Legionnaires stun champs on their top-flight return
NORTH LEGIONNAIRES enjoyed a sensational return to the T & C Roofing Premier Division with a shock 7-5 victory over defending champions La Villette Hotel Gremlins.
A sparkling performance from last season’s runaway First Division winners saw three of their players net the first two frames of their 2-1 victories, while Tom Brock’s brilliant 33 clearance against Martyn Desperques was hugely significant.
With Rick De Garis getting the better of Adrian Holley, Brock grabbed an important third when trailing 52-21, and while Desperques emphatically responded with a superb 94, the North Legion outfit had parity at half-way.
The Legionnaires pushed on through Phil Cox, and it took the narrowest of frames from Seb Priaulx to add La Villette’s fourth, 44-43.
Miles Plumley’s brace then took the Legionaires to a victorious seventh frame, but Darren Hughes limited La Villette’s damage in the last.
The Sledgehammers took full advantage by romping to a 10-2 win against Ex-Service Hot Butts, with Adam Shorto and John Skillett breezing through the first six frames with hardly a scare.
Shorto bagged a 50 break in the middle of his opener, and while Clayton Le Noury and Scott Bradford briefly rallied, neither were able to get close as Skillett finished his 3-0 success against the latter in style with a 70 break.
Glenn Le Prevost was also rarely troubled, and his highlights against Tristan Ozanne were a tidy colours clearance to pink and a 43 break.
All the hallmarks of an opening whitewash were there when Danny Marquand took his opener, but Jamie Le Cheminant dominated the last two frames for a deserved Hot Butts response.
Matches between Imperium Strokers and Ex-Service Stunners are invariably close and it was no different this time as the Strokers won the last three frames to win 7-5.
Roscoe Cloarec picked up from last season by taking his first two frames, including an 80-0 opener, but Mark Gauvain clawed one back.
It was a similar story alongside as Dave Gilmour edged Ross De Carteret, but the Stunners again hit the front through reserve Dean Fitton.
Gary Le Noury added to the cause by taking the Stunners to a fifth frame, only for Colin Gilbert and Kelvin Du Feu to get 60 or more points in each of their last two frames.
