Tweet
BRISTOL’S phenomenal young snooker player Aidan Murphy has collected his first winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
The 13-year-old tasted success in the eighth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club less than four years after making his debut in the third tier of the junior circuit.
Murphy made his first Cuestars appearance in October, 2014 and won four Bronze tournaments in his maiden season.
He picked up a Silver winner’s trophy the follow year and is now in his second season in Gold.
Reflecting on his 2-0 victory over Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge) in the final, Murphy said: “I’ve not won one in ages so it gives me a bit of confidence. I played well.”
Earlier, in the group stages, he beat Arron Smith (Selsey) and Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford) by 2-0 scorelines but lost 2-0 to Jamie Wilson (Havant).
He then overcame England international Mickey Joyce (Basingstoke) 2-1 in the last-eight and English Under-14 Champion Olly Gibbs (Gosport) 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Murphy reckons the Gold Tour standard is “pretty good” but “sometimes” finds it hard to get going in the group stages.
“If I lose my first match, I don’t feel that great,” he explained.
“I prefer straight knockout to groups. It’s thinking about who’s winning and who’s losing.
“If you lose, you should be out.”
Murphy – who is sponsored by Elite Mobility, Hanham Flooring Centre and NH Couriers – is now just two points behind rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) with two legs remaining.
As well as the Cuestars circuit, Murphy competes on the EASB Regional Junior Tour South.
Nationally, he reached the semi-finals of this year’s English Under-14 Championship and he faces another trip to Leeds later this month for the last-16 of the English Under-18 Championship.
Rice recorded the day’s highest break of 80 (which he insisted was “full of flukes”) in the second frame of his 2-0 group-stage victory over Elliott Weston (Portsmouth).
Weston qualified for the knockout for the first time but was knocked out 2-1 by Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford) in the last-eight of the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue.
Only nine points separate the top four of Cowdroy, Murphy, Rice and Connor Benzey (Eastleigh) going into the ninth leg of ten at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Anthony Rice: 80, 64, 42.
Olly Gibbs: 56.
Aidan Murphy: 48.
Mickey Joyce: 44.
Jamie Wilson: 44.
Elliott Weston: 41, 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 5th, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Mickey Joyce (Academy, Basingstoke); 3rd, Elliott Weston (Top Spot, Havant); 4th, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Aidan Murphy (Fishponds Cons Club, Bristol); 2nd, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Arron Smith (Selsey RBL, Chichester).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): O Sykes 2-1 Weston, Rice 2-0 R Hughes, Murphy 2-1 Joyce, Gibbs 2-0 S Hughes.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Rice 2-0 O Sykes, Murphy 2-0 Gibbs.
FINAL (£70/£35, 25/18 points): Murphy 2-0 Rice.
Fourth time lucky for Chloe
CHLOE White said it felt “really good” after winning her first tournament on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour.
The only girl on the junior circuit knocked out rankings leader Brett Wallace (Gosport) 2-0 in the last-four and Ally Pollard (Alderholt) 2-0 in the final at Salisbury Snooker Club.
“It’s been a long day but I’m really happy to win,” said the 16-year-old from Havant.
Reflecting on her semi-final victory, White added: “I was really happy about that because he’s a tough opponent.”
The success in the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue followed runner-up trophies in Waterlooville, Coulsdon and Bournemouth earlier this season.
She moved up to second place, 17 points adrift of Wallace, with two of the ten legs remaining.
Rubbing shoulders with superstars like Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee on the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS) circuit has helped White progress this season.
“It does definitely help me,” she said. “It’s not a completely different game but it’s different playing the women to the guys. And there’s age differences as well.”
White, who has a high break in competition of 46, is ranked 28th on the WLBS circuit.
For fifth-placed Pollard, who beat White 2-0 in the group stages, it was a second successive runner-up trophy in his final year on the Cuestars under-21 circuit. He has two legs left plus the end-of-season championship play-off to claim a first winner’s trophy.
The 21-year-old beat Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge) 2-1 in the last-four to deny his Salisbury clubmate a first ever appearance in a Cuestars final.
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Brett Wallace: 41.
Ally Pollard: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chloe White 2-0 Wallace, Pollard 2-1 Petty.
FINAL (25/18 points): Chloe White 2-0 Pollard.
Riccardo battles back to win in Salisbury
RICCARDO Drayton twice fought back from 1-0 down en route to claiming his second winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.
The 12-year-old from Chandlers Ford overcame first-time finalist Zak Truscott (Waterlooville) 2-1 to clinch the eighth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.
And he did the same thing in the last-four to deny runaway rankings leader Ronnie Sullivan (London) a tenth straight final.
“It was tough but I played my best and it worked out well,” said the talented young potter.
Drayton won all three group-stage matches and defeated Samuel Laxton (Portsmouth) 2-0 in the last-eight.
Reflecting on his hard-fought victory win over Sullivan, whom he also beat in the final of the second leg at the same club last October, Drayton smiled: “I loved that win.
“I knew it wasn’t over (at 1-0 down) and I took my chances well.”
In the second frame of the final of the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue, he stormed back into contention with his highest Cuestars break of 48.
“I did the same thing and kept at it,” he said.
Drayton, who is now joint second with Laxton in the rankings, recorded a new high break of 65 in competition last month and, along with Sullivan, will set a Cuestars record by earning promotion straight from Bronze to Gold, missing out Silver entirely.
But that prospect doesn’t faze the budding star.
“It’s going to be tough but you only learn when you play better players,” he pointed out.
Truscott, meanwhile, demonstrated great strength of character to claim his first Cuestars trophy.
The 14-year-old from Waterlooville, who is sponsored by Lead Generation Services, had finished bottom of his group and not won a single frame in the previous three tournaments in Bournemouth, Havant and Fareham.
But he topped his group in Salisbury and beat Gosport pair Will Forster and Ben Crump by 2-1 scorelines in the knockout.
Nine-year-old Owen Jenkins (Havant) qualified for the Bronze knockout for the first time and went out 2-0 to Sullivan in the last-eight.
Sullivan needs just two points from the remaining two legs to be mathematically certain of being crowned rankings champion.
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Riccardo Drayton: 48, 25.
Ronnie Sullivan: 34, 22, 21, 20.
Zak Truscott: 24, 22.
Samuel Laxton: 22.
Mason Wilson: 22.
Harry Wilson: 20.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Oliver Cooper (Frames, Coulsdon); 4th, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC); 5th, Eddie Mason (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke); 2nd, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Taylor Elliott (147, Swindon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 3rd, Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet); 4th, Will Kempson (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Truscott 2-1 Forster, Crump 2-0 M Wilson, Drayton 2-0 Laxton, Sullivan 2-0 Jenkins.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Truscott 2-1 Crump, Drayton 2-1 Sullivan.
FINAL (25/18 points): Drayton 2-1 Truscott.
Dan’s the man in Plate final
DAN Sykes won the Plate trophy after making a group-stage exit on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour in Salisbury.
The 19-year-old from Chandler’s Ford defeated Gold Tour rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) 2-1 in the final.
Three Cuestars Bronze Tour debutants featured in the competition for non-qualifiers.
Thomas McEvoy (Warminster) beat Eddie Mason (Salisbury) in the first round but lost to last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner Riley Ellis (Clyffe Pypard, North Wilts), who had knocked out Taylor Elliott (Swindon), his clubmate from the 147 SC.
And Will Kempson (Salisbury) lost to Callum White (Havant), last season’s Bronze Tour championship play-off winner.
The event was sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIMS: Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon) beat Taylor Elliott (147 SC, Swindon), Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC) beat Eddie Mason (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS: Ellis beat McEvoy, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) beat O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC), Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet), Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar) beat Will Kempton (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Cowdroy beat Ellis, Sykes beat White.
FINAL: Sykes 2-1 Cowdroy.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
The 13-year-old tasted success in the eighth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club less than four years after making his debut in the third tier of the junior circuit.
Murphy made his first Cuestars appearance in October, 2014 and won four Bronze tournaments in his maiden season.
He picked up a Silver winner’s trophy the follow year and is now in his second season in Gold.
Reflecting on his 2-0 victory over Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge) in the final, Murphy said: “I’ve not won one in ages so it gives me a bit of confidence. I played well.”
Earlier, in the group stages, he beat Arron Smith (Selsey) and Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford) by 2-0 scorelines but lost 2-0 to Jamie Wilson (Havant).
He then overcame England international Mickey Joyce (Basingstoke) 2-1 in the last-eight and English Under-14 Champion Olly Gibbs (Gosport) 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Murphy reckons the Gold Tour standard is “pretty good” but “sometimes” finds it hard to get going in the group stages.
“If I lose my first match, I don’t feel that great,” he explained.
“I prefer straight knockout to groups. It’s thinking about who’s winning and who’s losing.
“If you lose, you should be out.”
Murphy – who is sponsored by Elite Mobility, Hanham Flooring Centre and NH Couriers – is now just two points behind rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) with two legs remaining.
As well as the Cuestars circuit, Murphy competes on the EASB Regional Junior Tour South.
Nationally, he reached the semi-finals of this year’s English Under-14 Championship and he faces another trip to Leeds later this month for the last-16 of the English Under-18 Championship.
Rice recorded the day’s highest break of 80 (which he insisted was “full of flukes”) in the second frame of his 2-0 group-stage victory over Elliott Weston (Portsmouth).
Weston qualified for the knockout for the first time but was knocked out 2-1 by Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford) in the last-eight of the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue.
Only nine points separate the top four of Cowdroy, Murphy, Rice and Connor Benzey (Eastleigh) going into the ninth leg of ten at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Anthony Rice: 80, 64, 42.
Olly Gibbs: 56.
Aidan Murphy: 48.
Mickey Joyce: 44.
Jamie Wilson: 44.
Elliott Weston: 41, 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 5th, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Mickey Joyce (Academy, Basingstoke); 3rd, Elliott Weston (Top Spot, Havant); 4th, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Aidan Murphy (Fishponds Cons Club, Bristol); 2nd, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Arron Smith (Selsey RBL, Chichester).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): O Sykes 2-1 Weston, Rice 2-0 R Hughes, Murphy 2-1 Joyce, Gibbs 2-0 S Hughes.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Rice 2-0 O Sykes, Murphy 2-0 Gibbs.
FINAL (£70/£35, 25/18 points): Murphy 2-0 Rice.
Fourth time lucky for Chloe
CHLOE White said it felt “really good” after winning her first tournament on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour.
The only girl on the junior circuit knocked out rankings leader Brett Wallace (Gosport) 2-0 in the last-four and Ally Pollard (Alderholt) 2-0 in the final at Salisbury Snooker Club.
“It’s been a long day but I’m really happy to win,” said the 16-year-old from Havant.
Reflecting on her semi-final victory, White added: “I was really happy about that because he’s a tough opponent.”
The success in the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue followed runner-up trophies in Waterlooville, Coulsdon and Bournemouth earlier this season.
She moved up to second place, 17 points adrift of Wallace, with two of the ten legs remaining.
Rubbing shoulders with superstars like Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee on the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker (WLBS) circuit has helped White progress this season.
“It does definitely help me,” she said. “It’s not a completely different game but it’s different playing the women to the guys. And there’s age differences as well.”
White, who has a high break in competition of 46, is ranked 28th on the WLBS circuit.
For fifth-placed Pollard, who beat White 2-0 in the group stages, it was a second successive runner-up trophy in his final year on the Cuestars under-21 circuit. He has two legs left plus the end-of-season championship play-off to claim a first winner’s trophy.
The 21-year-old beat Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge) 2-1 in the last-four to deny his Salisbury clubmate a first ever appearance in a Cuestars final.
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Brett Wallace: 41.
Ally Pollard: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chloe White 2-0 Wallace, Pollard 2-1 Petty.
FINAL (25/18 points): Chloe White 2-0 Pollard.
Riccardo battles back to win in Salisbury
RICCARDO Drayton twice fought back from 1-0 down en route to claiming his second winner’s trophy on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.
The 12-year-old from Chandlers Ford overcame first-time finalist Zak Truscott (Waterlooville) 2-1 to clinch the eighth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.
And he did the same thing in the last-four to deny runaway rankings leader Ronnie Sullivan (London) a tenth straight final.
“It was tough but I played my best and it worked out well,” said the talented young potter.
Drayton won all three group-stage matches and defeated Samuel Laxton (Portsmouth) 2-0 in the last-eight.
Reflecting on his hard-fought victory win over Sullivan, whom he also beat in the final of the second leg at the same club last October, Drayton smiled: “I loved that win.
“I knew it wasn’t over (at 1-0 down) and I took my chances well.”
In the second frame of the final of the event sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue, he stormed back into contention with his highest Cuestars break of 48.
“I did the same thing and kept at it,” he said.
Drayton, who is now joint second with Laxton in the rankings, recorded a new high break of 65 in competition last month and, along with Sullivan, will set a Cuestars record by earning promotion straight from Bronze to Gold, missing out Silver entirely.
But that prospect doesn’t faze the budding star.
“It’s going to be tough but you only learn when you play better players,” he pointed out.
Truscott, meanwhile, demonstrated great strength of character to claim his first Cuestars trophy.
The 14-year-old from Waterlooville, who is sponsored by Lead Generation Services, had finished bottom of his group and not won a single frame in the previous three tournaments in Bournemouth, Havant and Fareham.
But he topped his group in Salisbury and beat Gosport pair Will Forster and Ben Crump by 2-1 scorelines in the knockout.
Nine-year-old Owen Jenkins (Havant) qualified for the Bronze knockout for the first time and went out 2-0 to Sullivan in the last-eight.
Sullivan needs just two points from the remaining two legs to be mathematically certain of being crowned rankings champion.
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
BREAKS
Riccardo Drayton: 48, 25.
Ronnie Sullivan: 34, 22, 21, 20.
Zak Truscott: 24, 22.
Samuel Laxton: 22.
Mason Wilson: 22.
Harry Wilson: 20.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Oliver Cooper (Frames, Coulsdon); 4th, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC); 5th, Eddie Mason (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke); 2nd, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Dean Russell (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Taylor Elliott (147, Swindon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 3rd, Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet); 4th, Will Kempson (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Truscott 2-1 Forster, Crump 2-0 M Wilson, Drayton 2-0 Laxton, Sullivan 2-0 Jenkins.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Truscott 2-1 Crump, Drayton 2-1 Sullivan.
FINAL (25/18 points): Drayton 2-1 Truscott.
Dan’s the man in Plate final
DAN Sykes won the Plate trophy after making a group-stage exit on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour in Salisbury.
The 19-year-old from Chandler’s Ford defeated Gold Tour rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) 2-1 in the final.
Three Cuestars Bronze Tour debutants featured in the competition for non-qualifiers.
Thomas McEvoy (Warminster) beat Eddie Mason (Salisbury) in the first round but lost to last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner Riley Ellis (Clyffe Pypard, North Wilts), who had knocked out Taylor Elliott (Swindon), his clubmate from the 147 SC.
And Will Kempson (Salisbury) lost to Callum White (Havant), last season’s Bronze Tour championship play-off winner.
The event was sponsored by Attic Life and TopCue
The ninth leg of ten is at the 147 Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, April 22.
For more information about loft conversion specialists Attic Life, go to www.atticlife.co.uk. To visit Salisbury-based TopCue, which supplies snooker and pool cues and a range of accessories, go to www.topcue.co.uk.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIMS: Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon) beat Taylor Elliott (147 SC, Swindon), Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC) beat Eddie Mason (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS: Ellis beat McEvoy, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) beat O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC), Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) beat Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet), Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar) beat Will Kempton (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Cowdroy beat Ellis, Sykes beat White.
FINAL: Sykes 2-1 Cowdroy.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)