The Strachan U.K. Professional Championship

Radion Plaza Snooker Club, Sheffield

March 7,8,9,10 1991

Sethi the star - Russell the winner

World Professional Champion Mike Russell found himself 493 points in arrears at the halfway stage of his Strachan U.K. final with Indian Geet Sethi but fought back strongly in the second session and with Sethi wilting took the Title for the third year in succession with a winning margin of 211 points. It is as near certain as can be that no other player in the world could give Sethi 500 start in two hours and win by over 200. The U.K. was inaugurated in 1934 and Russell's hat-trick makes him only the second player in the history of the event to win it more than twice. The first to do so was Joe Davis who won five in succession from 1934 - 1938. The Radion Plaza Club is a good venue from a number of points of view. It is within twenty minutes drive of exit 31 of the Ml; four matches can be played simultaneously in private rooms; the main match room has about the right seating capacity and the match table itself is excellent, Russell said it was possibly the best he had played on and Mike is not given to saying things simply for the sake of saying them. Catering facilities are excellent and the catering itself good; the staff are friendly and the management welcoming and enthusiastic for the game. It is hinted that the Radion may become the permanent - or semi-permanent - home of Professional billiards and both players and spectators were enthusiastic about the venue. Nothing is perfect and the drawbacks (minor) of the Radion are difficulties in parking at certain times, and that two of the match rooms have insufficient room for spectators when the match is a"popular"one, i.e when one of the top players is performing. This could be overcome in the timetabling whilst recognising that only one match at a time can be put on in the main room.

There were three matches. Ireland's Tommy Murphy had a good 137 but was well beaten by World Amateur Champion Manoj Kothari playing his first match as a professional. There were no surprises.

Big scores from Russell and Sethi: Good win for Edwards

The matches were of two hours duration. Russell scored 1482 against Paddy Morgan who was given no chance to show what he could do; Sethi scored even more - 1670 -against Portsmouth's Roy Phillips who remained cheerful in the face of 380 and 580 from the Indian player. The 580 ended with a missed pot from the spot which Sethi played slowly to retain top-of-the-table position. Michael Ferreira also reached the thousand mark. By contrast Ian Williamson won with a total of only 424 whilst Fred Davis beat Jack Fitzmaurice by just four with a total of 403. Of the new professionals only Edwards, Kothari, and Cavney were successful. But Edwards has twice been The English Amateur Champion and Kothari is the current World Amateur Champion, they are clearly players of some pedigree. Edwards had a 170 in a good win over Mark Wildman though the Peterborough man was limping badly from an injury received as the result of a fall. The Everton of some years ago would likely have beaten Kothari (in England) but the Birmingham man rarely practices these days. Perhaps the best win was that of Paul Cavney who beat Eddie Charlton by nearly a hundred.

Kothari disappoints: Exit the U.K. Champion

Manoj Kothari was well beaten by Peter Gilchrist. Kothari was very disappointing in his play. Though the balls did not run too well for him he seemed unable to adapt to the conditions and could hardly manage a twenty break. He was probably glad when the game was over and will doubtless show better form in the future. Dagley had quite a tussle with David Edwards, the Welshman eventually ousting the U.K. Champion by just 48 points. This was Edwards best performance yet as a Professional. His temperament and attitude has greatly improved since his amateur days and though the very top men seem invincible the Welshman's ability to play fluent and attractive billiards single him out as one who could well rise in the ranking order.

Geet Sethi topped the thousand mark again whilst his compatriot Ferreira could find no form against a Foldvari determined to give nothing away. Fred Davis showed that he can still play billiards with a nice 101 against Bob Close who did not look at his best.

Another big score from Sethi

To score one thousand points in a two hour match is good going by modem standards. Geet Sethi made that score for the third time in as many matches - and in a professional tournament - which could possibly be some kind of record for the post- war game. Both he and Russell had triple centuries and Peter Gilchrist missed one by just 6 points. Though Ian Williamson started favourite in his match John Murphy must have been a little disappointed at his low score - though it is not easy playing against the Leeds man.

Nearing the Thousand

Russell v Gilchrist

The two young Teessiders renewed their rivalry, this time Russell getting a flying start from which his opponent never recovered. At only his second visit to the table the World Professional Champion ran up a break of 606, followed this with 127 and in the second hour added an effort of 446 which ended when he fouled himself as his tip just brushed the cue-ball in address. Gilchrist had two centuries but found himself over 1000 behind at the interval.

Russell was less prolific in the second half of the game and was out-pointed. He made two centuries, Gilchrist had a 225 and a session average of 21.7, not Gilchrist at his best but a reasonable performance. However the damage had been done and Russell coasted home giving the impression that he could have easily raised his game had the Middlesbrough man made a really big break.

Russell's play was characterised by exceptional cue-ball control, deadly accuracy in potting, and an extraordinary delicacy of touch at the spot-end.

Sethi v Williamson

There was a sensational start to the match. Sethi broke off Williamson played safe, Sethi scored the up-and-down cannon, attempted another cannon which he missed but fluked a pot red and took his break to 199. Williamson went to the table, got the balls under control and made 170. Sethi followed with 132, Williamson missed and the Indian added 50. Thus after only four visits to the table the score stood at 381-170 in Sethi's favour.

After two or three visits in which neither player scored Sethi gathered the balls at the spot end and produced the Tournament best break of 690. A spectator was heard to murmur, "Magic," and magic indeed it was. Just as a thousand break began to look a possibility the Indian broke down. Having lost position at the top-of-the-table he attempted to play an in-off the white at a sufficient strength to send the ball into baulk and back to the top cushion for a drop cannon. The strength was short but left a fairly easy screw cannon which he missed perhaps by playing a little too slowly. The Indian player's disappointment was obvious, he too had been thinking in terms of a thousand.

This break put the match beyond Williamson's reach and though he had played well enough he finished the session some 800 points behind.

Sethi continued to pile up the points making breaks of 312 and 300 to score 943 in the session at an average of 58.9. He thus just missed scoring a thousand in two hours for the fifth consecutive session. Ian Williamson made a great effort and himself scored a triple century - 349 - the only player in the tournament to do so apart from Russell and Sethi. The Leeds Professional did a lot in this match to be rid of the dreadful image he had forged for himself in the British Open at the Barbican. Sethi's speed of play was at times quite phenomenal. He regularly takes two pots from the same side of the table almost more quickly than the referee can spot the ball and his average time in getting from 100 to 200 is just under 5 minutes.

Sethi fades as Russell fights back to make it three in a row

The final was, as the football commentators are fond of saying, a game of two halves. The first belonged to the Indian but the second - and decisive one - belonged to the Man from Marske. The magician from India established an interval lead of 497 but the Russell produced some of his own particular brand of sorcery to dominate the second session and win by 211 points. What other player in the world could give Sethi 500 start in two hours and yet win by more than 200. But as the champion himself remarked, "t wasn't planned that way!"Sethi broke and scored 96 from Russell's safety. Mike replied with 57 and then had to sit out a 55 and a 255 from Geet. The defending champion immediately recovered with a great 366 only to see the challenger reestablish his lead with a 195. Russell scored another century but was then a spectator as Sethi made consecutive scores of 48, 314, 59 and 55 to lead by just under 500 at the interval. Russell had thus scored a triple century, averaged 54.2 and found himself well behind as Sethi averaged 90.8.

During the interval someone (rather foolishly) asked Russell, "what he thought he was doing." The World Champion showed remarkable restraint in simply replying that there was another session to play. There certainly was and it turned out to be a most remarkable session indeed for excitement, the defending champion determinedly fighting his way towards a third consecutive U.K. title as his challenger's brilliance faded. Russell took his unfinished 33 to 65 and a few visits later added a 90 which ended in a cover. There then followed what must be one of the most remarkable three-quarters-of-an-hour's billiards ever played in the history of the U.K. Championship. In 9 visits the Indian player scored 4, 0, 20, 2, 3, 2, 2, 0 and 2 for a total of 35 whilst the Marske man scored 149, 4, 178, 0, 0, 191, 137, 17 and 17 for a total of 693. to go very nearly 300 ahead. It was an astonishing turn around, not so much from Russell's point of view because he is more than capable of such play but from Sethi's point of view who was quite clearly dismayed by the turn of events. It was not as if the Indian had no leaves, it was simply that his skill seemed to have completely vanished as he failed at several quite easy shots including a pot from the spot and a simple cross-loser. It was difficult not to feel rather sorry for Sethi and to want him to do something, whilst at the same time feeling profound admiration for Russell's ability to produce his best when it was most needed. But it was not yet over. Sethi managed to pull himself together and made a determined run of 129 to reduce the arrears to a little over 200. Russell replied with a couple of 50 breaks to lead by 217. With slightly more than a quarter-of-an-hour for play Sethi made a great effort of 170 failing at a fairly easy cannon from the top cushion. It was still all to play for. Two visits later Russell found himself facing a double baulk. Sethi had left the red ball quite near to the right-hand bottom pocket with the white not too far away. Russell considered the lie of the balls for rather longer than he normally would, there was virtually nothing in the game and a Championship at stake. He eventually played a wonderful stroke. Judging the angles perfectly he scored the pot red and the cannon. It was a brave and highly skilled stroke; fortune favours the brave and the shot carried the bonus of leaving an in-off the white from which Russell worked the balls to make a great 169.

That was the end for Sethi and a persona] triumph for Russell. There was only a minute or so left during which time Russell added 3 and Sethi 2.

It had been a great tournament with some great play. Sethi confessed to his disappointment. It is hardly surprising that he was disappointed but there is no gainsaying Russell's victory, a victory in which he undoubtedly reinforced his position as the world's best player. But there is not a lot in it and for a player of Geet Sethi's class a major title surely cannot long be delayed.

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