The club's involvement in the Derry League came to an end on February 28 when crack outfit Oak Grove won by the narrowest of margins in a quarterfinal hosted by the G.P.O. club in Derry.

Boasting three players who had finished in the top eight in the individual league rankings the Oak were strong favourites, but Donegal made the better start.

Charles Murphy took the first frame against former Derry Champion Seamus Conway but was unlucky to lose a tight second against an in-form player.

Tom Plunkett gained a notable two nil victory against Oak's number one Seamus Gallagher. Having won the first frame on a black ball fight, Tom began the second frame with a break of 31 only to run out of position. His opponent showed his class by hitting back with a 47. A protracted safety battle then ensued with Tom getting the snooker he needed on the pink and then potting pink and black to put Donegal three one up.

But Oak Grove are no pushover and Donal Murphy proved his mettle by taking both frames against Michael Neary. The match was decided on the aggregate scores in the six frames and Donegal were the unlucky losers.

And so after a long winter battle, Donegal's Derry campaign had come to an end. Team captain Tom Plunkett wishes to thank his players for sticking with a time-consuming league which involved a lot of travelling and late nights. Charlie Murphy's break of 64 against Greene's Bar was the highest break by any Donegal player and a portent of what was to come. Michael Neary was consistent as ever and the seniors of the town had better watch out when he turns 50 in 2010! Tom thanks the club committee for backing the involvement of the team in the Derry League and also the members who were so inconvenienced every second Monday night. He hopes the high standard of snooker displayed justified the club's participation and hopefully the club may soon have a County Champion as a result of players playing in a highly competitive league.

Donegal had three good results recently, winning against the B team of Convoy and the A and B teams of Ramelton. Several players had excellent wins notably Declan Ryle and Alan Ramsay in Convoy and Paul Thomas and Martin Mulhern against Ramelton. The one blight on the record was a home defeat against Convoy A. Only Tom Plunkett and Michael Neary could manage a win against a team which is outside the top four. The club are in second place but cannot catch runaway leaders Northwest A for whom local ambulance driver Gerry McCluskey has been outstanding. Johnny White is back playing in Northwest after his recent health problems and the club wishes him all the best.

The Harry Diver Cup sponsored by Barry Mulreany is in full swing and the fancied players are coming to the fore. Last year's winner Donal Monaghan has already disposed of ace-cueist Jackie McMullin while James McAllister defeated Dom Breslin in an entertaining encounter. Other names to watch out for include John Bell, Jack Keeney, Norman Johnston and Sean McCauley.

Kevin Mulhern won the inaugural Coulter Cup by defeating Mark B. Gallagher three nil in a keenly contested final. Thus he laid claim to the title of best newcomer, as this was a pool competition exclusively for first year beginners. All three racks were close and Mark was unlucky not to win at least one. Kevin was clinical in taking his chances and was a worthy winner. Peter Coulter was on hand to present the cup to Kevin in front of a large and appreciative gallery. He thanked John McGlanaghey for his thoughtful donation of a cup in memory of deceased members of the Coulter family

The Pool Pairs Championship sponsored by Jimmy's Tavern, The National, The Blue Stack and The Dew Drop Inn is entering the final stages and the big guns are still there. This one is too close to call but laugh-a-minute Dermot Dunleavy and Aidy Wilson cannot be discounted. Their victory over Greg McHugh and Luke McGee had to be seen to be believed!

Sean Boyle showed the younger element in the club what a fine competitor he was when he defeated Charlie Murphy in the quarterfinal. His next task is to tackle Damian Hanna who has quietly progressed to the semi-final. In the other semi-final Tom Plunkett takes on the winner of Oliver Plunkett versus David Crawford.

The patrons of Donegal Town Snooker Club were privileged to witness something remarkable on February 13. Eighteen-year-old Charles Murphy compiled a break of 133, the highest ever achieved in Donegal Town. To achieve this amazing feat Charles potted 15 reds, 10 blacks, a pink, a yellow, a green, 2 blues and all the colours. His opponent Seamus Faulkner could only watch and admire.

The euphoric round of applause when the final black went in showed how significant a break it was. Only one player had previously managed a century break in the club. Niall Keenan had a break of 104 in 1997 and this set the standard by which all future breaks would be judged. Charles had come close in 1998 when he scored a break of 85 in Letterkenny during a league match and in recent times his form has hinted that something special might be around the corner. A succession of seventy and eighty breaks proved that the ability was there. He has held his own in the ultra competitive Derry League this season and he reached the semi-final of the County Championship last autumn. He will surely be a force to be reckoned with when Donegal hosts this year's tournament in May.

Charles has been a senior member of the local club since the age of thirteen and his latest exploit will be inspirational to the hundred or so junior members of a thriving old club. With talent like Charles', the future of snooker looks bright in Donegal Town.

Finally…

The club is currently changing the layout of its senior room with an extra table being erected, which will shorten the waiting time for games. The junior facilities will remain with an option to add an extra pool table in the future if the finances allow.