LA VILLETTE Gremlins’ aspirations of challenging for the Image Group Premier Division were dealt a massive blow when Sporting Lions surprisingly beat them 7-5. With the Galacticos’ match against the Chirpers postponed, a visit to the bottom team should have re-established their early-season lead, but they did not account for a spirited Lions performance that saw James Messenger, Colin Gilbert and Gordon Irish all win 2-1.

Graham Peel did his bit for the Gremlins in beating Peter Colley 2-1 to keep the teams level at halfway, before Gilbert and Irish then won the next three frames.

Jez Rowe and Ian Platt pulled two back to give the Gremlins a chance of salvaging a draw, but Irish won the last 66-35 to seal the Lions’ first league win.

North Legionnaires stormed out of the blocks to take charge of their match against Ex-Service Reds by taking five of the first six frames.

Shaun Mahy’s 42 break and three frames together with two from Paul Duncombe gave them a dream start as both sides look to keep their distance from the Lions.

Although the sixth frame followed soon afterwards, it soon turned sour for the Legionnaires as Jim Wilson and Shaun Goddard won two apiece to cut the gap to 6-5. But the Reds’ hopes of a draw were dashed when Tom Brock won the last for a 7-5 win.

Five Skipco First Division matches saw four of them end in a 6-2 away victory.

Ex-Service Mavericks and North Social L-Plates profited most as the top two respectively beat Sarnian Numpty’s and Sporting Alliance, while third-placed Ex-Service Hot Butts won

5-3.

The Mavericks won the last four frames through Gavin Denning and joint aggregate leader Paul Sarre after the Numpty’s had held their own in the first half of the match.

It was a similar story at the Sporting where the Alliance recovered from 2-0 down to level matters. The L-Plates took the last four through Milford de Carteret and Darren Hughes, with the latter making a 32 break, one more than teammate Craig de Carteret’s earlier effort.

There were two further breaks of 32 in the division. Both came from Sarnian Sharks players, with Dave Watson and Simon Marquis earning a draw as a result. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Hot Butts from beating them, with Clint McGrath gaining the all-important two frames in sending Mark Jeffreys to a first league defeat.

Gremlin B were on both ends of a 6-2 result as they continue to play catch-up. They were first on the receiving end as Richard Brache and Danny Breton inspired a first league win for the Numpty’s, but that was followed by their own maiden victory against North Legion Young Ones.

John Carre joined Sarre at the top of the aggregates by beating Pat Le Gallez, but that was the Young Ones’ only success as Andrew Wilkinson and Kevin Le Moigne both won to end the week with three frame wins from four.

The Banks & Flouquet Second Division has yielded more draws than any other and a further three made it 10 from 18 matches.

Sarnian Breakers were responsible for two of them, with both coming down to aggregate leader Greg Robert to take the final frame. A delayed match saw the Breakers first draw with North Legion Aces before taking on table-topping Ex-Service Eagles.

Jason Gilroy agonisingly missed the final red when on a break of 32 which would have given him the outright lead for the division’s highest break, but it did secure the Eagles’ unbeaten record before Robert denied them a fifth win.

North Legion B finally gained their first win after four successive draws. Stuart Crittell crucially won the final frame of the night to give them a 5-3 win over Gremlin Knights, who now share bottom spot with Gremlin Guzzlers after they drew with North Legion Aces.

Sporting Musketeers have opened a huge 16-point lead in the Mariners’ Inn Third Division after beating North Legion Utd 6-2, although for the first time this season Danny Lynch failed to contribute two frames. George Warren’s black-ball second frame ended a run of nine consecutive league wins for Lynch that had stretched back to last season.

Just three points separate five teams behind the Musketeers after Giba Dorios and Gremlin’s Mixed Bunch also won 6-2, while the North Social Chalkers kept in touch with a draw and a 5-3 win.

Results and Individual League story to follow