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DORSET cueman Brad Chappell reckons starting a new job in a supermarket bakery helped him clinch a hat-trick of tournament wins on a regional snooker circuit.
The 19-year-old from Poole used his loaf to quit his previous position because it left no time for practice.
And now with the co-operation of his now employers, he’s on a roll after claiming a third successive winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
“I’ve quit my job to play snooker,” said Chappell, the new rankings leader. “Now I’m in a new job working mornings with the rest of the day to practise.
“I’m very, very pleased. It’s going to improve my snooker.”
Indeed. Chappell followed up victories in Chandler’s Ford and Swindon by seeing off first-time finalist James Budd 3-1 to take the seventh leg at Fareham Snooker Club.
But he again struggled to progress from the round-robin group stage, winning just one match out of four and nicking the fourth qualifying spot.
“It was a battle, the same as last time,” he said. “I just scraped through the group stages by the skin of my teeth and then came good in the semi-final and final.”
Chappell, who is based at the Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, is seven points clear of Gosport lads Mark Lloyd and Budd in joint second. One of these three will win the rankings title at the eighth and final leg at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
Stoke Snooker Club pair Budd and Lloyd had been in Cambridge the previous day competing on the EASB Regional Junior Tour.
Next Sunday, Lloyd has a chance to announce himself on the national stage when he takes on the best young players in the country in the last-16 of the English Under-16 Championship in Leeds.
BREAKS
Mark Lloyd: 58.
James Budd: 42.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP: 1st, Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, James Budd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 5th, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chappell beat Lloyd 3-0, Budd beat Ball 3-1.
FINAL (£15/£10, 25/18 points): Chappell beat Budd 3-1.
Mickey takes the lead
TEN-year-old Mickey Joyce warmed up for the biggest day of his snooker career by taking over top spot in the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour rankings.
The Basingstoke potter collected his second winner’s trophy of the season in the seventh leg at Fareham Snooker Club and takes a six-point lead into the final event.
On Saturday, Joyce - along with fellow Silver Tour players Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth) and Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth) - will be in Leeds for the last-16 of the English Under-14 Championship.
Joyce, who is based at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, defeated his clubmate Dan Sykes 2-1 in the final.
“It was close,” he said. “I thrashed him in the first frame; he thrashed me in the second frame; I thrashed him in the third frame. It was a good final.”
But he had had an even tougher last-four match. Austen Petty, winner of the previous two events, had beaten Joyce 2-1 in a right-royal battle in the quarter-finals in Swindon last month.
“My toughest match was against Austen,” declared Joyce, who prevailed in a third-frame decider. “He put me under pressure.”
And he added: “It was a great day.”
It was Sykes’ first Silver Tour final. The Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club teenager, desperate to avoid a fourth semi-final defeat this season, fought back from 1-0 down to Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) and took the decider on the blue.
And the 15-year-old had another reason to celebrate. The previous day in Cambridge, after 19 successive defeats this season, Sykes recorded his first win on the EASB Regional Junior Tour.
Five players have mathematical chances of claiming the Silver rankings title at the eighth and final leg at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
But, realistically, it’s a three-horse race as Sykes and Browne would need strange things to happen. Joyce has a six-point lead over Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport) while Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC) is ten points further back.
Fareham Snooker Club has 12 tables and was re-opened by Jimmy White and John Virgo in January, 2004, after being destroyed by fire three months previously.
BREAKS
Mickey Joyce: 38.
Austen Petty: 37, 35, 31.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Anthony Church (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 3rd, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Cameron Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Sykes beat Church 2-1, Petty beat C Gillon 2-0, Joyce beat Farmer 2-1, Browne beat Kitchen 2-0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Joyce beat Petty 2-1, Sykes beat Browne 2-1.
FINAL (25/18 points): Joyce beat Sykes 2-1.
Four-midable Beebe
BOURNEMOUTH, Chandler’s Ford, Swindon, Fareham - four winners’ trophies from four venues that will be forever etched in the memory of a 12-year-old budding snooker star from Eastleigh.
The impressive haul of silverware means Luke Beebe has claimed his first regional title.
Beebe was crowned Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings champion after winning his fourth successive final.
It has been an imperious run that has seen the Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club youngster’s game mature month by month.
And it fulfilled a promise he had made to his dad.
Hot favourite for the title going into the seventh and penultimate leg at Fareham Snooker Club, Beebe needed to beat title-rival Ollie Gibbs to wrap things up before next month’s trip to Salisbury.
Proud dad Mark, who the previous day had won his first tournament in the Open Series at his home club, revealed: “He promised me he was going to do it and he did it. Fair play to him.
“It’s been a great weekend.”
Beebe guaranteed the title (as long as he turned up at Salisbury) by seeing off Ed James (Woking SC) 2-1 in the last-four.
“I had to play more safety but when I had my chance I took it,” said Beebe, who compiled a 40 break.
But it was put beyond any doubt when he clawed back a one-frame deficit to beat Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-1 in an edge-of-the-seat final.
“It was a good final but it was very nerve-racking,” said Beebe.
Reflecting on his title-winning campaign, he said it felt “great” and added: “I’ve battled hard for it and I think I deserved it.”
Meanwhile, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC) survived a three-way play-off in his group but missed out on a first ever appearance in a final after suffering a third semi-final defeat of the season, 2-0 to Gibbs.
Petty won his quarter-final match 2-0 against David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), who also prevailed in a three-way play-off to make the knockout for the first time in his debut season.
And Cuestars debutant Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC) impressed by winning all four group matches before being knocked out 2-0 by Gibbs.
The eighth and final leg is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
BREAKS
Luke Beebe: 40, 21.
Ollie Gibbs: 27, 24.
Kaine Petty: 20.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Lee Fitzpatrick (Totton Recreation Club); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 5th, Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Ben Tillison (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 4th, Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Edward James (Woking SC); 2nd, Ollie Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 4th, Liam Ashman (Player’s, Westbury); 5th, Jordan Lee (Woking SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Gibbs beat Hughes 2-0, Petty beat O’Callaghan 2-0, Beebe beat Kidner 2-0, James beat Fitzpatrick 2-0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Gibbs beat Petty 2-0, Beebe beat James 2-1.
FINAL (25/18 points): Beebe beat Gibbs 2-1.
Battle of the Plate specialists
SOMETHING had to give when the Plate specialist met the Plate specialist in the final of the consolation competition at Fareham Snooker Club.
EASB Regional Junior Tour player Canberk Benning defeated Cameron Holt 2-0 to claim the knockout trophy for non-qualifiers from the group stages at the seventh leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold, Silver and Bronze Tours.
For 15-year-old Benning (Jesters, Swindon), it was a third Plate final of the season and a second victory.
But for Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), it was a third Plate final of the season and a third defeat.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIMS: Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC), Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon) beat Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC), Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Liam Ashman (Player’s, Westbury).
QUARTER-FINALS: Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC) beat Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC), Benning beat Leishman, Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Gillon, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
SEMI-FINALS: Benning beat McDonald, Holt beat Warren.
FINAL: Benning beat Holt 2-0.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
The 19-year-old from Poole used his loaf to quit his previous position because it left no time for practice.
And now with the co-operation of his now employers, he’s on a roll after claiming a third successive winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
“I’ve quit my job to play snooker,” said Chappell, the new rankings leader. “Now I’m in a new job working mornings with the rest of the day to practise.
“I’m very, very pleased. It’s going to improve my snooker.”
Indeed. Chappell followed up victories in Chandler’s Ford and Swindon by seeing off first-time finalist James Budd 3-1 to take the seventh leg at Fareham Snooker Club.
But he again struggled to progress from the round-robin group stage, winning just one match out of four and nicking the fourth qualifying spot.
“It was a battle, the same as last time,” he said. “I just scraped through the group stages by the skin of my teeth and then came good in the semi-final and final.”
Chappell, who is based at the Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, is seven points clear of Gosport lads Mark Lloyd and Budd in joint second. One of these three will win the rankings title at the eighth and final leg at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
Stoke Snooker Club pair Budd and Lloyd had been in Cambridge the previous day competing on the EASB Regional Junior Tour.
Next Sunday, Lloyd has a chance to announce himself on the national stage when he takes on the best young players in the country in the last-16 of the English Under-16 Championship in Leeds.
BREAKS
Mark Lloyd: 58.
James Budd: 42.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP: 1st, Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, James Budd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 5th, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chappell beat Lloyd 3-0, Budd beat Ball 3-1.
FINAL (£15/£10, 25/18 points): Chappell beat Budd 3-1.
Mickey takes the lead
TEN-year-old Mickey Joyce warmed up for the biggest day of his snooker career by taking over top spot in the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour rankings.
The Basingstoke potter collected his second winner’s trophy of the season in the seventh leg at Fareham Snooker Club and takes a six-point lead into the final event.
On Saturday, Joyce - along with fellow Silver Tour players Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth) and Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth) - will be in Leeds for the last-16 of the English Under-14 Championship.
Joyce, who is based at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, defeated his clubmate Dan Sykes 2-1 in the final.
“It was close,” he said. “I thrashed him in the first frame; he thrashed me in the second frame; I thrashed him in the third frame. It was a good final.”
But he had had an even tougher last-four match. Austen Petty, winner of the previous two events, had beaten Joyce 2-1 in a right-royal battle in the quarter-finals in Swindon last month.
“My toughest match was against Austen,” declared Joyce, who prevailed in a third-frame decider. “He put me under pressure.”
And he added: “It was a great day.”
It was Sykes’ first Silver Tour final. The Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club teenager, desperate to avoid a fourth semi-final defeat this season, fought back from 1-0 down to Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) and took the decider on the blue.
And the 15-year-old had another reason to celebrate. The previous day in Cambridge, after 19 successive defeats this season, Sykes recorded his first win on the EASB Regional Junior Tour.
Five players have mathematical chances of claiming the Silver rankings title at the eighth and final leg at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
But, realistically, it’s a three-horse race as Sykes and Browne would need strange things to happen. Joyce has a six-point lead over Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport) while Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC) is ten points further back.
Fareham Snooker Club has 12 tables and was re-opened by Jimmy White and John Virgo in January, 2004, after being destroyed by fire three months previously.
BREAKS
Mickey Joyce: 38.
Austen Petty: 37, 35, 31.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Anthony Church (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 3rd, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Cameron Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Sykes beat Church 2-1, Petty beat C Gillon 2-0, Joyce beat Farmer 2-1, Browne beat Kitchen 2-0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Joyce beat Petty 2-1, Sykes beat Browne 2-1.
FINAL (25/18 points): Joyce beat Sykes 2-1.
Four-midable Beebe
BOURNEMOUTH, Chandler’s Ford, Swindon, Fareham - four winners’ trophies from four venues that will be forever etched in the memory of a 12-year-old budding snooker star from Eastleigh.
The impressive haul of silverware means Luke Beebe has claimed his first regional title.
Beebe was crowned Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings champion after winning his fourth successive final.
It has been an imperious run that has seen the Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club youngster’s game mature month by month.
And it fulfilled a promise he had made to his dad.
Hot favourite for the title going into the seventh and penultimate leg at Fareham Snooker Club, Beebe needed to beat title-rival Ollie Gibbs to wrap things up before next month’s trip to Salisbury.
Proud dad Mark, who the previous day had won his first tournament in the Open Series at his home club, revealed: “He promised me he was going to do it and he did it. Fair play to him.
“It’s been a great weekend.”
Beebe guaranteed the title (as long as he turned up at Salisbury) by seeing off Ed James (Woking SC) 2-1 in the last-four.
“I had to play more safety but when I had my chance I took it,” said Beebe, who compiled a 40 break.
But it was put beyond any doubt when he clawed back a one-frame deficit to beat Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-1 in an edge-of-the-seat final.
“It was a good final but it was very nerve-racking,” said Beebe.
Reflecting on his title-winning campaign, he said it felt “great” and added: “I’ve battled hard for it and I think I deserved it.”
Meanwhile, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC) survived a three-way play-off in his group but missed out on a first ever appearance in a final after suffering a third semi-final defeat of the season, 2-0 to Gibbs.
Petty won his quarter-final match 2-0 against David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), who also prevailed in a three-way play-off to make the knockout for the first time in his debut season.
And Cuestars debutant Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC) impressed by winning all four group matches before being knocked out 2-0 by Gibbs.
The eighth and final leg is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, May 4.
BREAKS
Luke Beebe: 40, 21.
Ollie Gibbs: 27, 24.
Kaine Petty: 20.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Lee Fitzpatrick (Totton Recreation Club); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 5th, Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Ben Tillison (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 4th, Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Edward James (Woking SC); 2nd, Ollie Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 4th, Liam Ashman (Player’s, Westbury); 5th, Jordan Lee (Woking SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Gibbs beat Hughes 2-0, Petty beat O’Callaghan 2-0, Beebe beat Kidner 2-0, James beat Fitzpatrick 2-0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Gibbs beat Petty 2-0, Beebe beat James 2-1.
FINAL (25/18 points): Beebe beat Gibbs 2-1.
Battle of the Plate specialists
SOMETHING had to give when the Plate specialist met the Plate specialist in the final of the consolation competition at Fareham Snooker Club.
EASB Regional Junior Tour player Canberk Benning defeated Cameron Holt 2-0 to claim the knockout trophy for non-qualifiers from the group stages at the seventh leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold, Silver and Bronze Tours.
For 15-year-old Benning (Jesters, Swindon), it was a third Plate final of the season and a second victory.
But for Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), it was a third Plate final of the season and a third defeat.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIMS: Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC), Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon) beat Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC), Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Liam Ashman (Player’s, Westbury).
QUARTER-FINALS: Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC) beat Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC), Benning beat Leishman, Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Gillon, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
SEMI-FINALS: Benning beat McDonald, Holt beat Warren.
FINAL: Benning beat Holt 2-0.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)