

Jenny’s great year has pushed her up to 117^th in the National Rankings – above husband Pete who is ranked 181^st ! We wish her luck in the competition, which will be held on Sunday November 27^th at the PO Club, Reading. - Clive T.

Postscript.......unfortunately Jenny has had to pull out of this event, and her place will be taken by Debz Pearse of Surrey.

14 Nov 2011

More than 60 players from Sussex made the annual pilgrimage to Jersey for the World Championships which were played at the Merton Hotel in St Helier, Jersey, over the weekend of 4-6^th November. The new format of Groups for the first round of the competition seemed to work very well although this possibly meant that there were fewer “shock results” in the early stages and most of the stronger players emerged from their Groups into the main competition as either winners or “best runners-up” to make it into the live Draw for the last 64.

Kevin Tunstall was one of the beneficiaries of the new format as he made history becoming the first player to win the World Title having lost a game in the Group stages, however having qualified for the knock out stages as a ‘best runner-up’ he then maintained his superb form this season to gain his 4^th World Title and 7^th Individual title this year beating Steven Sheard (Oxon) in a close final.

Eight Bells’ new signings Adam Squires and Neil Higgins, along with Adam Bateup (Bravos), Dave Ingram (Plough) and Lorraine and Bob Hall (Hurst A), all reached the last 64, with Lorraine (pictured) also winning the newly commissioned “Gina Sherratt Trophy” for ‘furthest lady’ in winning her Group. Colleen Park won a Ladies High Break Award.

Bernie McCluskey and Paul Sainsbury (Berks) are the new World Pairs Champions as they beat Paul Barnett and Neil Higgins in a close final. Colleen Park and Dave Ingram reached the Last 16.

Unfortunately the AEBBA Mixed Pairs that was due to be played at the Post Office Club in Reading on Sunday 13^th November was cancelled again due to lack of support. - Report supplied by Dave Ingram.

29 Oct 2011

Mixed fortunes for the respective divisional leaders, as Brewers Arms whitewashed St Francis to go a further 2 points clear, whilst Hurst B allowed themselves the luxury of a 2-3 defeat at Horns Lodge. No big scores were recorded in either match.

Not as dominant as last year, maybe, but a good effort nonetheless from the Zeds at the Watermill. John Turner overcame the man-in-form Jamie Hawkins, but Martin Range out-gunned skipper Clive Thompson to level it before a welcome 5000 from Alan Downs restored Zed’s lead. Some staggering play from Gavin Boyd took the next from Graham Daniels who must have thought he was home and dry but the last went to Johnny Haigh who beat the Bees’ new boy Kim Stenning.

A good mid-table result for Hurst A against Greyhound started with Lorraine Hall hitting a 4K break and a 6490 final score to scupper Ted Stringer. Hurst skipper Rob Hall hit 8390 to put the home side 2 up but the roller came to a halt as Peter Burchell and Trevor Rees made it 2 apiece. A smart 5830 from Peter Edwards kept the points at home.

Eight Bells continue their fight to get off the bottom, this time an away win at Isfield. After losing the first, wins for Ros and Trevor Appleby moved the Bells into the lead but a stately 10750 from Henry Brooks over Neil Higgins brought the decider into play. A good last leg between Ray Carpenter and Rob Driver went the way of the Bells man.

United Services Club managed their first win of the season away to Bravos. A super 9700 from Richard Spurrier in the final frame, was scant consolation for his team’s home defeat. – Precis of Roy Wells’ weekly report.

22 Oct 2011

Brewers Arms 3 Greyhound 2

Greyhound were only able to put 4 men in the field this week and paid the penalty. David Page fought off a strong challenge to take leg 1 but a Paul Goodwin 6K put paid to the early home lead. Not to be outgunned, Richard Jeffrey hit a lovely 9K and the Arms got the lead back. Peter Burchell levelled it off but the walkover gave the Arms the match.

St Francis 3 Horns Lodge 2

An unspectacular first leg from Shaun Morris nevertheless took the first. A long overdue 5050 from Chris Little and Saints went 2 up. Kevin Stevens stopped the rot but Bob Ellis secured the match win. Ron Sheridan took a well deserved last leg to grab a second, most important point.

Hurst B 4 Cock Inn 1

A scrappy first frame saw Darrell Skinner take the leg and Hurst went 2 up through Steve King. A really tight game followed between the 2 captains with Ian Giffen scrabbling home to take the match. Colin Robbins then hit a sparkling 10,210 but Jan Smith won her first point of the season in the last.

HHUSC 2 Woolpack 3

A good bounce back for the Woollies after last week’s defeat but it leaves USC still looking for their first win. Mick Kirwan blasted the Club into an early lead and Ron Wales made it 2-0. Then came the Woollies fight back with first Lyn Storr beating a black pegging Andy Guy, Nigel Bransby overcoming Terry Gasson and a Malc Fuller 5830 beating Graham Sparksman who had resorted to trick shots.

Plough 4 Laughing Fish 1

An opening break of 8K and a final score of 15,550 from Henry Brooks in the first leg counted for little as Plough then took a firm grip on the match through Jan Bithell, Darren Newnham (6190), Richard Todd and Dave Knight.

Eight Bells 4 Watermill B 1

The Bells finally ended the drought and got their first win of the season. Gavin Boyd started well in frame 1 but the experienced Ros Appleby got a deciding break and the first point. Newbie Adam Squires hit 7400 - leaving everyone to wonder ‘who’s he?’ Jamie Hawkins’ run came to end as the wily old Tony Driver clipped his wings to take frame 3 - and the match. Martin Range aka the Flying Dutchman barely left the ground this week, losing out to Neil Higgins and it was left to Mark Ridley to take a last ball final game.

Mill House Z 2 Hurst A 3

A good win for Hurst A at the home of the current champions. Jenny Edwards had the lead for a time in the first frame but Johnny Haigh hit the front at the right time and pinched it, Good play on the 50’s saw Lorraine Hall even things up. Barry Timson put Zeds back into the lead when taking frame 3 but Hurst’s skipper, Rob Hall, took the next to set up the decider. No danger here for the visitors as Peter Edwards hit an opening 6K break and finished with 8010 to take a well-deserved match win. – Roy Wells, Fixtures Secretary.

20 Oct 2011

16 Oct 2011

15 Oct 2011

A sensational home win against Premier opposition in the form of the Plough Plumpton for Watermill B….. Mark Ridley took advantage of a pegged break for Jan Bithell to put the home side 1 up. This was followed by some dogged play from Martin Range against Sean Turner to win the second but Darren Newnham stopped the slide by his side by taking frame 3 and steady play from Dave Knight brought the decider into play. Finally James Hawkins made it 5 from 5 with a win over Chase Newman.

United Services had the best of starts at the Laughing Fish as captain Graham Sparksman hit 8610 to take frame1. By Frame 4 though Fish were fully in control and 12,590 from Henry Brooks took the match. And a 9k break followed up with a 14,290 score for Colin Robbins over Richard Spurrier put Hurst B into the driving seat as they beat main rivals Bravos 3-2 away

Plough 4 Hurst A 1

Plough got their home table back this week and made good use of it. With indifferent scores for the class of players, Jan Bithell and Sean Turner took the first 2 legs from Pete Hall and Peter Edwards. Chase Newman hit the only score over 5K to take the match from Rob Hall. Darren Newnham won the fourth but Lorraine Hall spared Hurst’s blushes when winning a close last leg.

HHUSC 2 Watermill B 3

A persistent game from James Hawkins, and a sparkling 8K from Graham Sparksman were features in this match before ‘Flying Dutchman’ Martin Range decided in favour of the away team.

Watermill A 3 Laughing Fish 2

Likewise a close one here…5050 from Kim Stenning and 7100 from Henry Brooks being the highlights for either side.

Hurst B 3 Woolpack 2

A good Woolies performance spoiled Hurst B’s hopes for a big home win. Adrian White (4640) comfortably beat a subdued Steve King but a massive 12,640 from Colin Robbins got the match back to evens. Determined play from Anne Stockinger took the next to restore Woolpack’s lead but a Malc Fuller untimely black peg gave Chris Kirkham the chance to even it up once again. In the deciding leg Darrell Skinner proved too good for Jan Hinkins.

Brewers Arms 2 Mill House Zed 3

Sussex A Ladies have won the 2011 Ladies County Championships with a team comprising Brighton trio Jean Brackenridge, Bella Stoner and Sandra Race and Mid Sussex regulars Lorraine Hall (Hurstpierpoint SC) and Jan Bithell (Plough, Plumpton). Only one point covered the top three of Sussex A, Oxon A and Surrey A – with Sussex taking their 4^th consecutive title on matches won.

Division 2 was slightly more straightforward with Surrey B winning all 6 of their games to gain promotion to Division 1 next.... the big battle was for runners-up with Sussex B clinching a 3-2 win over Oxon B (a game that included 2 last ball 200 hole winners for Sussex B from Jenny Edwards and Colleen Park to win their games) and secure runners-up just 0.5 points ahead of Oxon B, with Bucks just a few points behind.

Jan Bithell was the only lady to win all of her matches in Division 1 and Ros Appleby (Eight Bells) matched this feat in Division 2 for Sussex B.

All of the results, tables and averages are now on the Sussex Website...... ( – Report from Dave Ingram.)
http://www.sussexbarbilliards.com/Sussex/County%20Champs/Ladies%202011.htm

Richard Spurrier (pictured left) was star of the show with a score of 8120 as Bravos took the match against Horns Lodge, fixing them to the bottom.

Henry Brooks recorded 10,380 against Hurst B but finished on the losing side. Steve King hit 5500 to inflict a first defeat for Fish.

Another defeat sees The United Services Club keeping company with the Lodge in the basement. 5240 from Lorraine Hall, 9890 from Rob Hall and 6820 for Pete Hall kept it in the family as Hurst A won 4-1.

Dave Ingram hit 7200 in the Greyhound-Plough match and Clive Thompson 5330 in the Mill House whitewash of Eight Bells.

25 Sept 2011

Trouble at t’mill with the Watermill A versus Hurst A match being abandoned……but good scores abounded elsewhere in the second week of league matches.

Mill House Z 2 Plough 3

This fixture has been reversed while the new people take over at the Plough. Frame 1 saw Graham Daniels (6560) and Alan Downs (7310) give the home team a 2-0 lead. But it all changed after that as Dave Knight beat Johnny Haigh and 5580 from Jan Bithell (which included a 3530 break) saw off Barry Timson. 9810 from Dave Ingram in the last took the match.

HHUSC 0 Greyhound 5

The club failed to find comfort on their home table, going down by the maximum. 8480 from Ted Stringer and 5240 from Trevor Rees were star performances in the rout.

Hurst B 4 Watermill B 1

Colin Robbins hit a home debut 10,140 to give Hurst a great start. Not to be outdone, 10,020 from Steve King was followed up with further wins from Ian Giffen and Darrell Skinner. James Hawkins played well in the last to spared the Bees’ blushes.

St Francis 0 Laughing Fish 5

A rare whitewash for St Francis on their top kept the Fish on top of the premier. 6800 from Henry Brooks in the last capped a miserable night for the Saints.

Horns Lodge 2 Woolpack 3

A good win here for the Woolpack: Adrian White, Nigel Bransby put them 2-0 up before Jim McGlenn and Kevin Stevens drew the match level. A good leg from Lyn Storr then took the match.

Cock Inn 1 Bravos 4

Bravos went back to winning ways this week and share top spot in division 1. Paul Moyes-Robb took frame 1 but Steve Smith evened things up. 7720 from Adam Bateup put the visitors back in front and wins for Richard Spurrier and a determined Nikki Hinkins closed the evening.

Brewers Arms 5 Eight Bells 0 The Arms are making a good impression in the premier with two wins from two starts. Mark Spicer, Derek Taylor (7K) Richard Jeffrey (7K) Fred Jones and Andy Farmer-Wright (6K) were unstoppable. – précis of report from Roy Wells, Fixtures Secretary.

The first Brewers derby of the season proved a close affair with returning Mid-Sussex player Mark Spicer taking frame 1 for Arms. Richard Jeffrey (6k) then made it 2-0. Adam Bateup with a massive 13,990, and Piers O’Sullivan squared the tie for Bravos, before Andy Farmer-Wright won the decider.

The Laughing Fish also started with a whitewash – Horns Lodge being the recipients. Henry Brooks top-scored with 12,020.

The Second Off-the-Spot Summer League was taken by the “Useless Shot Choice” – U.S.C. – geddit ? They took the last match in style with a 6-0 win at Plough, Plumpton whilst nearest rivals Laughing Fish were reeled in 2-4 at home by the Cock. .........Plough, with the addition of Henry Brooks and Dave Ingram to the line-up, came a whisker away from becoming Sussex champions, beating the holders, New Sussex Hotel, 3-2 at home but going down 1-4 in the away leg.

Meanwhile, some interesting changes to lineups for this season.............

Mid Sussex’s top two – Mill House and the Plough, Plumpton – have not lain dormant during the summer, both teams having blazed a trail in Billingshurst’s Jubilee Team Knockout where they will meet in the Grand Final next Wednesday at the Blue Ship (The Haven). In this competition, which was thrown ‘open’ to all teams in Sussex this year for the first time ever, Mill House beat Southwater Sports B 3-2, then the Stout House A 3-2 in the quarter-finals and Billingshurst League Champions Stout House Z 4-1 in the Semis. Plough (known for this event as Chailey Green) booked their place by beating Southwater Sports A 3-2, then Three Bees 3-2 in the quarter-final and strong Worthing side The Swan 3-1 in the Semi.

16 August 2011

The Off-the-spot Summer League reaches its conclusion next week, and locked at the top on 47 Points are U.S.C. and the Laughing Fish. Eight Bells Brew are in third place on 40 points.

07 August 2011

A last sixteen place for Clive Thompson in the Kent Classic, and for Kevin Hall in the Buckinghamshire Open. Lorraine Hall received a nice glassware trophy for being the 'Furthest Lady' in the Kent. Meanwhile, the 3rd Brewers Open Singles, due to be played this year on 23rd July, was regrettably cancelled.

14 June 2011

Still occasional players in Mid Sussex though honing their skills more on the coast these days, Kevin Hall and Dave Ingram confirmed their pedigree in Opens, by once again reaching the Quarter Finals of the 2011 Sussex Open, both matching their recent achievements in the Surrey Open.

Kevin fell to World Number 4 Steven Sheard, whilst Dave went a stage further, losing to Number 1 and eventual winner Kevin Tunstall in the Semi Final. Well done to both. – Clive T

21 May 2011

This has been a record season for the Premiership, with Champions Mill House 'Z' going out with a bang, whitewashing Plough at Lower Beeding and finishing on 141pts, smashing the previous best points tally of 118 set by the Greyhound two years ago. The Zeds also matched their own record of eleven 5-0 victories - which they set in the 1996/97 season. - Clive T

Plough PG also confirmed their credentials with a maximum win over St Francis, which doomed the Saints to relegation: 6560 from Ron Sheridan and 7150 from Dave Knight there.

Watermill entertained the United Services Club to retain third place in the premier, Kim Stenning (7k) the star performer.

Laughing Fish finished comfortably mid-table with a win over Watermill B, with the best scores coming from Henry Brooks (9k) and Ray Carpenter (5k).

The Division 1 champions made a point as they maxed out against Hurst B. A cracking first saw Dilly Williamson edge out Ian Giffen by 6860-5050.. Derek Taylor still won despite losing an opening 8K break, and 7060 from Richard Jeffrey and 7920 from Trevor Greenyer compounded the misery.

Runners-up Hurst A were at home to third placed Bravos and so things stayed after a good home win. Pete Hall started things well with a 9K and son Kevin finished on 11K to take the match.

Greyhound made sure of avoiding the drop with a welcome home win against the Woolpack. Trevor Rees (6040) was particularly delighted with the new top.

Horns Lodge avoided the League Spoon despite a home defeat against the 8 Bells with Doug Mahy scoring 5570 – précis of a report by Roy Wells

15 May 2011

Both sets of champions and runners up were decided this week as shown above. Plough LB will be relegated to division 1 - but who goes with them will be decided after the final match of the season.

No let-up at the Mill House as they demolished the Greyhound. Graham Daniels warmed up for the Masters with an impressive 10,420, and 5460 from Clive Thompson gave the home side the match.

Mathematically, Woolpack could move ahead of Horns Lodge next week but we’ll have to wait and see. They edged a bit closer to the Lodge following their match against Watermill A. A 3k break for Kim Stenning helped him to a 6K score to force a decider.

The Brewers Arms became the untouchables with a whitewash at the United Services Club and secured the division 1 championship. Trevor Greenyer (7920) Andy Farmer-Wright (6920) Richard Jeffrey (6590) and Derek Taylor (5770) were all on tip- top form.

Hurst A made sure of the top flight next season with a win over the Hurst B side. Darrell Skinner started things well for the B’s with 5580 win but that was their lot. Rob Hall hit a 7K break on his way to a 13190 score, then Jenny Edwards and Lorraine Hall both won, securing the match. Pete Hall recorded a solid 7620 in the last.

A home defeat for Bravos against the Laughing Fish gave then no chance of promotion next season. Andy Brooks (6K) and Henry Brooks (9K) top-scored for Fish, whilst Ricky Dewdney hit 8K in his debut and Adam Bateup 5K for the Bravos.

St Francis sit in the drop zone with just a week to go, 1 point behind Greyhound. This week they suffered another defeat, captain Shaun Morris (6700) managing their only point. Nick Brown (8060) was the star of their rampant Eight Bells opponents. –precis of a report by Roy Wells.

09 May 2011

Kevin Hall and Dave Ingram carried their good form into the weekend, both reaching the quarter-finals of the Surrey Open held at Merstham yesterday. – Clive T.

08 May 2011

Watermill A dug in at third place in the Premiership with a home win against the Champions: Graham Daniels (7670) put Zeds into the lead but John Staplehurst evened things. Mick Holmwood (6970) restored the visitors’ lead but a big 8620 from Norman Cragg sent the match into a decider. This went to Kim Stenning in a nail-biter against an uncharacteristically profligate Barry Timson.

Plough Plumpton keep second place following a home win against Bravos. Darren Newnham (5910) came up against a determined Adam Bateup who produced an 8K break and a 9060 score to get past the Plough skip. Despite some dogged play from Nikki Hinkins, 7720 from Dave Ingram made it 1 all. Wins on each side for Chase Newman and Richard Spurrier meant another decider, Dave Knight’s 5660 being more than enough against Piers O’Sullivan who pegged his opener.

A good win for the Laughing Fish against the visiting Hurst B side who are struggling to get a win at the moment: Henry Brooks producing 10420 in his game against Steve King to take the match. The Fish went on to beat HHUSC on Thursday in their catch-up match by 4 points to 1.

Hurst A are looking good for a swift return to the top flight after their home win against the United Services Club. Andy Guy took a strong game from Peter Edwards for the first before the home side got a firm grip, firstly with a Kev Hall 6370, a Pete Hall 5440, Lorraine Hall and finally a battling Jenny Edwards win over Terry Gasson.

Brewers Arms look very good to take the division 1 title and will definitely return to the Premier next season. 7K from Andy Farmer-Wright, 6k from Trevor Greenyer and 8K from Dilly Williamson being the pick of the crop. – précis of a report by Roy Wells.

02 May 2011

In the recent Guernsey Open more joy for Kevin Tunstall who retained his title in style with a terrific table play out of 16,450 to beat Trevor Gallienne (Guernsey) in the Final. Kevin had a tough run to the final with narrow wins over Nigel Senior (Last 16) and Plough Plumpton player Dave Ingram (Quarter-Finals) before beating Paul Barnett in the semi-final. Hurst B’s Colleen Park reached the Semi-Finals of the Plate, before losing to runner-up Chrissie Newson. - Dave Ingram

30 Apr 2011

A table-top fixture brought together Premier champions Mill House Z and Div One leaders Brewers Arms: Things started badly for the home side as Brewers raced into a 2-0 lead through Derek Taylor (5000) and Trevor Greenyer - before Barry Timson, Graham Daniels and Alan Downs pulled it round for Zeds.

Plough PG keep on fighting for the runners-up spot, this week managing a win away against Hurst B, Dave Ingram (6220) and Jan Bithell (5610) enjoying the table.

The Brewers table showed definite signs of returning to good form as Bravos took on - and beat - Eight Bells at home. 10,350 from Adam Bateup stared proceedings, and 6780 from Paul Moyes-Robb made it 2 nil to the home side. Eight Bells’ Nick Brown hit a 7K break in leg 3 finishing with 16,410 and Doug Mahy hit 6460 to bring the match score level before Richard Spurrier (10,110) sealed the win.

St Francis keep good order in mid-table with a win against Watermill B at Worlds End, Martin Range continuing his good form with 5370. The match between HHUSC and the Laughing Fish was postponed due to the Toad world championships taking place in Lewes. - précis of a report by Roy Wells

Hurst A pulled off a spectacular win at home this week against the Zeds. Frame 1 saw Bob Hall race into a healthy lead only for Alan Downs to chase and nearly catch him, both players reaching 5K. Alan missed his first shot to take the leg but Bob didn’t. Two good breaks early on in the second leg and an 8770 score were enough for Pete Hall to take it from Graham Daniels. Zeds needed one point to ensure they had a grasp on the championship and this came in the third with a win for Barry Timson putting 7390 past Peter Edwards. A 5K break for Lorraine Hall decided the fourth leg against Clive Thompson despite a late break and the match was Hurst’s. After trailing in the last frame, Jenny Edwards came back strongly and took the win from Mick Holmwood with the last ball of the game.

A strong Brewers Arms win at home over Plough LB kept Hurst at bay in their Div One championship chase. Andy Farmer-Wright hit 5K to claim the match win. Dilly Williamson hit the Arms’ second 5K score to make it four for the home side.

A late 5K break from Shaun Morris featured in a good home win for St Francis over a strangely lacklustre Bravos side.

Good scores in the game between Eight Bells and Hurst B: 8790 from Nick Brown in frame 1 put Bells into the lead, before 8940 from Paul Jobbins brought it level. A close third leg saw a win for Chris Kirkham before another great score of 10520 for Doug Mahy brought the match level once more. A confident 6160 from Steve King proved more than enough in the decider and Hurst took the match.

Congratulations to Lorraine Hall for winning the Plate Competition in the 2011 British Isles Ladies Open Competition held at Horley on Sunday 17th April. Lorraine overcame Oxford's Melissa Stanbridge 7050-6710 in the two-legged Final.
And once again Jenny Edwards had a good run, defeating first Sonia McIntyre and then Melissa in the first two rounds, before falling to eventual winner Sandra Race in the quarter-finals of the Main competition. . – Clive Thompson

16 Apr 2011

A sad night for Laughing Fish, after making probably the longest journey in the league to Mill House and leaving with nothing. This was a match of great comebacks, missed opportunities and lost scores with any luck going Zed’s way. Henry Brooks wasn’t doing enough to beat Barry Timson in a close first leg and a low scoring second went to Graham Daniels – despite 5k lost - from Andy Brooks. Mick Holmwood took frame 3 and the match from Jim Ashford before skipper Clive Thompson recorded 9930 – his best of the season. Alan Downs applied the brush.

The Brewers Arms opened up an 11 point lead at the top of division 1 thanks to a resounding 4-1 victory away to the Greyhound.

Likewise Brewers’ B string Bravos also won 4-1 with Adam Bateup hitting 8630 and Paul Moyes-Robb 5330. Hurst A still look good for promotion to the top flight despite an away defeat to Plough LB – for whom Mark Webber scored 5k.

Watermill A dumped the luckless Horns Lodge onto the bottom of division 1 with a resounding 5-nil victory, a Kim Stenning 7K the best of the evening, whilst Woolpack now share the bottom place following their home defeat to Plough PG: Jan Bithell started things off with a 5340 break which is the highest ladies break so far this season.

Match of the week was Eight Bells’ visit to the United Services Club. Skipper Ros Appleby started proceedings with 4340 and Nick Brown’s 10390 in game 2 included a 6k break. Doug Mahy made 7150 in the fourth leg. A consolation frame was taken by Graham Sparksman who hit 5930 in the last leg. – précis of report by Roy Wells.

11 Apr 2011

Hurst A’s Jenny Edwards was a surprise contender in the Last Sixteen line-up at Sunday’s Portsmouth Open.

To reach that stage of an Open and line up alongside the top players in the country (give or take a few) is no mean feat for Jenny and she deserves our congratulations.
It was no fluke either, as in doing so she disposed of both G.Powells (Geoff of Oxford and Gary of Surrey) - both of whom feature in the Top 30 of the National Rankings.
The competition was eventually won by Oxfordshire's Leon Beer, with Curt Driver of Kent the runner-up. – Clive Thompson

09 Apr 2011

A tight match at Plumpton with the Mill House just edging it: A 5490 past Plough’s Jan Bithell from Graham Daniels was first blood for Zeds but Ron Sheridan evened the score when beating Clive Thompson. Mick Holmwood scraped home first in front of Chase Newman to put the visitors back into the lead but a Dave Ingram 6090 was too much for Alan Downs and a decider was needed. Barry Timson put in a chanceless 5480 to take the last from Darren Newnham and bring the points back to Crawley.

The top at the Laughing Fish had a little TLC and the home side took the win by the slenderest of margins - although Henry Brooks’s 17,880 to take the match was convincing enough.

Hurst A took on the Greyhound at home this week and scored points to keep them in touch at the top of division 1. Peter Burchell and Jenny Edwards started the match with a cracking leg which the Hound man narrowly won. All even as Pete Hall celebrated his birthday with a 5000 win. Good play from Rob Hall resulted in an 8820 score to give the home side the lead and a good effort from Peter Edwards wrapped up the match with 6840. A strong game at the end saw 7230 from away captain Trevor Rees.

03 Apr 2011 “Dates for this year’s Masters announced”

The Premier Div Masters (yes there are separate competitions this year, as last year the Divisions played separately) will be played at the United Services Club on Saturday 14^th May. Players are asked to check in at 10.30 for 11am start.

The First Div Masters will be played Sunday 15th May: Same venue, and times to be confirmed. A full list of players qualifying for both these competitions is displayed on the Competition Page. Please confirm availability – also if unable to play, as it will then give someone else a chance. – Lorraine Hall.