20/05/2026
Summer League
Playing Place 4 – 2 Four Lanes
Four Lanes made the trip down to Playing Place for a Summer League clash that proved tougher than finding a parking space in Truro on market day. Despite flashes of quality and a couple of excellent wins, the visitors ultimately came away on the wrong end of a 4–2 scoreline against a strong home side.
The handicaps made for some intriguing battles throughout the evening, with Four Lanes often having to claw back sizeable starts. Young and Veal both produced excellent victories, but Playing Place capitalised well in the remaining frames to edge the contest.
Frame 1
M. Young (+28) got Four Lanes off to the perfect start with a gritty 75–61 win over J. MacCuish (+14). Despite giving away momentum early on, Young settled brilliantly and used his sizeable start wisely, steadily building pressure on the Playing Place man. The Four Lanes cueist kept things tight tactically and took his chances well, grinding out the frame with the determination of someone queueing for the first pasty batch at Rowe’s on a Saturday morning.
Frame 2
N. Veal (-7) produced arguably the performance of the night for Four Lanes, overcoming a massive 21-point handicap deficit to beat B. Trewern (+14) 62–50. Veal showed excellent composure throughout, slowly eating into the handicap before taking command in the colours. By the final black, Trewern looked about as comfortable as a seagull in a chip shop doorway. A superb win pulled Four Lanes into a strong early position.
Frame 3
D. Hares (+14) faced J. Moore (+21) in a closely contested frame that eventually swung the home side’s way 65–48. Hares battled hard throughout and stayed firmly in touch for much of the contest, but Moore’s steady scoring and clever safety play gradually turned the screw. It was one of those frames where every loose red seemed to drift invitingly toward the Playing Place cue ball.
Frame 4
N. Veal (-7) returned to the table against J. MacCuish (+14), but this time the Playing Place player gained revenge with a convincing 74–27 success. MacCuish settled quickly and never really allowed Veal to find rhythm, punishing mistakes with some tidy scoring. Veal kept battling away gamely, but the frame slipped away quicker than a pint left unattended during karaoke night at the pub.
Frame 5
D. Hares (+14) took on B. Trewern (+14) in a level-handicap battle, but Trewern controlled proceedings well to claim a 52–32 victory. Hares worked hard to stay in contention and produced some solid safety exchanges, though Trewern’s consistency around the table proved decisive. Playing Place were now beginning to gather momentum and smelled blood in the water.
Frame 6
The final frame saw M. Young (+28) come up against J. Moore (+21), but Moore rounded off the evening strongly with a 76–31 victory. Young never stopped battling and showed good spirit despite the scoreline, but Moore was in excellent touch and took his opportunities confidently. By this point the home side were flowing nicely, while Four Lanes looked like a team in need of a strong cup of tea and a tactical regroup before the next fixture.
Summary
A difficult evening for Four Lanes ended in a 4–2 defeat away at Playing Place, though there were still several positives for the visitors to take home.
Young produced a strong opening-frame victory, while Veal’s excellent comeback win despite a 21-point handicap deficit was one of the standout performances of the night. Dave Hares battled hard in both his frames but found the Playing Place players in solid form.
The home side ultimately proved more clinical across the evening, with J. Moore and J. MacCuish both producing strong displays to secure the overall win. Four Lanes will look to bounce back quickly and return to winning ways in the next Summer League fixture.