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CAMBRIDGE’S rising star Jonny Mutch overcame an old adversary to clinch his first Cuestars tournament win.
The 15-year-old defeated national under-16 finalist Mark Lloyd 2-0 in the final of the Cuestars Handicap Championship at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon.
Lloyd, also 15 and based at Stoke Snooker Club, Gosport, had beaten Mutch in five of their previous six encounters.
But the East Anglian cueman’s game has matured over the past year. He qualified for the last-16 of the English Under-16 Championship, he reached his first final on the EASB Regional Junior Tour in Plymouth in January - a result that took him up to fifth in the rankings - and last week he lost to Lloyd in the semi-finals of an under-16 tournament in Coulsdon.
“I really enjoyed the whole day,” said Mutch. “It was especially nice to beat James Budd (in the last-four) and Mark Lloyd both 2-0.
“I have played Mark numerous times so it was great to finally beat him.”
Mutch - who is sixth on the Cuestars Gold Tour, so did not receive handicap starts in any match - won all three group games without dropping a frame. He then accounted for Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford) 2-1 in the last-16 and Callum Browne (Westbury) by the same score in the quarter-finals.
“I found my match against Callum Browne very tough,” he added. “He played very well and all three frames went down to the pink and black.
“I’m looking forward to the next Cuestars event (in Fareham) in two weeks.”
Proud dad Adrian said: “It’s very encouraging. It’s only just over a year or so since he has been involved in these events.”
BREAKS
Callum Browne: 68
Mark Lloyd: 61, 57.
Ollie Parsons: 61.
James Budd: 58.
Bradley Chappell: 53, 52, 49, 49.
Troy Bodman: 45, 44.
Oliver Sykes: 29.
Steven Hughes: 23.
Bowen Zhu: 22.
Ryan Hughes: 22.
RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Bradley Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Callum Parsons (Nailsea SC, Somerset); 5th, Kyle Carter (Jesters, Swindon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Sam Storey (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Ben Hatch (Eastleigh); 5th, Quaid Bennett (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, James Budd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Drew Hampshire (147 SC, Swindon); 3rd, Ryan Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Bowen Zhu (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Jack Calder (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Reece King (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 4th, Oli Line (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP E: 1st, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, James Beaven (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon); 3rd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 4th, Harry Jones (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP F: 1st, Ollie Parsons (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Callum Georgiou (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP G: 1st, Jonny Mutch (Cambridge SC); 2nd, Charlie Pringle (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Viktor Balgariev (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Joshua Thomson (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP H: 1st, Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Mark Lloyd (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 4th, Oscar Lodwick (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
LAST-16: Chappell 2 Bodman 1, Budd 2 Joyce 0, Browne 2 Kearns 1, Mutch 2 Benzey 1, Flanagan 2 Sykes 1, Hampshire 2 S Hughes 1, Beaven 2 O Parsons 1, Lloyd 2 Pringle 0.
QUARTER-FINALS: Budd 2 Chappell 1, Mutch 2 Browne 1, Hampshire 2 Flanagan 1, Lloyd 2 Beaven 1.
SEMI-FINALS (£10): Mutch 2 Budd 0, Lloyd 2 Hampshire 0.
FINAL (£45/£20): Mutch 2 Lloyd 0.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIM: Jones beat Bennett, R Hughes beat Thomson, Carter beat C Parsons,
LAST-16: R Hughes beat Jones, Zhu beat Carter, Georgiou beat Pollard, Reed beat Lodwick, Petty beat Line, King beat Balgariev, Hatch beat Shaw, Storey beat Calder.
QUARTER-FINALS: Zhu beat R Hughes, Georgiou beat Reed, Petty beat King, Storey beat Hatch.
SEMI-FINALS: Georgiou beat Zhu, Petty beat Storey.
FINAL: Petty beat Georgiou.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
The 15-year-old defeated national under-16 finalist Mark Lloyd 2-0 in the final of the Cuestars Handicap Championship at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon.
Lloyd, also 15 and based at Stoke Snooker Club, Gosport, had beaten Mutch in five of their previous six encounters.
But the East Anglian cueman’s game has matured over the past year. He qualified for the last-16 of the English Under-16 Championship, he reached his first final on the EASB Regional Junior Tour in Plymouth in January - a result that took him up to fifth in the rankings - and last week he lost to Lloyd in the semi-finals of an under-16 tournament in Coulsdon.
“I really enjoyed the whole day,” said Mutch. “It was especially nice to beat James Budd (in the last-four) and Mark Lloyd both 2-0.
“I have played Mark numerous times so it was great to finally beat him.”
Mutch - who is sixth on the Cuestars Gold Tour, so did not receive handicap starts in any match - won all three group games without dropping a frame. He then accounted for Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford) 2-1 in the last-16 and Callum Browne (Westbury) by the same score in the quarter-finals.
“I found my match against Callum Browne very tough,” he added. “He played very well and all three frames went down to the pink and black.
“I’m looking forward to the next Cuestars event (in Fareham) in two weeks.”
Proud dad Adrian said: “It’s very encouraging. It’s only just over a year or so since he has been involved in these events.”
BREAKS
Callum Browne: 68
Mark Lloyd: 61, 57.
Ollie Parsons: 61.
James Budd: 58.
Bradley Chappell: 53, 52, 49, 49.
Troy Bodman: 45, 44.
Oliver Sykes: 29.
Steven Hughes: 23.
Bowen Zhu: 22.
Ryan Hughes: 22.
RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Bradley Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Callum Parsons (Nailsea SC, Somerset); 5th, Kyle Carter (Jesters, Swindon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Sam Storey (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Ben Hatch (Eastleigh); 5th, Quaid Bennett (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, James Budd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Drew Hampshire (147 SC, Swindon); 3rd, Ryan Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Bowen Zhu (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Jack Calder (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Reece King (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 4th, Oli Line (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP E: 1st, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, James Beaven (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon); 3rd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 4th, Harry Jones (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP F: 1st, Ollie Parsons (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Callum Georgiou (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP G: 1st, Jonny Mutch (Cambridge SC); 2nd, Charlie Pringle (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Viktor Balgariev (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Joshua Thomson (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP H: 1st, Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Mark Lloyd (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 4th, Oscar Lodwick (Nailsea SC, Somerset).
LAST-16: Chappell 2 Bodman 1, Budd 2 Joyce 0, Browne 2 Kearns 1, Mutch 2 Benzey 1, Flanagan 2 Sykes 1, Hampshire 2 S Hughes 1, Beaven 2 O Parsons 1, Lloyd 2 Pringle 0.
QUARTER-FINALS: Budd 2 Chappell 1, Mutch 2 Browne 1, Hampshire 2 Flanagan 1, Lloyd 2 Beaven 1.
SEMI-FINALS (£10): Mutch 2 Budd 0, Lloyd 2 Hampshire 0.
FINAL (£45/£20): Mutch 2 Lloyd 0.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIM: Jones beat Bennett, R Hughes beat Thomson, Carter beat C Parsons,
LAST-16: R Hughes beat Jones, Zhu beat Carter, Georgiou beat Pollard, Reed beat Lodwick, Petty beat Line, King beat Balgariev, Hatch beat Shaw, Storey beat Calder.
QUARTER-FINALS: Zhu beat R Hughes, Georgiou beat Reed, Petty beat King, Storey beat Hatch.
SEMI-FINALS: Georgiou beat Zhu, Petty beat Storey.
FINAL: Petty beat Georgiou.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)