Two frames from Q School
JORDAN Winbourne (pictured) was “dead on his feet”, Billy Castle sacrificed a week in North Wales and Mike Finn competed despite having been ill all week.
They were all chasing a £1,000 prize and a dream chance of turning professional.
It was an agonising close effort by three of Cuestars top cuemen at the EASB Q School Satellite at Woking Snooker Centre.
In fact, we were just two frames from having a player in World Snooker’s Q School, where the semi-finalists from each of four tournaments join the pro-circuit.
After a walkover against Charlie Walters (Kent), Chandler’s Ford SC teenager Winbourne crushed Danny Brindle (Bedford) 5-2.
But in a quarter-final match, which finished at 11.10pm, the 15-year-old was edged 5-4 by James Burrett (Ipswich).
Winbourne led 3-2, lost a black-ball game and led 4-3.
His dad Chris said: “To be fair, Jordan was dead on his feet.”
Meanwhile, Finn (Woolston Cons, Southampton) chalked up 5-2 wins over Ryan Causton (London) and ex-pro Dean Venables.
But he also lost in the last-eight, 5-4 on the pink to the 2010 Pontin’s Autumn Open champion Rob James (Birmingham), the eventual qualifier.
Finn, 25, said: “I was pleased with how I played as I had been ill for the last week.”
Finn and Winbourne would have met in the semis. The winner of that would have packed his bags for Sheffield in May.
Fifth ton
Castle, based at Cue T’s, Marchwood, missed the hugely-popular week-long annual junior festival at Pontin’s, Prestatyn, in order to play in Woking.
The 18-year-old was rewarded with his fifth tournament century, a 105 in a 5-2 last-16 defeat by Burrett.
Earlier, Castle beat James Hill (West Midlands) 5-2 with runs of 41, 48, 48 and 49.
In his second life, he hammered in breaks of 68, 50 and 40 in a 5-3 last-16 defeat by Causton, twice Castle’s conqueror in the second stage in Romford last month.
Castle is looking forward to practising with world number 46 Barry Pinches in Norwich in the summer.
Picture by Kevin Smithers