Halkirk '1' march on at the top
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THE top two in the Thurso and District Pool League went head to head in the first of a double-header.
The first two games were shared after a couple of well-taken finishes from Michael MacGregor and Mark Alexander. Stevie Elder then put Halkirk "1" ahead only for Alan Robertson to level matters for the Weigh Inn.
Gary Oag won a close game against John Kay to move Halkirk "1" back in front. With the match ebbing and flowing, Peter MacAllister missed a glorious chance to level it up for the Weigh Inn as two shots went a begging leaving Keith Foubister with a straightforward finish.
Trailing 4-2 heading into the doubles, Alexander almost produced another excellent clearance only to come up short with a double on the black. MacGregor finally clinched the match for Halkirk "1" after another missed double attempt from Alexander. The final two doubles were shared to leave the final score 6-3 in what turned out to be a very close and competitive encounter.
Top Joe’s, who’ve experienced a resurgence in form in recent weeks, hosted a Halkirk "2" side trying to pick itself up from its narrow derby loss last week. Halkirk "2" started brightly with Ryan Henderson winning the opening singles but Top Joe’s have been showing opponents no mercy recently and they won all the remaining singles.
Wins for Rory Hadden, Stevie Gray, Scott Shearer, Scott Youngson and Alan MacKenzie gave them the winning 5-1 lead. Halkirk "2" did manage to win one of the doubles only to finally lose 7-2.
Skinandi’s were looking to climb up from the lower reaches of the league when they visited the Comm. After losing the opening singles, Skinandi’s roared into action with wins for Ian Crawford, James Moodie and Rian MacGregor who registered a granny over Jack Halliday.
Trailing 3-1 and up against it, the Comm showed their fighting spirit as Stevie Morris and Jordan Youngson won the final two singles to level the match heading into the doubles. Comm then swept through the doubles for a memorable victory to secure their place in mid-table.
In the Weigh Inn, Holborn, currently on a poor run of form, were up against an Ashes Bar side which was also in need of a moral-boosting win. The first four games were shared with the highlight coming from Shaun Trueman, of the Holborn, who grannied Graeme Lowe in the fourth singles.
Ashes Bar won the next two singles for a 4-2 lead heading into the doubles. Captain Graham Young helped Ashes Bar get over the winning line as they clinched the first doubles for the 5-2 lead. The final two doubles were shared for a 6-3 Ashes Bar victory.
Week nine results: Halkirk "1" 6, Weigh Inn 3; Top Joe’s 7, Halkirk "2" 2; Comm 6, Skinandi’s 3; Ashes Bar 6, Holborn 3.
Week 10 action sees a reversal of this week’s fixtures with all the losers looking for revenge.
