Sotonsnooker

Cuestars

BOYATT Wood teenager Ben Tanner has booked a date with top professional Stephen Lee after clinching the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour rankings title.

The 19-year-old ended the eight-leg tour a massive 37 points ahead of Danny Tallentire (Westbury).

In the last event at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, Tanner was beaten 2-0 in the final by Welsh international Callum Lloyd 2-0.

Earlier, he compiled breaks of 79, 72, 69 and 57 in the group stages.

World number eight Lee, who won the 2012 Players Tour Championship, will present trophies and play all the prize winners at the last-16 play-offs in Swindon on June 3.

Meanwhile, Mike Trigg (East Wellow) clinched sixth place on the Bronze Tour after a third successive quarter-final defeat.

The 15-year-old beat Nathan Farmer (Gosport), a three-time tournament winner this season, 2-1 to top his round-robin group.

But a rattled pink in a third-frame decider in the last-eight against Bradley Lane (Portsmouth) ended Trigg’s run.

Five of the region’s top players have qualified for the Championship Tour top-16 play-off.

SELECTED LAST-16 QUALIFIERS (POSITIONS)

Championship Tour: Billy Castle (Marchwood) 3rd, Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) 4th, Ben Tanner (Boyatt Wood) 9th, Mike Finn (Eastleigh) joint 8th, Shane Castle (Marchwood) 15th.

Gold tour: Ben Tanner (Boyatt Wood) 1st, Daniel Woods (Hedge End) joint 5th, Lee Bell (Sholing) 7th, Kevin Impett (Totton) 8th, Jordan Winbourne (Hedge End) joint 10th, Liam Burnet (Eastleigh) 16th.

Bronze Tour: Mike Trigg (East Wellow) 6th, Austen Petty (Boyatt Wood) 8th, Olly Clark (Gosport) 9th, Spike Hull (Chandler’s Ford) 10th, Kaine Petty (Ringwood) 12th, Arnie Petty (Ringwood) joint 15th.

Cuestars Seniors Tour  

SOUTHAMPTON’S Wayne Muddiman climbed to third place on the Cuestars South of England Seniors (40+) Tour after a second final appearance in his debut season.

Beaten 2-1 by John Hunter (Andover) in the fifth-leg final at Fareham Snooker Club, Muddiman has now been runner-up twice and a losing semi-finalist in his three outings.

He dropped just one frame in three group matches and beat rankings leader Nick Birney (High Wycombe) 2-0 in the quarter-finals and Martin Wallace (Reading) 2-1 in the last-four.

Fifth-placed Neil Carroll (Rownhams) lost 2-0 to Hunter in the last-eight while Steve Tonks (Hythe) was knocked out at the same stage 2-0 by Steve Ashton (Salisbury). Nick Miles (Fawley) finished third in his group.

SOUTHAMPTON’S Wayne Muddiman insisted he “didn’t play well all day” despite marking his Cuestars South of England Seniors (40+) Tour debut by reaching the final.

Muddiman ended an exhausting 11 hours at Fareham Snooker Club with a 2-0 defeat by rankings leader Nick Birney.

In the second frame, the 42-year-old, who lives in the Polygon area, potted the tricky frame-ball pink down the left cushion into the top pocket only to see the cue-ball travel across the table and disappear into the opposite corner pocket.

Birney, from High Wycombe, cleared up.

However, the old friends of 25 years had already agreed to split the £150 prize pot.  

Muddiman, who used to live in the Buckinghamshire town, said: “I potted a pink down the rail with loads of side for the game and I went ‘in-off’ in the corner. That was it.

“It was a long day. I didn’t play well all day. I didn’t feel confident at all.”

A member of Chandlers Ford Central Club’s Super League side, Muddiman described his 52 break against Ray Mears (Aldershot) in the round-robin group stages as “a little moment”.

“I’m never satisfied,” he added. “I could have a 100 break and I wouldn’t be happy.”

Muddiman accounted for Martin Wallace (Reading) 2-0 and Vince Elphick (West Sussex) 2-0 in the knockout.

Dave Mumford - who also made his tour debut in the second leg of six, which attracted a record entry of 23 - said: “Wayne played consistently well all day. He was a deserved finalist.”

Mumford’s 65 break to take a frame off leg-one winner Colin Norton (Portsmouth) allowed Muddiman to qualify for the quarter-finals by just one frame.

Group winner Mumford, 43, who also compiled breaks of 54 and 49, beat Steve Ashton (Salisbury) 2-0 and collected £25 after a 2-1 semi-final defeat by Birney.

The 1995 Town Champion from Chandler’s Ford admitted it had been “a long, long time” since he’d been that far in a proper tournament.

“Early in the day I was very pleased at how my technique was standing up,” he said. “I was just delighted to get that far.

“I was pretty tired having played seven matches in ten hours. I just ran out of gas.

“It was just nice to meet a few old faces. I enjoyed the camaraderie. There’s a good atmosphere around the Seniors.”

Muddiman’s league captain Terry Azor lost 2-1 to Birney in the last-eight.

Nick Miles (Fawley), Neil Carroll (Rownhams), Mike Thatcher (Shirley) and Gary Wilton (Fareham) were knocked out in the group stages.

SELECTED GROUP-STAGE RESULTS

Dave Mumford: 2-0 Wayne Muddiman (Southampton), 2-0 Nick Miles (Fawley), 2-0 Ray Mears (Aldershot), 2-0 Paul Burt (Salisbury), 1-2 Colin Norton (Portsmouth).

Nick Miles: 2-0 Ray Mears, 0-2 Wayne Muddiman, 0-2 Paul Burt, 0-2 Dave Mumford, 0-2 Colin Norton.

Wayne Muddiman: 2-0 Colin Norton, 0-2 Dave Mumford, 2-0 Nick Miles, 2-0 Ray Mears, 2-1 Paul Burt.

Terry Azor: 2-1 Mike Thatcher (Shirley), 2-0 Ron Ellis (Surrey), 1-2 Vince Elphick (West Sussex), 2-1 Wayne Hamilton (West Sussex), 2-1 Neil Carroll (Rownhams).

Neil Carroll: 2-0 Mike Thatcher, 2-0 Ron Ellis, 1-2 Vince Elphick, 1-2 Wayne Hamilton, 1-2 Terry Azor.

Mike Thatcher: 2-0 Ron Ellis, 0-2 Vince Elphick, 0-2 Wayne Hamilton, 1-2 Terry Azor, 0-2 Neil Carroll.

Cuestars Gold Tour

BEN Tanner’s lead at the top of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour rankings was cut to ten points after defeat in the fourth-leg final in Salisbury.

The 19-year-old from Boyatt Wood was beaten 3-2 by second-placed Danny Tallentire.

Tallentire, who trailed 2-1, admitted he “nicked” the decider after Tanner double kissed the cue-ball into a middle pocket leaving an easy blue and pink for the match.

Tanner also lost to the 19-year-old from Westbury in the group stages, a reverse of their results in the third leg last month in Bournemouth.

“I couldn’t believe I got to the final,” he said. “I didn’t really play well all day.”

Lee Bell (Sholing) inflicted the only defeat of the day, 2-1 in the group stages, on the tournament winner, who accounted for Kevin Impett (Totton) 3-0 in the last-four.

Tanner, who compiled breaks of 69 and 51 during the day, beat Dean Matthews (Reading) 3-0 in the second semi.

Cuestars Bronze Tour

EAST Wellow teenage Mike Trigg led the way as the next generation of Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club juniors recorded their best ever set of results in a regional tournament.

Remarkably, all four young potters reached the quarter-finals of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour fourth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Trigg, who hadn’t qualified for the knockout stage in the three previous events, lost 2-1 to Nathan Farmer to reach his first Cuestars final.

Event-two winner Farmer (Gosport) fought back from 1-0 down to nick the decider after his 15-year-old opponent’s attempted blue down the rail rattled in the jaws.

Trigg, who had survived a three-way play-off to finish second in his round-robin group, beat clubmates Olly Clark 2-1 and Austen Petty 2-0 in the knockout.  

Meanwhile, Petty (Boyatt Wood) didn’t known whether to laugh or cry.

The 13-year-old has now lost in the semi-finals in all four legs.

“I played OK until I got to the semi-final,” he said.

Petty dispatched rankings leader Matthew Bellinger (Swindon) 2-0 in the last-eight.

Spike Hill, 14, now living in Landford, near West Wellow, was unbeaten in his group but went out 2-1 in the quarter-finals to Karl Eggar (Gosport) after taking the first frame on the pink.

Clark, who had seen off tournament winner Farmer in the group stages, is bidding for a place in the Eastleigh & District Junior Leagues record book.

The 12-year-old from Gosport heads both the Under-13 and Under-18 Premier Divisions.

The foursome are hoping to follow in the footsteps of England players Mike Finn, Nick Jennings, Alex Dunkley, Billy Castle, Dan Hildyard, Shane Castle and Jordan Winbourne who all began their careers in the Saturday morning leagues at Chandler’s Ford SC.

GROUP-STAGE RESULTS

Mike Trigg (ranked joint 8th): 0-1 Jasmine Bolsover (Woking), 0-1 Corey Tallentire (Westbury), 1-0 Callum McDonald (Salisbury). Breaks: 25.

Austen Petty (3rd): 1-0 Karl Eggar (Gosport), 1-0 Stewart Ball (Bournemouth), 1-0 Matthew Boudier (Gosport). Breaks: 27, 26, 24.  

Spike Hull (joint 8th): 1-0 Matthew Bellinger (Swindon), 1-0 Arnie Petty (Ringwood), 1-0 Mickey Joyce (Newbury).

Cuestars Gold Tour

THERE’S more than one reason why Boyatt Wood teenager Ben Tanner loves trips to Bournemouth.

Tanner triumphed in the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour third leg at the town’s Greenbaize Snooker Club.

It was the 19-year-old’s 16th tour event. His only other tournament win came at the same club last January.

“I really do like the tables,” said Tanner. “The lighting is nice and bright and you can actually see the balls.”

And he revealed: “My girlfriend Troi is from Bournemouth.”

Tanner extended his rankings lead by seeing off second-placed Danny Tallentire (Westbury) 3-1 in the final from 1-0 down.

Good safety play and long potting saw the century-breaker from The Academy, Eastleigh, drop just two frames out of ten in the group stages.

He “played pretty solid” to take a 2-0 lead against Totton’s Kevin Impett in the semi-finals. Impett levelled with a break of 50 but Tanner ran out a 3-2 winner.

“About a week before that, I started to cue really well,” said Tanner, who practises for a couple of hours every day on his full-sized table in his garage.

Impett finished second in his group thanks to wins over Liam Burnet (Eastleigh) and Lee Bell (Sholing).

With five legs left, Tanner insisted the title race is still wide open.

“I think I can do well,” he said. “But you’ve still got the likes of Shane (Castle), Billy (Castle) and Jordan (Winbourne).

“I was actually hoping for them to have turned up because I’m looking to test myself.”

Next month, Tanner faces former Woolston Cons A skipper Drew Farminer in the Town Championship quarter-finals.

Cuestars Bronze Tour

A SEVERE case of semi-finalitis has struck down a Hampshire teenager.

Austen Petty has lost to the eventual tournament winner in the last-four of all three Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour legs this season.

Now ranked joint second, the 13-year-old from Boyatt Wood’s latest defeat came against rankings leader Matthew Bellinger (Swindon) at the Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth.

“I was playing OK in that match,” said Petty. “But he made a 33 break which near enough wrapped up the (one-frame) match.”

Petty, who is based at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, beat Karl Eggar (Gosport) in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Petty’s clubmate Olly Clark climbed to seventh after a first semi-final appearance of the 2011/12 campaign.

The 12-year-old from Gosport dispatched second-leg winner Nathan Farmer (Gosport) in the last-eight but went out to Woking’s Jasmine Bolsover, 11.

Clark said: “I played well throughout but had a bit of bad luck against Jasmine on the colours.

“I’m happy with the semis but raring to go for the next tournament.”

Mike Trigg (East Wellow), Mitchell Snook (Bishop’s Waltham) and Spike Hull (Bishopstoke) went out in the group stages.

LOCAL GROUP-STAGE RESULTS

Austen Petty: 0-1 Nathan Farmer (Gosport), 1-0 Mike Trigg, 1-0 Corey Tallentire (Westbury), 1-0 Jamie Wilson (Portsmouth).

Mike Trigg: 0-1 Austen Petty, 0-1 Nathan Farmer, 0-1 Corey Tallentire, 0-1 Jamie Wilson.

Olly Clark: 1-0 Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth), 1-0 Mitchell Snook, 0-1 Karl Eggar (Gosport).

Mitchell Snook: 0-1 Bradley Cowdroy, 0-1 Olly Clark, 0-1 Karl Eggar.

Spike Hull: 1-0 Stewart Ball (Bournemouth), 0-1 Kaine Petty (Bournemouth), 0-1 Conor Flanagan (Swindon).

IT WAS quite an eventful day for Boyatt Wood’s rising star Austen Petty.

The 13-year-old, and his mum, got lost on the way to the second leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon.

He then recorded his highest break while defeating the event-one champion to reach the semi-finals for the second tournament running.

Petty, in his second season on the tour, qualified from his five-man round-robin group and compiled a personal best 32 break in a 2-1 quarter-final victory over Stewart Ball (Bournemouth), who won at Salisbury last month.

He went out 2-1 to Nathan Farmer (Gosport) in the last-four.

“That was a match I should have won quite easily,” said the Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club-based youngster. “But he played very well and I didn’t play that well.”

“As soon as I got through (the group stage), I thought I could win the whole tournament.”

Petty also recorded a 23 break against Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth).

Spike Hull (Bishopstoke) topped his group and was knocked out 2-1 in the last-eight by Farmer, the eventual tournament winner.

Meanwhile, Ben Tanner (Boyatt Wood) has shot to the top of the Gold Tour rankings.

The 19-year-old compiled breaks of 72, 89, 61 and 56 to win his four-man group, without dropping a frame, but was beaten 3-0 by tournament winner Jonjo Sharkey (Newbury) in the semi-finals.

earlier news

SHANE Castle constructed a monster 135 break en route to the final of the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour first leg at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon.

The 13-year-old from Marchwood’s 14th competitive century wrapped up a 2-0 quarter-final win over Martin Wallace (Reading).

After seeing off Alex Dunkley (Bursledon) 2-0, Shane and cousin Billy Castle played out the shortest final in Cuestars history.

Having agreed to share the £120 prize money, the Cue T’s-based teenagers played best-of-five black-ball respots for the ranking points.

Billy, who won 3-2, said: “I can’t believe that I got that far because I was Ill with a headache and a cold. But I played decent.”

Earlier, he had survived the ‘group of death’ containing Neil Clayton (Woking), Paul Bunyard (Woking), Adam Nash (Bitterne) and Jordan Winbourne (Hedge End).

Tomorrow, Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club hosts the first leg of the Cuestars Masters (40+) Tour.

SELECTED KNOCKOUT RESULTS

Quarter-finals: Alex Dunkley 3 Jordan Winbourne 2, Shane Castle 2 Martin Wallace 0, Billy Castle 2 Neil Carroll (Rownhams) 0.

Semi-finals: B Castle 2 Kane Grigg (West Mids) 0, S Castle 2 Dunkley 0.

Final: B Castle 3 S Castle 2.

Breaks: S Castle: 135, 81, 79, 72, 68; Winbourne 98, 64; B Castle: 86, 69, 61, 61, 52, 50; Dunkley: 72, 69.

CUESTARS kicked off its 2011/12 season last Sunday at Salisbury Snooker Club with the first leg of the Under-21 Gold, Silver and Bronze Tours. 

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earlier news

NEIL Carroll didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

For the third leg in a row on the Cuestars South of England Seniors (40+) Tour, the 46-year-old from Rownhams was drawn in the same round-robin group as the eventually finalists.

And he was on the receiving end of a whopping 140 total clearance by Portsmouth’s Colin Norton during the fourth and final leg at the Ambassador Snooker Club, Poole.

“Our first frame was pretty scrappy,” said Carroll. “I had several chances but didn’t take them.

“In the second frame, I broke off and Colin knocked in a 140 break. It was an excellent break, certainly the highest I’ve witnessed.

“Colin said ‘blimey, where did that come from?’ I replied ‘I don’t know, but don’t do it again’.”

Carroll, who was third in his five-man group, finished the season ranked seventh.

© January 2012 by Antony Aldridge (All rights reserved)