Sir Robert Peel came from 2-0 down to eventually beat rivals DOB Dynamos 5-4 in a thrilling Shield final

THE chalk dust has settled on another scintillating season in one of the capital’s top pool leagues, but the battles on the blue baize are far from over with a plethora of national trophies still up for grabs.

A sizeable 70-plus crowd gathered at the Hurricane Room in King’s Cross earlier this month when the Chalk Farm Pool League hosted the grand finals of their singles, doubles and seniors competitions.

The league’s much-sought-after Shield was also up for grabs as premier potters from across Camden, Islington and Westminster showcased their cueing skills under pressure.

Mark O’Dwyer won the seniors trophy in style

Treble winners King’s Cross Hurricanes pocketed all the biggest team prizes this season, so there was perhaps little surprise when two of the major individual honours were also won by their players.

Nick Phillips beat King’s Cross Potter Ricky Najah 3-1 to capture the singles title, while Mark O’Dwyer wracked up a 3-0 victory over The Crown’s John Beaney to win the seniors trophy.

The doubles title was guaranteed to be heading to PJ O’Connors in Wood Green before a single ball had even been potted. That’s because their players dominated the competition, with John McDonagh and Ian Ali taking on clubmates Kevin Howard Junior and Rory Cooper in the final.

Nick Phillips won the singles title

In the end the silverware, and indeed the bragging rights, belonged to McDonagh and Ali after they sealed a resounding 3-0 win.

The only team trophy up for grabs proved to be a thriller, with Sir Robert Peel’s resolute squad coming from 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 down to eventually beat DOB Dynamos 5-4 in an epic Shield final.

“The atmosphere was electric,” said league chairman Shaun Pollard.

“We had a vibrant crowd of around 70 people watching and cheering on the players, and the players responded by delivering some top-quality pool.”

Doubles champions John McDonagh and Ian Ali

Looking ahead to next season, Pollard added: “We’re always looking to get bigger and better, so we’re inviting new teams to join the league and add to the competition. We’ll arrange a series of friendlies for any newcomers to assess their ability, and give them all the support and advice they need to help settle into the league as quickly possible.”

The season might be over, but “the pool don’t stop”. Pollard, Ali and Phillips are among the players busy practising every Sunday alongside their Central London county teammates.

Having navigated their way through a series of testing matches in the eastern region of the Blackball County Pool League, Central London’s “A”, “B”, “C” and Seniors squads have qualified for the national finals, which will be held in Southport in October.

Pollard said: “We are going to organise some tournaments in the coming weeks to help the players stay sharp. We’re heading to the nationals full of confidence.”

• Any teams interested in joining the Chalk Farm Pool League can visit www.rackemapp.com/leagues/CFPL/Contact