By Roger Stephens

EAST Cornwall welcomed St Austell and District B in their latest Cornwall County Pool Association Interleague Championship match at JJ’s Sports Bar in East Looe on Friday, October 4.

As usual the match was played over four nine-frame sets which the hosts eventually won 21-15.

But it was their superb start that ensured there would be no way back for the Saints as East Cornwall won the opening six frames without reply through Darren ‘Donkey Hooper, Rob Cowling, captain Luke Penhaligon, Ollie Rounsevell, Steve Eastley and Brian ‘Reedy’ Reed by taking out Andrew Gooch, Stuart Allardice, Chris Morford, Craig Wherry, Geoff Merriman and Phil Higham in that order.

The Saints fought back to make it 6-3 thanks to wins for Mark Cockayne, Chris Brown and Mark Sullivan over Gerry Markwell, Darrell Hidson and Mark Stevens, but the hosts were in front.

The second set saw the visitors come storming back with Wherry and Gooch beating Hooper and Cowling, before Penhaligon responded by taking out Stuart Allardice.

But back came the visitors as Morford and Sullivan beat Rounsevell and Eastley.

With the Saints 4-1 up, the scoreline was back to all square at 7-7, but Reed and Markwell had other ideas and took out Merriman and Higham for a 9-7 advantage.

But Cockayne and Brown ensured they won the set and made it 9-9 overall by beating Hidson and Stevens.

Both teams were looking to push on in the third stanza as whoever did so would be in pole position when the pressure really comes on.

And despite Hooper losing the first frame to Morford, East Cornwall came back with a three-frame winning run with Cowling, Penhaligon and Rounsevell defeating Wherry, Gooch and Allardice in that order.

The hosts now had their tails up and were going for the set, but they were brought to an abrupt halt when Brown and Sullivan beat Eastley and Reed This meant it was back to 3-3 and again the set was in the balance.

East Cornwall the took a grip on things with Markwell, Hidson and Stevens taking the last three frames by beating Merriman, Higham and Cockayne.

At two sets to one up and with a match lead of three frames (15-12), the hosts kicked off the fourth set looking to clinch the match as quickly as they could.

Hooper who wasn’t having the best of matches so far, lost to Allardice.

But his team mates put the East Cornwall boys back on track when Cowling and Penhaligon took out Morford and Wherry to close in on victory at 17-13, and ensured the visitors would need to win five of the last six for a draw.

In a see-saw battle for the next three frames, Eastley beat Cockayne for the hosts, but wins for Gooch over Rounsevell and Brown over Reed, meant they had a sniff of a share of the spoils despite being 18-15 down.

The home side were within touching distance of match victory and they sealed it with a flourish, taking the last three frames, courtesy of victories for Markwell, Hidson and Stevens over Sullivan, Merriman and Higham. The East boys certainly upped the tempo in the second half of this match, running out 21-15 victors over a stubborn opponent.

This victory means East Cornwall leapfrog their visitors in the table and are up to third with a game in-hand on second-placed Edgcliff Ballers who they visit on Friday, October 18 (8pm).

Home captain Luke Penhaligon was man of the match for winning all four of his games.