TWO of the fancied title contenders in the Tavistock Snooker League came face to face as Tavy A edged out West Devon A in a close 3-2 win.

Anderson (senior) for Tavy A had to pull out all the stops to contain an in form Heathman; it was a timely 28 break for Anderson that proved the deciding factor to put Tavy A one up.

Tavy A’s concern over this game was highlighted by their need to draft in their ‘big gun’ Dent, who immediately earned his call up, requiring a black ball win to edge out a tenacious display from West Devon A’s Lawrence.

The third frame for Tavy A, and with it the match, came with a one-sided romp for captain Evans as he overpowered a subdued Taylor.

West Devon A may have been down but they were not out as they pulled back two points with convincing wins for Kevin Rich (29) over Anderson junior and Morris with a totally controlled win over Monk.

With one ‘black ball’ win being the difference between these two teams it proved only one thing, both teams are still very much in the race.

Conservative A, one of the other title contenders, were having it a shade easier in their match with West Devon B, with a ‘maximum five’ win not in any way flattering them.

Carruthers made short work of West Devon’s ‘star player’ Bath, rattling in a 27 break in a one sided affair.

Bell for Con A was made to work a bit harder as he and Roger Rich toiled somewhat in a scrappy frame before Bell eventually took it.

Wiles (20) for Con A brushed off some early bad luck then never looked back as his brand of ‘power snooker’ proved too hot for Hoar to handle as he took the Con A’s into an insurmountable lead.

Evans for Con A kept his shape as he gradually overcame some good early safety play from Blewitt to stretch his team’s lead to four.

Babb likewise, while not at the top of his game, did enough to see off a spirited challenge from West Devon’s skipper Gilchrist to see his side home with a ‘maximum five’ in their pockets.

This win sees Conservative A back up to second in the table, two points behind Tavy A with a game in hand, the season is now ‘hotting’ up. A less than convincing win saw Conservative Z claw their way up the league after a shaky start to the season, albeit in less than convincing fashion.

Bellamy for Con C, a late replacement for an absent Dodd, took the first frame and his first ever league win, against an uncharacteristically hesitant Hall.

Davey his fellow team member did likewise against the normally reliable Jankowski, who failed to keep up with his opponent in a one sided game. Things were looking ominous for Con Z team and it took Fitzsimmons to halt the rot in a finely balanced blackball game, handing Davis his first defeat of the season.

Hodge for Con Z team knew what was at stake and drew on every ounce of his experience to keep his team in the running against a classy Bassett, eventually taking the point in another tight black ball game. 

Neck and neck going into the final frame and Flack (junior) for Con Z team, despite a below par performance, finally stole the game against an unlucky Jago.

This was a tight and nervy match which could easily have gone either way.