By Gary Hodgson
BUDE AND DISTRICT POOL LEAGUE LATEST
THE 2024/25 Bude and District Pool League came to an end on Easter Sunday with Finals Night.
While there may have been no chocolate in sight, the evening was still packed with treats.
The First Division doubles final was up first and it went to the wire with Brendon’s Olivier Le Pimpec and Graham Williams beating Upstairs Social Straight Shooters’ Pat and Liam Phelan 4-3, Williams slotting home the final black.
Joe Simmonds was to have a good evening starting with the ‘Trev’s Taxi’ - Division One Singles final.
Another nail-biter, Simmonds came out with a narrow 4-3 win with some clinical potting against James Milne.
As the evening’s House Championship was underway, the evening’s main event, the Premier League Singles Final between US Galacticos’ Stuart Baker and Junction Inn’s Luke Potter, got started.
Both players took some big scalps to get there, it was to be an even match-up, but frames were falling a little more favourably for Baker and he was the more clinical in his finishing, running out a 4-1 winner.
Back to the House Championships, the tough single frame knockout competition found Simmonds and Pat Phelan in another final.
Simmonds’ fine form continued though, winning 2-0.
The evening’s games finished with the fan favourite Speed Pool Knockout, which saw Magpies’ Scott Hayler and Galacticos’ Gary Hodgson reach the decider.
With the first player to finish two frames, Hayler finished the first frame slighter quicker, but took his time setting up his final frame.
That allowed Hodgson to soon catch up, overtake and pot his final ball just ahead of Hayler to claim the trophy.
The presentation finished a great evening where as well as the above winners, the following trophies were announced and handed out: Heaverman Cup: Winners – US Galacticos; Runners-up – New Inn A; Consolation Cup: Winners – Junction Inn; Runners-up – Old Orchard A; Handicap Team Knockout Cup: Winners – Old Orchard A; Runners-up – US Straight Shooters; Handicap Singles: Winner – Rob Price; Runner-up – Paul Martin; Division One 8 Ball: Winners – Simon Priest, Steve Sweeney and Jack Hogan; Division One Most Valuable Player: Lawrence Palmer; Division One League: Winners – Old Orchard Misfits; Runners-up – The Stowe Rack n Rollers; Premier League Doubles (still to be played): Gary Hodgson and Richard Codlin versus Andy Pollard and Jordan Masters; Plumbase Premier League 8 Ball: Winners – Jordan Masters and Gary Hodgson; Plumbase Premier League Most Valuable Player: Andy Pollard/Gary Hodgson; Plumbase Premier League: Winners – New Inn A; Runners-up – US Galacticos.
The respective league titles went to New Inn A (Premier) and Old Orchard Misfits (Division One) with those tables as follows: PLUMBASE PREMIER LEAGUE: 1 New Inn A PLAYED 10 POINTS 104; 2 US Galacticos P10 PTS 95; 3 Junction Inn P10 PTS 87; 4 Old Orchard A P10 PTS 83; 5 Magpies P10 PTS 47; 6 Old Orchard Just The Tip P10 PTS 34.
DIVISION ONE: 1 Old Orchard Misfits PLAYED 12 POINTS 115; 2 The Stowe Rack N Rollers P12 PTS 112; 3 US Straight Shooters P12 PTS 111; 4 New Inn Credibles P12 PTS 87; 5 Brendon P12 PTS 81; 6 Bullers P12 PTS 80; 7 Kings Arms Velos P12 PTS 44.
Finally, a big thank you to the committee, the main venues of Upstairs Social, The Stowe and Old Orchard, sponsors Plumbase and Trev’s Taxi, and finally you the players that help make this league a success.