Sotonsnooker

Rushden 

Rushden Under-21s  

MARCHWOOD’S England under-16 international Billy Castle went down to awesome Aussie Vinnie Calabrese in the Rushden under-21 event-nine quarter-finals.

The 16-year-old posted a 56 in a 3-1 defeat by the 2005 Australian national champion.

Castle made breaks of 48, 44, 49, 56, 60 and 63 in the group stages and added a 78 in a 3-0 last-16 victory over Nik Charalambous (Newmarket).

With three tournaments to play in this year-long series, the region still holds the top three spots despite last-16 exits.

Current leader Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) made 87 and 86 in the groups before a 3-0 defeat by Jordan Rimmer (Birmingham).

Fair Oak’s Dan Hildyard, in second place, dropped just one frame in eight group matches. He scored a fine 2-0 win against the eventual tournament winner Kyren Wilson (Kettering) but lost 3-2 in the knockout to Sam Harvey (Bedford).

Third-placed Nick Jennings (Otterbourne), who cracked in a 105 against Jason Hildyard, went out 3-1 to Danny Douane (London).

Also out in the last 16 were ten-year-old Shane Castle, 3-0 to England star Mitchell Mann (Birmingham), and Ollie Tydeman (C/Ford), 3-0 to Calabrese.

Castle made a 76 in the groups.

A TOP-32 professional came within half-an-inch of a dramatic defeat by a 16-year-old from Marchwood in a scratch Pro-Am at Rushden SC.

Trailing 3-2 in the semi-finals of the Malc Meeson Memorial Trophy in Northamptonshire, world No 21 Stuart Bingham was thrown a lifeline when Billy Castle snookered himself on match ball.

Needing two of the last three colours for a famous victory, Castle potted the blue and cannoned the pink off the cushion. But he watched in horror as the white rolled behind the black. Escaping from the snooker, he left the pink over the pocket.

Essex-based Bingham potted both and won the decider on the colours.

“Half-an-inch either way and I would have potted the pink,” said Castle.

Travelling companion Drew Farminer described Castle as “a machine”.

“Bingham was gone,” he added. “Billy had him beat. He was brilliant all day. I’ve never seen him play that well before. Everyone was raving about him.”

Castle, who pocketed £50, declared it was the best result of his career after the Pontin’s Spring Festival under-16 title.

“It was a good day,” he said. “I just tried to block out that he was a pro.”

In the early rounds, Castle beat Andy Voyce (Mkt Harborough) 4-0 and made breaks of 84 and 75 in a 4-0 victory over James Fritties. He added 51 and 50 in a fightback from 3-1 down to beat Alan Proudman 4-3.

Farminer (Shirley Warren) lost to Lee Farebrother (Chelmsford) 4-0. Adam Nash (Bitterne) went out 4-0 to world No 58 Mark Joyce.

Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) lost 4-3 to Daniel Ward, the 2006 IBSF World Championship finalist.

The 17-year-old knocked in breaks of 69, 67 and 56 in the Plate and saw off former professional Jimmy Robertson 3-2 in the semis. He split the £100 final pot with England international Kyren Wilson (Kettering).

Fareham 12-year-old Adam Bobat had an 82 in the Plate.

Fair Oak’s Dan Hildyard insists he can catch Rushden Under-21 rankings leader Alex Dunkley as the South continued to dominate Northamptonshire’s premier junior series.

The 17-year-old won all seven round-robin group matches and dropped just one frame.

Trailing 2-0 to former England international Darrell Whitworth (Bedford) in the last 16, Hildyard fought back to triumph 3-2. He beat Tom Kerslake (Derby) and Luke Garland (Dudley), both 3-1, to reach the final.

Second-placed Hildyard and Nikolus Charalambous (Newmarket) split the £100 pot.

“Of course I can still catch Alex,” said Hildyard at the halfway point of the monthly year-long series.

“All I need is a few good runs and Alex to not do so well and I'll overtake him".

Dan’s brother Jason, 15, qualified from his group but went out 3-1 to Garland in the knockout.

Dunkley (Bursledon) was beaten 3-2 by 12-year-old practice-partner Adam Bobat in the last 16. Bobat (Fareham) lost to Garland in the quarter-finals.

Derby’s Lee Shanker ended the hopes of Ollie Tydeman (C/Ford) in the last 16 and Billy Castle (Marchwood) in the last eight.

Billy’s cousin Shane made a 63 in a 3-1 last-16 defeat by Charalambous. Women’s world number eight Suzie Opacic (Brambridge) was disappointed to fall short of a sizeable break, missing a red on 63.

TWELVE-year-old Adam Bobat potted a staggering 121 clearance against England international Kyren Wilson in a tournament in Rushden.

Shrugging off the disappointment of losing to Joel Walker in the EASB national under-14 championship final eight days previously in Sheffield, Bobat recorded his first competitive century in a 2-1 defeat in the group stages.

Bobat’s dad Mo was at the fifth event of the monthly under-21 series.

“I didn’t see the whole thing unfold,” he said. “Shane (Castle) came up to me and said ‘he’s on a century’. I saw it from about 76 onwards.”

But Wilson, from Kettering, was not counting the break aloud.

“I didn’t know how much I was on,” explained the Fareham youngster. “When I was on the yellow I thought I’d already passed 100, but I was on 94.”

Bobat potted a long, straight yellow and then green and brown for the ton. He was forced to take the pink with the rest after finishing out of position on the blue which left a thin cut on the black with the long rest.

Castle, then aged nine, scored his first ton, 101, at the same Northamptonshire club in December.

Bobat added breaks of 50 and 54 and qualified for the knockout with six wins, including practice-partner Alex Dunkley (2-0), Welsh under-14 international Callum Lloyd (2-1), and south-coast rival Castle (2-0).

In the last 16, he eased past James Jelley (Leicester) 2-0 and recorded a shock 3-0 quarter-final victory over Alex Fussell, 18, the Welsh number one at under-19 level.

A 3-1 semi-final defeat by Dunkley (Bursledon) ended the remarkable run. Bobat pocketed £30 and is a contender for the pound-a-point high-break prize at the end of the year.

Mo said: “He was playing really well. Beating Alex in the first match was a confidence boost. I think he got the momentum going from then on.”

Dunkley said: “It’s incredible for a player of that age to make a break that size, but it doesn’t surprise me after practising with him.”

The next day Bobat knocked in a 137 total clearance, which started with a plant, in a practice match at Fareham SC against Anthony Dearing.

Rankings leader Dunkley, who scored an 86 in the groups, split the £130 pot with Lee Shanker (Derby) and lost a one-frame final for the points.

Despite winning seven of his eight group matches, Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) qualified for the knockout only in third place.

In the last-16, he beat Darrell Whitworth 2-1 after the former England international potted the final black in the decider and went in off. He eased past Aldershot’s Ryan Mears 3-0 in the quarter-finals but lost 3-2 to Shanker in the last four.

Billy Castle (Marchwood) made breaks of 49, 50, 58 and 81 in the group stages.

SOUTHAMPTON Premier Division teenagers hold the top three spots in the Rushden SC under-21 series.

Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) shared the spoils with Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) in event four of the year-long competition in Northamptonshire.

The Churchills’ pair edged past former England international Darryl Whitworth (Bedford) into second and third behind rankings leader Alex Dunkley (Sarisbury Social A).

Hildyard beat Adam Bobat (Fareham) 3-2 in the last 16, Luke Garland (Dudley) 3-1 and Nik Charalambous (Newmarket) 3-0.

With another late night in prospect the finalists spilt the points.

Jennings, 16, ended Dunkley’s bid for a fourth straight tournament win with a 3-0 semi-final victory.

Dunkley, who chalked up breaks of 97, 51 and 94 in earlier matches, fluked frame ball to level at 2-2 against Billy Castle in the last eight and won the decider with a 71.

Castle, who also plays for Churchills’, made 54, 50, 49 and 41 in the group stages.

After a 3-1 first-round exit to Ryan Mears (Aldershot), Ollie Tydeman (Sarisbury Social) reached the Plate final.

The 18-year-old left-hander, who posted breaks of 52, 67, 71 and 84 during the day, split the £50 pot with James Jelley (Leicester).

OTTERBOURNE teenager Nick Jennings took two frames off professional Jamie O’Neill in the final of the Rushden SC midweek Pro-Am.

The 16-year-old won a black-ball game to level at 2-2 but made a mistake in the decider and the world No 79 from Wellingborough knocked in a 74 to clinch a 3-2 victory.

Wins over Adam Nash (Bitterne) 4-2, James Voyce (Mkt Harborough) 4-1 and Sam Harvey (Bedford) 4-2 in the semi-finals earned £120 for Jennings who plays out of Churchills’ in Eastleigh.

Mark McLean (North Baddesley), who made a 66 in a 4-1 first-round defeat by world No 69 Joe Jogia (Herts), beat Adam Bobat (Fareham) 3-0 in the Plate semis but lost 4-1 to Danny Brindle (Bedford) in the final to pick up £40.

Brindle beat Nash 3-2 in the second semi.

Arron McIntyre (Hiltingbury) pocketed £30 after losing 4-2 to Harvey in the quarter-finals.

Mansfield world No 68 Lee Spick disposed of Mike Finn (Eastleigh) 4-1 and Billy Castle (Marchwood) 4-0.

ALEX Dunkley fired another warning shot across the bows of the stars from the Midlands with victory in the first of the 2008 Rushden under-21 tournaments.

And the 19-year-old insisted there is more to come from the southern invaders.

A 2-0 final victory over Rushden’s under-19 champion and England junior international Kyren Wilson earned Dunkley £70.

He beat Darrell Whitworth (Bedford) 3-0 in the semis and made breaks of 71 and 75 in the early rounds.

“Kyren’s the one to beat if I want to win this series,” said Dunkley.

“I feel that us southerners have something to prove to the rest of the country.

“In the past we haven’t had the depth of quality players that we have now.

“With the youngsters we’ve got coming through, we’ve now got top players in all age groups.

“We take carloads all over the country and always gain success.”

Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) lost to Wilson (Kettering) 2-0 in the last-eight.

Ollie Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) knocked in breaks of 52, 61 and 62 in the group stages.

Fareham 11-year-old Adam Bobat made a semi-final exit at the hands of Wilson.

Otterbourne left-hander John Smith, 19, impressed with a 2-1 victory over former England international Whitworth in the groups.  

FIVE of the region’s cuemen returned deflated from the midweek Rushden Pro-Am.

Travelling companions Danny Gallant, Adam Nash, Arron McIntyre, Alex Dunkley and driver Drew Farminer all suffered first-round exits.

On the journey home from Northamptonshire, Farminer’s rear nearside tyre blew out on the M1 slip road.

earlier news

HILTINGBURY teenager ARRON McINTYRE stunned world No 23 Stuart Bingham by taking a 2-0 lead at a Pro-Am in Rushden.

The 19-year-old returned from three weeks in Italy laying carpets on the Japanese cruise ship Asuka to pile the pressure on the Shanghai Masters quarter-finalist.

Living up to his nickname of ‘On-Fire’, McIntyre took the first frame on the black and the second on a re-spot despite a mix-up with the scores.

“I’d miscounted the scores and thought there was 17 in it and cleared up with 18,” he explained   

“I took the reds out of the pocket and put them on the table and he told me it was a re-spot.

“I thought if I lose this one I’m not going to be happy. He played a safety and left me a long black. I knocked that in to go 2-0 up.”

Basildon-based professional Bingham, 31, won the next four.

McIntyre added: “Even though I lost, I was pleased with the way I played. I had my chances up to the last frame, when Stuart knocked in an 80.” 

ALEX DUNKLEY wrapped up a 4-2 first-round victory over Graham Beardmore (Stoke) with a 105 clearance, his 19th century of the year.

Dunkley (Bursledon), who also scored a 65, added a 51 in a 4-3 defeat by Danny Brindle.

In the Plate, he eased to 3-0 wins against Luke Garland (Dudley), Andy Voyce (Market Harborough) and Beardmore, again, with breaks of 78, 75 and 69.

With a £60-£40 split on the final, Dunkley agreed to share the pot with world No 67 Mark Joyce (Walsall).

Will Baird (Eastleigh) lost 4-1 to Oliver Brown (Chesterfield).

earlier news

FAIR Oak teenager Dan Hildyard finished runner-up in the ten-event Rushden under-19 series.

The 17-year-old won his group and beat former England international Darrell Whitworth (Bedford) 4-3 in the last-16 after being 3-1 down.

A 4-1 victory over Ollie Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) secured second spot.

Hildyard was beaten 4-0 in the semis by the eventual tournament winner John Pritchett (Birmingham).

Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) lost to finalist Danny Douane (London) 4-2 in the last eight.

Selected final positions: 2nd Dan Hildyard, 6th Jennings, 8th Alex Dunkley (Bursledon), 14th Adam Bobat (Fareham), 17th Ollie Tydeman, 18th Jason Hildyard (Fair Oak).

WORLD number six Suzie Opacic heads for the WLBSA British Open at Rushden today hoping to improve on last year’s semi-final appearance.

But the 19-year-old from Brambridge, who lost 4-1 to three-time world champion Reanne Evans in that match, is more used to competing against men in the Winchester and Southampton leagues.

“I’ve been playing against them my whole life. I’m not sure it makes a difference,” she said.

“I’ve been lucky; I don’t get much stick from the men.

“It was a bit odd playing against the ladies at first, but at the end of the day you play the table, not the player, and it shouldn’t make a difference.”

results from last month

OTTERBOURNE teenager Nick Jennings fell to England under-16 star Kyren Wilson in the semi-final of the Rushden Under-19 tournament.

Jennings, 16, saw off local rival Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) 3-0 in the last-eight but went out 3-1 to Wilson (Kettering).

Hildyard beat Jennings in the group stages and qualified for the knockout without dropping a frame.

The pair are joint fifth after event-nine of the year-long series.

Jason Hildyard, 15, pocketed £25 for a 3-1 Plate final victory over Leo McClean (Rushden).

in previous weeks

FAREHAM’S 11-year-old potting sensation ADAM BOBAT recorded a 75 break at the Rushden under-19 tournament.

Adam set a new personal best in a 2-1 victory over Billy Castle (Marchwood)

The Pontin’s under-12 champion’s previous high of 73 was achieved at the same Northamptonshire competition in April.

Alex Dunkley chalked up an 18th competitive century, a 101 clearance, in the group stages to level against Kyren Wilson but lost the decider.

The 19-year-old added a 53 against Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak) but lost again to Wilson (Kettering) 3-2 in the semis despite scoring a 56.

Dunkley (Bursledon) pocketed £30.

Travelling companion Ollie Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) picked up £20 for a 2-1 Plate final victory over local lad Lee Bampkin.

Castle fired in breaks of 51 and 49 to beat former England international Darrell Whitworth (Bedford) 2-0 in the groups, but lost to Nick Jennings in the last 16.

Jennings (Otterbourne) went out 3-2 to Wilson in the quarters.

Suzie Opacic (Brambridge) made her tournament debut and knocked in breaks of 31, 31, 40, 41 and 43 to qualify.

The 18-year-old, ranked 12th on the World Ladies circuit, said: “I really enjoyed the day, glad I went.

“Not sure if it was the tables, but I was playing really well, which was a surprise. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of all the boys.”

Opacic, who was “pleased” to take a frame off Ryan Mears (Aldershot), lost 2-1 to Hildyard in the knockout.

(earlier events)

ARRON McINTYRE produced the performance of his life to beat England international Mitchell Mann at the Rushden under-19 tournament.

‘On-Fire’ McIntyre rattled in a 40 to clinch a last-16 fifth-frame decider against 15-year-old Mann (Birmingham) in the sixth event of the series. 

“This has been the highlight of my career so far,” said the 18-year-old. “He’s the best player I’ve ever beaten off scratch in a tournament.”

After racing to a 2-0 lead over Kyren Wilson (Kettering) in the quarter-finals, McIntyre ran out of steam and lost 3-2.

He potted a 59 break to qualify from the group stages.

“At the moment, I feel like I’m playing some of the best snooker of my life,” he added.

Nine-year-old wonderkid Shane Castle also made the trip to Northamptonshire and nearly caused the shock of the day.

The Marchwood youngster took a frame off the Pontin’s 2006 Spring Under-16 champion Wilson and finished third in his group but lost in the knockout to Dan Hildyard (Fair Oak).

Cousin Billy Castle, 14, won through his group before losing 3-1 to Lee Shanker (Derby).

Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) saw off Darrell Whitworth 3-1, Shanker 3-0 and Wilson 3-1 in the semis. The 15-year-old pocketed £40 after losing 3-1 to Ryan Mears (Aldershot) in the final.

Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) chalked up runs of 85 and 51 in the groups, an 83 clearance against James Voyce (Market Harborough) in the last-16 and scored a 54 in a 3-2 defeat by Mears in the last four.

The 19-year-old climbed to fourth in the ten-competition rankings.

Ollie Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) lost 2-0 in the Plate final to former England under-14 international Whitworth (Bedford).

(In earlier events)

Win for Alex

SOUTHAMPTON singles champion Alex Dunkley led a seven-strong raiding party from the South to success at the under-19 tournament in Rushden, Northamptonshire.

Dunkley (Bursledon) pocketed £40 after a fourth Midlands’ tournament win out of five, beating Lee Shanker (Derby) on Peter Ebdon’s practice table in the final.

He scored breaks of 54 in the groups, 54 in the last-eight against Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) and 68 against Banks in the semis.

Jennings, 15, notched up runs of 95 and 81.

Ollie Tydeman (Chandler’s Ford) and Arron McIntyre (Hiltingbury) both went out to Dan Hildyard, 16, in the knockout.

Hildyard (Fair Oak) lost to Shanker in the last-four and brother Jason, 14, lost to Adam Bobat (Fareham) in the quarters.