Alex Dunkley

ALEX Dunkley (pictured left) “blew away” ex-professional David Gray to claim the £300 first prize at Fareham Snooker Club’s Open Classic tournament.

Gray, who lost his Main Tour place last year, potted just two balls in the first two frames.

Although the 32-year-old former Scottish Open champion rallied to win three frames on the spin, Dunkley cleared the colours to level at 3-3 and wrapped up the decider on the final black with a 34 clearance.

Dunkley’s coach and tournament director Derek Clark, 76, said: “David Gray is a class player and Alex just blew him away.

Dunkley pocketed a staggering £570 in four tournaments in eight days. He picked up £200 on the EASB Pro-Ticket Tour, £50 at the Chandler’s Ford SC Roll-Up, £300 at Fareham and £20 at the Cuestars event in Swindon.

Dunkley, 23, from Bursledon, said: “It’s nice to do well in front of Derek, especially in a tournament he’s running.”

In the last-four, and trailing 2-1 to Town Champion Mike Finn, Dunkley responded with breaks of 67 and 78 to triumph 3-2.

Meanwhile, in the second semi, Billy Castle (Marchwood) led Gray 2-0 and then missed a red on a run of 57.

“After that, he had 88, 80 and 59 so there was not much I could do,” said the 19-year-old.

First round: Adam Nash (Bitterne) 3 Adam Bobat (Fareham) 0, Shane Castle (Marchwood) w/o Davis Hui (Southampton), Paul Norris (Brighton) 3 Jordan Winbourne (Hedge End) 2, Billy Castle (Marchwood) 3(61) Mark McLean (North Baddesley) 2, Duane Jones (Wales) 3(76) Pete Devlin (London) 0, David Gray (London) 3 Andy Boulton (Portsmouth) 2, Pete Furguson (Portsmouth) 3 Ben Finch (London) 0, Luke Simmonds (IoW) 3 Pete Oughton (Portsmouth) 2, Les Dodd (Southport) 3 Phil Watson (Fareham) 0.

Second round: S Castle 3(86, 71) Nash 2, B Castle 3(61, 59) Norris 0, Gray 3(70) Jones 2, Simmonds 3(56) Furguson 0, Mike Finn (Eastleigh) 3(66) Dodd 0(50), Colin Norton (Waterlooville) 3 Ricky Hong Chin (Esher, Surrey) 0, Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) 3(60) Ryan Mears (Aldershot) 1, Paul Oatley (IoW) 3 Ben Tanner (Boyatt Wood) 1.

Quarter-finals: B Castle 3(88) S Castle 2, Gray 3(87) Simmonds 2(97), Finn 3(93) Norton 2, Dunkley 3(77) Oatley 1.

Semi-finals (£40): Gray 3(88, 80, 59) B Castle 2(57), Dunkley 3(67, 78) Finn 2.

Final (£300/£100): Dunkley 4(59) Gray 3(63). Frame scores: 91-7, 87-0, 9-64, 73-80, 13-61, 74-58, 65-62.

The 22-year-old constructed a 104 to wrap up a 2-0 victory over Will Meharg in the seventh final of the new Chandler’s Ford SC £3,500 Senior Roll-Up.

It came six years after his first in Birmingham and nearly ten months after his 49th.

In the second round against Tim Murray, he was left with no shot on the last red on a run of 79.

Top six: Nigel Spiers (Romsey) £170, Will Meharg (Chandler’s Ford) £125, James Weaver (Bitterne) £80, Adam Nash (Bitterne) £65, Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) £65, John Thomas (Southampton) £59.

BURSLEDON’S Alex Dunkley earnt his first England cap at the weekend after responding to an SOS on social networking site Facebook.

Needing a replacement for the men’s team for the Auld Enemy Clash in Glasgow, EASB competitions director John Hartley posted an urgent plea on Monday afternoon.

As the reigning EASB Club Players Champion, Dunkley, 21, was handed a wildcard and two days later received his three-gold-lions England badge.

ALEX Dunkley’s 130 clearance against Chris Smith at Rushden SC was his 100th century break.

From Mike Daly’s conservatory in Locks Heath to the professional cubicles at Pontin’s holiday camp, North Wales, Dunkley has made centuries at 23 venues.

On October 17, 2004, aged 16, he chalked up a 100 exactly - the first of 41 tournament tons - against England International Adam Wicheard on the Golden Waistcoat circuit at Breaks SC, Birmingham.

His highest in competition was a 138 total clearance at Hazel Grove SC, Stockport, on the EASB Premier Junior Tour against James Silverwood (Lancaster) in April.

Twice last year Dunkley made 141 total clearances in practice matches against Ollie Tydeman at Chandler’s Ford SC.

His 99th ton was a 127 against Billy Castle the day before the trip to Rushden in a practice match at Stubbington SC.

DEFEAT in the last 16 of the EASB Pro-Ticket play-off in Leeds ended Alex Dunkley’s hopes of joining his hero, and six-time World Champion, Steve Davis as a professional.

Dunkley fought back from 4-1 down against Cambridgeshire amateur champion Brian Cox, 32, to win 5-4 on the final black in the first round.

But his hopes were dashed with a 5-0 defeat by Hinckley’s Andy Lee, 27, who went on to win the tournament and will join the Main Tour next season.

SOUTHAMPTON singles champion Alex Dunkley believes he is one semi-final away from claiming the prestigious Coalville Under-21 title.

The 19-year-old’s domination of junior snooker in the Midlands continued with a second successive victory at the competition’s new home, Willie Thorne’s SC, Leicester.

With three events to play, ‘Slammin’ Dunks’ is poised to join 2005 champion Judd Trump, now a professional, and 2006 winner Stephen Craigie, an England international from Tyne and Wear, on the Coalville roll of honour.

“It would be my greatest achievement on a snooker table, to date, and an honour to be ranked amongst such quality players,” he said.

Dunkley trailed 2-1 but pocketed £60 after clinching a 3-2 win over Kevin Yates (Derby), the same player he beat in the previous final.

He saw off local lad James Jelley 4-0 with a 68 break, added a 65 in a 4-0 whitewash of Ryan Mears (Aldershot) and reached the final with a 4-1 victory against Chandler’s Ford clubmate Ollie Tydeman.

After chalking up a fourth junior tournament without defeat on his travels, Dunkley (Bursledon) said: “One more semi-final should make it certain.

Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) and Kyren Wilson (Kettering) are second and third in the year-long rankings.

“Nick and Kyren are both top players and quite capable of catching me, but one of them has to win the last three to stand any chance,” explained Dunkley.

Tydeman, 17, beat James Stone (Nottingham) 4-2 and picked up £25 for a first semi-final appearance after breaks of 40 and 42 sealed a 4-0 last-eight win over Sameer Knight (Leicester), who finished 43rd on the EASB Premier Junior Tour.

BURSLEDON hotshot ALEX DUNKLEY swept aside rankings leader Kyren Wilson 3-0 at Rushden to clinch a third consecutive Midlands’ junior tournament victory.

And travelling companion Marchwood wonderkid Shane Castle recorded a new high break and came close to toppling Wilson (Kettering) in the last 16.

Dunkley, 19, who holds top spot in both the Riley’s Super 6 Series, Leicester, and the Coalville Under-21s, climbed to second in the Northamptonshire Under-19s.

In the event eight of 12 group stages, the Southampton singles champion fired in a 52 and qualified despite a 2-1 defeat by 11-year-old Adam Bobat (Fareham).

He compiled breaks of 84, 65 and 53 in the knockout to see off Sam Harvey (Bedford) 3-1, Robert Greaves (Luton) 3-0 and Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) 3-0.

Dunkley pocketed £60 and clubmate Ollie Tydeman picked up £25 for a semi-final finish.

Tydeman, 17, knocked in runs of 50 and 51 in the groups and caused an upset in the knockout.

Trailing 2-0 to 18-year-old England international Darrell Whitworth (Bedford), he levelled with breaks of 51 and 48 before edging the decider.

After a 3-1 win over Lee Shanker (Derby), Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) took the first frame of a semi-final clash against Wilson with a 45 but ran out of steam and lost 3-1.

Shane saw off Birmingham’s top nine-year-old potter Rob Jones 2-1 and scored a shock 2-0 win over century-breaker Ryan Mears (Aldershot).

The youngster potted a personal best 62 to take a 2-1 lead against Wilson but lost 3-2.

“I also had a couple of 40s,” said the nine-year-old. “But I don’t really count them!”

ALEX Dunkley stormed to victory in Leicester to take top spot in the Riley’s Super 6 Series.

And the Southampton singles champion is now leading in TWO national competitions.

Dunkley fought back from 2-1 down to beat Londoner Danny Douane 3-2 in the final at Willie Thorne’s Snooker Centre. But it was a 3-2 must-win semi-final victory that toppled the Riley’s rankings leader Darrell Whitworth.

“I’d have been out of the running if I’d lost that,” said the 19-year-old, who also leads the Coalville under-21 series.

In the group stages, Dunkley recorded breaks of 53 and 63 in 3-0 wins against Tom Kerslake (Derby), Ian Barradell (Loughborough) and Tom Brown (Chesterfield).

The Bursledon break-builder added an 85 in a 3-0 quarter-final whitewash of Lee Shanker (Derby).

Dunkley pocketed £80 and takes a slim five-point advantage over former England international Whitworth (Bedford) into the last two tournaments.

Travelling companion Arron McIntyre (Hiltingbury) chalked up his highest match break of 75 in the deciding frame of a 2-1 Plate victory over Scott McGaw (Calmore).

The 18-year-old, backed by Corporate Golf Solutions, beat Alex Anastasiou (Derby) 2-0 in the final.

In-form birthday-boy Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) lost to Ryan Mears in last week’s Coalville under-21 final but exacted revenge with a 79 in a 3-2 quarter-final victory.

The 16-year-old climbed to third after a 3-1 semis defeat by Douane but is favourite to win sponsorship from Riley’s as the highest placed under-16 at the start of the series.