JUNIOR RANKING SERIES

Inn off the Park, Middlesbrough (Sunday 25th April 1999)

An entry of 38 youngsters for the fourth junior ranking event at Middlesbrough confirmed the increasing popularity of this competition. As could be anticipated, the usual star performers were supplemented by a high proportion of players from Teesside. These included Phillip Wilson, elder brother of Robin, who was making his first appearance of the season. Advancing through the first round, he fell victim to Matthew Sutton in the last 16.

All games on the day were of one hour´s duration, and in the first round Matthew Sutton set an early standard for the competition with a break of 58. John Hartley also contributed a break of 50 in his win over Martin Shutt. The high scorers of the early rounds were David Butler (328), Darren Clark (312) and Robin Wilson (309). The closest encounter occurred in the preliminary round where Chris Appleton edged out Anthony Peacock by just 3 points.

The second round saw England Junior International, Robin Wilson aggregate 421 points in defeating fellow Teessider Craig Murphy. Matthew Sutton also posted a high score, recording 418 in his game. In addition to his duties as Tournament Director, John Hartley continued to compete to a high standard, producing a break of 53 against David Butler, while Lee McKenna went one better with a 54 break, both players progressing to the quarter finals.

The quarter-finals saw Wilson again reach 400 points in an hour with breaks of 40 and 38 in a victory over Ormesby team mate Mark Coates. Cambridge's James Chambers had breaks of 46 and 45 to beat Billy Bousfield of Teesside 286-174. Sutton had runs of 48 and 42 in a comfortable victory over McKenna, whilst Hartley struggled to beat team-mate and practice partner Darren Clark by 31 points.

Robin Wilson hit top form in the semi-finals, as breaks of 96 and 64 took him to a 95 point win over James Chambers. Hartley, playing his last junior tournament due to the competition age limitations, almost made it an event to remember as he came close to a victory over Matthew Sutton. The pair played a tactical battle and although Hartley was in play at the final bell he finished six points in arrears.

The final saw Sutton start well, making a 59 break, but Wilson countered this with a fine 91 which helped him to a narrow victory by just 14 points. In addition to the £50 winner's prize, Wilson's 96 in his semifinal match also earned him the high break award.

Main Competition Results :

Martin Shutt won the plate competition beating Paul Smith of Middlesbrough 173-103.