Gold Snooker Series 2017/18
Sponsored by
Gold Waistcoat Tour – Event 2
(THE PLAZA SNOOKER CLUB, PLYMOUTH)
Symons Wins the Battle of the Best
25th November 2017The West of England Billiards & Snooker Foundation Gold Snooker Series, sponsored by Totally Reward, rolled into Plymouth for event two in a series of six that will culminate with the top sixteen ranked players going head-to-head in the WEBSF Gold Masters. This is a straight knock-out event held in May at the end of the season. The Plaza Snooker & Pool Club hosted this event, which attracts some of the best amateur players in the region. After two hundred and twenty-two highly competitive frames, in which thirty-six breaks of 50 or more were made, Andy Symons from Tavistock stood proud as the best player on the day.
In order to whittle down the field from twenty-eight to eight qualifiers, the players competed in four groups. Group A saw Steve Brookshaw (Plymouth) win all six matches, dropping just one frame, to finish top of the group ahead of Jez Graham, also from Plymouth. The best breaks in the group coming from Brookshaw 62 and Graham 66 & 54. Experience counts for a lot in snooker and this was evident in the performances of group B qualifiers, Dean Anderson (Tavistock) & Martin Pitcher (Plymouth). Both players, rolling back the years, played solid matchplay snooker to qualify. Current West of England Snooker Open champion Dale Branton showed excellent form in finishing top of group C, making breaks of 82,65 and a superb 102 that took the highest break prize for a qualifier. Andy Neck (Newton Abbot) continued with his good form, that saw him win the first event of this season last month, finishing in second place to Branton on frame difference. Postman Neck, delivered breaks of 55, 57 & 99 clearance to also qualify. Group D was one of the toughest we have seen in a Gold Series event with four of the seven players having a total of forty-four victories between them in WEBSF tournament finals. After all the group matches were played Symons, Eddie Manning & Haydon Pinhey finished with the same number of match wins and could only be separated by frame count-back. Manning was ‘eliminated’ having won one less frame than Pinhey and Symons. These two both qualified but it was Symons that was seeded above Pinhey by virtue of beating him in their group match. Manning’s consolation was that his 100 break, along with other breaks of 53,76,88,98, won him the prize for the highest break by a non-qualifier. Pinhey posted breaks of 55,63 & 75 and Symons 51,54,60 & 73. The other significant break made in the group stages was a fine 80 made by Jamie Graham, brother of Jez Graham, both accomplished pool players. Breaks also came from; Wes Peters 52, Billy Ginn 53, Luke Stilwell 53, Martin Pitcher 56, Jay Bullen 68, Darran Lock 58, Hassan Vaizie 50, 50 & 50, Mitch Wood 55, 63 & 75 and Matt Hullat 58.
The quarter finals of the knock-out stage went very much to form and ranking. Results left Neck to play Pinhey and Branton to play Symons in the semi-finals. Both semi-final match scores ended one sided. Pinhey making a 75 break to beat Neck and Symons, breaks of 62 & 77 to beat Branton. The final however, went to a decider that saw Symons the victor over Pinhey
After two events Neck holds on to top spot, just two points above Symons, followed closely by Pinhey and Branton. The biggest ranking table movers the month being; Manning, who comes into the series fourteen places from the bottom and Pitcher who moved up eleven places into 6th place. For the second event no player made a maximum break so the prize money for this will be carried over to boost the prize pot at the Gold Masters tournament in Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon. Event three in the Gold Snooker Series takes place at The 147 Snooker Club, Swindon on the 20th January 2018. Registration is open and another bonus prize for a maximum 147 break will be on offer. Prizes were presented by Silvia Mondello of Totally Reward.
WEBSF Tournament Director said, “Competition for the top sixteen places that will qualify for the Gold Masters and the additional prize money incentives on offer for a 147 break and non-qualifying break is creating a real buzz amongst the players, which is raising the overall standard of the completion”. Any player interested in entering WEBSF events or potential volunteers willing to get involved with the work of the WEBSF they should contact Steve Canniford, Mobile 07891940995 or visit http://www.websfsnooker.com or WEBSF Facebook. Thanks to International Referee Nick Harry, who recently flew back from refereeing at the Northern Ireland Open, to referee tirelessly throughout the day and The Plaza, Plymouth who hosted this event.
Report by Steve Canniford
