Cue sports all-rounder Jonjo claims Swindon victory
A FORMER England pool international from Berkshire is proving to be rather a dab hand at snooker.
Jonjo Sharkey, who represented his country at under-21 level for two years, beat ex-Welsh snooker international Callum Lloyd 2-0 in the final of the third leg of the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour.
“I have always played pool but I’m concentrating on snooker now,” said the 22-year-old from Newbury. “I’ve been playing well the last few months.”
The finalists were actually drawn in the same four-man round-robin group at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, and event-one winner Lloyd beat Sharkey 2-0.
Sharkey – who is based at The Crucible Sports & Social Club and had failed to escape the group stages on his previous two outings – exacted revenge in the final.
Meanwhile, current leader Jon Carlton (Selsey RBL), chasing a hat-trick of rankings titles, saw his lead over Lloyd cut to two points following a 3-1 quarter-final defeat by Sharkey.
Martin Wallace (Colours, Reading) – who also lost 3-1 to Sharkey, in the last-four – is third.
Home player Conor Flanagan, the 2013 Bronze Tour rankings winner, qualified from a tough group on his Championship Tour debut but went out 3-0 to Wallace.
And making his seventh appearance, Flanagan’s clubmate Josh Lee made it to the knockout for the first time where he was knocked out 3-2 by Neil Herd.
Herd (Player’s, Westbury) was beaten 3-0 by Lloyd in the semi-finals.
The fourth leg of seven is at Woking Snooker Centre on Sunday, February 9.
BREAKS
Callum Lloyd: 79, 67, 63, 62, 55.
Dominic Holmes: 59.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Jon Charlton (Selsey RBL); 2nd, Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 3rd, Ollie Douglas (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP B: 1st, Martin Wallace (Colours, Reading); 2nd, Josh Lee (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Sam Storey (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Craig Marsh (Crucible, Newbury).
GROUP C: 1st, Neil Herd (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Ollie Parsons (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Trevor Thorn (Basingstoke Conservative Club).
GROUP D: 1st, Callum Lloyd (Redz, Cwmbran); 2nd, Jonjo Sharkey (Crucible, Newbury); 3rd, Paul Rose (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Gary Tomkins (Chandler’s Ford SC).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS </b>
QUARTER-FINALS (£5, 12 points): Sharkey beat Charlton 3-1, Wallace beat Flanagan 3-0, Herd beat Lee 3-2, Lloyd beat Holmes 3-2.
SEMI-FINALS (£15, 15 points): Sharkey beat Wallace 3-1, Lloyd beat Herd 3-0.
FINAL (£70/£35, 25/18 points): Sharkey beat Lloyd 2-0.