By Roger Stephens

CORNWALL COUNTY POOL ASSOCIATION INTERLEAGUE - CHAMPIONSHIP

Newquay Nitro’s 22 Orchard Week St Mary 14

ORCHARD Week St Mary headed down to the Edgecliffe Club in Newquay for this Interleague clash on Friday, March 29.

Each match is played over 36 frames – four sets of nine with each player able to play a maximum of four frames on the night.

First off in the first set for the Nitro’s was Liam Blenes who beat Rob Price, before Troy Lynes defeated Lee West to make it 2-0. 

Orchard came storming back back with wins for Frank Barriball, Ed Orchard and Dave Westy over Hayden Rawlings, Dan Durant and Andy Sweet.

Not to be out done, the Nitro’s hit back with a winning run of their own started by John Millership followed up by Daley McErlain, Mark Silver and Michael Delaney who took out Alan Chapman, Sarah West, Jack Biggs and Joe Simmons in that order.

The home team started the second set in the same mood as they finished the first with Blenes and Lynes taking out Orchard and Price to make it 8-3.

West pulled one back for the under pressure visitors beating Rawlings, but the joy was short-lived when Durant and Sweet beat Barriball and Simmons.

Orchard’s Westy and Chapman put up a fight by taking down Millership and McErlain, but the Nitros went up a gear and closed out the second set with a pair of victories for Silver and Delaney who took out Sarah West and Jack Biggs.

Another 6-3 set win for the hosts, this was becoming a tough day at the office for the Orchard Week St Mary outfit at 12-6.

The third set saw the Orchard team got their act together. 

In a fiercely-fought set, Barriball got the visitors off to a good start by beating Blenes.

Back came Lynes for the Nitro’s by taking out Orchard, but Price overcome Rawlings to make it 13-8.

The next four frames were shared with Newquay’s points coming from Durant and Millership against West and Simmons, while Week’s saw Biggs defeat Sweet and Westy get the better of McErlain.

This put Orchard 4-3 ahead in the set, but any hopes of taking it were dashed as Silver and Delaney secured the last two frames by taking out Chapman and Millard.

With a running match score of 17-10, the Nitro’s looked on course for a resounding match win.

In the last set the Orchard players were determined to give it their all and, West gave them a great start, by taking out Blenes.

The Nitro’s weren’t going to let up though and won the next two courtesy of wins for Lynes and Rawlings over Barriball and Orchard, thus attaining the 19 frames required for the match win. 

Price got one back for Orchard by beating Durant, but by now the Nitro’s had secured victory and it was just a question of how big the margin was. Sweet and Millership proved too strong for Millard and Biggs, and although Simmons and Westy wagged the tail for the visitors when they beat McErlain and Silver, it was left to Nitro’s Delaney to put the seal on a comprehensive victory for the home side by beating Chapman in the 36th and last frame.

It meant a 22-14 victory for the reigning champions and commiserations to the gallant Orchard side.

They are newcomers to this Interleague level and found out what the standard is.

But credit to them they never let their heads go down, especially in the last two tight and fiercely-fought sets.