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A DOREST teenage snooker ace lived up to his ‘Warrior’ nickname by claiming his first Cuestars tournament success for over five years.
Bradley Cowdroy ended a run of 39 events without a winner’s trophy in the first leg of the South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
Half a decade of hurt evaporated as he wrapped up a 2-0 victory over Bristol-based Aidan Murphy in the final at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
There was no Liang Wenbo leap of joy or Peter Ebdon shout of “come on!” as the 15-year-old from Bournemouth sunk the final blue that left his opponent chasing snookers in the second frame.
There was just a look of relief.
“A couple of years ago, I’d have lost matches like that because I didn’t have the grit,” admitted Cowdroy, who had finished runner-up in all of his previous six finals.
“If I wasn’t playing amazing, I’d just have my head down.
“It was pretty tight throughout. Aidan was playing quite well and I was playing not too bad either.
“Both frames went down to the last few colours. When that last colour went in, it was just a relief to have finally won.”
The left-hander last tasted success on the Cuestars junior circuit in a Bronze Tour event on May 6, 2012 at Jesters SC, Swindon.
“I’ve had to work really hard,” he said. “I’ve been in lots of finals but lost every one in Gold. Hopefully, some more can flow quite quickly now.
“The way I’ve been playing the last few years, I’ve wondered why I haven’t won. But then the standard of everyone has just gone up so much recently. It’s hard to keep up with them sometimes. I’ve had to work hard to make the difference.
“To have so many finals and not win, it gets in your mind mentally after a while. Next time I’m in a final there’ll be less pressure.”
Cowdroy qualified from his round-robin group in second place after losing to EASB Premier Junior Tour player Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge).
He then beat Ryan Hughes (Chandler’s Ford), last season’s Silver Tour rankings winner, 2-0 in the last-eight and first-time semi-finalist Arron Smith (Selsey) by the same scoreline.
Murphy, 13, who defeated Rice 2-1 in the second semi, recorded the day’s highest break of 59 in the group stages.
It was actually Cowdroy’s third tournament win in three months.
In July, he clinched an under-16 event at Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon, and was immediately dubbed a “warrior” by the club’s resident coach Terry Burke.
And last month, he won the Under-22 Summer Classic on home tables at Greenbaize Snooker Club.
The Waterlooville tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Aidan Murphy: 59.
Mickey Joyce: 54.
Steven Hughes: 42, 41.
Jamie Wilson: 41.
Arron Smith: 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Jones (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Aidan Murphy (Fishponds Cons Club, Bristol); 2nd, Arron Smith (Selsey RBL, Chichester); 3rd, Charlie Pringle (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Mickey Joyce (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Cowdroy 2 R Hughes 0, Smith 2 Gibbs 1, Murphy 2 S Hughes 1, Rice 2 Wilson 0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Cowdroy 2 Smith 0, Murphy 2 Rice 1.
FINAL (£80/£40, 25/18 points): Cowdroy 2 Murphy 0.
O’Callaghan wins tournament with borrowed cue
IT WOULD appear that Bournemouth teenager David O’Callaghan can only win tournaments on a regional snooker circuit following a slice of misfortune.
The 18-year-old potted his way to a second winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour using a borrowed cue.
A 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Chloe White in the final of the first leg at Waterlooville Sports Bar gave O’Callaghan an early lead in the rankings.
Explaining why his dad, Keith, had to lend him his cue, he said: “I left it in a locker at Greenbaize (snooker club) overnight.
“And, because we left too early, I couldn’t pick it up.”
Last February, O’Callaghan won a Silver event in Fareham a month after dislocating his left knee.
Turning to his performance in Waterlooville, he said: “I played rubbish throughout the groups and the semi-final.
“I almost fluked my way through. It was the final group match against Brett Wallace, he played so much better than me. I just managed to pinch that.
“Then I played really well in the final – when it mattered.”
O’Callaghan’s only defeat was by Riley Ellis, last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner, in the group stages.
White (Havant) progressed from the same group, thanks to a one-frame advantage over Wallace (Gosport) and Ellis (Lyneham, north Wilts), and edged Shane Kearns (Swindon) 2-1 in the last-four.
Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge) reached his third semi-final in six events but went down 2-1 to O’Callaghan.
The tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Shane Kearns: 32.
David O’Callaghan: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 4th, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 5th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 5th, Thomas Saunders (Stepfield SC, Witham, Essex).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): O’Callaghan 2 Petty 1, Chloe White 2 Kearns 1.
FINAL (25/18 points): O’Callaghan 2 Chloe White 0.
Focused Sullivan takes early lead in Bronze
A YOUNG Surrey snooker player delivered a performance and a post-match interview that belied his tender years.
Ronnie Sullivan spoke about the importance of focusing on his own game after winning the first leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.
The 12-year-old from Chipstead defeated first-time finalist Riccardo Drayton 2-0 to claim maximum points at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
Now established as one of the early favourites for the rankings title, Sullivan insists there is “no one” he is looking at over his shoulder and he is “not worried” about his rivals.
“I’m just focusing on myself,” he said. “As long as I get myself to where I want to be, then I’ll be winning.
“I just want to win the next one and keep doing that. Once you’ve won the next one, it’s history. Done. Just move on.”
Talking about his opponent from Chandler’s Ford, he said: “A first final is probably a lot of pressure for him.
“In my first final, I lost 2-0 (to last season’s rankings winner Riley Ellis in Havant in February). I really wasn’t in that final because the pressure was too much.”
Sullivan topped his round-robin group - despite losing to his Frames Sports Bar clubmate Oliver Cooper - before beating eight-year-old O’Shay Scott (Chandler’s Ford) 2-1 in the last-eight and Rio Smith (Portsmouth) 2-0 in the semi-finals.
“I knocked a few breaks in which I was pleased with,” added the Ewell Castle School pupil. “But I could have done better.”
Cuestars debutant Samuel Laxton (Portsmouth) went down 2-0 in the semis to Drayton, who had knocked out another new boy, Mason Wilson (Baughurst, near Basingstoke), 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
It was Sullivan’s second tournament win and a fourth final in eight events since making a nervous debut on home tables in Coulsdon, last December.
Sullivan works with “great coach” Terry Burke, who made the trip south to watch his protégé, and he also thanked Frames owner Tony Thompson, Jamie his dad and Curtis Braithwaite, who runs www.dafasnooker.com.
The tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Ronnie Sullivan: 25, 21, 21.
Mason Wilson: 23.
Riccardo Drayton: 23.
Rio Smith: 21.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke); 2nd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Jack Ratcliffe (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Rio Smith (Copnor SC); 3rd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Oliver Cooper (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 3rd, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Drayton 2 M Wilson 1, Laxton 2 Ratcliffe 1, Smith 2 Cooper 1, Sullivan 2 Scott 1.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Drayton 2 Laxton 0, Sullivan 2 Smith 0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Sullivan 2 Drayton 0.
Brothers contest Plate final
CHANDLER’S Ford brothers Dan and Oliver Sykes fought out the Plate final during the first legs of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Tours at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
And it was 18-year-old Dan who prevailed 2-0 over his 11-year-old sibling on the first anniversary of the club’s opening.
Both had made group-stage exits in Gold.
The tournaments were sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second legs of ten are at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS:
Oliver Sykes: 45.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIM: Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport) beat Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon).
QUARTER-FINALS: Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Forster beat Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar) beat Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: D Sykes beat Forster, O Sykes beat Russell.
FINAL: D Sykes 2 O Sykes 2.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
Bradley Cowdroy ended a run of 39 events without a winner’s trophy in the first leg of the South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
Half a decade of hurt evaporated as he wrapped up a 2-0 victory over Bristol-based Aidan Murphy in the final at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
There was no Liang Wenbo leap of joy or Peter Ebdon shout of “come on!” as the 15-year-old from Bournemouth sunk the final blue that left his opponent chasing snookers in the second frame.
There was just a look of relief.
“A couple of years ago, I’d have lost matches like that because I didn’t have the grit,” admitted Cowdroy, who had finished runner-up in all of his previous six finals.
“If I wasn’t playing amazing, I’d just have my head down.
“It was pretty tight throughout. Aidan was playing quite well and I was playing not too bad either.
“Both frames went down to the last few colours. When that last colour went in, it was just a relief to have finally won.”
The left-hander last tasted success on the Cuestars junior circuit in a Bronze Tour event on May 6, 2012 at Jesters SC, Swindon.
“I’ve had to work really hard,” he said. “I’ve been in lots of finals but lost every one in Gold. Hopefully, some more can flow quite quickly now.
“The way I’ve been playing the last few years, I’ve wondered why I haven’t won. But then the standard of everyone has just gone up so much recently. It’s hard to keep up with them sometimes. I’ve had to work hard to make the difference.
“To have so many finals and not win, it gets in your mind mentally after a while. Next time I’m in a final there’ll be less pressure.”
Cowdroy qualified from his round-robin group in second place after losing to EASB Premier Junior Tour player Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge).
He then beat Ryan Hughes (Chandler’s Ford), last season’s Silver Tour rankings winner, 2-0 in the last-eight and first-time semi-finalist Arron Smith (Selsey) by the same scoreline.
Murphy, 13, who defeated Rice 2-1 in the second semi, recorded the day’s highest break of 59 in the group stages.
It was actually Cowdroy’s third tournament win in three months.
In July, he clinched an under-16 event at Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon, and was immediately dubbed a “warrior” by the club’s resident coach Terry Burke.
And last month, he won the Under-22 Summer Classic on home tables at Greenbaize Snooker Club.
The Waterlooville tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Aidan Murphy: 59.
Mickey Joyce: 54.
Steven Hughes: 42, 41.
Jamie Wilson: 41.
Arron Smith: 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Jones (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Aidan Murphy (Fishponds Cons Club, Bristol); 2nd, Arron Smith (Selsey RBL, Chichester); 3rd, Charlie Pringle (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Mickey Joyce (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Cowdroy 2 R Hughes 0, Smith 2 Gibbs 1, Murphy 2 S Hughes 1, Rice 2 Wilson 0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Cowdroy 2 Smith 0, Murphy 2 Rice 1.
FINAL (£80/£40, 25/18 points): Cowdroy 2 Murphy 0.
O’Callaghan wins tournament with borrowed cue
IT WOULD appear that Bournemouth teenager David O’Callaghan can only win tournaments on a regional snooker circuit following a slice of misfortune.
The 18-year-old potted his way to a second winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour using a borrowed cue.
A 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Chloe White in the final of the first leg at Waterlooville Sports Bar gave O’Callaghan an early lead in the rankings.
Explaining why his dad, Keith, had to lend him his cue, he said: “I left it in a locker at Greenbaize (snooker club) overnight.
“And, because we left too early, I couldn’t pick it up.”
Last February, O’Callaghan won a Silver event in Fareham a month after dislocating his left knee.
Turning to his performance in Waterlooville, he said: “I played rubbish throughout the groups and the semi-final.
“I almost fluked my way through. It was the final group match against Brett Wallace, he played so much better than me. I just managed to pinch that.
“Then I played really well in the final – when it mattered.”
O’Callaghan’s only defeat was by Riley Ellis, last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner, in the group stages.
White (Havant) progressed from the same group, thanks to a one-frame advantage over Wallace (Gosport) and Ellis (Lyneham, north Wilts), and edged Shane Kearns (Swindon) 2-1 in the last-four.
Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge) reached his third semi-final in six events but went down 2-1 to O’Callaghan.
The tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Shane Kearns: 32.
David O’Callaghan: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 4th, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 5th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 5th, Thomas Saunders (Stepfield SC, Witham, Essex).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): O’Callaghan 2 Petty 1, Chloe White 2 Kearns 1.
FINAL (25/18 points): O’Callaghan 2 Chloe White 0.
Focused Sullivan takes early lead in Bronze
A YOUNG Surrey snooker player delivered a performance and a post-match interview that belied his tender years.
Ronnie Sullivan spoke about the importance of focusing on his own game after winning the first leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.
The 12-year-old from Chipstead defeated first-time finalist Riccardo Drayton 2-0 to claim maximum points at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
Now established as one of the early favourites for the rankings title, Sullivan insists there is “no one” he is looking at over his shoulder and he is “not worried” about his rivals.
“I’m just focusing on myself,” he said. “As long as I get myself to where I want to be, then I’ll be winning.
“I just want to win the next one and keep doing that. Once you’ve won the next one, it’s history. Done. Just move on.”
Talking about his opponent from Chandler’s Ford, he said: “A first final is probably a lot of pressure for him.
“In my first final, I lost 2-0 (to last season’s rankings winner Riley Ellis in Havant in February). I really wasn’t in that final because the pressure was too much.”
Sullivan topped his round-robin group - despite losing to his Frames Sports Bar clubmate Oliver Cooper - before beating eight-year-old O’Shay Scott (Chandler’s Ford) 2-1 in the last-eight and Rio Smith (Portsmouth) 2-0 in the semi-finals.
“I knocked a few breaks in which I was pleased with,” added the Ewell Castle School pupil. “But I could have done better.”
Cuestars debutant Samuel Laxton (Portsmouth) went down 2-0 in the semis to Drayton, who had knocked out another new boy, Mason Wilson (Baughurst, near Basingstoke), 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
It was Sullivan’s second tournament win and a fourth final in eight events since making a nervous debut on home tables in Coulsdon, last December.
Sullivan works with “great coach” Terry Burke, who made the trip south to watch his protégé, and he also thanked Frames owner Tony Thompson, Jamie his dad and Curtis Braithwaite, who runs www.dafasnooker.com.
The tournament was sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second leg of ten is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS
Ronnie Sullivan: 25, 21, 21.
Mason Wilson: 23.
Riccardo Drayton: 23.
Rio Smith: 21.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke); 2nd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Jack Ratcliffe (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Rio Smith (Copnor SC); 3rd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Oliver Cooper (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 3rd, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Drayton 2 M Wilson 1, Laxton 2 Ratcliffe 1, Smith 2 Cooper 1, Sullivan 2 Scott 1.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Drayton 2 Laxton 0, Sullivan 2 Smith 0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Sullivan 2 Drayton 0.
Brothers contest Plate final
CHANDLER’S Ford brothers Dan and Oliver Sykes fought out the Plate final during the first legs of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Tours at Waterlooville Sports Bar.
And it was 18-year-old Dan who prevailed 2-0 over his 11-year-old sibling on the first anniversary of the club’s opening.
Both had made group-stage exits in Gold.
The tournaments were sponsored by Vortex Property Management to raise awareness of Sightsavers, an international charity that works in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness.
For more information about the charity, visit www.sightsavers.org.
The second legs of ten are at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, October 8.
BREAKS:
Oliver Sykes: 45.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIM: Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport) beat Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon).
QUARTER-FINALS: Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Forster beat Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar) beat Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: D Sykes beat Forster, O Sykes beat Russell.
FINAL: D Sykes 2 O Sykes 2.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)