By Stuart O’Dell
Weardale Pool League – Week 7 Round-Up
Grey Bull (A) and Black Lion Seal Semi-Final Spots; Stanhope Club Dominate League Fixture
Stanhope Pack Horse 4–7 Stanhope Grey Bull (A) (Agg.)
Stanhope Grey Bull (A) booked their place in the semi-finals of the Team Knock Out Cup after a strong second-leg performance against Stanhope Pack Horse. Holding a narrow 5–4 advantage from the first leg, Grey Bull (A) wasted no time extending their lead as Chris Woodruff, Ben Forster and Stu Brown swept the opening three singles.
Pack Horse fought back bravely with wins from Dan Wright and Ian Peart to bring the deficit down to two, but Paul Heppell’s victory in the final singles meant Grey Bull (A) needed just one point from the doubles. They secured it immediately, winning the first doubles game and sealing overall victory.
Stanhope Grey Bull (B) 8–10 Wolsingham Black Lion (Agg.)
Wolsingham Black Lion also advanced to the semi-finals after edging out Stanhope Grey Bull (B) over two tightly contested legs. Holding a 5–4 lead from the opener, Black Lion got off to a strong start through James Everitt. Jake Crawford levelled for Grey Bull (B), but Jonathan Elliot restored Black Lion’s cushion, giving them a 7–5 aggregate advantage.
Grey Bull (B) then surged ahead with an impressive run of three straight singles wins courtesy of Jack Tinkler, Richard James and Chris Henderson, turning the tie on its head. But Black Lion responded emphatically, sweeping all three doubles to take the second leg 5–4 and secure a 10–8 overall victory.
St Johns Chapel Blue Bell 1–8 Stanhope Club (League Fixture)
With the second leg of their cup tie postponed until next week due to venue unavailability, St Johns Chapel Blue Bell and Stanhope Club instead played their Week 8 league fixture early – and Stanhope Club made the most of the opportunity.
In a dominant display, Stanhope Club won all six singles thanks to Paul Dobson, Stu O’Dell, Adam Robinson, Adam Dobson, Alan Barker, and Gary Stubbs. They added two more points in the doubles before Blue Bell salvaged the final game of the night to prevent a clean sweep. The 8–1 result keeps Stanhope Club in strong form heading into next week’s decisive cup leg, where they already hold a commanding 7–2 lead.
