Dublin-Belfast Challenge Match 2009-2010
Roadstone Snooker Club - 22nd-23rd October 2010
D.B.S.L. defeated Belfast and District League 55-53
in the annual Dublin-Belfast challenge match held in Roadstone Snooker Club. The match was split over two days,
with 3 sessions of 3 frames played on Friday, and 10 sessions of 2 frames played on the Saturday. Belfast took an early 20-16 lead after the 1st day's play,
with 1 session of Premier League and 2 sessions of Division 2 matches played. When play resumed on Saturday, the D.B.S.L. fightback started
with the Division 1 team winning their opening session 5-3. Belfast won the next session 5-3 to go 4 ahead again, and maintained
their lead till Division 1 won their 2nd session 5-3. The Premier League team then won 5-3 to level the match. Division 1 won
their 3rd session in a row, this time by 6-2 to give D.B.S.L. a 4 point lead. When Robert Redmond (Roadstone 'A') and Philip Browne
(Roadstone 'C') won their session 3-1 against Belfast, D.B.S.L. had extended their lead to 6 points.
However, Division 1 then suffered their 1st
loss of the day, losing their final session to Belfast 5-3. Belfast continued their fightback by winning the final Division 2 session by 6 frames to 2
to leave the match all square with 2 Premier League matches remaining. George Tierney (Roadstone 'A') and George O'Hara
(Roadstone 'C') won the opening frames of their matches to leave D.B.S.L. only needing 1 frame out of the remaining 2. George O'Hara went 60 ahead
in his frame, before Clifford Carson (QE1) came back with a break of 46. Eventually it came down to the blue with Clifford needing the last 3 colours
to force a re-spot. George knocked in a great long blue to seal the win and end a great weekend's play.
The highest break was made by D.B.S.L.'s George Tierney (Roadstone 'A'), a 98 against Gary Crawford
(QE1) in the opening match.