Whitehead Spartans who play in the Carrick & District Pool League hosted their 2nd Annual Pre Season Summer Blackball Team Tournament on Saturday 15th August. There were 16 players present who will be traveling to the Isle of Man next month with the NIPA Teams, so the highly competitive Pool was a welcome workout for them. There were 2 groups of 4 with the top 2 in each, progressing to the Semis. Last years Winners McBurneys from Bangor just missed out on a last 4 place by a single frame to host Team The Spartans. Carrick Select team The Scorpockers topped the group, with Eden also going out. In Group 2, a strong Antrim Select Team made their intentions known by strolling to top spot. Carrick team Castle (pictured right) finished a comfortable 2nd to secure their place in the last 4, as out went Monkstown and North Down & Ards Team Wanderers. But Castle showed no mercy in the first Semi, destroying Scorpockers 8-1. In the 2nd Semi, Antrim Select (pictured bottom right) beat home team The Spartans 8-6 in a close exciting match. Antrim started slight favourites in the Final, having beat Castle 6-4 in the group stages,
but the match was neck and neck all the way and eventually came down to the final frame. It too could have gone either way but it was Colin Montgomery who sunk the final black of the day to give the Carrick lads a nailbiting victory by 8-7 and the £300 Winners prize.Joint top point scorers were Dee Irwin (Castle) & Stephen McWhirter (Spartans) both on 8 wins from 9, followed by Rab Fee from Antrim on 9 wins from 11. Irwin also had an awesome 4 straight break & dishes in his first 4 frames.
