PREMIER Division leaders Norton Social A lost for the first time this season on the tables of Pockets SC A.

John Betton, with a break of 45, and 13-year-old Taylor Fish, with a break of 30 to end the run of nine successive wins compiled by Darren Oakes, put Pockets 2-0 up.

Steve Mason and Adam Ness levelled the scores but the reigning Worcestershire individual champion Andy Smith secured the win for Pockets against Ashley Aston in style with a 64 break.

Long-time leaders, Hotshots SC B, also lost against their A team 3-2; Neil Beckley, Roy Stokes and Dave Green, who handed Luke Higginbotham only his second defeat, won for the A team, the defending champions, who are now fourth, 13 points adrift of the lead. Jon Bate and Callum Downing, who had a 67 break against Milan Krstanovic, replied.

Incidentally, Milan went on to make a remarkable 129 clearance the following evening in a West Midlands League match at Shifnal.

Two days later, Hotshots B missed the chance to move back to the top of the league when they lost their rearranged match at home to West Midlands Police 3-2.

Karl Ashmore, with a 48 break, and Pete Gibbons, who did well to beat the prolific Callum Downing, gave the Police a 2-0 lead; Richard Haney and Luke Higginbotham squared the match but Kev Franklin took the decider comfortably leaving Hotshots just a single point adrift of Norton.

A powerful Brandhall Labour team took all five frames on a visit to Moor Pool and Snooker A and have ten points to make up on the leaders, while the Police, prior to their win at Hotshots, beat Moor P&S’s B team 5-0, and they are a further six points away in fifth place.

Netherton Sports and Social are enjoying a good season and Steve Howell, Andy Barnett and Carl Webb lifted them to their fifth win, 3-2 at home to Pockets’ B team, for whom Paul Crisp and Alan Turner earned a point apiece, while Amblecote Institute A eased 2-0 up against their B team, through Ashley Sidaway and Mike Richards, but were pegged back by Adam Coley and Sam Harrison, before Rob Clark clinched it 3-2 for the A team.

First Division leaders Hotshots SC C eased 12 points clear with a 3-2 success against their closest pursuers Baggeridge Social.

Paul Caldeira, Arshad Rehman and Steven Phares all won with their opponents replying through Luke Whale and Frankie Bennett, frames which enabled them to cling on to second place as their two closest rivals also lost 3-2.

Moor Pool and Snooker C slipped up at home to Stourbridge Institute A for whom Paul Bates, Richard Rudge, who inflicted only the second defeat on Ben Wakeman, and Paul Garbett combined to great effect, while only Graham Tranter’s black ball win prevented a whitewash for Kinver Const B at Norton Social B, whose team with its mix of youth and experience, now lie 4th but only two points off second place. Luke Grosvenor won his 11th frame out of 12.

Anthony Davies matched Luke’s impressive record with one of the frames for Kingswinford RBL A in their 4-1 win at home to Kinver Constitutional C; by taking Kinver’s consolation, Adam Sprague is only one step behind in the race for most wins.

Wayne Whitmore has also lost only twice and he, John Rees and Fred Dent, on the black, just did enough to enable Kingswinford Cons A to edge past their B team 3-2. Sam Mattocks, enjoying a fine first season, and John Byng won for the B team.

Stourbridge Institute B opened up a five point gap at the top of the Second Division by taking all five frames against their C team with comfort, Nick Aston making it 13/13 wins.

Their closest rivals, Amblecote Institute C had to battle hard to beat their own D team 3-2. Colin Homer, Ray Vanes and Mark Colbourne saw them through with Steven Butcher and Mark Daniels taking a frame each for their opponents.