WITCHILL Wildcats have been crowned champions of the Asprou Barbers Vale Pool League with a game to spare, despite being held to a draw at the King William IV in Cadoxton last week.

The rearranged encounter ended 6-6, with man of the match Ceri Morris potting the sudden death black to earn the Wildcats the bonus point and clinch their first league title.

The King William gave a good account of themselves against much stronger opposition, with Neil Tipples, Les Hunt and Geoff Froud fighting for every point. But the night belonged to the Wildcats, in particular Ian Hill who won three out of his four games.

In a nail biting final match of the season, The Dark Lords visited the Baruc Arms needing a victory to secure second place in the league. In a close match, the teams arrived at a 5-5 situation with The Dark Lords needing to win both of their remaining doubles. Gavin Rowlands and Matt Tobin duly won the next frame to set up a final frame decider, with Ralph Miners and Wayne Hobson scraping victory against James Latham and Robert Larkin to seal the tie. Man of the match went to Matt Tobin who won all four of his matches, while Sean Kelly was also unbeaten on the night.

Glenbrook Wanderers cruised to an 8-4 win against Millwood Pot Jacks, with captain Jeff Bartle getting man of the match with his four wins from four. Rhodri Thomas won three out of his four games, while Karl Marsh and Nick "Hurricane" Taylor also added valuable contributions. Gary Williams and Nigel Tutton started brightly for The Pot Jacks, but they ultimately struggled against their determined opposition.

O'Brien's could once again count themselves unfortunate as their season concluded without a single league win.

Hosting Finnegan's, O'Brien's found themselves 6-2 down against the Islanders, but went on to win three out of the final four frames to lose 7-5. Finnegan's started strongly through Kane Grindley, Carson Martin and Steve Neilson and continued to add the pressure by winning the first set of doubles, only for O'Brien's to restore some pride late on. Nonetheless, Finnegan's 7-5 win reflected a fair result on the night.

The Ship hosted the Libs Rejects and found themselves 5-1 down at the halfway point, with Mike Dunn winning their only point. The Ship improved after the midway point, with the Rejects earning a well deserved 8-4 win.

Mike Roberts was named man of the match thanks to his 100 per cent win rate, ably supported by captain Alex Campbell, James Bastow and young Tom Ivins.

League champions Witchill Wildcats played their final game at home against The King William, the side they beat three days before in a rearranged fixture. Steve Watkins, James Hill and Chris Bardsley quickly gave The Wildcats a 3-0 lead in an attack minded encounter, with The King William trying their best to out-pot their superior opponents to no avail.

Ceri Morris, Ian Hill, Sian Kedward and Lawrence Klee saw The Wildcats claim another deserved victory, their 17th from 20 games, in an 8-4 win.

The cup starts in early March and gives another opportunity for new teams to join the Thursday pool league. The league are looking for players to join the Glenbrook, the Baruc Arms and Barry Town Football club. If you would like to join, text Joe on 07870 498738.

The league would once again like to thank their sponsors Asprou Barbers Park Crescent, Eze Drive driving school and R&M Mobile Valeting.