Home & Away Cup Final 2nd Leg
Spartans 7-7 Scorpions ( 1st Leg, Scorpions 7-7 Spartans)
Spartans win 15-14 on aggregate after play off frame
What a fantastic Home & Away Cup Final was played out between defending Champions The Scorpions and 2011 Winners Spartans. After a drama filled first leg where Scorpions fought back from 0-4 down to draw 7-7 it was hard to imagine the 2nd leg could be more exciting. But it was. The match once again ended 7-7 but up stepped the hosts Captain Kenny English in the sudden death play off frame to sink a long do or die black in the corner pocket to bring the trophy back to Whitehead RSC.
Frame 1 - Michael Wilson breaks and dishes superbly against Gerry McCorry
Frame 2 - Colin Montgomery Jr rips out a precise 8 ball clearance against Stephen Johnston for 1-1
Frame 3 - Paul Gingles hangs the black for what would have another 8 ball clearance but got another chance when Robert Hawkins ran out of position on his 2nd last ball. Gingles duly converted.
Frame 4 - Stephen McWhirter never loses position and breaks and dishes against Clem Howard for 2-2.
Frame 5 - Johnston cuts in a very fine black from distance against Scorpion Captain Jonny Thompson.
Frame 6 - Colin Rafferty finishes well against Kenny English to level the match once again
Frame 7 - Montgomery Jr registers his 2nd win against Spartan Darren Lowe to give Scorpions a 4-3 advantage at the half way interval
Frame 8 - Wilson beats McCorry yet again in a frame that swung back and forward about 6 times.
Frame 9 - Spartans take the lead at 5-4 courtesy of a huge fluke shot on his last colour by Johnston. He still had a hard black but back doubled it into the centre pocket.
Frame 10 - Hawkins misses an escape from a snooker and Howard finishes in style with an 8 ball clearance for Scorpions.
Frame 11 - McWhirter failed to take advantage of 2 shots and a relieved Rafferty potted his last colour and the black to put the visitors ahead at 6-5 on the night and 13-12 overall
Frame 12 - When English got back in against Gingles he kept perfect position to run out his last 3 colours and the black to once again level the match.
Frame 13 - Wilson going for his hat trick was in total control as Spartans looked like going into the lead with only one frame to play. He snookered Wes Smyth on his last colour, but Smyth came hard of the top cushion to strike and pot his yellow into the middle and land plum on the black much to the delight of his team mates.
Frame 14 - A very messy frame developed between Lowe and McCorry with nearly all the balls mixed up over the 2 bottom corner pockets. After 20 minutes with the frame not developing the Referee declared both players had 5 shots each to make progress otherwise he would order a 9 ball rerack. This seemed to do the trick, McCorry potted his way to his last yellow with the trophy looking like it was heading back up to Whiteabbey RBL. Spartans had a look of resignation on their faces but were soon lifted when he didnt land on the black as he would have wished. Eventually Lowe took out probably the biggest pressure finish of his life to level the match at 7-7 and take it to a play off frame.
Play Off Frame - After 28 frames and 7 1/2 hours of pool in which they couldn't be seperated, neither of these teams deseved to lose. Howard won the lag against English and opted to break. They broke superbly with a red also dropping. 9 times out of 10 the big man would have run them out but he missed a cut into the middle and let English in. English ran out his colours but lost position on the black and Howard was back at the table, he snookered English, got the 2 shots but again didn't finish. The Spartan Captain got a fortunate rub of the green when a safety shot went wrong and he still kept Howard off his last red which was over the corner bag. It was to be pivotal, as English got back in again for a do or die long black which he sent straight into the centre of the corner pocket to give Spartans a 15-14 aggregate win and the title of 2012/13 Home & Away Cup Winners.