Matthew Stevens D-Day visit to Swindon

[snookerdad]

WELSH wizard Matthew Stevens will be guest-of-honour at this season’s Cuestars presentation day.

The world No 26 will present prizes and play competition winners at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, June 6.

Play-offs for the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold, Silver & Bronze Tours and the Championship Tour kick off proceeding at 10.30am.

There will also be a six-red shoot-out. Gold players will compete off a scratch handicap, Silver off seven and Bronze off 14.

Cuestars members can team up with a brother, a parent or a grandparent for the Family Doubles Challenge.

Stevens will play competition winners from 2pm.

Dress code is collared shirt, smart trousers and shoes.

The cost for Cuestars Section players is £10.

Stevens first picked up a cue aged six. He chalked up his first century five years later.

Twice a World Championship finalist, he won the prestigious Benson & Hedges Masters in 2000 and was crowned UK Champion in 2003.

A keen poker player, Stevens pocketed $500,000 for winning a televised tournament in 2004.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

[JanieWatkins]

Get well soon Tim. I hope the elbow is mending

[ferret]

On the day there will be a competition for CueStars members to win a 360 Training cue for their section, the cue was donated by TSF as part of our junior snooker fund raising efforts, all you have to do is get the fastest time for potting the colours using the cue.

There are also a few other little surprises but I will leave them to be announced on the day.

[snookerdad]

Thanks, Janie. I'm up to nearly five words a minute left-handed.

[JanieWatkins]

Thanks, Janie. I'm up to nearly five words a minute left-handed.

me too Tim and I AM left handed!

[ferret]

Just a reminder to anybody wishing to visit tomorrow.

Should be a good day, I'll post some pictures up through out the day tomorrow and try to put up results of the various competitions that are going on.

[ferret]

Was a good day yesterday, I think Matthew played everybody in the club! well it seemed like he did anyway.

The star of the show was Freddie Stevens, he had us all laughing through out the day and he told me that I could book him for a exhibition and it would only cost me a iPod Touch.

There are a few pictures below but the main images from the day I have just emailed over to Tim and I am sure he will put a few of the images with his report for the day.

Not sure why Matthew has grabbed him by the neck! it may be because he looks like Neil Robertson!

[snookerdad]

Results and reports

WELSH professional Matthew Stevens was guest of honour as the Cuestars South of England 2009/10 season reached a dramatic climax on Finals Day at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.

A staggering eight tournaments were run in just one fun-packed day.

Neil Craycraft (Wantage) won the Championship Tour play-off.
Jordan Winbourne (Southampton) won the Under-21 Gold Tour play-off.
Bouwe Bosma (Chandler’s Ford) won the Under-21 Silver Tour play-off.
Oliver Parsons (Swindon) won the Under-21 Bronze Tour play-off.
Alan Grainger (High Wycombe) won the Masters play-off.
Jordan and Chris Winbourne (Southampton) won the Family Doubles.
Bradley Chappell (Bournemouth) won the Junior Six-Reds Challenge.
Gavin Bolsover (Woking) won the Senior Six-Reds Challenge.

Reports and results below.

Craycraft seals Championship title on a thrilling decider

WANTAGE snooker ace Neil Craycraft clinched the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour title on a thrilling deciding frame.

Craycraft, who is based at the 147 Snooker Club in Swindon, edged past rankings leader Matt Wilson 3-2 on the black in the play-off final at Jesters SC, Swindon.

The 37-year-old miscued while leading 42-0 and Wilson, from the Liberal Club in High Wycombe, helped himself to a 65 break.

Wilson played safe on the final red but Craycraft fluked a snooker from a double kiss.

Although Wilson escaped, he left the red on into the middle with the colours in the open. And Craycraft cleared to win on the black.

“I never expected to get back to the table,” admitted Craycraft.

“I got the first chance and I miscued having opened all the balls up in the previous shot. But Matt lost position and played safe.

“After a short safety exchange, I got the chance I needed and potted the last red and all the colours to win on the black.”

Wilson, 26, said: “Neil messed up his safety, double kissed it and snookered me. I had to hit and hope but stuck him up. He dished with 33 to win on the black. But that’s the way it goes sometimes, you take the rough with the smooth.”

Craycraft, who made a 112 break in his first match against Christian Chislett, had finished second in the rankings after the eight-tournament series across the South. He collected £150 and a trophy from world No 25 Matthew Stevens. Wilson pocketed £80.

BREAKS

Neil Craycraft: 112.
Matt Wilson: 106, 65, 60.
Mike Finn: 88, 75.
Shane Castle: 88, 53.
Alex Dunkley: 58.

CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR RESULTS

LAST-16: Matt Wilson (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) w/o Zack Richardson (Moulsecoomb Social Club, Brighton), Adam Nash (Woolston Conservative Club) w/o Alex O’Donoghue (147 SC, Swindon), Alex Dunkley (Stubbington SC) beat Drew Farminer (Woolston Conservative Club) 3-1, Sebastian Worrall (Swindon SC) beat Lewis Miles (Jesters SC, Swindon) 3-0, Shane Castle (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Phil Wildman (147 SC, Swindon) 3-2, Ryan Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough) w/o Richard Somauroo, Mike Finn (Woolston Conservative Club) beat Richard Clark (Swindon SC) 3-0, Neil Craycraft (147 SC, Swindon) beat Christian Chislett (Selsey RBL) 3-1.

QUARTER-FINALS (£20): Wilson beat Nash 3-0, Worrall beat Dunkley 3-2, Castle beat Mears 3-2, Craycraft beat Finn 3-2.

SEMI-FINALS (£40): Wilson beat Worrall 3-0, Craycraft beat Castle 3-2.

FINAL (£150/£80): Craycraft beat Wilson 3-2.

Winbourne strikes Gold

CHANDLER’S Ford Snooker Club youngster Jordan Winbourne lived up to his favourite’s tag and was crowned Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Champion at the end-of-season play-offs at Jesters SC, Swindon.

Despite competing against lads up to seven years older than him, the 14-year-old century-breaker has dominated the rankings.

In the play-off semi-finals, he defeated 17-year-old Daniel Tallentire (Westbury) 3-1 from 1-0 down.

And he dropped the first frame in the final to club-mate Kevin Impett, 18. After clinching a tight second and trailing in frames three and four, he ran out a 3-1 winner.

“It was quite close,” admitted Winbourne. “I wouldn’t say I played that well but I was quite happy.”

Winbourne, who was presented with his trophy by Matthew Stevens, had won three of the six tournaments he’d played in to lead the rankings into the play-off.

UNDER-21 GOLD TOUR RESULTS

QUARTER-FINALS: Jordan Winbourne (Chandler’s Ford SC) w/o James Bolton (Salisbury SC), Daniel Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury) beat Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) 3-1, Kevin Impett (Chandler’s Ford SC) w/o Ollie Tydeman (Woolston Conservative Club), Lee Roling (The Academy, Eastleigh) w/o Daniel Woods (Chandler’s Ford SC).

SEMI-FINALS: Winbourne beat Tallentire 3-1, Impett beat Roling 3-2.

FINAL: Winbourne beat Impett 3-1.

Rising star shines after slipping under the radar

BOUWE Bosma capped a remarkable debut season on the Cuestars circuit with a surprise victory in the South of England Under-21 Silver Championship.

Chandler’s Ford SC’s rising star “slipped under the radar”, according to Cuestars director John Hunter.

The 14-year-old, who crept into the last-eight play-off as bottom seed, fought back from two frames down to stun home player Sam Jefferson 3-2 in the play-off final at Jesters SC, Swindon.

“I was just thinking ‘keep going; keep battling’,” he explained.

Guest-of-honour Matthew Stevens said “well done” and then demonstrated the difference between a professional and an amateur in an exhibition frame.

Tim Dunkley, Bosma’s World Snooker coach, said: “I’m delighted for Bouwe.

“He has a cue-action to die for, determination and a snooker brain. Together, they are a lethal combination.”

UNDER-21 SILVER TOUR RESULTS

QUARTER-FINALS: Bouwe Bosma (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Liam Burnet (The Academy, Eastleigh) 3-1, Daniel Winfield (Player’s, Westbury) beat Lee Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh) 3-2, Sam Jefferson (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Bradley Chappell (Green Baize, Bournemouth) 3-1, Lee Warner (Stoke SC, Gosport) w/o Thyas Evans (Player’s, Westbury).

SEMI-FINALS: Bosma beat Winfield 3-2, Jefferson beat Warner 3-1.

FINAL: Bosma beat Jefferson 3-2.

Parsons saves his best to last

OLIVER Parsons pipped hot favourite Ryan Gavin for the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Championship title.

Playing on home tables at Jesters in Swindon, Parsons, who finished third in the rankings, defeated Gavin 3-1 in the play-off final to record his first tournament win of the season.

Gavin, based at the Liberal Club in High Wycombe, had dominated the rankings after winning four of the seven tournaments across the South and was widely tipped to claim the title.

Parsons edged out Swindon’s Jodie Symes, the women’s world No 18, 3-2 in the last-eight and survived another five-framer against Mark Lloyd, from Gosport, in the semi-finals.

UNDER-21 BRONZE TOUR RESULTS

QUARTER-FINALS: Ryan Gavin (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Gary Wilkins (Player’s, Westbury) 3-1, Joshua Lee (Jesters, Swindon) beat Bradley Hatch (The Academy, Eastleigh) 3-2, Oliver Parsons (Jesters, Swindon) beat Jodie Symes (Jesters, Swindon) 3-2, Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport) w/o Joe Moon (Jesters, Swindon).

SEMI-FINALS: Gavin beat Lee 3-2, Parsons beat Lloyd 3-2.

FINAL: Parsons beat Gavin 3-1.

Masterclass by Grainger

ALAN Grainger, based at the Liberal Club in High Wycombe, is the inaugural Cuestars South of England Masters Champion.

Rankings winner Grainger confirmed his position as the best Cuestars player over the age of 50 by beating billiards aficionado Trevor Thorn, from Basingstoke, 3-1 in the play-off final.

MASTERS RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS: Alan Grainger (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Fred Pearce (Burgh Heath, Surrey) 3-1, Trevor Thorn (Basingstoke Conservative Club) beat Ron Ellis (Burgh Heath, Surrey) 3-0.

FINAL: Grainger beat Thorn 3-1.

Section champions

THE eight Cuestars Section champions pocketed £100 and a certificate - and enjoyed a frame with Welsh wizard Matthew Stevens.

Picking up their prizes were: Jodie Symes (Jesters SC, Swindon), Daniel Winfield (Player’s, Westbury), Kyle Hollow (The Academy, Basingstoke), Ashley Smith (Copnor SC, Portsmouth), Mark Wells (Green Baize, Bournemouth), Jordan Wallace (Thatcham SC), Ryan Gavin (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), Jamie Marsh (Rileys, Cardiff).

Double delight for the Winbournes

THERE was double delight for Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold champion Jordan Winbourne.

The 14-year-old teamed up with dad Chris to triumph in the Family Doubles.

Jordan praised his dad’s safety play after the Chandler’s Ford SC pair beat Ben Tanner and his dad Kevin 2-1 in the final.

Cuestars director John Hunter was delighted with the 18-strong entry. He said: “I will be making this a Championship Event next season.”

FAMILY DOUBLES RESULTS

FIRST ROUND: Ben & William Gould (Thatcham SC) beat Scott & Doug Brady (Bracknell), Mason & Kyle Hollow (The Academy, Basingstoke) beat Steve & Jake White (Player’s, Westbury).

SECOND ROUND: Ben & William Gould beat Joe & Ben Thompson (Thatcham SC), Mason & Kyle Hollow beat Cameron & Nick Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), Jasmine & Gavin Bolsover (Woking SC) beat Joshua & Jason Hughes (Suzy Q, Worcester), Jordan & Chris Winbourne (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Jordan & Gary Wallace (Thatcham SC), Ben & Kevin Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Colin & Bradley Hatch (The Academy, Eastleigh), Mark & Keith Wells (Green Baize, Bournemouth) beat Ryan & Ray Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough), Lee & Terry Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Macaulay & Matt Fyffe (Thatcham SC), Jason & Liam Burnet (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Peter & Richard Taylor (Green Baize, Bournemouth).

QUARTER-FINALS: Mason & Kyle Hollow beat Ben & William Gould, Jordan & Chris Winbourne beat Jasmine & Gavin Bolsover, Ben & Kevin Tanner beat Mark & Keith Wells, Lee & Terry Bell beat Jason & Liam Burnet.

SEMI-FINALS: Jordan & Chris Winbourne beat Mason & Kyle Hollow, Ben & Kevin Tanner beat Lee & Terry Bell.

FINAL: Jordan & Chris Winbourne beat Ben & Kevin Tanner 2-1.

Chappell is the short-game champion

BOURNEMOUTH’S Bradley Chappell emerged victorious from a massive 36-strong field to claim the Junior Six-Reds Challenge trophy and a frame with Matthew Stevens.

The 2008/09 Cuestars Under-15 champion, who is based at the Green Baize club, defeated Westbury’s Andy Dyer in the final of the shortened game.

Chappell disposed of three players from Thatcham Snooker Club to reach the semi-finals where he beat Bronze ranking leader Ryan Gavin.

JUNIOR SIX-REDS CHALLENGE RESULTS

FIRST ROUND: Derrick Volante (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Joshua Hughes (Suzy Q, Worcester), Bradley Hatch (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Jamie Marsh (Rileys, Cardiff), Rhys Zarb (Rileys, Cardiff) beat Jordan Winbourne (Chandler’s Ford SC), Mark Wells (Green Baize, Bournemouth) beat Daniel Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury).

SECOND ROUND: Volante beat Hatch, Wells beat Zarb, Jodie Symes (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Peter Taylor (Green Baize, Bournemouth), Lee Roling (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Joshua Lee (Jesters SC, Swindon), Oliver Parsons (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Matthew Bellinger (Jesters SC, Swindon), Liam O’Shea (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Ashley Smith, Andy Dyer (Player’s, Westbury) beat Eddie Green (Copnor SC, Portsmouth), Simon Closman (Player’s, Westbury) beat Daniel Compton (Copnor SC, Portsmouth), Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Joe Thompson (Thatcham SC), Jordan Wallace (Thatcham SC) beat Ben Thompson (Thatcham SC), Macauley Fyffe (Thatcham SC) beat Ben Gould (Thatcham SC), Bradley Chappell (Green Baize, Bournemouth) beat William Gould (Thatcham SC), Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Jake White (Player’s, Westbury), Ryan Gavin (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Gary Wilkins (Player’s, Westbury), Liam Burnet (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Jasmine Bolsover (Woking SC), Lee Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Scott Brady (Bracknell).

THIRD ROUND: Volante beat Wells, Symes beat Roling, O’Shea beat Parsons, Dyer beat Closman, Wallace beat Holt, Chappell beat Fyffe, Gavin beat Tanner, Bell beat Burnet.

QUARTER-FINALS: Symes beat Volante, Dyer beat O’Shea, Chappell beat Wallace, Gavin beat Bell.

SEMI-FINALS: Dyer beat Symes, Chappell beat Gavin.

FINAL: Chappell beat Dyer.

That’s the way to do it

SNOOKERDAD Gavin Bolsover showed his talented daughter that the old man has still got it.

Bolsover senior overcame Swindon’s Lewis Miles to claim the Senior Six-Reds Challenge trophy.

His phenomenal ten-year-old daughter Jasmine starts next season ranked 18th on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association circuit.

SENIOR SIX-REDS CHALLENGE RESULTS

FIRST ROUND: Drew Farminer (Woolston Conservative Club) beat Ray Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough), Phil Wildman (147 SC, Swindon) beat Steve White (Player’s, Westbury).

SECOND ROUND: Wildman beat Farminer, Terry Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh) beat Doug Brady (Bracknell), Jason Hughes (Suzy Q, Worcester) beat Ron Ellis (Burgh Heath, Surrey), Chris Winbourne (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Chris Bone (The Academy, Basingstoke), Ryan Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough) beat Colin Hatch (The Academy, Eastleigh), Gavin Bolsover (Woking SC) beat Alan Grainger (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), Paul Rose (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Fred Pearce (Burgh Heath, Surrey), Lewis Miles (Jesters SC, Swindon) beat Wasim Khan (Uxbridge SC).

QUARTER-FINALS: Wildman beat Bell, Winbourne beat Hughes, Bolsover beat Ryan Mears, Miles beat Rose.

SEMI-FINALS: Wildman and Winbourne both withdrew.

FINAL: Bolsover beat Miles.

They also serve...

CUESTARS director John Hunter hailed Finals Day as a great success.

But none of it would have been possible without:

Paul Rose (Jesters SC, Swindon) for successfully running all the competitions.
Roy Danyluk (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) for refereeing all of Matthew Stevens’ matches.
Brad and Steve Baker (owners of Jesters SC) who gave up their club for the day.
Steve White and Lisa Jackson (Cuestars Foundation) for securing the services of a top professional.
Kevin Smithers (top snooker photographer) for providing the lads and lasses with a lasting memento of their encounter with Matthew Stevens.
John Hunter (Cuestars founder and director) without whose foresight and energy Cuestars would not exist.

Who invited Neil Robertson?

MATTHEW Stevens was shocked at Aldershot hotshot Ryan Mears’ resemblance to Aussie lefthander Neil Robertson who beat him 9-7 in the final of the 2008 Bahrain Championship.

In the last exhibition match of the day, Mears - who lost 3-2 to EASB Under-14 champion Shane Castle, 12, in the quarter-finals of the Championship Tour play-off - managed to beat Stevens. It was the only frame the Welsh professional lost all day.

Sources suggest that Stevens may have been “worn out by this stage”.

A star in the making

GUEST-of-honour Matthew Stevens was upstaged by his six-year-old son.

Freddie Stevens, who was a demon on the pool table, told photographer Kevin Smithers he could book him for an exhibition and it would only cost him an iPod touch.

And he informed Paul Rose, who is affectionately known to one and all as Rosie, that it’s a girl’s name.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)

[ferret]

Great report Tim, a good day was had by all.

Little Freddie had us all rolling about the club, he is such a star. One of the stories he told us all was about a tattoo Mark Williams has, unfortunately I can not tell you what it is of or where it is as both break our forum rules!!

Onto next years presentation day and we hope for another great Snooker pro but I am sure others will not endure the number of frames that Matthew had to play on the day.

Most professional players do exhibitions that last a few hours at most and Matthew was at Jesters for over 6 hours, mostly playing Snooker. It was about 90 minutes before the end of the day and I just got Matthew a pint at the bar on a short break, he asked how many more frames he had to play and when I mentioned the number 6 he looked so surprised he could of just won the lottery but he soldiered on and gave his best.

Cheers Matthew for a great day, and a big thank you to Clare & Freddie for also attending and as Tim said Brad and Steve for giving Cuestars the entire club for the day to use at their leisure.

Right I am off to purchase a iPod touch now