ROCHE Victory edged a close contest 19-17 at Liskeard Sports Club recently to deny the hosts victory in the Cornwall County Pool Association Interleague Conference Division.

Gerry Markwell kicked off for the home side and promptly lost to Shaun Strickland, however team-mates Darrell Hidson, Colin Penhaligon, Ian Penhaligon and Jimmy Stephens then rattled off four frames in a row against Mark Poulson, Andy Dare, Ryan Bate and Mark Craddock respectively.

Their charge came to a shuddering halt, when the visitors immediately hit back with a run of their own which saw Mark Kessler, Simon Taylor, Francis Harvey and Anthony Whitton take four in a row at the expense of Jonny Jones, Colin Bell, Dan Marchant and Keith Armitage to take the first stanza 5-4.

The home side got off to a better start in taking three of the first four frames courtesy of Markwell and the Penhaligons despite Strickland beating Hidson.

However, although Jones got Looe’s fourth after Whitton reduced the arrears in the set to one, again Roche went on a spree, this time taking the last three via Kessell, Taylor and Harvey for a 10-8 cushion.

Markwell reduced the visitors’ advantage to one, however Roche made it 11-9 through Poulson and added the next three with Strickland, Bate and Harvey all triumphing.

The last four were shared which included points for Looe’s Jones and Marchant and frames for Dare and Taylor.

With a 16-11 advantage it meant the hosts needed seven of the last nine just to draw.

They won six of the first eight to ensure they had a chance of grabbing a draw in the last thanks to victories for Markwell, both Penhaligons, Stephens, Jones and Marchant, however Kessell held his nerve against Armitage in the decider to edge a thriller.