BRIERLEY Hill Pool and Snooker A lead the Stourbridge and District Snooker League Premier Division by one point after a 3-2 win at Bearwood Cons.

The leaders began well with Jamie Spence and Ashley Sidaway giving them a 2-0 advantage but the visitors hit back when Stuart Amos beat Callum Downing and John Chester inflicted a first defeat of the season on Maria Catalano.

Elliot Bastable held his nerve to fire a break of 85 and win the decider for Brierley Hill, who have their B team to thank for their slender advantage after Luke Garland took the opening frame of their game with second-placed Kinver Constitutional A.

Carl Williams, Darren Oakes, James Hill and Andrew Highfield won for Kinver to clinch a 4-1 win and leave the title race delicately poised.

Eleven points further adrift are Snooks SC A who won 3-2 on the tables of Netherton Liberal, while fourth-placed West Midlands Police could only win one frame away at Snooks B who closed to within a point of their opponents.

Amblecote A edged a topsy-turvy game at Pockets SCA. Rick Wooldridge and David Grainger put Amblecote 2-0 up but Gareth Ward and John Betton squared the match, for Pockets before Rob Clark beat Rich Pepperall on the final ball to give Amblecote the win.

Andy Watts was Brierley Hill C’s sole winner at Norton Social A, where Adam Ness made a 38 break for the home side in a 4-1 victory.

Stourbridge Institute A extended their advantage at the top the First Division to eight points with 4-1 success at home to Dibdale SC.

John Saunders, Cyril Tromans, Paul Bates and Paul Garbett all won, although Martin Harris lost off the black against David Timmins.

Kinver Constitutional B lost their grip on second place with a 3-2 at home to their C team.

They were replaced in second by Pockets SC B who enjoyed a 4-1 success away to Amblecote Institute B, though Mick Cook did inflict a rare defeat on David Timmington.

Apart from the leaders, the most in-form team in the division is Kingswinford Snooker Centre whose 5-0 hammering of Amblecote Institute C was their fifth win in a row and saw them jump into third spot.

Kingswinford RBL A joined Kingswinford Cons A in a tie for fourth place, when Andrew Brown edged the decider against Cons’ John Rees on the black.

The destination of the championship looks more uncertain in the Second Division after Baggeridge Social won 4-1 on the tables of the leaders Stourbridge Institute C.

Tom Hamilton gave the leaders a great start but Matt Bennett and Dave Whale, who inflicted only the second defeat on Alan Cope, gave Baggeridge victory.

Brierley Hill Pool & Snooker D won a tight contest at Wombourne 3-2, but they dropped to fourth place after Stourbridge Institute B overcame Amblecote Institute D 4-1.