GREMLIN GALACTICOS are the new Image Group Premier Division champions. Knowing that just four frames from their final match against North Legionnaires would secure the title, Glenn Le Prevost and Adrian Lihou duly responded, with both taking their opening two frames to complete the first leg of a possible four trophies, achieved just once before by Ex-Service A in 2002.
With the scramble for inter-insular places at stake, a 4-0 lead was still no time to relax, but Le Prevost and Lihou both failed to take a full three as the Legionnaires top two players, Shaun Mahy and Tom Brock, both won close frames.
Mahy improved by seven frames on last season to finish on 33, while Tom Brock went one better to end up joint 10th in the aggregates.
For the second week running, Paul Le Sauvage closed the match for the champions on the final black to seal a 9-3 win and take the title by 10 points, much to the relief of skipper Adam Shorto.
‘I certainly didn’t expect it to be by that margin, especially three or four weeks ago, but it’s a great achievement considering that it’s Paul and Adrian’s first year back playing again,’ said the captain.
‘I must admit when they [Ex-service Chirpers] closed it to two points, I started to think we might have blown it.
‘I’m just really pleased that we were able to see it through as I think we were on top for the majority of the season and so it would have been awful to let it slip in the final couple of weeks.’
The Galacticos now face Jersey’s 147A in the Upton and have the two team knockout semi-finals to look forward to.
Despite being defeated just the once, Ex-Service Chirpers’ failure to win big cost them dearly in the end.
A final match against a much-improved Sarnian Sharks illustrated the point again, with only Adrian Holley winning all three on the way to an 8-4 win.
Martyn Desperques lost the first frame to Shaun Goddard, but any nerves about losing the aggregate title were wiped away as he won the next two to finish on 54 frames to win it for the third year running.
A late rally from the Sharks saw them take three of the last four frames.
Their top player Mark Jeffreys took one off John Skillett courtesy of two 20-plus breaks, while Andy Paul’s strong finish netted him a 2-1 win over Graham Peel.
It was mixed emotions at the Ex-Service Club as the Sarnian Hotspurs wrapped up their season with a win to end a run of eight defeats that undoubtedly cost them their Premier status.
Paul Sarre’s 3-0 victory clinched a 7-5 win over the Reds and took his tally to 30, three more than the injured Richard Brache.
Ryan Le Page and Sean Simms were both 2-1 winners, the latter surprisingly getting the better of Brett Gallienne, who finished ninth in the aggregates on 39 frames.
Aided by a black-ball respot, Andy Travis’s 3-0 win over reserve Greg Robert meant the Reds gained the necessary frames to finish joint fourth in the league with the Legionnaires.
Gremlin X completed back to back third-place finishes with all four players winning 2-1, including Ian Platt who ended up as one of a trio on 45 frames after James Messenger took a frame on the black.
Earlier in the match, Jez Rowe had suffered a similar fate to Gordon Irish as the Sporting Lions secured the first of two frames needed to guarantee safety from relegation.
Colin Gilbert took the vital second which took his total to a very creditable 32 frames, five more than he achieved last season.
There was much to play for in the final week of the Third Division with the title and aggregate trophy up for grabs.
Favourites North Social G had a tricky match against Giba Two who had lost just once all season, while Gremlin Knights travelled to the Sporting with a three-point deficit.
In the end, a 5-3 win was enough for the Social to be crowned champions and there was further joy as Ricky Dodd won his two to take the aggregate award with 25 frames, one more than teammate Shaun Sylvester.
Gremlin Knights needed the final two frames to earn a hard-fought draw with the Musketeers, while North Legion Utd romped to a 6-2 win over Sarnian Wannabes.
Giba Dorios’ Rob de Carteret claimed the division’s top-break prize with a 38.
Needing a win to force a play-off for the billiards handicap title, Kevin de Carteret did just that in beating Mark Jeffreys 200-157. He will now play a deciding match against Mike Hall to decide the destination of the trophy.
Article posted on 3rd April, 2007 - 12.00am
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