With no handicap, and the best of three frame matches, this tournament brings the cream of the club to the top.  Indeed, Glover and Welsh had to beat some of the clubs best players to reach this final. 

Welsh, one of the most improved players of the year, would have to be on his best form to beat the bookies favourite, Glover, over a three frame match.   He certainly started well with a very good long red after Glover’s seemingly safe break.  It was one of those classic professional long reds at just the right pace to hold for the black.  Alas, the black was missed and the 147 max was not to be.

Welsh continued to pot reds and hold for the black, unfortunately only to miss the black each time. Glover was being kept relatively quiet by Welsh’s safety play, but some 3 and 4 ball breaks by Glover gave him the advantage as the reds began to disappear.  The games turning point though was when Welsh miscued following a whirling dervish of a cue action.  He missed his red, set up a red for Glover who punished this mistake with a 25 break.  Soon after, Welsh conceded after missing the green from a snooker.  It could have been so different had those many opportunities on the black been taken.  

Frame 2 Both players’ excellent safety play and, to be honest some average shot making, resulted in 13 reds sitting pretty on the green baize for quite some time in this frame.  A lighter moment amid this dearth of potting was provided by several loud ‘KIAI’ shouts from the karate club downstairs, causing Glover to abort his shot after bursting into laughter.   Welsh, always aware that one careless shot could leave Glover with a chance to build a good lead, had to play very safely.  Reds seemed to have been magnetised to the black ball cushion, until inadvertently Glover dispersed some of them to make more potting opportunities.  Sure enough, both players scored red/black combos and the frame suddenly became more dynamic.  Glover was likely to benefit from this more open game and another red/black combo by him; a foul shot by his opponent and soon after a 23 break meant Welsh’s strong fight for the title was nearly over. Indeed Welsh conceded soon after and Glover was a worthy champion of the club’s prestigious Scratch tournament, 2 frames to nil.     

President Dave Tierney presents the winner’s trophies to Craig and the runners up trophy to Tom  

A brand new tournament introduced this year, ‘The Masters’ was limited to those players in the club with a handicap of 25 or less.  And so 16 of the club’s best players entered the Masters hoping to win the tournament in it’s inaugural year.   The two players who battled their way to a ‘trick or treat’ night final were:

Raj Kumar and Shiv Sibal

Frame One

Kumar broke off the first of a possible three frame match with a 15 start.  The players exchanged a few early punches with red/pink and red/black combinations, but the outstanding feature of the first phase of the game was both players’ high quality, end of break positioning of the cue ball on the baulk and black cushions leaving little on for the opponent.  Sibal fell behind further with consecutive foul shots after an in off and miscue.   These fouls galvanised Sibal into form with a good 15 break; a brilliant red from distance leading to black, red and pink.  Some good potting then from both players, with Kumar having the edge, meant that Kumar had increased his lead to 20 points (66 to 46) after the last red was down.  It looked like Kumar was one up.  But chickens could not be counted, as a fabulous yellow and good green set Sibal on his way to a remarkable finish.  He potted all the colours and won on the black – Kumar unfortunately miscalculating the pace on a safety shot.  You could say it was a ‘Masters’ ful clearance from Sibal.

Frame Two

Frame two provided a similar pattern of play and when only the colours remained, again Kumar was ahead, this time by 17 points.  Surely Sibal couldn’t pull off another multi-coloured victory snatching of the frame.  The ball positions meant that snookers were attempted by both players with some success.  However, as well as good snookers Kumar treated us to some magnificent potting which saw off any late challenge from Sibal.  Sibal conceded on the pink needing three snookers.   And so to a one match shoot out.

Frame Three

In this, the final frame Sibal made up the handicap deficit quite quickly and from then on, up until the last red, it was neck and neck on the scoreboard.  Only Sibal’s fluked last red led to him leading by 9 points when he followed up with a miraculous pot of the black in the middle pocket with absolutely no angle whatsoever to play with. A trick and treat!  Kumar responded with a remarkable yellow and green to gain ground on Sibal. 

With only four points separating the players, it was a nail biting finish.  Even when Sibal potted a very good brown on the double, and followed this up with the blue, Kumar could have potted pink and black for a re-spot.  It wasn’t to be, Sibal downed the pink and the frame and Masters was Shiv Sibal’s.

Well played Raj and Shiv, a great game of top quality snooker to watch and report on.  It really was a treat!!

Strings were drawn and Potter won the honour to break off.  With a handicap lead of 11 over Chana, Potter played cautiously at first to maintain his advantage.  However, Chana soon tipped the score his way, with a red/black combo and Potter’s bad luck. Potter’s attempted long pot on a red, resulted in a ricochet of balls and a canon on the black taking it into the corner pocket.     

The next period of the game saw both players in ‘safe/canny’ mode, wishing to avoid giving easy chances to each other.  For a short while, the tumbleweed was blowing down the table with little happening on the score board.

But then Potter unleashed a couple of breaks which completely changed the momentum and put considerable pressure on Chana to respond.    Reds and blacks were potted with great regularity.  Potter’s score escalated up to 45 giving him a 28 lead with 6 reds still on the table.  Chana fought back with his own red/black combos and reduced Potter’s lead to 14.

Then Potter’s safety play restricted Chana’s ability to reduce the deficit further and worse was to come when Potter deliberately left the cue ball flush with the cushion and good distance between it and the few reds left on the table.  With pressure mounting, Chana miscued and the white failed to reach it’s target.   

Yet, when only the colours were left, Potter was still catchable.  But Potter’s sinking of yellow to blue with good pots, put paid to Chana’s chance of a comeback, and the result was a 64 points to 36 points, Potter victory.    

The President Dave Tierney (right) presents the trophies to the winner Ian Potter (left) and runner up Bali Chana (middle)

This handicap competition is an annual tournament in honour of one of the club’s life members, Harry Penfold.  It is one of the most memorable of the club’s tournaments as it brings many of our members together in a one night show down, with scrumptious Setchfield’s pie and peas to boot!!

Last year’s champions, Tierney and Hammond were paired together again and  had high hopes of progressing deep into the tournament this year. Sibal and Kumar, two of the most consistent players in the club, were the bookies favourite.  However, only one of these pairs would make it into the second round, as the draw brought them together in the first round.  After a high scoring and close match, last year’s winners prevailed.

Two pairs stood out as of particular interest on the night.  Steele, one of the highest handicapped players in the club was partnering one of the best players in the club, Lintott.   Sykes was another of the highest handicapped players and he was partnered with Sibal Junior.  Sibal Jnr, still in his teens, was the youngest player of the competition.

Both playing some good snooker, these two pairs made it to the final.  With a 4 point handicap lead, Sibal Jnr. and Sykes hoped to increase this as soon as possible, thereby putting pressure on their opponents, early doors.  This didn’t happen. In fact the reverse occurred with solid potting by Lintott making a number of good breaks.  One of these pots was a tremendous double on a red.  The cue ball was close to the black cushion and the side cushion, the red was  on the same side cushion close to the middle pocket.  A pot just wasn’t on was it?  Lintott purposively smashed the cue ball onto the right hand edge of the red, the white flew off out of control up and down the table.  That didn’t matter because Lintott knew exactly what the red would do –  it doubled and  flew straight into the middle pocket on the other side of the table.  This was met with generous applause from the watching crowd.  Steele wasn’t to be out done by his partner with some brilliant cuts into the middle pocket and good safety play.  Sibal Jnr. and Sykes had played well in three matches to get to the final, but unfortunately didn’t get a ‘look in’ here.   They conceded the match after Lintott made a 13 point break putting Lintott and Steele ahead 44 points on the brown.  The president, Dave Tierney presented the trophies.

Congratulations Tim Lintott and Roy Steele,

Penfold Doubles Champions, 2024.

And let’s not forget the runners up, Jai Sibal and Dave Sykes

As usual, the Spring Handicap this year has been very popular with members of the club, with 32 entrants. And so, Rich Murphy and Adam O’Donnell have had to win four matches to reach this final.  Indeed, on their way, they have both beaten some of the best players in the club.  Well done guys.

Good mates, they both wished each other an emotional ‘all the best’ before the break off.  This final was always going to be a little different.  The players had the same handicap, used the same cue and both liked the music of the Arctic Monkeys to accompany the match.    

Unfortunately for O’Donnell the scores did not stay equal for very long and an ‘in off’ from the break was a sign of what was to come.  Murphy potted well right from the start and when the fifth red was potted he was already 20 points ahead.  O’Donnell was clearly not on his best form and missed a number of pots he would have expected to get.  His frustration was heard after one miss through a self critical expletive. 

In contrast, Murphy was in top gear, smoothly potting reds and colours at will.  A fantastic four reds, three blacks, and one pink – 31 break by Murphy seemed to put the match beyond O’Donnell’s reach.  At 57 pts to Murphy and 10 pts to O’Donnell, six snookers were required well before the reds were down.  Nevertheless, with great determination, O’Donnell stuck to the task and achieved three snookers and brought the deficit down to 33 with only 3 more snookers needed.  Murphy looked concerned at this point and admitted to sweaty palms – the game seemingly won after his 31 pt. break.   Alas, there was no miracle come back, and Murphy won on the brown 71 points to 26.     

Congratulations Rich Murphy and commiserations Adam O’Donnell.   May you enjoy your Arctic Monkeys in less stressful situations in the future.   Vice President Dave Sykes presented the trophies to the finalists.

Champion                                     Vice President                    Runner Up

Rich Murphy                                   Dave Sykes                      Adam O’Donnell

A fantastic time was had by everyone who came to our Burns Night Supper on January 27th. Read all about the night here

Paul Brockway v Craig Glover

A best out of three frames match with no handicap has been the format for all rounds of this tournament.  The tournament is therefore highly likely to bring the cream of the players in the club to the top.  There was certainly no doubt that the Brockway and Glover were indeed two very good players:  – Brockway, the defending champion of the Scratch tournament, and Glover, a previous winner.

Early doors of frame one, good safety play, in offs, and missed opportunities for substantial breaks were the name of the game.  No player settled into their usual rhythm of play and good break making.   Hence there was still all to play for when only the colours remained.   However, when Brockway fluked the blue,  Glover needed one snooker.   Unfortunately he didn’t get chance, as Brockway rubbed salt into the wound and went straight onto potting the pink.  One nil to Brockway; 54/34 with black left on the table.

The second frame produced some good potting, albeit both players repeatedly hitting pocket jaws accompanied by loud sighs and lowering of heads. Perhaps frustrated by this, Glover played a rather reckless shot which spread the reds widely over one half of the table, but Brockway didn’t take advantage.  Then, a slight touch of a red with Glover’s hand as he addressed the cue ball was a foul and led to a 15 point break by Brockway.  Glover will be kicking himself: the red/black, red pink break should have been his.   Nevertheless, the laying of a number of good snookers by Glover, and Brockway’s resulting fouls, meant that Glover took a 44 to 32 lead into the colours.  Then Brockway went in off the yellow and Glover was 16 ahead.  Surely the final was heading to a third frame.   Alas no, Glover immediately gave Brockway 4 points, again an in off the yellow, and then potted all the colours up to black. His 56 to 48 lead was unassailable.

Two nil to Brockway meant he retained the trophy.  Congratulations Paul and well done Craig for reaching the final.  

Adrian Nock (President) presenting to winner Paul Brockway

Runner-up Craig Glover receiving his trophy from Adrian