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Gibbs claims second championship
GOSPORT teenager Olly Gibbs ended a remarkable year on the green baize by clinching his second Cuestars South of England Under-21 Championship.
The 14-year-old edged Ryan Hughes 2-1 in the final of the Gold Tour play-off at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Last June, Gibbs was crowned English Under-14 Champion.
He said: “It was such a good feeling to have won this, the last competition of the season. I was delighted.
“It seems such a long time since I won the English national under-14s in Gloucester.”
Gibbs, who is based at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club, finished top of his five-man round-robin group in Swindon despite losing 2-0 to clubmate Hughes.
He then overcame Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge), who was competing in his last under-21 tournament, 2-1 in the last-four of the event sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Hughes beat Connor Benzey, another clubmate, 2-0 to reach his first Gold Tour final at the end of his first season in the top tier.
It was also Gibbs’ first final in two seasons on the Gold Tour.
He made his Cuestars Bronze Tour debut in Salisbury in October, 2013 - and won the event. At the end of that first season, he clinched the championship play-off.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Anthony Rice: 54.
Dan Sykes: 53.
Aidan Murphy: 48, 45.
Olly Gibbs: 47.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Aidan Murphy (Brislington & St Annes Conservative Club, Bristol); 4th, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone); 5th, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Gibbs 2-1 Rice, R Hughes 2-0 Benzey.
FINAL (£50/£25): Gibbs 2-1 R Hughes.
Double delight for Chloe
CHLOE White has made Cuestars history for the second time in two weeks.
A fortnight ago, the 16-year-old from Havant became the first girl to win a rankings title on the South of England Under-21 circuit.
And now she’s the first girl to do the double.
White beat home player Shane Kearns 2-0 in the final of the Silver Tour championship play-off at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
The women's world number 26 took the first frame on the black and the second on the pink.
Earlier, she topped the round-robin group and then denied Ally Pollard a fairytale end to his junior career by beating the 21-year-old from Alderholt 2-0 in the last-four.
White, who revealed she’d had a new tip fitted the previous day by her coach Colin Norton, admitted it had been a tough tournament.
“It was very tiring,” she said. “I was up early and we finished late. It’s been a long day.
“It was tough because in a group of six you can’t afford any slip-ups.
And she added: “I’m really happy.”
“I didn’t expect it at all. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t have any expectations.”
The end-of season finale was sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Ally Pollard: 36.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP: 1st, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 4th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 5th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 6th, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: White 2-0 Pollard, Kearns 2-1 Ellis.
FINAL: White 2-0 Kearns.
Laxton: I can’t believe I won the Bronze Championship
PORTSMOUTH potter Samuel Laxton produced the performance of his short career to land the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour Championship.
The 13-year-old admitted he couldn’t believe what he had achieved after winning the end-of-season finale at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Laxton beat the phenomenally talented Londoner Ronnie Sullivan 2-1 on three black-ball games in the last four.
And he then defeated Riccardo Drayton by the same score in the final of the event sponsored by the host club and Nice Clean Ltd.
“I feel so good,” he beamed. “I can’t believe I won it.
“I thought I was going to go out to Ronnie in the semis. He played so well.”
A small crowd had gathered to watch the end of his match against runaway rankings winner Sullivan.
Left with a missable black into a middle pocket, Laxton held his nerve.
“There was a lot of pressure on it,” he said. “But when it went in, I was so happy.”
Laxton took the first frame of the final against Drayton, the rankings runner-up from Chandler’s Ford, and edged the decider following some top-quality safety play from both players.
“I thought I’d thrown it away when it went one-all because he had the momentum,” admitted Laxton.
“Riccardo is a great, great player. We have great safety battles. He can pot. I can pot. It was good.”
Earlier, Laxton topped his round-robin group and then overcame his Waterlooville Sports Bar clubmate Zak Truscott 2-0 in the last-eight.
It ended a great first season for the young talent. He won the third leg, also at Jesters, and finished third in the rankings after never failing to qualify for the knockout in all ten tournaments.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Riccardo Drayton: 29.
O’Shay Scott: 25, 20.
Louie Leighton: 25.
Ronnie Sullivan: 24, 22.
Kyle Carter: 24:
Zak Truscott: 22.
Samuel Laxton: 22.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Kyle Carter (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Viktor Balgariev (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 5th, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet); 2nd, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport).
QUARTER-FINALS: Sullivan 2-0 Wilson, Laxton 2-0 Truscott, Scott 2-0 Leighton, Drayton 2-0 Carter.
SEMI-FINALS: Drayton 2-0 Scott, Laxton 2-1 Sullivan.
FINAL: Laxton 2-1 Drayton.
Mason claims Six-Reds Championship
MASON Wilson ended a successful debut season on the Cuestars under-21 circuit by winning the Six-Reds Championship.
The 13-year-old from Baughurst claimed his first title at the end-of-season finale at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Wilson, who is based at The Academy, Basingstoke, beat Ben Crump (Gosport) 2-1 in the final of the event for players who hadn’t qualified for the knockouts of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Tour Championships.
He knocked in a 25 break in a 2-0 victory over Thomas McEvoy (Warminster) and then beat Londoner Adam Stacey 2-1 in the last-four.
Wilson also played an exhibition frame against guest professional Billy Castle but failed to trouble the scorer as the world number 114 ran out a 128-0 winner.
Collecting the runner-up trophy in the seventh leg of ten in Fareham in February was the previous highlight of his first season.
Wilson qualified for the knockout in six of the nine events he entered and finished in sixth place in the rankings.
The event was sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Mason Wilson: 25.
SIX-REDS RESULTS
PRELIMS: Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) 2-1 Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
QUARTER-FINALS: Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-0 Sykes, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport) 2-1 Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke) 2-0 Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC), Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone) 2-1 Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Wilson 2-1 Stacey, Crump 2-1 Forster.
FINAL: Wilson 2-1 Crump.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)
GOSPORT teenager Olly Gibbs ended a remarkable year on the green baize by clinching his second Cuestars South of England Under-21 Championship.
The 14-year-old edged Ryan Hughes 2-1 in the final of the Gold Tour play-off at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Last June, Gibbs was crowned English Under-14 Champion.
He said: “It was such a good feeling to have won this, the last competition of the season. I was delighted.
“It seems such a long time since I won the English national under-14s in Gloucester.”
Gibbs, who is based at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club, finished top of his five-man round-robin group in Swindon despite losing 2-0 to clubmate Hughes.
He then overcame Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge), who was competing in his last under-21 tournament, 2-1 in the last-four of the event sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Hughes beat Connor Benzey, another clubmate, 2-0 to reach his first Gold Tour final at the end of his first season in the top tier.
It was also Gibbs’ first final in two seasons on the Gold Tour.
He made his Cuestars Bronze Tour debut in Salisbury in October, 2013 - and won the event. At the end of that first season, he clinched the championship play-off.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Anthony Rice: 54.
Dan Sykes: 53.
Aidan Murphy: 48, 45.
Olly Gibbs: 47.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Olly Gibbs (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Ryan Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Aidan Murphy (Brislington & St Annes Conservative Club, Bristol); 4th, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone); 5th, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Gibbs 2-1 Rice, R Hughes 2-0 Benzey.
FINAL (£50/£25): Gibbs 2-1 R Hughes.
Double delight for Chloe
CHLOE White has made Cuestars history for the second time in two weeks.
A fortnight ago, the 16-year-old from Havant became the first girl to win a rankings title on the South of England Under-21 circuit.
And now she’s the first girl to do the double.
White beat home player Shane Kearns 2-0 in the final of the Silver Tour championship play-off at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
The women's world number 26 took the first frame on the black and the second on the pink.
Earlier, she topped the round-robin group and then denied Ally Pollard a fairytale end to his junior career by beating the 21-year-old from Alderholt 2-0 in the last-four.
White, who revealed she’d had a new tip fitted the previous day by her coach Colin Norton, admitted it had been a tough tournament.
“It was very tiring,” she said. “I was up early and we finished late. It’s been a long day.
“It was tough because in a group of six you can’t afford any slip-ups.
And she added: “I’m really happy.”
“I didn’t expect it at all. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t have any expectations.”
The end-of season finale was sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Ally Pollard: 36.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP: 1st, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 4th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 5th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 6th, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS: White 2-0 Pollard, Kearns 2-1 Ellis.
FINAL: White 2-0 Kearns.
Laxton: I can’t believe I won the Bronze Championship
PORTSMOUTH potter Samuel Laxton produced the performance of his short career to land the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour Championship.
The 13-year-old admitted he couldn’t believe what he had achieved after winning the end-of-season finale at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Laxton beat the phenomenally talented Londoner Ronnie Sullivan 2-1 on three black-ball games in the last four.
And he then defeated Riccardo Drayton by the same score in the final of the event sponsored by the host club and Nice Clean Ltd.
“I feel so good,” he beamed. “I can’t believe I won it.
“I thought I was going to go out to Ronnie in the semis. He played so well.”
A small crowd had gathered to watch the end of his match against runaway rankings winner Sullivan.
Left with a missable black into a middle pocket, Laxton held his nerve.
“There was a lot of pressure on it,” he said. “But when it went in, I was so happy.”
Laxton took the first frame of the final against Drayton, the rankings runner-up from Chandler’s Ford, and edged the decider following some top-quality safety play from both players.
“I thought I’d thrown it away when it went one-all because he had the momentum,” admitted Laxton.
“Riccardo is a great, great player. We have great safety battles. He can pot. I can pot. It was good.”
Earlier, Laxton topped his round-robin group and then overcame his Waterlooville Sports Bar clubmate Zak Truscott 2-0 in the last-eight.
It ended a great first season for the young talent. He won the third leg, also at Jesters, and finished third in the rankings after never failing to qualify for the knockout in all ten tournaments.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Riccardo Drayton: 29.
O’Shay Scott: 25, 20.
Louie Leighton: 25.
Ronnie Sullivan: 24, 22.
Kyle Carter: 24:
Zak Truscott: 22.
Samuel Laxton: 22.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon); 2nd, Kyle Carter (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Viktor Balgariev (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Harry Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 5th, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Louie Leighton (Rileys, Benfleet); 2nd, Riccardo Drayton (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport).
QUARTER-FINALS: Sullivan 2-0 Wilson, Laxton 2-0 Truscott, Scott 2-0 Leighton, Drayton 2-0 Carter.
SEMI-FINALS: Drayton 2-0 Scott, Laxton 2-1 Sullivan.
FINAL: Laxton 2-1 Drayton.
Mason claims Six-Reds Championship
MASON Wilson ended a successful debut season on the Cuestars under-21 circuit by winning the Six-Reds Championship.
The 13-year-old from Baughurst claimed his first title at the end-of-season finale at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Wilson, who is based at The Academy, Basingstoke, beat Ben Crump (Gosport) 2-1 in the final of the event for players who hadn’t qualified for the knockouts of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Tour Championships.
He knocked in a 25 break in a 2-0 victory over Thomas McEvoy (Warminster) and then beat Londoner Adam Stacey 2-1 in the last-four.
Wilson also played an exhibition frame against guest professional Billy Castle but failed to trouble the scorer as the world number 114 ran out a 128-0 winner.
Collecting the runner-up trophy in the seventh leg of ten in Fareham in February was the previous highlight of his first season.
Wilson qualified for the knockout in six of the nine events he entered and finished in sixth place in the rankings.
The event was sponsored by Jesters Snooker Club and Nice Clean Ltd.
Nice Clean Ltd undertakes all types of commercial and residential cleaning from windows to gutters to driveways in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas. For more information, visit nicecleanltd.co.uk.
To find out more about Jesters SC, go to jesterssnooker.co.uk/snooker.
BREAKS
Mason Wilson: 25.
SIX-REDS RESULTS
PRELIMS: Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC) 2-1 Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar).
QUARTER-FINALS: Ben Crump (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-0 Sykes, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport) 2-1 Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar), Mason Wilson (Academy, Basingstoke) 2-0 Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC), Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone) 2-1 Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC).
SEMI-FINALS: Wilson 2-1 Stacey, Crump 2-1 Forster.
FINAL: Wilson 2-1 Crump.
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)