Under-14's at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club.
England
call-ups for Shane Castle & Adam Bobat by
Tim Dunkley
TWO
budding snooker stars from Hampshire have received international call-ups.
Shane Castle’s England debut
Tim writes..........
Shane
Castle, who posted a century break at a tournament in Rushden aged just nine,
was unbeaten on his international debut as England under-14s romped to victory
over Scotland in Leeds.
Castle’s
delighted coach Dave Mumford was in the audience at the Northern Snooker Centre
for the ‘Auld Enemy’ clash.
“I
just wanted him to announce himself and say ‘look, this is who I am and this
is what I can do’,” he said. “When you’re looking at debuts it really is
a fantastic achievement.”
Malcolm
Thorne, a spokesman for the English Association of Snooker & Billiards and
brother of BBC commentator and former professional Willie, was the England team
manager from 1995 to 2004.
“I
think Shane is the youngest ever,” he said. “I always believe that if a
player is good enough he is old enough.”
Castle
won all three matches 3-0. He beat Greg Ritchie, knocked in a 57 against Aaron
Cameron and collected a trophy for the highest break in his age group, an 83
clearance in the final frame against Anthony Nardone.
Mumford,
40, said: “That break was a very, very high standard. Every time that Shane
played there seemed to be a congregation of top players watching him and saying
‘who is this boy?’
“It’s
great for him, great for me and great for everybody that’s associated with
him. My job is now to put the hours in with him on the table and keep his feet
firmly on the ground.”
Dad
Jeffery added: “I was very proud of what he did.”
John
Hartley, EASB tournament committee chairman, said: “Shane attracted all the
attention from the very first evening. He made himself centre of attention and
he lived up to what people wanted to see.”
Also
watching Castle in action was the EASB under-19 champion Adam Duffy,
Castle said: “I thought I played well. Adam Duffy kept saying I was a machine.”
Based
at Chandler’s Ford SC since he was seven, Castle, whose favourite player is
three-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, was crowned Pontin’s ‘Search
for a Star’ under-12 champion in February this year.
He
qualified for the six-man England team by finishing sixth on the EASB under-21
Regional Junior Tour (South).
earlier news
Ten-year-old
Shane Castle from Marchwood and Fareham’s Adam Bobat, 12, will don three-lion
waistcoats after being selected for the England under-14 team.
Castle’s
coach Dave Mumford, 40, said: “There’s no greater honour than to be playing
for your country at whatever you do, at whatever sport, at whatever age. It’s
the ultimate accolade.
“It’s
fantastic; it’s what dreams are made of.”
The
pint-sized potters will follow in the footsteps of Eastleigh’s Mike Finn, the
region’s first snooker international.
Finn,
who turned out for England against Wales in 2004, described it as a “fantastic
achievement”.
“From
the little town (Southampton) that we are, in terms of snooker, a lot of people
have achieved a lot of stuff,” added the 22-year-old.
“You’ve
got to take your hat off to Shane – at that age – to be selected for an
under-14 team.
“A
lot of people say a lot of things about a lot of players, but what you’ve got
on your CV counts for much more.”
The
English Association of Snooker & Billiards (EASB) has invited the
south-coast rivals to be part of a six-man team to play Scotland at the Northern
SC in Leeds from August 29-31.
Scottish
Snooker Ltd, the game’s national governing body north of the border, has
billed the ‘friendly’ international as “The Auld Enemy” clash.
At
the age of nine, Castle missed the world record by 81 days when he scored a
first century break in a tournament in Rushden.
But
when the youngster, whose favourite player is three-time world champion
‘Rocket’ Ronnie O’Sullivan, finished a debut season on the EASB Southern
Regional Junior Tour for under-21s in sixth place, neither he nor dad Jeffery
realised that an England place was on the cards.
“I
couldn’t believe it,” said a delighted Castle. “I was jumping up and
down.”
And
he added he was “proud” that good friend Bobat had also made the team.
Castle
joined Chandler’s Ford SC, aged seven.
Club-boss
Jim Everett said: “It’s probably the best news we’ve had this year for
snooker for the county.”
Fareham
SC-sponsored Bobat, who attends The Henry Cort Community College, first played
on a full-sized table as a sixth birthday present from dad Mo.
Bobat,
whose highest tournament break is 121, qualified for the team by reaching the
final of the EASB national under-14 championship in Sheffield in May.
Mum
Gail said: “I’m just extremely proud. I think it’s a huge achievement for
him – and for Shane. I’m chuffed to bits.”
Last
year Bobat survived a meningitis scare to beat Castle 2-1 in the Pontin’s
under-12 ‘Star of the Future’ final in Prestatyn.
In
February this year, Castle claimed the title.
Bobat
was informed that Castle had received a letter from the EASB the day before his
arrived.
“I
ran to the door when the postman came,” he recalled. “I felt quite excited
but also a bit nervous as well.”
earlier news
Spring Tournament
SHANE Castle beat Jordan Winbourne to win a first Under-14 Spring Tournament at Chandler’s Ford.
The nine-year-old from Marchwood won 2-0 after easing through the group stages with breaks of 32 and 47.
Castle beat Matt Levitt, 10, 2-0 in the semis while Winbourne, 11, saw off Aaron Murray, 11, by the same score.
(earlier news)
JORDAN WINBOURNE suffered the heartache of losing two black-ball frames to Epsom’s Jack Smithers in this week’s under-14 Spring Tournament final at Chandler’s Ford SC.
Former EASB national under-11 finalist Smithers cleared the last four colours to take the first frame. Botley’s Winbourne, 11, levelled with a 21 but the left-hander took the third on the final black.
Winbourne beat Smithers 2-1 in the group stages and won both other matches, with breaks of 28, 20, 25 and 20.
Shane Castle, 9, knocked in 30 and 32 to top his group but lost 2-0 to Smithers, 11, in the semis. Romsey’s Ben Spiers, 13, lost 2-1 in the other semi.
The next tournament is on May 27. For details contact Jim Everett, 023 8025 4834.
Top trio clash in Spring Tournament
Left to right: Jordan Winbourne, Shane Castle and Adam Bobat
THREE of England’s top young potters were reunited this week after clashing in the Pontin’s Prestatyn under-12 semi-finals in February.
And the result was the same. Adam Bobat, Shane Castle and Jordan Winbourne, who live within 25 miles of each other, met again at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club’s second under-14 Spring Tournament. Fareham’s Bobat, 11, who pocketed a staggering £1,200 in North Wales, again beat Castle in the final after trailing 1-0 and again ended Winbourne’s run in the semis.
© May 2007 by Antony Aldridge (All rights reserved)