Brotherhood retain the Team of Three trophy
7 frame thriller in the Alfreton SC Team of Three final
Champions, YM Brotherhood
The 55th final of the Team of Three Competition took centre stage last night as sponsors Alfreton SC hosted an absorbing encounter between two sides packed with quality and experience.
For YM Brotherhood — made up of Jonathan Hall, Martin Burrell and John Roseman — the incentive was clear. Having lifted the trophy for the previous two seasons, the Clay Cross outfit arrived chasing an impressive hat-trick of titles for the club.
Standing in their way, however, were the formidable trio from Welcome Institute — Steve Donner, Adam Clift and Dave Wilkinson — who came into the final full of confidence after steering Welcome to back-to-back Premier Division titles. On paper, this had all the ingredients of a classic. In reality, it delivered exactly that… and then some.
Up first was Welcome’s Steve Donner, owner of the tournament’s standout break — a superb 108 compiled earlier in the competition — taking on the ever-consistent Jonathan Hall, hoping to keep his title winning streak going since his return to the league.
Both players settled quickly, trading early contributions with tidy breaks in the 20s. But in a frame balanced on a knife-edge, Donner’s colour clearance stumbled at the pink, allowing Hall to step in and pinch the opener for YM. A small moment, perhaps — but one that immediately shifted the tone of the evening.
Frame two wasn’t exactly one for the purists. Scrappy? Yes. Tense? Absolutely. But Martin Burrell won’t care one bit. A composed display against Dave Wilkinson saw him grind out a convincing victory to move YM into a commanding 2–0 lead.
The third frame brought arguably the night’s first real drama. Adam Clift and John Roseman locked horns in a tight, nervy battle, with Roseman’s tidy 22 break giving him the early foothold. Clift, showing exactly why he’s one of the league’s most dangerous players, clawed his way back to force a black-ball finish. After a tense exchange of safety shots, Clift left Roseman a long opportunity near the pocket. John duly rolled it in. 3–0 to YM, and suddenly the title looked all but wrapped up.
Or so we thought.
With their backs firmly against the wall, Welcome showed exactly why champions are never beaten until the handshake comes. Donner lit the touchpaper with a classy 44 break in frame four, though Hall wasn’t about to roll over, responding with a 26 of his own and edging ahead. With brown needed to seal both frame and match for YM, it looked done and dusted.
But finals have a funny habit of ignoring scripts.
A missed brown opened the door and Donner stormed through it, clearing from yellow to pink in nerveless fashion to spark Welcome into life. From looking down and out, the comeback was suddenly on.
Dave Wilkinson and Adam Clift followed suit, taking the next two frames to drag the final level at 3–3. Momentum had swung. Nerves were jangling. Spectators were hooked.
And then came the decider.
Names into the hat. One frame. Winner takes all.
Out came Steve Donner and Martin Burrell.
You sensed it would be tense — and it didn’t disappoint.
Burrell’s safety game, excellent all evening, once again proved crucial. He steadily edged the points tally his way, frustrating Donner and limiting clear opportunities. A missed blue at a key moment for Steve felt significant, and Burrell sensed his chance.
Yellow. Green. Brown.
Suddenly Donner needed snookers.
To his credit, the Welcome man found one and fought to the very end, but this time the comeback had finally run out of road. Burrell held firm to clinch both the frame and the title, sealing a dramatic 4–3 victory and a remarkable third consecutive Team of Three crown for YM Brotherhood ‘A’.
Huge congratulations to Jonathan Hall, Martin Burrell and John Roseman on a superb triumph, while enormous credit must also go to Steve Donner, Adam Clift and Dave Wilkinson, who turned what looked like a procession into a genuinely gripping final.
Finally, thanks go to Alfreton SC for hosting the event and, as ever, to resident referee Adam Cupit, whose concentration and composure never wavered during a long and hard-fought evening at the table. A proper final, played in great spirit
“At 3–0 up I thought we might be getting home early… Welcome clearly had other ideas! Fair play to them, they made a proper final of it. Thankfully Martin held his nerve when it counted.”
L-R Steve Donner, Adam Clift, Dave Wilkinson, Jonathan Hall, Martin Burrell & John Roseman
Alfreton SC Team Of Three Competition — Scorecard
| YM Brotherhood | Score | Welcome Institute |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Hall | 64–50 | Steve Donner |
| Martin Burrell | 67–14 | Dave Wilkinson |
| John Roseman | 75–73 | Adam Clift |
| Jonathan Hall | 50–64 | Steve Donner |
| Martin Burrell | 23–68 | Dave Wilkinson |
| John Roseman | 49–79 | Adam Clift |
| Martin Burrell | 72–30 | Steve Donner |
| Breaks | Breaks | |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | Steve Donner (44) |
Route to the Final
| Round | YM Brotherhood A1 | Welcome Institute A |
|---|---|---|
| Semi Final | bt YM B/Hood A2 | bt YM B/Hood B |
| Quarter Final | bt Alfreton SC D | bt Alfreton SC G |
| Last 16 | bt Clock Tower A | bt Alfreton SC F |
| Last 32 | bt Alfreton SC B | BYE |
Tournament Highest Break
| Player | Break |
|---|---|
| Steve Donner | 108 |
Previous Recent Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | YM Brotherhood 'A' |
| 2024 | YM Brotherhood 'A' |
| 2023 | Lennons SC 'C' |
| 2022 | Alfreton SC 'A' |
| 2020 | Alfreton SC 'A' |
| 2019 | Lennons SC 'B' |
| 2018 | Staveley MW 'A' |
| 2017 | Lennons SC 'H' |
| 2016 | Holmewood MW 'A' |
| 2015 | Lennons SC 'H' |