This report covers the Last 32
A further report on the Round Robin Stage can be viewed here

The last 32 clash between Tolworth and Colchester was a real hum dinger as Tolworth took the first two frames thanks to their young guns Frank Strivens and Steve Petty. Colchester came back with wins for Karl Mayhew, Darren Sadler, Steve Kane & Ed Mercer. Tolworth recovered from that onslaught with wins for Dave Hall and Jason Norris. The half ended with the advantage going to Colchester when Bryan won the final frame of the first half.

The dynamic duo of Frank Strivens and Steve Petty won the opening two frames for Tolworth which again stole the imitative but Colchester took it back again when Carl Caney & Jeff Hynds won their frames. Dan Reeve pulled the two sides back together again at 7-7 when he won for Tolworth.

That was the end of the road as far as Tolworth were concerned as Ashley Troath, Steve Kane & Ed Mercer won the next three frames to push Colchester in to the last 16 and sent Tolworth off to ponder on the delights of Yarmouth by night.

When Lancaster took on Harlow, one of the two teams would be breaking new ground as neither team have reached the 16 before. Andy Stilwell got Harlow of to a good start with a win. Wayne Corless and Paul Ireland cancelled that out with their wins for Lancaster. Harlow re-took the lead when Gary Plowman and Pete Hall won their frames. The see saw nature of the tie continued as Pete Woodruff and Ashley Lord won for Lancaster. Rob Gardner then claimed another for Harlow but Lancaster went into the break in front when Steve Sparkes won his frame.

Harlow again drew level when Adrian Parsons won the opening frame of the second half. John Fox, with an eight ball clearance, and Paul Ireland then gave Lancaster the advantage at a crucial stage of the match But again they were pegged back by Harlow as Rob Bailey and Sean O’Mara won their frames. Pete Woodruff again edged Lancaster ever closer to the win. Amazingly that still wasn’t enough for Harlow to admit defeat and Pete Hall brought it all back together again. Lancaster eventually got the two frames they needed but to be honest they were helped by Harlow’s failure to finish in one of the frames but you won’t find Lancaster complaining about that bit of good fortune.

Next up was the local derby clash between Maidenhead A and Rochester. Maidenhead is probably used to playing catch up against Rochester simply because they come from the same county. And as might have been expected Rochester set the pace with four straight wins thanks to Neil Ward, Ian Kettle, Ian Hubbard & Jordan Church. Steven Walken then posted Maidenhead first frame. Richard Conn added another frame to Rochester’s tally. Followed by Keith Walls winning Maidenhead’s second frame. Willy Anderson and Ben Savage closed the half for Rochester with wins to make the halfway score 7-2.

Maidenhead knew that they were going to need a miracle to come back against a team like Rochester. Bradley King kept Maidenhead’s faint hopes alive when he won the opening frame of the second half. However, Jordan Church and Neil Ward put the match out of maidenhead’s reach when they won their frames. Danny Ragputt wasn’t prepared to except that it was over for them though by making sure he won his frame. Martin Prime finally put the match completely out of maidenhead’s reach when he won Rochester’s 10 frame.

Trent Trophies B had to take on Nuneaton for the right to make it through to the last 16 and Trent Trophies started of with two wins through Rob Harding and Jon Hughes. Paul Willis then won his frame for Nuneaton. Kieran Boulton then added another frame to Trent Trophies growing tally. However, Neil Randle stopped any thoughts that Trent Trophies had of running away with it when he won his frame for Nuneaton.

Ryan Cope and Chris Evans then added anther two frames for Trent Trophies followed by another for Nuneaton through Mark Chapman. Trent Trophies John Clowes brought the half to a close when he won his frame to give Trent Trophies B a 6-3 lead.

Trent Trophies B turned the screw even tighter when Rob Harding added to his first half win. Scott Varden and John Martin pulled Nuneaton back into contention with their wins but the match was put to bed when Kieran Boulton, Olly Booth and Ryan Cope won the next three to push Trent Trophies B over the winning line and stop the match three frames early winning 10-5

Max Brooker gave Godalming the perfect start when he won his frame but Chester Le Street still high on their winning of the group hit back with a frame to Marc Farnsworth to level the match. Darren Dodds and Michael Cook then won their frames only for Godalming to retake the lead. From then on it was all one way traffic as Chester Le Street hit a purple patch that saw them take the next nine frames thanks to Trevor Walton, Michael Oliver, Phil Cox, Mark Stevenson, Alby Wright, Ian Staines, Marc Farnsworth, Steve Thompson and Stu Green. Godalming were left to lick their wounds after the success of knocking Sun Valley out in the group stage they were now suffering the low of being knocked out of the event before they were ready to go

Dawley A set about stamping their authority on the match right from the start in their last 32 match against Northwich. Craig Reynolds started things of with his win, this was followed by wins for Laki Budham, Ian Duffy, Richard Williams, Keith Blackham, Sean Yeats, Dave Blagborough and Keith Price who all won back to back frames to lead 8-0. It wasn’t until the final frame of the half that Northwich managed to find a weak spot when A. Blackhouse and S.Moores managed to win two frames either side of the halfway point. That was however nowhere near enough to threaten Dawley’s supremacy and Dawley won the next two frames as well to win 10-2. The result kept Dawley on course and gave Northwich a rough introduction of the raw power of the top teams here

Leicester City took on Holderness for a place in the last 16, Wayne Bristow, Pete Broughton & Dave Hanrahan got Holderness of to the start they would have wanted as they took the first thee frames. Leicester City hit back right away though as they won the following four frames thanks to Ady Frost, Scott Taylor, Paul Bright & Lee Brown. That must have been a real shock to Holderness to have such a good start wiped out just like that.

The final two frames of the match were shared as Pete Everington won for Holderness but Leicester City went in to the break 5-4 to the good as Gaz Mitchell won the final frame of the half.

Dave Hanrahan & Darren Hughes put Holderness back in the lead when they won their frames. Ady Frost then won for Leicester City to re-take the lead at 7-6. Then Paul Bristow, Pete Hetherington, Chris Wilson & Jason Welch racked up four frames on the bounce to clinch the match 10-7 and book Holderness their place in the last 16.

Bicester Select set of like a train when they took on Reds 1 as Pete Armitage, Rob Franklin, Aaron Simpson, Rob Hines & Alan Bremner all combined to give Reds 1 a real headache as they took the first five frames. Reds 1 then started their come back by winning three of the final four frames of the first half thanks to Martin Elks, Roy Pontefract and Roger Charles. That winning run of frames was interrupted by Sam Donaldson of Bicester Select to make the half time score 6-3.

Reds 1 reacted to this stinging battering by making three substitutions but Bicester Select’s Aaron Simpson then won the first frame after the restart to give Bicester Select a commanding lead. Reds 1 then rattled off the next four frames on the spin thanks to Martin Groves Dave Wilkinshaw, Daz Leeson and Dean Davies to level the match at 7-7.

Dave Crawford gave Bicester Select back the lead when he won his frame but reds 1 came back to win the next three frames thanks to Scott Halcrow, Roy Pontefract & Roy Pontefract to win the match 10-8 and produce a major league Houdini style escape. Bicester Select will be wondering just how they managed to let a five frame lead slip with such devastating effect.

E.H.P.L. took on Chesterfield with E.H.P.L. taking first blood through Matt Humphries but then Chesterfield hit them for four answered frames through Gav Ward, Bob Snell, Dean Watts and Wayne Parsonage. E.H.P.L. skipper Gary Keefe led by example and won his frame but this was cancelled out by Mark Thomas & Steve Finnegan. E.H.P.L.’s Dave Langham won the final frame of the first half. But things were not looking good for E.H.P.L.as they were trailing 6-3.

Chesterfield killed off E.H.P.L. when they won the next four frames through Bob Snell with another win, Dean Watts, Jordan Johnson & Gav Ward with his second, Chesterfield’s 10th and match clinching frame. Leaving E.H.P.L. to ponder why they always manage to implode despite the talent in their team.

Ely had a tough draw in Wolverhampton Wednesday but Phil Harrison got Ely of to a winning start with his win but things fell apart after that as John Williams, Jamie Wylde, Joe Hutton and Mark Williams all combined for Wolverhampton Wednesday. Ian Aldous won his frame for Ely to stop the battering they were getting from Wolverhampton Wednesday. Chris Reckord won the final frame of the half for Wolverhampton Wednesday to lead at the half way point 7-2.

That really should have been a winning lead that Wolverhampton Wednesday had built up but horror of horrors Ely hit back, and how, as Phil Harrison, Trieve Rolfe, Dale Parson, Jamie Jameson and Tim Barrett rattled off five frames on the spin to level the match. Brian McDermid gave Wolverhampton Wednesday some relief when he won his frame. James Parker kept Ely’s revival going when he won his frame. Again Wolverhampton Wednesday tried to make the decisive break when Chris Lenoir gave them their ninth frame.

Ely’s Stuart McPherson managed to win the final frame of the match to force a play off to see which of the two teams would be going forward and who was off to the bar.

The play off is a three frame affair where the teams nominate their players and then the frames start simultaneously. Phil Harrison made short work of his frame to put Ely 1 up. Jamie Wylde then levelled for Wolverhampton Wednesday so all eyes turned to the final frame which understandably turned to a nervous affair but Dale Parson held his nerve best and put Ely through to their first ever Sunday morning appearance.

The last 32 clash between Leicester and the All'oas would not look out of place if were the final, but this was just for progression, Tommy Donlon got Leicester going when he won the opening frame. Nathan Bridges levelled in the next frame but Leicester came back with three frames thanks to Colin Treadwell, Vinny Allen and Steve Morris. All'oas Mick Timmins turned back the clock as he won his frame to keep the All'oas in it at 4-2 down.

Leicester then made sure the All'oas were given no chances to build a fight back when Steve Robertshaw, Andy Lee, Steve Chambers & Tommy Donlon with his second win of the match put Leicester 8-2 up. Andy Sudworth then clocked up the All'oas third frame. Colin Treadwell and Steve Morris finally put the All'oas to the sword when they won their frames to keep Leicester on track for retention of their trophy.

For the All'oas this now seems like the end of the road, over the past few years the team has been losing players and they are set to lose a few more after this event. The All'oas are one of the Interleague’s elite teams and their loss will be a sad day for the event. We did a long piece on them a while ago and if you are interested it is in the archives. If this really is the end of the All'oas then it’s time for the Interleague to say goodbye to one of it’s finest teams. it’s not always been smooth and there have been accusations, arguments bust ups, in fact, all the things that can happen have happened over the long period of time the All'oas have been associated with the event. But the only real way to look at the team is to weigh the bad points against the good ones and as far as this event is concerned the good far outweighs the bad. So if this was your last appearance here as a team we would just like to say thanks for the work you have done to make the event what it is and thank you for the memories you have given us and good luck with your new teams and special thanks to the many players who made it happen

Big Kevin O’halloran, Mick Timmins, Dave Chalmers, Dave Robinson, Lee Clough.
Jason Hill, Damian Milnes, Nathan Bridges, Del Redmond, Adrian Aulty, Andy Sudworth, (and his mum) Gary Close, Dave Chalmers, Matthew Morris, Russell O’Grady.

This is not an exhaustive list just the ones that I remembered whilst writing this piece if I have missed a major player off please accept my apologies.

The Folkestone Lye & Stourbridge match was a typical last 32 match and started with Mark Jones & Mark Wood giving Lye & Stourbridge the lead, Darren Fordham pulled one back for Folkestone. Lye & Stourbridge restored their advantage when Simon Ward won his frame. Folkestone’s Steve Souter cut the deficit back to two frames with his win.

Lye & Stourbridge went even further ahead when Martin Lloyd and Jason Priest won their frames. Thankfully for Folkestone Captain Mark Wynn & Steve Quinnell stepped in and rescued what looked to be a dangerous situation and won their frames to end the half trailing by the single frame.

Barry Hughes then pulled the two sides together again with his win for Folkestone, that was followed by Lye & Stourbridge’s Simon Ward with his second win of the match. it was at this point that for the first time in the match Folkestone went into the lead as first Darren Fordham then Jeff Fordham, Steve Souter & Kevin Rackham all won to give Folkestone a 9-6 lead. Back came Lye & Stourbridge to win the final three frames of the match through Chris Price, Martin Lloyd and Jason Priest to set up a play off to see who was going through. Folkestone eventually won the play off two frames to one Folkestone’s winners were Steve Souter & Stefan Godden whilst Jason Priest was the winner of the Lye & Stourbridge frame.

The match between Howden & P.J.'s Stourbridge was unfortunately for Howden a one sided affair as P.J.'s Stourbridge went 5-0 up before Howden registered their first win thanks to Neil Brooks but that proved to be a minor hiccup as P.J.'s Stourbridge then rattled of five of the next six frames to win the match 10-2.

Waterloo were looking to build on their qualifying out of the group with a spot in the last 16 but Taunton L.V.A. had other ideas and took a 2-0 nil lead through Scott Baldock and Ben Holley. Bernie Wilcock posted Waterloo’s first frame only to see Paul Grant restore Taunton L.V.A.’s lead. Brendan Connors then added to Waterloo’s total when he won his frame.

This was followed by Andy Williams, Adrian Mills & Shaun Barnet winning their frames for Taunton L.V.A. Alan Formosa closed the half with his win for Waterloo to make the score 6-3 to Taunton L.V.A.. With a mountain to climb to stay in the event things could not have got any worse for Waterloo as Adam O’Connor, Paul Grant & Shaun Baldock rattled of the first three frames of the second half to kill off any lingering hopes that Waterloo might have had that the tie was not beyond them. Manuel Fontes added a forth for Waterloo but the end came when Craig Burnett won Taunton L.V.A. tenth and match clinching frame.

The tie between Reds Elite and Trent Trophies A was probably one that neither relished, both are strong sides although all things considered Trent Trophies A would have fancied themselves to go through.

Things went according to plan when Gaz Potts won the opening frame for Trent Trophies A but Reds Elite struck back through Steve Mullan. Adam Davies then gave Trent Trophies A back the lead when he won his frame. Reds Elite stole the lead away from Trent Trophies A when Steve Sears, Vic Makh and Chris McDermott combined to win the next three frames. Lee Kendall then pulled the teams together when he won his frame. The half ended when Glen Dunn and Chris Mullherne won their frames for Reds Elite to give themselves a very healthy 6-3 lead against one of events favourites.

Gaz Potts again won the opening frame of the session but the wheels really fell off for Trent Trophies A when Steve Sears, Liam Farrell and Steve Mullan came up with wins for Reds Elite. Nick Weller and Mark Blackshaw won their frames for Trent Trophies A but they were to no avail when Vic Makh won his frame for Reds Elite to send them over the winning line with a final score of 10-7.

Renegade A took on the mighty Brighton and gave them a bloody nose when they won the first three frames thanks to Peter Lofts, James Harness and Eddie Barker. All that good work was wiped out when Brighton’s Darren Welfare, Jon Sanders, Paul McNeil and Dean Torode won the next four frames. Stu Harness briefly stopped the slide to defeat when he won his frame for Renegade. Brighton then proceeded to put Renegade into a stranglehold when they rattled off another four frames from Moray Dolan, Darren
Welfare, Damien Campsey & Steve Ringsell.

Renegade came back a little when Tizzard and Rayner won their frames but it was to no avail as Paul McNeill showed again why he is one of Brighton’s most consistent players as he won his second frame of the match and more importantly Brighton’s winning frame to make the final score 10-6.

From here it was straight into the last 16 and it’s now the teams start to think it just might be their year

Colchester’s attempt to get to another final saw them paired with Lancaster. Carl Caney got Colchester of to a flyer as he knocked in an eight ball clearance but John Fox and Paul Ireland won their frames. Darren Sadler then won for Colchester to level the match. Again Lancashire came back with two wins for Ian Corless and Paul Woodruff. Colchester stopped the Lancaster charge with two frames of their own thanks to Chris Cass and Ashley Troath but it was Lancaster that went in to the half time beak with the advantage as Craig Dodd won the final frame of the half.

The lead didn’t last long as Carl Caney won his second frame of the match to wipe out Lancaster’s advantage. Dave Newson won the next frame for Lancaster only to see Carl Mayhew level for Colchester. John Fox kept the pattern of the match going when he won his frame for Lancaster.
Steve Cane and Ed Mercer gave Colchester the lead in the match for the first time since the opening frame of the match when they won. Now it was Lancaster’s turn to be the party poopers as Ian Corless levelled for Lancaster. Colchester’s Ashley Troath gave his side their ninth frame but this was followed by Steve Sparkes giving Lancaster theirs and in doing so forced a Play off. Karl Mayhew and Darren Sadler won their play off frames to send Colchester in to the ¼ finals

Rochester’s opponents were the very tricky Trent Trophies B who are always a handful but Rochester stamped their mark on the match right from the start as they won the first three frames thanks to Neil Ward, Ian Kettle and Ian Hubbard. Ryan Cope posted Trent Trophies B’s first win but Rochester’s three frame advantage was restored when Jordan Church won his frame.

Trent Trophies B then hit Rochester for a three frame run thanks to Dan Bush, John Clowes and Chris Evans. Dean Cole won the final frame of the first half to make sure Rochester went into the break leading 5-4. at the start of the second half Trent Trophies B make the better star as they took the two opening frames thanks to marl Buckley and Ryan Cope with his second win of the match. Ian Hubbard won his second to make sure that Rochester were still in the hunt. John Hughes again put Trent Trophies B in the lead only to see Rochester win the next two thanks to Jordan Church and Richard Conn. Back came Trent Trophies B with two frames for their side thanks to Olly Booth and Dan Rush. The significance of those two wins was that Trent Trophies B could not now be beaten in regular time and only needed the last frame to claim a massive scalp. Rochester’s Dean Cole however was up to the task and won his frame to force the play off.

If you miss your opportunity to bury a team like Rochester they are very likely to make you pay and that was what they did as Ian Hubbard and Ian Kettle won their frames for Rochester to win the match 11-9 and leave Trent Trophies B to rue that final frame of normal time where they had the chance to kill Rochester off.

For Chester Le Street the last 16 match up with Dawley A was going to be their toughest test so far but far from being overawed by the Dawley team they set about them from the off. Ian Staines and Marc Farnsworth rattled in to eight ball clearances although one was of a dry break. But this was followed by wins for Steve Thompson, Stud Green, Trevor Walton, Michael Oliver, Phil Cox and Mark Stevenson for Chester Le Street to totally annihilate the Dawley team. Keith Price gave Dawley something to cheer about when he won the final frame of the first half to trail 8-1.

Ian Duffy made it 8-2 right after the restart but it was Marc Farnsworth and Steve Thompson who made sure that Dawley’s exit from the event was swift and as clean as possible when they won the frames that pushed Chester Le Street to the last 8. Dawley were left to wonder what hit them.

Holderness took on Reds 1 and started the better of the two teams and took the opening three frames of the match thanks to Wayne Bristow, Pete Broughton and Dave Hanrahan. This good start was wiped out when the next three frames went to Reds 1 thanks to wins for Dean Davies, Martin groves and Dave Walkingshaw. Holderness won the next frame to stop the rot thanks to Chris Young. Scott Halcrow levelled for Red 1 when he won his frame but the advantage swung back to Holderness as Paul Bristow won the final frame of the half.

Dave Lane brought the two teams together when he won the opening frame of the second half but Pete Broughton gave it back to Holderness with his win. Martin Elks and Gav Cox then combined to take the lead of them and put reds 1 in the driving seat. Chris Wilson and Jason Welsh then showed Reds 1 that anything they can do as well.

Again Reds 1 put a two frame run together that put then on the brink of victory at 9-8 to the good thanks to Martin Groves and Dave Walkingshaw. In keeping with the mach so far Holderness then won the final frame of the normal match thanks to Paul Bristow.

In the play off Scott Halcrow and martin Elks of Reds 1 took control and won two of the three frames to put and end to Holderness’s run in the event.

Chesterfield took on Ely and Phil Harrison .and dale Parson set Ely on the road with their wins in their first two frames Dean Watts claimed Chesterfield’s first win only to see Mark Turner win for Ely to restore Ely’s advantage. Chesterfield then stunned Ely with five frame salvo that gave Chesterfield a 6-3 lead at the end of the first half. Tim Barrett won the opening frame of the second half only to see Bob Snell restore Chesterfield’s advantage. Phil Harrison won his second frame to keep Ely’s hopes alive but Wayne Parsonage won for Chesterfield to really keep the pressure on Ely as the fames were stating to run out. Ian Aldous won his frame for Ely but Steve Evans put Chesterfield with in smelling distance of the win when he won his frame.

Staring defeat in the face Ely mounted a rear guard action through Jamie Jameson, Simon Evans and Stu McPherson that tied the match at 9-9 so yet another match went to a play off

The match between Leicester and Folkestone produced a real shock for Leicester as Barry Hughes, Stefan Godden & Darren Fordham all won to give Folkestone a 3-0 advantage. Stung by the impudence of Folkestone taking the lead Leicester struck back with a six frame run to restore normality (from a Leicester view point) to the match thanks to the efforts of Vinny Allen, Steve Morris, Gavin Lomax, Steve Robertshaw, Andy Lee and Steve Chambers. That run put Leicester 6-3 up at half time. Folkestone’s Darren Fordham again found away to breach the Leicester defences when he won his second and Folkestone’s fourth frame.

There was no repeat of their first half antics this time round as Colin Treadwell, Harry Patel and Vinny Allen steered Leicester towards the winning line. Andy Quinn gave Folkestone a fifth frame win but the match was sealed for Leicester when Gavin Lomax won his frame to make the final score 10-5 to Leicester.

P.J.'s Stourbridge went 2-0 down to Taunton L.V.A. thanks to wins for Scott Baldock and Ben Holley. P.J.'s Stourbridge cut the deficit when Rob Chilton. Adam O’Connor restored Taunton L.V.A.’s advantage. Then the P.J.'s Stourbridge powerhouse trio of Ritchie Foxall, Neil Raybone and Paul Dunkey turned the match in P.J.'s Stourbridge favour with their wins. Matt Grant levelled for Taunton L.V.A. but P.J.'s Stourbridge managed to end the half in front at 5-4 thanks to Pat Wards Win.

Rob Clark, Hiten Patel and Rob Chilton gave P.J.'s Stourbridge a distinct advantage with their wins to make life very difficult for Taunton L.V.A. Ben Holley. & Scott Baldock tried to get Taunton L.V.A. back in to the match with their wins but Neil Raybone and Paul Dunkey put the match beyond the reach of Taunton L.V.A. when they won their frames to win the match 10-6

Reds Elite took on Brighton in the final last 16 match which given the track record of the teams involved was always going to be tight and that’s pretty much how it panned out. Liam Farrell struck first for Reds Elite when he won his frame but Steve Ringsell cancelled that out in the next frame. Mark White and Glenn Dunn then won back to back frames for Reds Elite. This was followed by Darren Welfare and Lee Nelson doing the same for Brighton to bring the match back to all square. Chris McDermott then put Reds Elite back into the lead when he won his frame; the ever reliable Paul McNeil pulled the match back together with his frame. The half ended with Mick Adams winning the final frame for Reds Elite.

Liam Farrell again won his opening frame for Reds Elite but just as Reds Elite though they might be able to make a decisive break Moray Dolan popped up with a win for Brighton. Mark White then restored the advantage for Reds Elite when he won his frame. Yet again Brighton pulled the match back together when Steve Ringsell & John Gillard won back to back frames. Callum Mullhern then won his frame for Reds Elite but Brighton again refused to roll over as Darren Welfare won for his team.

Vik Makh put Reds Elite on to the brink of winning the match when he won his frame for Reds Elite but they were not capable of producing the winning frame as Dean Torode won the final frame of the regular match to set up another play off.

Liam Farrell won his play off frame followed by Darren Welfare winning his frame for Brighton so it came down to the final frame of the play off. it must have broke Reds Elite’s hearts when they saw Brighton’s Dean Torode pot the black to win the match 11-10 – what will have been hard for Reds Elite to swallow was the fact that was the first time in 21 frames that Brighton had taken the lead in the match – how cruel this game can be at times.

Chester Le Street’s run of taking out teams that were not saw them come up against Reds 1 in the ¼ finals Martin Groves gave Reds 1 the lead when he won his frame but Marc Farnsworth levelled when he won for Chester Le Street, Martin Elks then restored the lead for Reds 1 with his win. Stu Green made sure it was all levels again when he won his frame. Dave Walkingshaw again gave Reds 1 a slight advantage. Then Michael Oliver and Phil Cox broke the pattern of the match so far when they won back to back frames for Chester Le Street. But Reds 1 Dave Lane made sure that his team would go into the break trailing by just the single frame at 5-4. Martin Elks then equalised for Reds 1 but Chester Le Street then hit Red 1 for three unanswered frames through Mark Farnsworth, Stu Thompson and Stu Green. The frames gave Chester Le Street a 8-5 lead at a crucial time in the match.

Dave Lane then managed to keep Reds 1 from going into melt down by winning his second frame of the match. Michael Oliver won Chester Le Street’s ninth frame to lead 9-6 and stand on the edge of taking another big scalp. Dave Walkingshaw & Adam Prewit gave Chester Le Street a big scare when they took the next two for Reds 1. But there was no great comeback for Reds 1 as Albi Wright won the final frame of the match to send Chester Le Street in to the semi final and end Reds 1 dreams of progressing.

Colchester found Rochester baring their way to another semi final and although Colchester took a two frame lead with thanks to Carl Caney & Jeff Hynds. But their chances of making it to the semi finals took a serious knock when Rochester rattled of the following six frames with wins for Ian Hubbard, Jamie Kitchen, Jordan Church, Richard Conn, Willie Anderson and Ben Savage. Colchester tried to stage a come back when they won two frames either side of the half time break through Bryan and Carl Caney. Rochester stopped any further inroads to their lead when they took control of the match with wins for Jamie Kitchen, Martin Prime, Ian Kettel and finally Dean Cole who won the tenth of Rochester’s frames to put an end to Colchester’s road to glory.

P.J.'s Stourbridge and Brighton had to face each other in the last 8 in a match that could easily be the final on another day. Brighton came out with all guns blazing through Damien Campsey, Steve Ringsell, Moray Dolan, Liam Nelson and Jon Sanders. With a start like that P.J.'s Stourbridge were always going to be second best for the rest of the match, and so it proved as despite Paul Dunkey winning his frame to post a first win for P.J.'s Stourbridge. Brighton then hit them for another two frames thanks to Darren Welfare and Paul McNeil. Pat Ward brought the half to an end with a win for P.J.'s Stourbridge. But they still had a mountain to climb.

At the start of the second half Moray Dolan made things even worse for P.J.'s Stourbridge when he twisted the knife even harder with his win. Hiten Patel then won P.J.'s Stourbridge’s third frame. That was as good as it got for P.J.'s Stourbridge as Damien Campsey, Steve Ringsell & Dean Torode combined to put P.J.'s Stourbridge out of their misery by settling the match 10-3 in their favour.

In the first semi final Leicester took on Brighton in a real heavy weight encounter, with both teams steeped in Interleague history. Tommy Donlon and Gavin Lomax, with an eight ball clearance gave Leicester the first two frames. Moray Dolan came up with the goods when he won his frame for Brighton. Leicester went even further ahead when Vinny Allen & Steve Morris both won their frames. Lee Nelson managed another win for Brighton closely followed by Steve Robertshaw winning for Leicester at 5-2 up it was looking very dodgy for the boys from Sussex but Paul McNeil and Dean Torode came to Brighton rescue by winning the final two frames to trail by a single frame. Tommy Donlon hurt Brighton when he won his frame for Leicester to keep clear daylight between the two teams. Jon Sanders then won another frame for Brighton to make the score 6-5 to Leicester. Leicester’s Vinny Allen & Steve Morris combined again to win two frames on the bounce to really pile the pressure on Brighton.

Dean Torode won the next frame for Brighton but the end for Brighton came when Andy Lee and Steve Robertshaw pushed Leicester to their 10th and winning frame with two frames to spare. For Brighton it is back to the drawing board. For Leicester they had now reached a second final in as many years.

Rochester had to deal with the team of the weekend in Chester Le Street. Rochester has in the past suffered a bit with a soft chin so they would not have relished the draw. Chester Le Street on the other hand was probably unaware of Rochester’s recent history in the event they just knew they were blocking their path through to the final.

Ian Staines gave Chester Le Street the lead when he took the opening frame. Rochester hit back immediately with four frames from Ian Kettle, Ian Hubbard, Jamie Kitchen and Jordan Church. That was the sort of performance that would have steadied any nerves in the Rochester camp. But Chester Le Street came back with two frames of their own though Marc Farnsworth and Albi Wright. Just as Chester Le Street write getting back into the match when Martin Prime and Dean Cole closed the first half with wins for Rochester to lead 6-3

Things got even worse for Chester Le Street as Rochester opened up the second half with a three frame winning run from Richard Conn, Ian Kettel & Ian Hubbard to lead 9-3 and needing only one more from the remaining six frames. Chester Le Street made a spirited attempt to cut Rochester’s lead when Marc Farnsworth, Michael Oliver, Trevor Watson and Phil Cox won four frames on the spin. There was n o fairy tale come back for Chester Le Street as Martin Prime won Rochester’s 10th and match winning frame. But Chester Le Street can still have plenty to celebrate on the way home as one of the best ever performances of a debutant team.

The final was one of those surreal moments where everything went right for one team and nothing went right for the other Tommy Donlon set Leicester on their way with a first frame victory then Gavin Lomas, Colin Treadwell and Andy Lee followed up with wins to put Leicester 4-0 up in double quick time. Jordan Church finally gave some respite for Rochester when he won his frame Lee Ross then restored the difference for Leicester, again Rochester tried to fight back when Willie Anderson grabbed another frame.

Steve Robertshaw & Vinny Allen brought the half to a close with another two wins for Leicester which made the score 7-2 at the half way point. Rochester are capable of turning a score line that that around but their opponents were Leicester not exactly renowned for batting collapses of the scale required for Rochester to win.

Leicester started the second half much the same way the first half started with three wins on the bounce, this time from Colin Treadwell, Andy Lee & Tommy Donlon but the significance of these three wins was that it pushed Leicester over the winning line at 10-2 and meant that they had joined the most elite of elite teams joining Trent Trophies A as the only two teams to mount a successful defence of the trophy for the full team line up for the final see the match sheet below.

Tom Fahy - Tournament Director