Winning a league is always good but the problem is that most of the time its won long before the final week and sometimes through other teams losing rather than your team winning it in any style. This is what makes the cup finals better occassions. You have the possibility of an unlikely hero or someone playing one single outstanding shot that changes the match. My objection to two-legged matches has already been well touted on here but the chances of having that final frame exciting decider still burns brightly after the Irish and the Windsor Wanderers fought out an entertaining 6-6 draw in the first leg of the cup.

With Terry running late picking up Brad and JY, Andy 'Bagel' Brant stepped in as Captain and shuffled the line up for the first 6. Andy put himself up first, we needed to get off to a good start and there was only one man for the job. Unfortunately it wasn't Andy as Peter Lofts put Windsor one up with a typicially excellent clearance from the green baize veteran.

One visit was all Pat Phelan managed as James Harness rattled off frame two in no time at all and the Irish were in a spot of bother after only 10 minutes.

It was a clash of the Paynes in the third as Steve 'the microwave' took on Sefton. The Microwave has been on the blink lately, looking nothing short of appalling in the last few weeks and is even beginning to make 'Wonder' Walls' average look good. Again he was out of sorts missing a simple ball to the middle when he had cue ball in hand at the start of the frame. Sefton looked to have everything under control and a slack safety from Steve let Sefton in. But he got into his last yellow too much and managed to screw the white the length of the table into the bottom corner to give Steve two shots and the frame.

'Wonder' got away with missing a long black against James McCarthy to pull the Irish back to parity at 2-2 when 'Machete' fluffed the final yellow. Next up was John Shiel against Robert Uzzell.

There was only one person in the room who couldn't see the possible 'pot red and then the white pots the black in the centre' combination and regretably it was John Shiel who put it away with some aplomb to lose his frame to Uzzell.

3-2 to Windsor and with Brad turning up late he found himself in the unusual position of trap six and up against Anne Middleton. What looked like the banker of the meeting ended up seeing a lot of people with burnt fingers as Anne played a superb frame. Some excellent potting and positional play on her last two yellows culminated in a long black that never touched the sides as it dropped into the corner. 4-2 at the break and it was looking like Windsor could run away with it.

The second half carried on in the same manner. Peter turned round what looked like an awful situation to beat John Shiel who really had the frame won from the start but let it slip away. It was due in no small fashion to some great work from Loftsy manouvering out his difficult yellows and taking out a tricky pot with two yellows left. 5-2

James had Pat by the short and curlies for the whole frame but almost gave it away. Pat was never in it until James almost blundered the black but saved himself with a delicate snooker. Watching the frame was like going to a bar and a gorgeous woman goes up to one of your mates suggesting they go back to hers. He then proceeds to spend the next three hours buying her drinks and talking to her - just get on with it !! The deal is done for goodness sake !! 6-2 and after all my months of whinging we finally had a real fight on our hands. Of course that had this been a one off final we would have been in serious bother.

Brad met Anne again for round two and this time the bear was pulling no punches. He produced more 'containers' than Eddie Stobarts as he continuely tucked up Anne until she finally gave him the two shots he needed to take the frame. Payney beat the 'Machete' and get the scoreline up to 6-4 in Windsors favour and not for the first time this season the final names on the Irish card read Andy Brant and Keith Walls.

Andy went through the usual routine of "if I win this Walls don't you f*ck up yeah !" before starting his frame against Sefton. In a similar story to Seftons first frame he seemed to have it won only to lose position slightly on his last yellow and then missing a double on the black. Andy to his credit played a wonderful pot on his second last red and despite an edgy final ball cut the black into the middle for 6-5.

So up came Walls for yet another final frame bail out. Was his shoulders still hurting from carrying the team for most of the season or was it from his pushbike accident last week? We may never.. care. A break, a re-rack, another break , a pot , a safety shot (you could see he was taking it seriously) and then a clearance and it was levels you devils at six each.

Like phone voting for Big Brother it was all for nowt as a run of four straight frames clawed us back to a tie at the end of the first leg. We come back next week at the same bat time and the same bat channel to finish it off - I may yet get the last frame cliffhanger that I want (as long as its not me playing it !)