Kearns edges further ahead

SWINDON teenager Shane Kearns survived a nail-biting group stage to edge further ahead in the race for the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings title.

Kearns collected his second winner’s trophy of the season after beating Chloe White 2-0 in the final of the fourth leg at Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon, south London.

But the 15-year-old admitted that he “just about scraped” through to the knockout.

Although he recorded his highest break of 30 against the home club’s Ronnie Sullivan in the group stages, he lost 2-1 to White (Havant) and then 2-1 to Will Forster (Gosport) in his fourth and last match. And that one frame took him through to the quarter-finals.

“One minute it was good and then it was shocking, all over the place,” he said. “I just about scraped through by one frame.”

Kearns dispatched his Jesters clubmate Riley Ellis 2-0 in the last-four and White by the same scoreline in the final on one of the club’s professional standard tables.

Reflecting on the Star table, he said: “It’s fast. I’ve played on it once before (in last year’s final) but it’s tough getting used to it.”

Kearns won the first leg in Woking, was runner-up to Chloe’s brother Callum in Salisbury and was knocked out in the semi-finals in Swindon by Chloe, whom he leads in the rankings by 16 points. Ellis is third and Callum is fourth.

Sullivan had a day to remember on his Cuestars debut. The 12-year-old took a frame off the eventual tournament winner and recorded his highest break of 24 against Harry Joyce (Eastleigh).

For more information about event sponsor Frames Sports Bar, go to www.framessportsbar.co.uk and also visit www.cuesports.club, the new home of snooker.

The fifth leg of ten is at Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, on Sunday, January 8.

BREAKS

Chloe White: 34.
Shane Kearns: 30.
Callum White: 27.
Ronnie Sullivan: 24.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Chloe White (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 2nd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Harry Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Ronnie Sullivan (Frames, Coulsdon).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Riley Ellis (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Arnie Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Callum White (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 4th, Thomas Saunders (Stepfield SC, Witham, Essex).

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chloe White 2 Petty 0, Kearns 2 Ellis 0.

FINAL (25/18 points): Kearns 2 Chloe White 0.

Pictures by Tim Dunkley

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)