Meath Pool League update

There was one match played in Div 1 of the Meath Pool League at the weekend as the Chaser A and Alfie's was postponed as some of the players are playing in the EBA Nations Cup in Malta.

Conor Brady (Ratoath), Paddy Murphy (Oldcastle) and Keith Cahill (Dunboyne) are part of the Irish A team in action in Malta where they have won two of their eight games in the Nations Cup.

On the Masters A team Martin Rothwell (Kells), Paul Tierney (Dunderry) and Charlie Hanlon (Dunderry) are also in action.

One of the games that did go ahead in the Meath Pool League Div 1 saw Balreask take on Fox's A.

Balreask's Keith McGibney broke and potted several colours as he went for finish, but he ran out of position and let Deckie O'Brien back in for Fox's. After a very tactical display O'Brien brought the game to the black, but he missed the last ball and left it hanging for McGibney to sweep in and take the opening match.

David McQuillan (Fox's) had a dry break against Richie Burry, but the Balreask player missed the black and after playing a tactical finish McQuillan earned two shots and won the frame to level the scores.

With Fox's snapping at the heels, Alan Smith came in and took out a superb eight-ball finish to hand Balreask the lead, but Martin Carolan edged out Martin Keenan to level the tie, 2-2. 

Balreask's Frank Moran broke off and was able to nominate a colour, but after an error Ciaran Wallace got in with a two-shot break and cleared to the black, but he missed the last ball and Moran swept in to take the frame.

After failing to hit a cushion with an early effort Fox's Paddy Byrne allowed in Josh Byrne for two shots and the Balreask man had it easy to extend his side's advantage to 4-2 at the end of the singles competition.

The first two doubles matches were shared with Balreask's McGibney and Moran winning their frame before Tom Duignan and Carolan pulled one back for Fox's to make it 3-5.

Fox's narrowed the deficit further when Wallace and Paddy Byrne combined to win, but to earn overall victory Fox's had to win the last three frames and that scenario was scuppered in the next game as McGibney and Moran won again.

Wallace and Paddy Byrne maintained Fox's hopes of a draw, but in the final match of the night it was Josh Byrne and Smith who teamed up to clinch the frame on the black ball for a 7-5 win for Balreask.

DIVISION 2
Top of the table Carnaross Inn opened this Div 2 clash with McHugh's with a win for Kevin Mynes when with his back to the wall he had to reverse cut a ball from the bottom left cushion into the top left leaving himself with a simple red to the middle and the black to the bottom right.

McHugh's bounced back impressively to win the next two frames with great performances by David Buchanan and Brian McLaughlin, but Paul Dunne settled Carnaross to make it 2-2.

McHugh's defied the odds. Tony Cahill broke off and cleaned up for the underdogs without giving Paul Clarke a shot and when Sean Gough won his match it gifted McHugh's a surprise 4-2 lead.

Buchanan and Cahill teamed up to extend McHugh's lead, but Carnaross kept the pressure on by winning the next two racks with solid performances from John McMahon and Dunne and Eugene Yore and Cillian Porter making it 4-5.

McLaughlin and Buchanan ensured McHugh's couldn't be beaten by taking the next frame. Mynes and Clarke won the next on knowledge of the rules following a long drawn out tactical battle that saw them use a free ball to pot their ball that was covered by their opponents ball and free the black at the same time.

Yore and Porter won the last frame to draw the match and maintain Carnaross Inn's place at the top of the table.