Carroll on song
IT IS perhaps appropriate at this time of the year that a player called Carroll should be leading the Cuestars South Wilts Snooker League.
Even if it is only alphabetically.
Neil Carroll, who travels up from his home in Rownhams, picked up his second win of the season at Salisbury Snooker Club.
A close-fought 3-2 victory over Alex Thorn (Shrewton) gave the 47-year-old equal points with defending champion John Hunter (Andover).
Carroll won the first and third frames on the blue for a 2-1 lead and snatched the fourth after Thorn’s failed cocked-hat safety on the pink.
Thorn, who took the fifth frame, said: “It was an enjoyable match.”
Meanwhile, league new boy Nick Bevan (Salisbury) is still searching for a first victory.
His second 3-2 defeat came courtesy of Steve Ashton (Shrewton).
Ashton, leading 1-0, missed an easy pink after fluking the blue.
Bevan, 49, said: “Conscience must have got the better of him and he left it for me to take the pink and black to win the frame.
“It was very tight match with some good bouts of safety.”
Ashton came back strong in the third with breaks of 19 and 23, and secured the fourth with a long pink. Bevan won a consolation fifth.
Hunter played some excellent tight matchplay on the challenging match table to defeat Trevor Pittman (Salisbury) 4-1.
In an all-Salisbury affair, Richard Arnold kicked off his 4-1 win over Mani Davani with a 34 break.
Results: Paul Burt 2 Stuart Dreyer 3, Alex Thorn 2 Neil Carroll 3, Mani Davani 1 Richard Arnold 4, Trevor Pittman 1 John Hunter 4, Nick Bevan 2 Steve Ashton 3.