Right on Cue

Bradford No 1’s snooker side ended their title-winning Division One season with a disappointing 5-1 defeat at Castleford No 2 in the Yorkshire Inter-District League.

Having successfully completed the defence of their crown with victory at home to Sheffield No 3 the previous week, the team travelled with little to play for and at times it showed.

Yet Castleford were worthy winners on the night and had already been the only team to beat Bradford this season.

Joe Roberts was in excellent form for the home side and breaks of 38, 36 and 32 helped beat Wayne Cooper 74-11 and 80-15.

Kevin Firth pulled a frame back for the champions with a 77-37 first-frame win and an early break of 49 looked likely to level the match, only for Pete Raby to fight back well and snatch the frame 71-63 on the black.

Daz Browning and Mark Slater battled out another close match, with Browning eventually being successful 55-47 and 75-51 for Castleford.

* The Bradford Billiards Championship semi-finals have now been fixed and defending champion Mark Hirst takes on Trevor Kershaw at Cue Gardens on Saturday (2pm).

Richard Lodge then faces Paul Devitt at Great Horton Cons on Wednesday (7.30pm), with both matches 90 minutes long and spectators welcome.

* Bradford’s premier team billiards event, the Moorhouse Shield, is set to get underway on Thursday, May 1. Details will be sent out next week but the draw is as follows:

First round: Eccleshill WMC A v Lilycroft, Fields v Clayton Rugby A. Second round: Winners of above ties to play each other, Queensbury Cons v Eccleshill WMC B, Great Horton Cons v Chapel Green, Clayton Rugby B v Wibsey Libs.

* The new Bradford Snooker Handicap tournament entry deadline is drawing nearer and players have until April 27 to register.

The fee is £5 for best-of-five straight knockout matches and players must have been registered in either the Dudley Hill, South Bradford or Conservative Games Leagues.

It is hoped the competition can expand in the future and, with the expert guidance of Games League secretaries Eddie Ratcliffe and David Parrot and full backing from the Bradford Association, there is no reason why this cannot become a permanent event each year.

Full details of this event can be found on the website www.bsa-cuesports.com.