A team of hot-potting eight-ball players from the Imperial Pool League, which is based at Kentish Town Pool and Snooker Club, claimed the prestigious 2003 National Interleague Knockout Cup title at the weekend.

The team, captained by London pool star Dean Wisher, qualified for the final stages of the event earlier this year and travelled to the finals at Great Yarmouth as one of the sides fancied to do well. And they didn't disappoint as they beat top teams from Lancashire, Nottingham, Leicester and Surrey to reach the semi-final stages, where they faced a potentially tense match against Trent Trophies, the favourites from Staffordshire. But this clash of the eight-ball titans became a baize-based massacre as the London side moved through the gears and trounced a team featuring four England players and several former internationals 10-2 to reach the final.

Imperial 1 then faced the highly rated P.J's Stourbridge side from the Midlands, but came through 10-7 to claim the national title and £3000 in prize money. 'The boys were fantastic all weekend and thoroughly deserved their victory,' said Imperial 1 captain Dean Wisher. 'We've always known we have the team to do the business at these big events and we've lost in finals and semi-finals before, but this year we were determined it would be ours and the trophy's now sitting at Kentish Town Pool and Snooker Club where it belongs!' The victory was all the more sweet for two long-time members of the Imperial I team, John Wylie and Brian Evans, who between them had lost in a total of 11 finals at Yarmouth, so it was quite fitting that Evans was the man who potted the winning black. And among the first to congratulate him was Kentish Town's guv'nor Ron Deuignen, whose victory roar must have reverberated around most of East Anglia.

The Imperial II team had a decent weekend, too, with captain Nigel Smith leading his side into the last 32 before losing a tense play-off against another highly rated side from the Midlands. But the weekend belonged to Wisher and his team-mates - and only a brave man would bet against them retaining the title next year.

* The winning Imperial 1 team was: Dean Wisher (Captain), Andy Breen, Ramesh Ghokul, JJ Faul, Ben Clements, John Wylie, Darren Suchley, Brian Evans, John Triani and John Sullivan.