BM Kitchen Designs Pool Knock-Out Cup down to last four

Q Club in Larne will host their Whitehead neighbours, Spartans. Trojans from Whitehead will host Colts from Greenisland. The Knock-Out Cup preliminary round was played on Monday, September 18, in the Carrick and District Pool League.

After a great result the previous evening TheRockets To Be travelled to Whitehead Rangers to face The Spartans. The Spartans started strongly and kept this up for the entirety of the match, capitalising on any minor error from their opponents. Unfortunately The Rockers To Be couldn't produce the heroics from the last round and were beaten 8-0.

Although this was a bruising defeat the league's newcomers can take heart from their performance and consider themselves a little unlucky not to get a few frames on the scoreboard.Winners on the night for the home team - Jim Gilchrist x 2, Mark Millar x 2, Billy Pawson, Robert Hawkins, Kenny English and Trevor Whiteside.

Scorpions welcomed Whitehead Trojans to the Times Bar. Aaron Farr put the visitors ahead after a nice double to set up a routine finish. Scorpions soon levelled with a win for Lee McIlreevy. Stevie Quinn put Trojans ahead again and Chris Carson levelled at 2-2. Stephen McGlaughlin made it 2-3 and Aaron Farr chipped in his second before Paul Kerr pulled one back 3-4 at half time.

Lee Mcilreevy levelled the scores again before Aaron Farr made his hat-trick and the Trojans raced to the hill with wins for Stuart Kelly and the pool gods were looking down on Andy Quinn as he eventually took a crucial win. Chris Carson began what he hoped would be a Scorpions comeback back but Stuart Kelly held his nerve to win the decisive 13th frame and secure the Whitehead men’s place in the semis. Scorpions wish the Trojans the best of luck in the next round.

Rab & Big Ts Rockets v Q Club

The Whiteabbey Legion welcomed the Larne lads for what would become an epic battle in the Carrick Pool League KO Cup quarters. The visitors drew first blood with Brian Crilly claiming the first point on the board, but Stuart McClean levelled it with a good finish in the 2nd frame, 1-1.

Next, maintaining the momentum, up stepped Rab, Big T and then this year’s new signing, Warren Miskimmin, giving the Rockets four on the bounce, 4-1 up. But Tyler McKee and Ryan Scott had other ideas, winning the next two frames to close the gap, Rockets going into the break 4-3 up.

The second half of the match started with a similar pattern, Tyler winning the first to equalise at 4-4. Big T and Rab were up next, winning theirs to give the Rockets a lead again, 6-4 Rockets. However Ryan Scott, Rorie and Tyler hit back yet again with three frames on the bounce, giving the visiting Larne men the lead again for the first time since Brian put them 1-0 up.

Q Club leading 7-6, it was down to Big T, with a second frame against his old compadre Scampi, to give the Rockets a chance at a playoff. Wasn’t pretty, but Big T managed to get the draw, 7-7.

So after a pretty tippy-tappy night in all, with a few half decent finishes, a few tactical battles, it was down to McKillop and Miskimmin. Warren won the lag for break and smashed them, resulting in possibly the best split of the night, but was dry. To be fair, the balls opened up lovely, but still needed some precision, which wee Ryan delivered clinically for a nice reverse dish.

Well done to the Q Club lads, good match. Good luck in the semis.

After a recent league match defeat against The Railway Blues,the Greenisland Colts set out to redeem themselves in the cup fixture. Ryan Stewart secured a first frame victory for the blues then Aaron Watters and Joe Patton took the following frames to put the Colts ahead.

Then Kenny Crawford brought the blues level before captain Harry Warwick and vice captain Colin Beckinsale won the next two frames followed by a win for Blues player Craig Loughlin thus making the first half scoreline a friendly yet tense enough 4 - 3 in the Colts favour.

The second half however saw the Colts pull away somewhat losing only one of five frames with wins for Colts Glen Burns, Aaron Watters and Harry Warwick with Ryan Stewart being the only Railway Blues team member to win a second half frame before Colt Colin Beckinsale finally got his team over the finish line. Final result: Railway Blues 4 Greenisland Colts 8