This Is Guernsey

Defending champion Martyn Desperques hit a break of 103 as he sealed his placed in the last eight of the Island Straight Championship. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0425920)

MARTYN DESPERQUES notched his second century of the season in progressing to the quarter-finals of the Island Straight Championship.

Having won the first frame, the defending champion hit a purple patch in beating Graham Peel by immediately following a 69 break in the second with the decisive 103 in the third.

Desperques looked set to beat the season’s highest break, but a difficult cut on the last red rattled in the jaws of the pocket.

Next up for Desperques will be Jez Rowe, whose win over Ian Platt saw the first of the eight seeds eliminated.

It was a tense affair between the Gremlins teammates, but Rowe prevailed in a fifth-frame decider.

No such troubles, though, for Milford de Carteret, Adrian Holley and John Skillett who all won 3-0 – the latter making a 44 break – while Rick de Garis beat Colin Gilbert 3-1.

The Norman Wale handicap threw up the season’s fourth meeting between Adam Shorto and Desperques and again it was the latter who came out on top.

Shorto won the first on the brown having followed Desperques’ break of 46 with a 45 of his own, but was powerless as his arch rival took the next two with breaks of 58 and 52.

Four players fell victim to lower-league opposition, with each losing 2-1.

Adrian Holley levelled his match with a 55 clearance, but could not stop Giba Dorios’ Rob de Carteret from taking the decider.

Andy Paul won successive black ball frames, the first on a respot, to beat Dave Bullock, while Vic Vedier also recovered from losing the first frame to beat de Garis.

Rob Gauvain’s victory over James Messenger saw him move into the quarter-finals, where he is joined by Darren Hughes and Steve Le Poidevin.

Hughes sealed victory over Gavin Denning with a 38 break, while Le Poidevin ended the hopes of 2006 winner Sean Simms.

Of the six Premier players left in the handicap, Glenn Le Prevost impressed most in his 2-0 win over Division Three’s leading aggregate player Danny Lynch.

The Galacticos player can do little wrong at the moment in firing in breaks of 35 and 53 to clinch a last-16 tie with Russell Wakeford.

Desperques and Holley are still on course to defend their pairs title after a hard fought 2-1 win over Jerry Foss and John Mills, but two time winners Shorto and Le Prevost are out having been beaten by Mark Jeffreys and Paul.

Sporting Lions are through to the Team Straight semi-finals after defeating fellow Premier Division strugglers Ex-Service Reds 5-4.

It was little surprise that Sammy Ward and Brett Gallienne contested the extra-frame decider, with both the only winners on the night.

Ward prevailed 56-46 to the delight of his teammates and the Lions can now look forward to playing La Villette Gremlins next after they beat Ex-Service Hot Butts.

The Division One leaders acquitted themselves well, though, going down 6-2, with Lee Bullock and Scott Bradford both taking a frame.

The other semi will see North Social L-Plates take on Gremlin Galacticos after the latter whitewashed North Legionnaires.

Two matches in the women’s round robin both ended 2-1 and all four players are still in contention. Lisa Robilliard won the first and third frames to beat three-time winner Di Davison, while Elaine Walker denied Anne Le Maitre a 3-0 win by taking the last.