A pub in Oldham has been crowned pool champions for the second year in a row after a national finale.

The Bear on the Hill pub on Huddersfield Road is earning its stripes in the borough - and across the country - as a top spot for pool playing.

Teams that practice at the alehouse have been fine-tuning their game and last year, won a national final.

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'Team Bear' fought off competition from 173 Proper Pubs teams across the country.

The landlord, Tony Beswick, is delighted to announce that the team has won again for the second year in a row.

It was another tense regional and national finale It was another tense regional and national finale (Image: Bear on the Hill)

On September 1, Proper Pubs held its Proper Pool competition which saw Team Bear's Darren (Dazz) Smithies win the tournament with a £1,000 cash prize.

Tony said: "I'm so, so proud again.

"It's amazing the standard of pool in Oldham.

"The fact that our tiny pub has won a national championship again is phenomenal."

The competition was just as fierce as last year as there was an eight-week-long tournament where eight players were knocked out each week.

The winners and runner-ups of each heat would then go through to an in-house finals night.

There was also a regional final at the Bear pub, which Dazz Smithies won, before going on to win in the national after beating players from all across the country,

Tony added: "Hundreds of other Proper Pubs did the same.

"The Bear had two players at the nationals, Dazz Smithies and Darren Leeks.

"Darren made the semi-finals, and we nearly had a bear vs bear final, but it wasn't to be.

"Dazz Smithies played phenomenally and won the whole thing."

Dazz Smithies with his winning cheque Dazz Smithies with his winning cheque (Image: Bear on the Hill)

The victory comes as Team Bear's women's pool player, Chloe Smithies, Dazz's sister, played on "the biggest stage for Ultimate Pool" earlier this year.

Chloe is a professional pool player and so was unable to represent Team Bear in the Proper Pubs competition.

However, it's clear pool is deeply embedded in the Bear on the Hill pub and Tony is keen to encourage amateur and professional players to practice every Tuesday and Wednesday (for teams) and Thursdays for all customers.

Tony recently told The Oldham Times that he is "living the dream" at the pub since he took over four and a half years ago.

The landlord himself has accumulated a handful of Proper Pubs awards for his commitment to the premises - and residents have plenty of praise for its pub quiz and the team's fundraising efforts for a defibrillator outside the pub.

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk