Third win for rankings leader Jenkins

OWEN Jenkins has picked up his third winner’s trophy of the season on the Cuestars Under-21 Bronze Tour.

The ten-year-old from Havant extended his lead at the top of the rankings following an excellent performance at Fareham Snooker Club.

He overcame first-time finalist Taylor Elliott 2-0 to clinch the seventh leg.

Jenkins, who recorded his first half-century break of 54 four days previously, was unbeaten in all nine frames throughout the day.

But he reckons there is more in the tank.

“I think I played well but I don’t think I played my very best,” he said.

Taylor had taken a 29-point lead in the first frame but Jenkins clawed back the deficit and won a re-spotted black.

Jenkins leads his Waterlooville Sports Bar clubmate Thomas Sharp by 17 points with three of the ten legs to play.

Elliott certainly had a day to remember. The ten-year-old from Swindon, who made his Cuestars debut ten months ago, had never progressed past the last-eight before.

He subjected Sharp (Portsmouth) to his sixth semi-final defeat of the season and then stroked in a new high break of 24 in the first frame against Jenkins.

Daniel Walter, another Portsmouth lad, moved up to fifth place after his first appearance in the last-four.

Jenkins, who beat Walter 2-0 with runs of 24 and 21, said: “He was playing well but then I started to make some 20s to win the match.”

Earlier, Thomas McEvoy (Warminster) posted a personal best 23 break in his group-stage win over Dylan Smith (Tunbridge Wells).

And in a headache for organisers, three of the four round-robin groups needed three-way play-offs to determine the qualifiers.

The previous evening, quarter-finalist Katie Griffin played an exhibition frame against world champion Mark Williams at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.

Top Spot Snooker Club, Havant, hosts the eighth legs of ten on Sunday, March 17.

For more information about event sponsor Fareham SC, visit www.farehamsnooker.co.uk.

BREAKS

Owen Jenkins: 24, 21.
Taylor Elliott: 24.
Thomas McEvoy: 23.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Owen Jenkins (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Taylor Elliott (147 SC, Swindon); joint 3rd, Tyler Mack (Waterlooville Sports Bar) and William Thomson (Chandlers Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Thomas Sharp (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Katie Griffin (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Will Kempson (Salisbury SC); 4th, Ryan Kneller (Waterlooville Sports Bar).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Dylan Smith (Victoria SC, Tunbridge Wells); 3rd, Jaydon Elliott (147 SC, Swindon); 4th, Freddie Turner (Salisbury SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Daniel Walter (Mayfair, Gosport); 2nd, Harry Wyatt (Chandlers Ford SC); joint 3rd, George Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar) and Sam Walter (Mayfair, Gosport); 5th, James Slade (Crucible, Newbury).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): D Walter 2-0 Griffin, Sharp 2-0 Wyatt, T Elliott 2-1 McEvoy, Jenkins 2-0 Smith.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): T Elliott 2-0 Sharp, Jenkins 2-0 D Walter.

FINAL (25/18 points): Jenkins 2-0 T Elliott.

Picture by Tim Dunkley

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)