WEST COUNTRY NEWS
Wessex Billiards Championship
Brian Harvey confirmed his status as the best player in West of England by taking his ninth successive title in the Wessex Billiards Championship. Dominating his final game of 750-up against Steve Warren, Harvey made a flying start with breaks of 73 and 82 in his first two visits. Further breaks of 134 and 93 after the interval ensured there was no way back for Warren, Harvey winning by just over 300 points. In the semi-finals, Harvey had defeated Jack Masters 600-444, while Warren had disposed of Carroll Walters 600-322, which included a break of 105.
Results:
Taunton League
The Taunton & District Billiards League was won by the Hinkley Point team of E. Garbett, A. Garner and K. Baker. The runners-up were Railway, Taunton, (Dick Watts, T. Thomas, C. Hampton, P. Grant). The John Hocking Trophy went to Merryfield "B" (B. Harvey, R. Hill, D. Moore) with Taunton British Legion (P. Warren M. Grant, D. Wilson) being runners-up. The individual championship honours went the Brian Harvey who defeated Ken Gray in the final. The handicap title went to A. Garner (rec.20) who managed to prevent Brian Harvey (owe 365) achieving the double when he defeated him in the 150-up final. Harvey had the highest break with 183 and 13 other centuries during the course of the season. Dick Watts made two centuries this year, 153 and 102, which both came in the same match!
Scrumpys v Black Puddings
Saturday 6th May saw the 8th biannual match when Sandford Orcas (Scrumpys) played host to a team from the Dove Valley League, (Black Puddings), in timed 50 minute matches at Wincanton Mill Street. The visitors played well below their normal form and while the home team invariably wins in these friendly games, the score line of 5-1 in Sandford's favour was somewhat unexpected. Presentation of the trophy was a non-event due to the holders, Dove Valley, forgetting to bring with them! Sandford intends however to pick it up when they play the Northern leg in the Autumn.
Top Cue Tournament and Exhibition
The second day of activities at Mill Street saw 26 amateurs playing for the Group A Rose Bowl and Group B Salver on a round robin format. Perhaps it was the humid, thundery atmosphere prevailing for most of the day that mitigated against good scoring, even the top players compiling relatively low aggregates and breaks, the best recorded being a 50 by Bill Andress.
The 8 players qualifying from the preliminary rounds went on to contest the semi-finals with Brian Harvey and Michael White prevailing over V. Hardwell and Carroll Walters respectively in Group A, while in Group B, R. Foster had a comfortable win over M. Woolmington and S. Poynton accounted for D. Feeley but only after a hard fought battle. Both of the group finals were closely contested with Michael White putting up a spirited performance in which he made breaks of 61 and 67 in a score of 203, but to no avail as Brian Harvey just emerged victorious with a score of 205 which included well below par breaks of 54 and 47. The Group B final was also close-run with Sandford's Roy Foster just pipping Melksham player Steve Poynton by 143-139.
Presentation of the Group A Rose Bowl was made by Nita Dagley and the Group B Salver by Peter Gilchrist who then went on to give a two hour exhibition match with the two winners. The evening was rounded off with trick shots by Peter both amazing and amusing all of which were greatly appreciated by the knowledgeable audience.
Thanks must be given to our sponsors and the many raffle prize donors who helped to raise £125 for the Cancer Research Campaign. This seems particularly appropriate in view of our great loss of Norman Dagley and Ray Moore both of whom succumbed to forms of this affliction and who in the past did so much to help with the success of this event.
Everyone participating was presented with a commemorative certificate and shortly after the weekend's activities, seven more trophies were acquired for the Top Cue event. If this trend continues there will soon be one for every person taking part!