Thrilling finish to Knutsford snooker league title race

However, it was long-time leaders Shaw Heath who prevailed by the narrowest of margins to lift the Knutsford and District Amateur Snooker League title for the second time in three years.

Going into the final round of matches, three teams still had a chance of taking the crown.

Having seen what appeared to be a comfortable 12-point lead at the summit reduced to just two points, Shaw Heath were certainly under pressure going into their game against Mobberley C.

It appeared to be showing, too, with Mobberley soon taking a 3-0 lead helped by a 127-point frame from Alex Wetton.

Mobberley then won the next frame to ensure they would win the match but crucially for the title picture, Shaw Heath fought back to take the final three frames, to ensure Morley Green and Mere A would need dominant victories to overhaul them.

Mere A needed a 7-0 whitewash against Tatton C and while they could only manage a narrow 4-3 win, their finished the season having won 10 matches in a row. Mere’s Alec Wright and Tatton’s Chris Parker both had 100-plus frame scores on the night.

Morley Green needed six points from their match against Mere B and got off to a red-hot start, winning the first two frames thanks to a three-figure score from captain Paul Hart and a big win for Vic McAfee which secured him the individual performance title.

Ultimately, however, their challenge was ended by narrowly losing both of the middle frames on the final black.

They completed a 5-2 victory to secure a third consecutive runners-up spot in a title that was decided on number of wins, with Shaw Heath’s 16 compared to Morley’s 13 seeing them take the crown.

Debutants Heald Green secured fourth spot with a 5-2 win over Tatton B while Mobberley B’s fine finish to the season continued with a 6-1 thrashing of Wilmslow Cons B.

The dress rehearsal for the Team Knockout Final saw Mobberley A hammer Wilmslow Cons A 6-1.

Meanwhile, Tatton’s Steve Bond and Andy Long claimed the H Astles Pairs Competition at Mobberley Victory Hall.

They beat Wilmslow brothers Laughlan and Callum Anderson 2-0 in the final to ensure Bond won his fourth Pairs title and his first for 10 years.

Having also won the Taylor Trophy, Bond now has the chance to cap a brilliant individual season by adding the TC Jay Trophy next week.

Long was lifting the Pairs trophy for the first time and he and his partner were in good form throughout, beating another Wilmslow pair in Matt Dale and Dave Wilkinson 2-0 to reach the final while the Anderson brothers beat Mobberley’s Leung Yu and Alan Williams 2-0 in the semis.

Finalists Steve Bond, Andy Long and brothers Laughlan and Callum Anderson (Image: Contributed)