Stokesley Pool League Week 17 – Kirkby B Close In On Title

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With just a few weeks left in the Stokesley Pool League Winter 2025/26 season, the title race is beginning to look settled after another strong week for Kirkby B. Their convincing win over Kirkby A, combined with Nunthorpe Rec’s victory at Sports A, keeps the pressure on but leaves Kirkby B firmly in control at the top.

Ayton 4–5 Sports B

DBL: 2–1, SNG: 2–4

Sports B edged a tight contest at Great Ayton WMC, taking a narrow 5–4 victory over Ayton. The doubles went the way of the home side early on, but Sports B responded strongly in the singles to swing the match in their favour.

Singles wins for Sports B came through Shane Pratt, Jimmy Grange, Jacob Foster and Stephen Belton, which proved enough to secure the result despite Ayton’s solid start.

Kirkby B 7–2 Kirkby A

DBL: 1–2, SNG: 6–0

The standout result of the week came at the Black Swan Inn, where league leaders Kirkby B delivered a dominant singles performance to defeat Kirkby A 7–2.

Although Kirkby A took two of the three doubles frames early on, the response from Kirkby B was emphatic. The hosts swept the singles 6–0, with wins for Jack Butler, John Corner, Ian McGreevy, Lee Murphy and Brian Dea.

The highlight of the night came from Brian Dea, who produced a superb clearance against veteran Player of the Season Dave Chow to finish his frame in style and underline Kirkby B’s authority on the night.

Sports A 2–7 Nunthorpe Rec

DBL: 2–1, SNG: 0–6

Nunthorpe Rec produced one of their strongest performances of the season with a commanding 7–2 victory away at Sports A. The match was evenly poised after the doubles, but Nunthorpe took full control in the singles.

Ali Busena, James Hartley, Jason Rowden, Tony Czifra, Gary Fields and Peter Fields all picked up singles wins as Nunthorpe completed a clean sweep of the singles frames. Sportsmanship award goes to Graham Bird, who called a foul on himself that nobody else saw, allowing Tony to clear the table, leaving him 7 balls.

The victory keeps Nunthorpe Rec within touching distance of the league leaders as the season approaches its final stages.

Table Talk

Kirkby B now sit top of the table on 93 points, with Nunthorpe Rec chasing on 84. With only a handful of matches remaining, Kirkby B hold a strong advantage and look increasingly likely to lift the title.

Behind them, the race for third remains competitive with Sports B on 76, while Sports A and Ayton are tied on 69 points. Kirkby A round out the table on 65.

Player of the Week

Brian Dea (Kirkby B) – A brilliant clearance and a composed singles win in Kirkby B’s dominant performance against Kirkby A. With the title race entering its final stretch, moments like that can define a season.