A.B.C. 1992-93

Amateur Billiards Circuit: Seventh Event

Marlboro Snooker Centre Scarborough

April 18th, 1993

The A.B.C. returned to the Marlboro Snooker Centre for the season's penultimate event. The Marlboro is as good a venue as any on the circuit and all players are warmly welcomed by club owner Keith Mills. There is no shortage of accommodation in Scarborough in April and the BQR editor stayed in a very nice hotel, "The Helaina," about two minutes walk from the club, excellent B and B - and very reasonably priced. A number of players met on the Saturday evening for a bit of practice, afterwards repairing to a rather good Italian Restaurant just down the road for some eats and a bottle or two (Well, it was my birthday.)

Scarborough was pretty bracing on the Sunday morning, not to mention pretty wet, but billiards is not played on the beach and 51 cuemen gathered for event. There was a goodly contingent from the Teesside, including, most encouragingly, nine players under the age of sixteen.

Double century from Causier

English Amateur Champion David Causier started the day with a fine break of 246 made in characteristically dashing fashion and at high speed. Last year's Scarborough winner, Mark Hirst, was a first round faller to Bill Andress. Gerry Tutt from Nottingham did well to beat the experienced Richie Evans even though by a mere ten. Fifteen year old Paul Bennett had three nice forty breaks but went down by just 3 points to fellow Teessider Simon Snee.

Good win for 16-year-old

Chris Brunskill of the Teesside Boys (where else!) handed out a severe walloping to a rather bleary-eyed BQR editor. This was a good win for the youngster. Steve Crosland had a century against the current under 19 champion Lee Lagan. Crosland has not been much in evidence recently but has clearly not forgotten how to play. Ray Moore did very well indeed to beat Dick Watts.

Hayward ousts Crosland by 5

Nick Hayward, yet another product of the North-East, first came on the scene at about the same time as Russell and Gilchrist. He then disappeared for a while and has only fairly recently been seen once again around the tournaments. Crosland was in good form and Hayward did well to hold on to win by the narrowest margin of the day. Goodwill and Causier both progressed comfortably - Causier making a century in a hectic game with the fast scoring Bill Andress.

Century for Branson Hoole. Causier runs riot

Branson played well to reach the Semis - his best result for some time. Hayward had an eighty break and scored over 200 but was overwhelmed as Causier knocked up another century and a string of smaller efforts.

Causier and Hoole shattered

Branson Hoole had been playing very well but was well beaten by Lee Connor who thus reached his first final. The Match of the Day turned out to be an anti-climax as Causier, incredibly, could score less than a hundred whilst Goodwill piled on the agony making two centuries in the process.

Comfortable for Goodwill

The final was a rather disappointing game with neither player able to reproduce the form they had shown in the Semis. Goodwill built up a small early lead which, with Connor unable to make any significant reply, he gradually extended to win by just under a hundred. Goodwill thus completed a hat-trick of ABC successes and brought his season total to 5 wins from seven events.

Scarborough Plate

Close for White

Exeter plate winner Michael White had a close shave against 16-year-old Graham Evans getting through by virtue of a last minute cannon. There were otherwise no great surprises except perhaps that the BQR editor managed a decent game.

More Close Games

There were a number of tight finishes one of these being that between the BQR Editor and Peter Shelley, Shelley winning by just 4. This may be explained by the fact that the Stoke player is in urgent need of glasses, in fact, Shelley has now temporarily given the game up as he waits for his billiard playing specs.

Hirst beats Shelley

Mark Hirst had a nice 50 break in a narrow win over Peter Shelley and thus made himself just favourite to take the plate. Paul Bennett did very well to get past the much more experienced Ellis Lloyd.

Bennett Progresses

The 16-year-old from Teesside played very well to get past Tony Keeling - a much improved player - and so reach the final. Hirst, meanwhile, was engaged in a desperate struggle with Robin Sutcliffe and just made it by 6.

Hirst well beaten

It was generally reckoned that the older player would prevail and so follow his last year's main competition success with a success in the plate. But not so. The young Teessider played up for all he was worth to gain a well-deserved and encouraging success.

A good attendance in a good venue with the very pleasing bonus of so many young players. Perhaps even the most pessimistic amongst us may concede that the game does, after all, have a future. ABC players should try and make a week-end of it next time round.

Amateur Billiards Circuit: Eighth Event

The Reardon, Hanley Stoke on Trent

May 23rd, 1993

The last ABC event of the season was held at the Reardon by permission of Peter Shelley. Peter is well known as a billiards player, twice amateur championship runner up, and current Midlands Champion. Perhaps not quite so many people know that Peter's early career was in catering and it is this fact that explains the exceptionally good lunches at such reasonable prices that are always available at the Hanley Club. Playing conditions are generally very good though it is an odd fact that all the tables at the Reardon seem unusually fast and many players are unable to cope with this. Shelley himself, an ABC winner here a couple of years ago, did not play being still waiting for his billiards specs. There were 43 entrants including Martin Goodwill, but the 1993 Amateur Champion, David Causier, was not able to travel. It was a pleasure to see a former Amateur Champion making his ABC debut - Alf Nolan.

Hirst beats Watts

The toughest match of the round was undoubtedly that in which Mark Hirst met Dick Watts. Hirst ran up a string of medium sized breaks to finish a comfortable winner. Watts has had a series of difficult draws over the last few tournaments.

Tutt, Tutt! says Beard

Indeed: well might Albert Beard have shook his head and tutt - tutted, as Nottingham player Gerry Tutt beat him by just 1. It was not the only close game, John Barker won by 4, John Hills by 6, and John Smith by 11. The match of the round should have been that between Ken Shirley and Bill Andress but on this occasion Ken was a comfortable winner.

Hundred for Hirst. Excellent win for Moore

Hirst had an alliterative hundred against Hills and was looking good. Jamie Moore, a promising young player from Nottingham had what must be the most prestigious win of his billiards career to date by beating the redoubtable Alf Nolan. Nolan may be in the veteran stage but he can still play billiards. The clash of two past amateur champions saw Goodwill needing a timely eighty break to get past Ken Shirley.

Hirst goes. Close for Evans

Mark Hirst had been showing good form but was well beaten by Goodwill. Trevor Gent found himself in play and waiting for the balls to settle as the bell went to leave him just four behind. Richard Ingram had had a good day but Chris Ross was a little too good. The draw put the BQR editor up against Jamie Moore from the Nottingham Institutes League. The two have met three times during the season with Terry conceding 35 start in 200 and having won 2 games to 1. It was Terry again this time with some quite good red-ball play who went through. Moore's day will come.

Goodwill and Ross through

On paper, Tom Terry would have seemed to have had the best chance of the two, "second favourites," and in fact there was little in the game until Ross went away in the last ten minutes or so to win by over 100. Richie Evans had had an excellent day but Goodwill was too good for him.

Record Break

This match was a repeat of the Spalding Final and Goodwill was soon into his stride with a century' break. A few visits later he scored a wonderful break of 309. This effort started with a run of losing hazards before a drop-cannon gathered the balls at the spot end where Goodwill scored rapidly by the floating white method taking his break well towards 200 before going to hand. A pot took him to the top again for another hundred points or so before again going to hand. The ending was a complete anti-climax. A spot-end cannon placed the red on the lower jaw of the right top pocket, Goodwill deliberated on the choice of stroke - whether to play the most gentle of in-offs to leave a pot from hand, or whether to play slightly harder and leave an in-off. He chose to play the latter stroke and leave a simple losing hazard from the D - which he promptly missed! This break is an ABC record just beating the 300 scored by David Causier at Exeter. It was also only two points short of Goodwill's tournament best. A remarkable feature was his ability to keep the balls in position at the spot end on a very fast table. Chris Ross had had an excellent tournament but could only watch as Goodwill piled up the points.

Stoke Plate

Hard Luck Jock

Jock McGregor went down by 2 to Paul Truman. No excuses about being kept out all night this time Jock!

Andress starts to motor

Bill Andress was getting into his rhythm and looking confident. It was already virtually odds on him taking the plate. His style and speed of play can sometimes be overwhelming in these short games. Norman Routledge got home by a single point against Graham Willis, whilst Arthur Johnson put out fellow Widnesian Graham Lloyd by just 4.

Billy Barnstorms on

Richard Lodge is a good amateur player (short of practice) but fell victim to the west-countryman's dashing half-hour style. This brought Andress to a semi against travelling companion and old rival Dick Watts.

Well done Norman Routledge

Derby player Ken Hobbs may be reaching the veteran stage but he can still play a pretty good game and Norman Routledge did well to beat him and reach his first final. Dick managed to slow Billy down a bit but could not prevent Andress reaching yet another plate final.

High score and century

A score of 200 plus in a half-hour plate is always considered, by most players, to be a good performance. Bill Andress got halfway to the third hundred and scored a century break into the bargain. Norman Routledge could only watch. He is not the first player to suffer the Andress assault and he won't be the last.

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