Sport
27 April, 2026
Battle of the siblings in pool opening round
With both teams virtually unchanged from last year, it was expected that it would be an easy evening on the baize for the Diggers as last year’s runners’ up.
By BOB WOOLEY
THE opening round of the 2026 season of the Inter-Hotels Pool Competition took place at the Sporting Club on Wednesday.
Amid the chaos of war, fuel shortages, skyrocketing grocery prices and a world leader who considers himself to be the Second Coming of the Lord, the RSL team was not deterred as they confronted the Club’s home side.
With both teams virtually unchanged from last year, it was expected that it would be an easy evening on the baize for the Diggers as last year’s runners’ up.
However, it was to be the Club’s Jesse Cook, last year’s most improved player, who was to provide the season’s first tremors.
He took the opening frame against the incumbent David Harvey shield recipient, Sam Postlethwaite.
The Diggers’ redoubtable Captain, Mitch Phillips, squared the match in a black-ball finish against rookie Gerry Merrin.
Dayle Pitt put the Clubbers ahead again when he overcame Kyle Postlethwaite in another black-ball finish.
So it was left to the Diggers’ dapper Dave Russ to restore the equilibrium by easily outplaying the Club’s courageous captain, Cheyenne Vogler.
The second round was to belong to the boys from Liberty Hall when the apparent lethargy, or, perhaps overconfidence, was expunged from their cues.
The Postlethwaite siblings produced the correct notes to square their matches while Mitch and Dave mercilessly eliminated their respective opponents.
Leading by six games to two, impending victory appeared to be a mere formality for the now-dominant RSL team. But the disturbance of the opening frame was to precipitate into a full-blown seismic event at the top of the third round.
Jesse eliminated Sam, but his brother was steadfast in the face of this calamity. He was able to retire Dayle to the bar, thereby giving the Diggers an unassailable seven games to three lead. The doubles were now a formality and they won both with a nine games to three triumph.
All teams will play round one, bar the Sporting Club.
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