Welsh wizard Lloyd takes pole position in Gold
WELSH snooker international Callum Lloyd (pictured) insisted he “didn’t play that well all day” despite claiming the first leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.
Lloyd – based at Redz Snooker Club, Cwmbran – defeated Josh Lee (Jesters, Swindon) 2-0 in the final of the series opener at Salisbury Snooker Club.
“I didn’t play that well all day,” said the 18-year-old, who won the 2012 Gold Championship. “But I did enough to win and played solid in parts.”
In fact, Lloyd was beaten earlier in the day by the second youngest tour player. Ollie Clark registered a fine 2-0 victory in the group stages on his debut in the top flight.
The 14-year-old, who is based at Chandler’s Ford SC and lives in Gosport, also lost two black-ball frames against finalist Lee.
He said it was a “tough” but “even” group.
Meanwhile, the youngest Gold player was only beaten by Sam Storey (Crucible, Newbury) as he cruised through the group stages.
Last season’s Silver Tour rankings winner Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport), who is 14 at the end of this month, was knocked out 2-0 in the semi-finals on his Gold debut by his Welsh namesake.
And the youngster’s clubmate James Budd, also promoted this season, proved he can compete at the higher level by progressing through his group before going down 2-1 to Lee.
The second leg of eight is at Woking Snooker Centre on Sunday, November 3.
BREAKS
Sonnie O’Sullivan: 46, 43.
James Budd: 43.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, James Budd (Stoke SC, Gosport); joint 3rd, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe), Daniel Knox (Woking SC), Ollie Parsons (Jesters, Swindon); 6th, Sam Storey (Crucible, Newbury).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Josh Lee (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Callum Lloyd (Redz, Cwmbran); 3rd, Sonnie O’Sullivan (Liberal Club, High Wycombe); 4th, Ollie Clark (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Paul Ives (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
SEMI-FINALS (£5, 15 points): C Lloyd beat M Lloyd 2-0, Lee beat Budd 2-1.
FINAL (£30/£15, 25/18 points): C Lloyd beat Lee 2-0.
14th time lucky for Silver winner Browne
WESTBURY potter Callum Browne kicked off his third season on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour with his first winner’s trophy.
After 13 previous outing in which he had only progressed twice from the group stages and never reached a final, Browne emerged victorious from the first leg of the 2013/14 campaign at Salisbury Snooker Club.
The 2010/11 Bronze Tour rankings winner, from his home town’s Player’s club, accounted for Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport) in the one-frame final.
In the last-four, Browne defeated Farmer’s clubmate Cameron Gillon, who has already booked promotion to Gold next season by compiling a 70 break in a practice match the day after the Salisbury event.
Elsewhere, the pick of the new boys was Dan Sykes. The 14-year-old from Chandler’s Ford SC beat the 2012/13 Bronze Tour rankings winner Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon) in the last-eight but lost to Farmer in the semis.
“I’m very happy I got that far,” said Sykes, who never qualified for the knockout in five attempts on the Bronze Tour in his Cuestars debut season in 2012/13.
The second leg of eight is at Woking Snooker Centre on Sunday, November 3.
BREAKS
Thomas Holton: 38.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Cameron Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 3rd, Daniel Booker (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Mike Trigg (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Thomas Holton (Woking SC); 4th, Daniel Compton (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 5th, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Jasmine Bolsover (Woking SC); 2nd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 3rd, Karan Chadda (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Farmer beat Cowdroy 1-0, Sykes beat Flanagan 1-0, Browne beat Petty 1-0, C Gillon beat Bolsover 1-0.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Farmer beat Sykes 1-0, Browne beat C Gillon 1-0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Browne beat Farmer 1-0.
YOU can’t say he didn’t warn you!
Last month, nine-year-old Ollie Gibbs won a handicapped tournament at Fareham Snooker Club and declared he was aiming to clinch the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour title in his debut season.
Well, the latest young star from Stoke Snooker Club in Gosport kicked off the campaign with an undefeated run in the first leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.
Callum McDonald (left) and Ollie Gibbs
Gibbs won all five group-stage matches before beating home players Kaine Petty, making his first appearance in the last-four, and first-time finalist Callum McDonald.
Group B winner Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC) made the semi-finals of a ranking tournament for the first time but went out to McDonald.
And spare a thought for Ally Pollard, another Salisbury player, who finished third in his six-man group and was only beaten by the two finalists.
The second leg of eight is at Woking Snooker Centre on Sunday, November 3.
BREAKS
Callum McDonald: 25.
BRONZE RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Oliver Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); joint 4th, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Edward James (Woking SC), Bradley Wrench (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); joint 3rd, Ben Tillison (Copnor SC, Portsmouth), Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC), Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Gibbs beat Petty 1-0, McDonald beat Beebe 1-0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Gibbs beat McDonald 1-0.
Matt Gillon steps up to the Plate.
The 15-year-old from Stoke SC, Gosport, marked his first outing in the second tier with a trophy.
He defeated Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon) in the final. Remarkably, the pair had been in the same Silver group. And Gillon won that encounter as well.
PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)
PRELIM: Karan Chadda (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport).
QUARTER-FINALS: Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon) beat Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC), Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth) beat Nat Kidner (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth), Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport), Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Chadda.
SEMI-FINALS: Benning beat Cowdroy, Gillon beat Joyce.
FINAL: Gillon beat Benning.