Professional Billiards

The 1994 Goldflake World Professional Billiards Championship

Radion Plaza Sheffield. 27th June

First Rate breaks and averages from Chapman

The World Professional Billiards Championship has been given a shot in the arm, or should we say a shot in the lungs, to the tune of £35,000, or something in the region of 17,000 packets of twenty. There will be £10,000 for the winner and £5,600 for the runner-up. A reliable source informs me that there is no truth in the rumour that Mike Russell and Norman Dagley have been considering taking the equivalent number of fags, rather than any prize money they may win. If the tobacco industry is prepared to put money into sport, then there seems to be no reason why billiards should not benefit as much as anybody else. BQR thus welcomes the involvement of the ITC in sponsoring professional billiards. Round One of this year's championship was played at the Radion Plaza, Sheffield, on the 27th of June. There was the usual crop of some-chancers and no-chancers. The field included four ex World Champions and two ex English Champions. The results were all as predicted with the possible exception of the Patel/Edwards match. Nalin Patel won by rather more than might have been anticipated, on the other hand, David Edwards has not been playing anywhere near his best and has announced his intention of retiring from any form of competitive play. Kothari v Wildman produced an exciting finish. With little time to go, ex World Champion Wildman led by 35 points. He then made what some spectators thought was a tactical blunder - surprising in such an experienced player. Blunder or no, Kothari played out time with an unfinished century to win by 75. Other good matches - were those in which Bob Close beat John Caven, and in which Clive Everton beat Eugene Hughes. Both games were in doubt until quite near the end, indeed, the Everton game was in some doubt right to the last five minutes.

The best performance came, inevitably, from Roxton Chapman. The young Peterborough player had two triple centuries and a match average of 46 - Shandilya had little chance to shine but still managed a respectable average. There was little in the Williams/Hardcastle encounter until the former world champion, with a string of good breaks, pulled away in the second session Ferreira had a double century in a big win over Des Heald, and Subhash Agarwal got a flying start over David Rees being about 300 in front after only some twenty minutes play. John Murphy struggled against Howard Griffiths but was an eventual comfortable winner, whilst Martin Spoormans, though well beaten by Devendra Joshi, did well to average double figures.

The Goldflake Grand Slam

In addition to the World Championship, professional billiards has received a further boost from the ITC. The Tobacco Company has sponsored three Grand Slams to the tune of £11,000 each (£2,800 to the winner) with a bonus of £3,000 to any player winning all three events. The preliminary rounds for all four tournaments were played at the Radion Plaza, Sheffield, from June 21st to 27th. All the final stages will be played in India as follows:-

Grand Slam Series 3 First leg - Madras, July. Second leg - Hyderabad, December. Third leg - Bangalore, February 1995.

Grand Slam 3: First leg

Russell, Dagley, Williamson, Gilchrist, Foldvari, and Sethi, were exempted to the second round. Twenty players contested the first round. The biggest surprise of the first round was that Belgium carom expert Martin Spoormans put out Indian billiards expert Nalin Patel by four games to two. Eugene Hughes did very well to beat Clive Everton - but Hughes can play billiards - and play very well. Howard Griffiths had a fine 4-0 win over John Murphy, but had to face World Champion Geet Sethi in the second round.

In the second round Roxton Chapman showed that he has not only made great progress in the playing sense but has the temperament to go with it. His match with Ian Williamson turned into a six hour marathon which Chapman won after being three games down. Eugene Hughes won himself a trip to India with a great win over Michael Ferreira; the Irishman afterwards said that he had played the best billiards of his life.

R. Chapman 4 D. Heald 0

1. 150(93) - 73 2. 150(77.69) - 49 3. 150(58.73) - 31 4. 150(85.50*) - 42

Grand Slam 3: Second leg

The same six players as in the first leg were exempted to the second leg. Clive Everton was re-matched with Eugene Hughes and gained his revenge only to run into Russell who quickly dispatched the Snooker Scene Editor. After the match, Everton remarked that he thought that Russell must be one of the best players ever and that in his opinion, if Russell had been playing in the great days of billiards, then he would have been right up there with Davis, Newman, and the rest of them. The only seeded player to have much difficulty in getting through was Norman Dagley who prevailed by a single point, winning the last game at the last gasp after Devendra Joshi had made a 102. Norman seems to be making a habit of it, readers will recall his single point victory over Roxton Chapman in the recent UK. Chapman himself booked his ticket for the second trip with a fine win over Bob Close in a match that went the distance. Rex Williams had shown that he has most certainly not forgotten how to play the game but still went down 4 - 0 for the second time to Robby Foldvari.

Grand Slam 3: Third Leg

Preliminary Rounds

Harrogate player Steve Hardcastle had not entered for this event which meant that eight players would be exempted to the second round, and so Bob Close went through. It did not help him too much as he again met Roxton Chapman. Close started with breaks of 101, 99, and 111, and was 2-1 down! Chapman winning the match 4-1. Ian Williamson was involved in yet another marathon this time against Clive Everton, himself not the fastest of players though he does have an excuse, Williamson has none. Everton, playing better than for some time, went 3 -1 up before the table was required for the next match. On the resumption, the Birmingham man seemed to have lost his touch and Williamson eventually won 4 - 3 after 6 hours and 26 minutes of playing time. Mark Wildman scraped through 4-3 and by just three points against Michael Ferreira in an amazing finish in which both players missed golden opportunities to take the match before Wildman did so. John Murphy had scraped through against David Edwards only to meet Russell. Murphy had one visit in the first game - to break off, and one visit in the second at which he scored a cannon. Russell ran out with unfinished breaks to be two up after twenty minutes. The third took a little longer but the fourth saw Russell with another 150 unfinished. Rex Williams managed two games against Sethi as the Indian, after taking the first two in no time, became uncharacteristically careless, possibly a little affected by William's histrionic display of exasperated self-criticism.

Grand Slam Summary

Three Grand Slam events means, of course, that there will be 12 quarter-final matches. Of the first-round exempted players, Sethi, Russell Foldvari, and Gilchrist, will appear in all three quarter-finals. Williamson and Dagley will be there for two. Of the non-exempted players the most successful by far was Roxton Chapman who has qualified for all three events. Of the other players, Close, Hughes, Shandilya, Ferreira, and Wildman, have all qualified for one of the events. Mike Russell and Robby Foldvari were the only players not to drop a single game. Sethi and Gilchrist dropped only two each. Russell had three 150 'run-outs,' two other centuries, and 12 breaks over 50. Foldvari had four centuries and ten breaks over 50. After the top four - Sethi, Russell, Foldvari, and Gilchrist, it is very hard - with the exception of Chapman - to give any of the other players much of a chance of winning, though Close and Williamson and Dagley are all good enough players to provide an upset if it turns out to be their day. The history of these Grand Slam tournaments would suggest that only Russell or Sethi has a realistic chance of taking the £3000 bonus on offer for anyone winning all three events (now, after Madras, only Russell can do it) These two are seeded to meet in the final of the first and third tournament, but are seeded to meet in the semi of the second. The reason for this is that Ian Williamson was seeded no.l for the second by virtue of having won the equivalent event of the second series. (He beat Sethi 7 - 2 in the Bangalore final last December.) It is pleasing to see that there is a bit of cash on offer for promoting the professional.. If the cigarette industry is going to cough up some cash (excuse the expression,) then there seems no reason why billiards should not have some of it. It could be said that it's only fair that some of the players should have the chance to get some of their money back!

Third Series: First leg

Final Stages

Madras 28th - 31st July 1994

Russell Draws First Blood

Mike Russell took the first prize of £2,800, and the first step towards the bonus of £3,000 on offer to a player winning all three events, by winning the first leg in Madras with a 6 - 3 victory over Robby Foldvari who took the runner-up prize of £1,500. From a possible 27 games Russell won 15 and lost 5. Foldvari won 12 and lost 10. The Australian did very well to put out World Champion Geet Sethi and might have took another game or two from Russell in the final. Roxton Chapman had a remarkable win over Peter Gilchrist and did well against Russell winning two games.

Shandilya should have won the third as he missed an easy pot red for game. The Indian also had a good lead in the fourth but slipped letting Russell in who rattled in a 128 to complete a 4 - 0 victory.

There was a remarkable ending to the match. In the last game, Gilchrist, having made a 124, reached the stage of leading by 79 and needing 3 for game. The Middlesbrough man had a quite easy pot into the middle pocket, but as the angle also offered a cannon, he went for the five-shot. Quite incredibly he missed both. Chapman took on a difficult pot red, scored it, and ran to game with 71 unfinished to win the match by just three points. Peter Gilchrist is as good a potter to be found anywhere - billiards or snooker - and that he should miss such a stroke is well-nigh unbelievable. Earlier, Chapman himself had missed a sitter at 149 which would have given him a 3 - 2 lead. But he took the next to level at 3 - 3 and set the match up for its astonishing finale.

The Australian is reported as being, "low and steady. "he recorded times would seem to support this though the last two games at 29 and 30 minutes were of about average length. Bob Close, though taking the first game, was not quite at his best.

Eugene Hughes had done well to reach the quarters but was no match for the world champion.

Neither of the players seemed on his best form until towards the end of the match when Russell found his rhythm taking games 6 and 7 in something like his best style. A century in the sixth came after scoring from a double-baulk. This seemed to 'kick-start' Chapman who had a great chance to take the seventh failing at 98 to let Russell in who then clinched the match with a 114 unfinished.

Foldvari is described in the Indian Press as being, "ruthlessly professional." He is all that - and more. The more being that he is an extremely fine player. A bit on the slow side at times certainly, but to beat Sethi on home territory is a quite notable feat. The Indian played well enough as the scores show, but was unable to recover from losing games 3 and 4 which gave the Australian a two-game advantage which he was able to maintain as a winning margin.

Mike Russell was away to a flying start running to game in one visit without his opponent scoring. This game took a mere eighteen minutes. The world No 2. slowed down a little in the second but won to lead 2 - 0. Foldvari struck back in a rather scrappy third game, but another century from Russell gave him a 3 -1 lead. The Australian had his chances in the fifth but let it slip to go 4 - 1 down. The sixth and seventh were dominated by Foldvari who, with typical determination, ran out with breaks of 96 and 148, to trail by only one game at the interval. Russell made two more centuries to take the eighth comfortably, and the ninth narrowly, Foldvari playing hard to the very end. It was an excellent match. Both men played billiards of a very high quality and BQR congratulates Mike Russell on taking the first leg of the third series.

Another Thousand by Russell

On the 15th of August, at The Court Snooker Centre, playing in a practice game against Albert Salisbury, Mike Russell made a break of 1,268. Salisbury had six visits and scored:- 5, 100 (plus 2 for a Russell miss,) 19, 16, 5, and 44, for a total 191 and an average of 31.8. Mike Russell had seven innings and scored:- 0,42,59, 0, 0,127, and 1268, for a total of 1496 and an average of 213.7. This break was almost all by the floating white method punctuated by the occasional visit to hand and a losing hazard or two. On the same day, Roxton Chapman, practising with Bern French, ran up a break of 703. Chapman's best remains at 843 but the magical four figure break cannot be too far away.

David Rees

Derby professional David Rees has re-taken amateur status. For some time David has been plagued by a condition of his cueing arm which, at its worst, caused him to twitch on almost every shot. As a consequence he was never able to show anything like his true form in any of the professional contests that he entered. Rees was never under any illusions regarding the professional game, but he is a much better player than his results would indicate. He will strengthen the amateur game.

---