Benzey clears up in Havant
CONNOR Benzey proved how deadly he is amongst the colours as he clinched his first tournament win of the season on the Cuestars circuit.
The 15-year-old from Eastleigh overcame a shaky start to the sixth leg of the South of England Under-21 Gold Tour to beat Aidan Murphy 2-0 in the final.
Benzey, runner-up in the previous two events in London and Bournemouth, is fourth in the rankings following his success at Top Spot Snooker Club, Havant.
All four of his round-robin group-stage matches ended in 2-1 scorelines.
He lost to England international Mickey Joyce (Basingstoke) and former English Under-14 Championship runner-up Jamie Wilson (Havant) and beat his Chandlers Ford clubmate Dan Sykes and Cameron Holt (Reading).
That meant he took one of the two best third-place qualification spots by one frame from another clubmate, Steven Hughes.
Benzey then edged Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge) 2-1 in the last-eight but started to flow in a 2-0 semi-final victory over Joyce.
“I didn’t play too well until my semi-final against Mickey,” he said. “I started playing really well then.”
Benzey – who is sponsored by Pitman Training Winchester, Hillcrest Structural and GH Property Management – trailed in both frames against Murphy but secured both when given chances on the colours.
Clearing the colours is a staple practice routine for the teenager, who cleared the table for a personal best 132 break in a warm-up match five days before the event.
He took brown to pink in the opener after Murphy had gone in-off and he left his 13-year-old opponent from Bristol chasing snookers on the pink in the second.
Second-placed Murphy – who is sponsored by Elite Mobility, Hanham Flooring Centre and NH Couriers – recorded the day’s highest break of 89 in his group-stage match against Arron Smith (Selsey).
He beat rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) 2-0 in the quarter-finals and 12-year-old Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford) 2-1 on the final black in the last-four.
Fareham Snooker Club hosts the seventh leg of ten on Sunday, February 25.
Trophies were presented by Trevor Sanders from Trevor Sanders Snooker and Pool Table Services, a Fareham-based family-run firm that can be contacted via www.snookerandpooltableservices.co.uk/ .
BREAKS
Aidan Murphy: 89, 67, 47.
Bradley Cowdroy: 78, 42.
Mickey Joyce: 61.
Connor Benzey: 53.
Dan Sykes: 53.
Jamie Wilson: 48, 47.
Anthony Rice: 46.
Evan Plummer: 43, 42.
Cameron Holt: 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Aidan Murphy (Fishponds Cons Club, Bristol); 3rd, Adam Stacey (Legends, Leytonstone); 4th, Arron Smith (Selsey RBL, Chichester); 5th, Evan Plummer (Frames, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mickey Joyce (Academy, Basingstoke); 2nd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Connor Benzey (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Dan Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Elliott Weston (Top Spot, Havant); 5th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Benzey 2-1 Rice, Joyce 2-0 Stacey, O Sykes 2-0 Wilson, Murphy 2-0 Cowdroy.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Benzey 2-0 Joyce, Murphy 2-1 O Sykes.
FINAL (£77.50/£35, 25/18 points): Benzey 2-0 Murphy.
Picture by Tim Dunkley
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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)