Draw for interleague cup is done

[stelmagic]

www.epa.org.uk/intko07rr.php

Table 1 for the elite team is that good or bad?

[TheDisher]

Looks like their up against last years winners, Sun Valley

[Craig Benstock]

Oh good

[Dan]

That's your punishment for having something like "Elite" in your name


We've got two teams who haven't featured in the past five years records (as far back as they go), so they could be like us or in contrast, like the elite! Can't wait, going to be a good weekend.

[stelmagic]

this is the tournament organisers overview of the event from the epa site just the local sides groups
Elite
Table One
In true Interleague tradition, table one will see the defending champions set off this event at 9am on Saturday morning. Nottingham’s Sun Valley will start off the very tough task of retaining their title against Cambridge Elite who have Craig Benstock, Ian Norris, Mick Conlon and Simon Rivers in their squad and will no doubt have a plan of action on how to deal with the sheer strength of Sun Valley who can call on Baydon Jackson, Clint I'Anson, Jason Rimmington, Jim I'Anson, Lee Howitt, Liam Stanley, Neil Jones and Steve Hotchkiss you can see that you are going to require some performance to stop this lot in their tracks

Sun Valley are returning to this years knockout cup as reigning champions so they are team to beat, lead by skipper Jim I’Anson has only one intention and that is to win it again and with experienced International players like Bayden Jackson and Clint I’Anson they should be capable of getting somewhere close to it.
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With the calibre of players that make up the Sun Valley team, it is hard to see how Cambridge Elite will be able to stop them I know that the Cambridge players won’t see it that way.

That will mean that Tolworth II will take on Cambridge Elite with their pride dented Cambridge will seek to avenge their defeat in the opening match against the Surrey side. Sadly, for Tolworth II I think they will. In doing so, Cambridge will have inadvertently knocked both team out of the event.

Sun valley will ten take on Tolworth in the final match of this group and having lost to Cambridge Elite the only thing for Tolworth II to play for will be pride but I don’t see Sun Valley allowing then to salvage much of that as they cruise through to the last 32.

Ely

Table Three
This is a group that looks like it has a clear favourite, if you look at the recent track record of the teams involved. Oxfordshire’s Bicester Select starts the group with a match against Cambridgeshire’s Ely.

Bicester Select will need to bring their “A” game to the table if they expect to do well which means that players like Bob Hines, Nick Gaul & Rob Franklin will have to lead by example. Ely on the other hand have tried and tested performers like Iain Aldous, skipper Dale Parson and Chuck Sellars. Ely probably won’t have the services of their number one attraction, Phil Harrison but they are still going to be a force to be reckoned with.

I don’t think that overall that Bicester Select will be able to stop Ely from getting to the winning line first.

That will mean that Bicester Select will then be taking on Berkshire’s Bracknell & Ascot A. having lost to Ely, Bicester Select may find Bracknell & Ascot A just a bit too hot to handle. Bracknell & Ascot A have Danny Oliphant, Dave Bryant, Steve Ring and Mick Worsfold to do their bidding.

These players should have enough experience to see of any challenge that Bicester Select can muster.

This in turn should set up a head to head clash between Ely and Bracknell & Ascot A to see who will be group winners. This I can see being a tight affair and Ely may well wish they had Phil Harrison to steady their nerves. Although tight I still think that Ely will just have enough to get past the defences of Bracknell & Ascot but they are going to know that it was touch and go for most of the match.

CSC team

Table Four
Keeping Ely company on the next table will be county stable mates Cambridgeshire’s Cambridge Snooker Club. Because they are playing Derbyshire’ Glossop in the first match. This is the hardest group of all to predict because all three teams are first timers as far as the Interleague is concerned.

That said, Cambridge look to be the best equipped team of the group so on that fact alone I am going to go for Cambridge to come out on top.

This means that Glossop will be taking on West Yorkshire’s Macmillan another team I know very little about but coming from West Yorkshire they have some quality teams to play against so they must have learnt something from that experience.

Glossop on the other hand will have to pick themselves up from their first match defeat. Losing in the Interleague is a very depressing thing and you have to be of a strong will to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get back to winning ways. This is not too easy if you have bags of experience but a nightmare when you don’t have the experience of being able to do it in the pressure cooker.

So I am going to go for Macmillan’s to win this one and end Glossop’s involvement in the event.

With Cambridge taking on Macmillan’s for the right to proceed to the last 32 both teams will be blissfully unaware of the magnitude of the match, oh they will know it’s to win their group but won’t be aware of the carnage going on in some of the tables around them as some of the fancied teams fail to escape from the group stage.

I am going for Cambridge to win the group and become one of the very rare club of teams that have won the group at their first attempt.

[stelmagic]

Oh and Craig how much did you pay him for the mention?? ;D

[Craig Benstock]

You don't want to know

[shadydaz]

Group favourites??

Gotta love that. C'mon the CSC.