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MIKE Finn rattled in five centuries in five consecutive matches en route to winning the third leg of the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour.
The 30-year-old from Eastleigh hit three figures in each of his best-of-three-frame group-stage games at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury.
It was a jaw-dropping display of precision break-building by one of the finest exponents of the art on the south’s amateur circuit.
“If I could take my practice game into matches (all the time), I’d be pretty dangerous,” he insisted.
Finn, who works for Marc Russell Building & Roofing, constructed breaks of 101 against Ian Rose (Newbury), 103 and 50 against Ally Pollard (Alderholt, near Fordingbridge), 105 and 58 against Richard Swaffield (Salisbury), 101 against Jonjo Sharkey (Newbury) and 107 and 51 against Emin Thorose (High Wycombe) to top his round-robin group.
Southampton’s five-time and defending Town Champion added a 50 in a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Brad Chappell (Poole) and accounted for Jon Charlton (Camelsdale, near Haslemere) 3-0 in the last-four.
The Mighty Finn then slugged out a highly-entertaining 48-minute five-frame final against new rankings leader and fellow big hitter Matt Ford.
Ford (Bracknell) replied to his opponent’s run of 84 in the second with a 66 in the next but in the decider failed to pot the black when smashing the pack and Finn helped himself to a match-winning 79.
Speaking after the 3-2 win that earned him £120, Finn said: “I played well. I’m not really surprised because I do it in practice a lot.
“It’s just nice to take my practice game into matches. I haven’t done it in a long time. I enjoyed it.
“I’ve never played (Matt) before but he plays the game the right way. He goes for it; that’s the way it should be played. He seems to have a good attitude towards the game.”
Finn has a simple philosophy. “I’m going to go for the balls and if they don’t go in, they don’t go in,” he explained.
“Just chill out and let yourself play rather than do yourself in.
“I don’t want to get bogged down. Obviously you do have to play safe but my first port of call is to knock a red in and clear up.”
The 24-strong field returned 33 breaks of 50 or more. Reading-based Billy Castle, 23, compiled the day’s sixth century, a 104 in the first frame of his 3-1 semi-final defeat by Ford.
Ford, the defending rankings champion, has taken a one-point lead over three-time champion Jon Charlton.
As usual, Dominic Holmes (Godalming) missed out on a place in the knockout by one frame. And so did Christian Chislett (Basingstoke) - who lost his last group-stage match 2-1 to Paul Quinnell (Farnham), which allowed his opponent through on head-to-head results.
The fourth leg of six is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, February 14.
BREAKS
Mike Finn: 107, 105, 103, 101, 101, 84, 79, 58, 51, 50, 50.
Billy Castle: 104, 62, 56, 51.
Ian Rose: 73, 51.
Matt Ford: 66, 59, 53.
Dominic Holmes: 66.
Christian Chislett: 63.
Jon Charlton: 61, 54, 53.
Brad Chappell: 60, 55.
Ryan Mears: 57, 56, 50.
Nick Jennings: 54.
Jonjo Sharkey: 52.
Anthony Rice: 50.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Matt Ford (Sunninghill Comrades Club); 2nd, Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 4th, James Budd (Fareham Snooker Club); 5th, Martin Wallace (Crowthorne RBL); 6th, Peter Chin (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP B: 1st, Ryan Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 2nd, Paul Quinnell (Farnham Liberal Club); 3rd, Christian Chislett (Selsey RBL); 4th, Josh Saywell (Woking SC); 5th, David Rice (Salisbury SC); 6th, Neil Winkworth (Crucible, Newbury).
GROUP C: 1st, Jon Charlton (Aldingbourne Social Club, Chichester); 2nd, Billy Castle (Crucible, Newbury); 3rd, Nick Jennings (Baizz, Southampton); 4th, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 5th, James Cullen (Woking SC); 6th, Martin Luker (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP D: 1st, Mike Finn (Churchills, Eastleigh); 2nd, Ian Rose (Crucible, Newbury); 3rd, Jonjo Sharkey (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Emin Thorose (Liberal Club, High Wycombe); 5th, Richard Swaffield (Salisbury SC); 6th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Ford 3 Rose 0, Castle 3 Mears 1, Charlton 3 Quinnell 1, Finn 3 Chappell 1.
SEMI-FINALS (£30, 15 points): Ford 3 Castle 1, Finn 3 Charlton 0.
FINAL (£120/£60, 25/18 points): Finn 3 Ford 2.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
The 30-year-old from Eastleigh hit three figures in each of his best-of-three-frame group-stage games at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury.
It was a jaw-dropping display of precision break-building by one of the finest exponents of the art on the south’s amateur circuit.
“If I could take my practice game into matches (all the time), I’d be pretty dangerous,” he insisted.
Finn, who works for Marc Russell Building & Roofing, constructed breaks of 101 against Ian Rose (Newbury), 103 and 50 against Ally Pollard (Alderholt, near Fordingbridge), 105 and 58 against Richard Swaffield (Salisbury), 101 against Jonjo Sharkey (Newbury) and 107 and 51 against Emin Thorose (High Wycombe) to top his round-robin group.
Southampton’s five-time and defending Town Champion added a 50 in a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Brad Chappell (Poole) and accounted for Jon Charlton (Camelsdale, near Haslemere) 3-0 in the last-four.
The Mighty Finn then slugged out a highly-entertaining 48-minute five-frame final against new rankings leader and fellow big hitter Matt Ford.
Ford (Bracknell) replied to his opponent’s run of 84 in the second with a 66 in the next but in the decider failed to pot the black when smashing the pack and Finn helped himself to a match-winning 79.
Speaking after the 3-2 win that earned him £120, Finn said: “I played well. I’m not really surprised because I do it in practice a lot.
“It’s just nice to take my practice game into matches. I haven’t done it in a long time. I enjoyed it.
“I’ve never played (Matt) before but he plays the game the right way. He goes for it; that’s the way it should be played. He seems to have a good attitude towards the game.”
Finn has a simple philosophy. “I’m going to go for the balls and if they don’t go in, they don’t go in,” he explained.
“Just chill out and let yourself play rather than do yourself in.
“I don’t want to get bogged down. Obviously you do have to play safe but my first port of call is to knock a red in and clear up.”
The 24-strong field returned 33 breaks of 50 or more. Reading-based Billy Castle, 23, compiled the day’s sixth century, a 104 in the first frame of his 3-1 semi-final defeat by Ford.
Ford, the defending rankings champion, has taken a one-point lead over three-time champion Jon Charlton.
As usual, Dominic Holmes (Godalming) missed out on a place in the knockout by one frame. And so did Christian Chislett (Basingstoke) - who lost his last group-stage match 2-1 to Paul Quinnell (Farnham), which allowed his opponent through on head-to-head results.
The fourth leg of six is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, February 14.
BREAKS
Mike Finn: 107, 105, 103, 101, 101, 84, 79, 58, 51, 50, 50.
Billy Castle: 104, 62, 56, 51.
Ian Rose: 73, 51.
Matt Ford: 66, 59, 53.
Dominic Holmes: 66.
Christian Chislett: 63.
Jon Charlton: 61, 54, 53.
Brad Chappell: 60, 55.
Ryan Mears: 57, 56, 50.
Nick Jennings: 54.
Jonjo Sharkey: 52.
Anthony Rice: 50.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Matt Ford (Sunninghill Comrades Club); 2nd, Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 4th, James Budd (Fareham Snooker Club); 5th, Martin Wallace (Crowthorne RBL); 6th, Peter Chin (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP B: 1st, Ryan Mears (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 2nd, Paul Quinnell (Farnham Liberal Club); 3rd, Christian Chislett (Selsey RBL); 4th, Josh Saywell (Woking SC); 5th, David Rice (Salisbury SC); 6th, Neil Winkworth (Crucible, Newbury).
GROUP C: 1st, Jon Charlton (Aldingbourne Social Club, Chichester); 2nd, Billy Castle (Crucible, Newbury); 3rd, Nick Jennings (Baizz, Southampton); 4th, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 5th, James Cullen (Woking SC); 6th, Martin Luker (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP D: 1st, Mike Finn (Churchills, Eastleigh); 2nd, Ian Rose (Crucible, Newbury); 3rd, Jonjo Sharkey (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Emin Thorose (Liberal Club, High Wycombe); 5th, Richard Swaffield (Salisbury SC); 6th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Ford 3 Rose 0, Castle 3 Mears 1, Charlton 3 Quinnell 1, Finn 3 Chappell 1.
SEMI-FINALS (£30, 15 points): Ford 3 Castle 1, Finn 3 Charlton 0.
FINAL (£120/£60, 25/18 points): Finn 3 Ford 2.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
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