Seaside joy for loved-up Ben
BOURNEMOUTH will always hold a special place in Ben Tanner’s heart.
And for more than one reason!
Tanner’s victory in the third leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour was his second tournament win in 16 attempts on the circuit.
Both came on his favourite tables at the Greenbaize Snooker Club in the home town of girlfriend Troi.
“I really do like the tables and my girlfriend is from Bournemouth,” explained the 19-year-old. “The lighting is nice and bright and you can actually see the balls.”
Tanner, who is based at The Academy, Eastleigh, extended his lead at the top of the rankings with a 3-1 victory in the final over second-placed Danny Tallentire, who he had also accounted for in the group stages.
Earlier, he dropped just two frames out of four best-of-threes to top his group before edging Group B runner-up Kevin Impett (Chandler’s Ford SC) 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final.
“I went 2-0 up against him and played pretty solid in those first two frames,” said Tanner.
Impett pulled one back and forced a decider with a half-century.
Tanner took up the story of the fourth frame: “I played a good safety and split the pack. He couldn’t play safe and just hit it. I missed a key ball with the rest and he knocked in a 50.”
The century-breaking teenager, who relied on his safety play and long potting all day, rallied to win the decider.
Despite a 17-point gap lead over Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury) with five legs left, Tanner refused to accept the title is in the bag.
“I think I can do well,” he said. “But you’ve still got the likes of Shane (Castle), Billy (Castle) and Jordan (Winbourne). I was actually hoping for them to have turned up because I’m looking to test myself.”
Tanner practises for a couple of hours every day on his full-sized table in his garage. Next month, he plays in the quarter-finals of Southampton’s Town Championship.
Impett finished second in his group to Stuart Scott (Romford), who won all three matches in fifth-frame deciders. Scott then lost 3-0 to Tallentire in the last-four.
The fourth of the eight legs is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, January 8.
BREAKS
Kevin Impett: 50.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh); 2nd, Danny Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury); 3rd, Bradley Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Oliver Parsons (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Ollie Kendrick (Whitmore Reans Cons, Wolverhampton).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Stuart Scott (Romford SC); 2nd, Kevin Impett (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Liam Burnet (The Academy, Eastleigh); 4th, Lee Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh).
SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Tanner beat Impett 3-2, Tallentire beat Scott 3-0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Tanner beat Tallentire 3-1.
Bodman set to equal Parsons’ record
SWINDON’S Troy Bodman is on the verge of joining clubmate Oliver Parsons in the Cuestars history book.
Last season’s Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze champion is a red-hot favourite to become only the second player to progress to the Gold Tour in just two years.
Jesters Snooker Hall star Parsons finished third on the Bronze Tour in 2009/10 and third on the Silver Tour last year.
Bodman, runner-up in the first leg of the 2011/12 Silver Tour in Salisbury, triumphed on his home tables and followed that with victory in the third leg at the Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth.
However, Bodman didn’t have things all his own way. He lost his round-robin match against clubmate Joshua Lee 2-1, but still won his group.
After accounting for Sam Storey (Thatcham SC) 2-0 in the semis, Bodman, who recorded the day’s top break of 44, dispatched Group B winner Paul Ives (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) 3-1 in the final.
Third-placed Ives beat another Jesters player Joshua Lee 2-1 in the semi-finals. Second-placed Lee trails Bodman by 19 points.
Meanwhile, Storey said he potted some “crazy balls” to reach his first ever Silver semi-final.
The 16-year-old, who lives in Newbury, started a long day by seeing off Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) 2-1 in a near two-hour epic.
Another win and a defeat meant he had to beat Thomas Lancastle (Eastville SC, Bristol), who he had already lost to twice this season, to qualify.
Astonishingly, Storey won both frames on re-spotted blacks. And he had trailed 48-0 in the second.
After a 2-0 defeat by the eventual tournament winner, Storey said: “It has to be said, (Bodman) is quite good.
“Overall I’m pretty pleased with how today went. Everything feels like it’s starting to come together nicely and this is the first time in ages I’m feeling really happy about my game.”
Storey, who chalked up a first line-up century the previous evening, added: “I was potting some crazy balls.”
The fourth of the eight legs is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, January 8.
BREAKS
Troy Bodman: 44.
Thomas Lancastle: 36.
Mark Lloyd: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Joshua Lee (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Jack Dady (Academy, Basingstoke); 5th, Josh Brooker (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Paul Ives (Liberal Club, High Wycombe); 2nd, Sam Storey (Thatcham SC); 3rd, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 4th, Thomas Lancastle (Eastville SC, Bristol); 5th, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club High Wycombe).
SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Bodman beat Storey 2-0, Ives beat Lee 2-1.
FINAL (25/18 points): Bodman beat Ives 3-1.
Bellinger in seventh heaven
IT WAS a magic day for Swindon’s budding snooker star Matthew Bellinger.
The Jesters Snooker Hall-based youngster holds top spot in the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings after clinching a first tournament win at only his seventh attempt.
Bellinger, a semi-finalist in Salisbury and runner-up in Swindon, edged out Woking’s sensational Jasmine Bolsover in the third-leg final at the Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth.
Competing in her first final four days before her 12th birthday, Bolsover rattled the final black in the first frame. Bellinger pounced on the ball left over the pocket and took the second on the pink.
Bolsover, who finished runner-up to Bellinger in Group C and is now ranked fifth, said: “I was very pleased with my performance on Sunday. It was very close in the final.
“I’m looking forward to my next Cuestars (tournament) to do as well as I did in this one.”
Meanwhile, Austen Petty has gone down with a severe case of semi-finalitis.
The 13-year-old from Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club went out at the last-four stage to the eventual tournament winner for the third time this season.
Reflecting on his defeat by Bellinger, Petty said: “I was playing OK but he made a 33 break which near enough wrapped up the match.”
Petty is joint second in the rankings with first-leg winner Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) and second-leg winner Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport). They trail Bellinger by 19 points.
In the second semi, Bolsover accounted for Petty’s clubmate Olly Clark.
It was Clark’s first semi-final of the season and a second in total. However, the 12-year-old is “raring to go” in his bid for a first elusive final.
He said: “I played well throughout but had a bit of bad luck against Jasmine on the colours. I’m happy with the semis but I’m raring to go for the next tournament.”
In the last-eight, Group D runner-up Clark dispatched Group A winner Farmer. Bolsover defeated Group B winner Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon). Bellinger prevailed against the home club’s Kaine Petty. And Austen Petty saw off Karl Eggar (Stoke SC, Gosport), who topped Group D.
The fourth of the eight legs is at Salisbury Snooker Club on Sunday, January 8.
BREAKS
Matthew Bellinger: 33.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 4th, Corey Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury); 5th, Mike Trigg (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Spike Hull (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Matthew Bellinger (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Jasmine Bolsover (Woking SC); 3rd, Thomas Holton (Woking SC); 4th, Arnie Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Karl Eggar (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Olly Clark (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Mitchell Snook (Chandler’s Ford SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (8 points): Clark beat Farmer 1-0, Bolsover beat Flanagan 1-0, Bellinger beat K Petty 1-0, Austen Petty beat Eggar 1-0.
SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Bolsover beat Clark 1-0, Bellinger beat Austen Petty 1-0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Bellinger beat Bolsover 2-0.
Lancastle bounces back from re-spot nightmare
AFTER failing to qualify from the Cuestars South of England Silver Tour group stages thanks to two re-spotted blacks, Thomas Lancastle cleaned up in the Plate competition.
Lancastle, who is based at Eastville SC, Bristol, accounted for Josh Brooker (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) in the final.
BREAKS
Thomas Lancastle: 30.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
LAST-16: Thomas Lancastle (Eastville SC, Bristol) beat Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Lee Bell (Academy, Eastleigh) beat Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Corey Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury) beat Jack Dady (Academy, Basingstoke), Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) beat Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), Josh Brooker (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Liam Burnet (Academy, Eastleigh).
QUARTER-FINALS: Lancastle beat Spike Hull (Chandler’s Ford SC), Bell beat Arnie Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Tallentire, Brooker beat Browne.
SEMI-FINALS: Lancastle beat Bell, Brooker beat Lloyd.
FINAL: Lancastle beat Brooker.
Have you got any snooker news?
E-mail me straight after a tournament and your news will appear in the report. And it doesn’t have to be from a Cuestars tournament. E-mail me details or contact me via Facebook and you could be on the Cuestars website and in your local newspaper. E-mail: [email protected]
Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)