Entries are invited to the Millennium County Championship which will be hosted this year in the newly refurbished Donegal Town venue. The first round will be played on the second weekend of May with the club open from 10 a.m. each day. Entrants must nominate either the Saturday or the Sunday on which to play their opening match and this information should be included on the entry form. If players can play on either day, this too should be noted. The host club will endeavour to facilitate competitors who have difficulties with this arrangement.

Entry forms may be obtained from any of the clubs in the county or by contacting any member of Donegal Town Snooker Club.

The final snooker event of the season and unofficial club championship is underway. Players are requested to fulfil their fixtures on schedule.

Paddy Kelly won the Harry Diver Cup sponsored by the Tower Bar when he defeated Billy Reid in a tense final played recently in the club. It was a poignant moment for Paddy as he and Harry went back a long way. Indeed, both men's autographs from 1981 were discovered last month on the wooden insert of a table after it had had the slate removed.

Billy had hit a rich vein of form and had taken the scalp of Jack Keeney in the semi-final. The first frame was tight but Paddy prevailed thanks to some excellent potting at crucial moments. Billy responded well in frame two and it took a break of 13 to enable Paddy to forge ahead before he snatched it on the pink. The final frame was a one-sided affair for most of its duration with Billy outgunning Paddy at every opportunity. He built up a healthy 26 point lead going into the colours and most spectators felt a forth frame was in the offing. But Paddy had other ideas. The club champion of 1956 showed he hadn't lost his competitive streak by gradually clearing the colours to the pink. Billy still had a chance on the black and duly sunk it, only to watch agonisingly as the cueball disappeared into a corner pocket.

It was not the way Paddy wanted to win but sometimes the fates are cruel. Paddy thanked all who contributed to a successful seniors tournament and commiserated with the gallant loser. Chairman Kieran Temple spoke for all present when he expressed his appreciation of all that Barry Mulreany of the Tower Bar has done over the past two years to ensure the success of this annual tournament. He was on board from the start and his sponsorship has been vital and generous.

Donegal Town set up a potential semi-final with Northwest A by disposing of fancied Killea in clinical fashion. In this novel competition each player plays three frames and the winning team is the first to reach eight points. Donegal were in such hot form that only three players were required. Shane Faulkner, Charlie Murphy and Tom Plunkett each won three nil with Charlie and Shane in top form.