The final event of the season got underway at Trecco Bay, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. I would like to thank Team BBC and the WPA for allowing the PFW to hold their final tour at the Welsh Pool Championships and look forward to working with them in the future. So we start with selected results from the early rounds
Early rounds
The first big shock saw James Phillips take out Antony Doble 6 – 3, who had won two tours this year. Next up was Sam Wintle, who was playing Doug Mountjoy. Doug showing some form to win 6 – 3.The next match saw Craig Marsh take Scottish International Scott Ross. Craig quickly took a lead and never looked back to win 6 – 1. Jason Shaw was next to fall, as he lost 6 – 5 to an in form Andy Macdonald. Steve Martin was looking in good shape as he quickly disposed of Jon Deakin 6 – 2. Jordan Shepherd was next to fall as he lost 6 – 4 to Ben Holly. Former finalist Phil Hoskins was on the wrong end of an in form Simon Ward, as he won the match 7 – 3. Scott Gillespie of Scotland edged through his match with Paul Hawkins 7 – 5. Andy Macdonalds run was ended by Oly Bale in a quick fire encounter of few mistakes 7 – 3. Jon Bushnell beat Marcus Phillips 7 – 6 in a long tactical match. Russell Burgess beat Michael Howe 7 – 6 with a fluke in the deciding frame. Ben Davies was the next big player to exit, as he lost 7 – 4 to Simon Ward.
Quarter / Finals The first match of the round saw Ryan John take on team mate Russell Burgess. The match was always going to be tight and it proved so as Ryan edged it 7 – 6 for the second time against Russell this season. The second game was equally tight as Wayne Smith lost to Jon Bushnell, after missing the easiest of balls in the decider to lose 7 – 6. The third match saw Simon Ward defeat Craig Marsh in double quick time 7 – 5, as both players attacked every shot. The final match of the round saw Oly Bale defeat Tom Cousins 7 – 5 in a very close encounter.
Russell Burgess 6 – 7 Ryan John Wayne Smith 6 – 7 Jon Bushnell Simon Ward 7 – 5 Craig Marsh Tom Cousins 5 – 7 Oly Bale
Semi / Finals
The first semi final looked to be a classic as Simon Ward took on Oly Bale. After a slow start both players took advantage of a few mistakes and it was Simon who led 6 – 3. Oly looked out of sorts and started to make too many mistakes and it was Simon who took full advantage for an 8 – 4 victory and his second PFW tour final in a row.
The second semi final saw Ryan John and Jon Bushnell do battle. The game was never a classic as both players enjoyed a few tactical frames to see the score at 4 – 4. It was Ryan however who took the chances that came his way and he quickly went on to win the match 8 – 4 and set up a repeat of the tour 4 final against Simon Ward.
Ryan John 8 – 4 Jon Bushnell Simon Ward 8 – 4 Oly Bale
Final
So we had Simon Ward against Ryan John in the final and it looked to be another classic, as Ryan was seeking revenge for his defeat in Tour 4 final against Simon. Simon started the stronger and quickly went into a 3 – 0 lead before Ryan pulled a few back with good clearances. Simon found some more momentum and before long he was 7 – 4 up. Ryan then started to chase the game which left the door open for Simon to win the final frame and the match 8 – 4 and collect the £500 first prize.
Ryan John 4 – 8 Simon Ward
So another season comes to a close, with a few changes to the rankings for 2010. The first event of 2010 will kick off at Potters Bar Pool Club, Cardiff in April 2010. The new entry forms will be online soon, and deposits of £100 will be taken to secure your place by February 14th 2010.
I would like to thank Rhys and his staff at Potters Bar for their support during the season and look forward to seeing you all there again in April.
If you wish to enter the 2010 tour please call or drop me an e-mail on Tel: 07854 918403 E-mail – waynerhino@aol.com
Look forward to seeing you all next year.
The 2009 Welsh ladies grand prix tour 3 returns on Sunday 22nd November 2009 at Potters Bar, Cardiff, with a start time of 11.00 am. This event has been brought forward a week due to the WPA festival of pool at Trecco bay.
We have guaranteed the prize fund of £2000 for the whole year providing we obtain 16 entries to the tour.
Event 2 was won by Mandy Palmer of Wales who defeated the young Kirsty Davies 6 – 2 in the final. With international players from both sets of rules in attendance at tour two, the title could go to anybody.
The draw will take place on the day at 10.30am.
We are trying to promote World Rules to all players in Wales and look forward to attracting some new talent to the Welsh squad for the 2009/2010 season.
Entries are now being taken and an entry form can be printed off on the home page of welsh8ball.com and wpa8ball.com. If you wish to enter prior to each event then you can do so at a cost of £25 and be in the draw, or you can enter on the day at a cost of £25 and be drawn out on the morning.
The players listed below are seeded into the last 16, based on their two year ranking:
These players will only keep their seeded position upon payment of their fees.
Please find attached an entry form to print off with all the details.
Hope you all have a successful season and look forward to seeing you at event Three.
Grand prix event 5
The 2009 Welsh grand prix final event will take place on Saturday 28th November 2009 at Trecco bay holiday camp, Porthcawl. The PFW would like to thank the WPA and team BBC for allowing this tour to take part at their festival of pool.
Event 4 was won by Simon Ward after beating all the top players to lift his second Welsh tour title for nearly 4 years and is certainly favourite for event 5.
This event will be limited to 64 players only, on a first paid entry basis.
If you wish to enter prior to the event then you can do so at a cost of £40 and you will be in the draw. Players may enter before Friday 27th November at a cost of £40 but will need to be at the venue for 8.00pm to enter the draw. I will be at Trecco bay from the Wednesday if you wish to pay then.
The players listed below are seeded into the last 32, based on their two year ranking. As you will see a few of the top seeds are missing so the players ranked lower from last year have been moved forward for this event only:
1 Ben Davies
2 Russell Burgess
3 Wayne Smith
4 Andy Macdonald
5 Tom Cousins
6 Craig Marsh
7 Ryan John
8 Jon Bushnell
These players will only keep their seeded position upon payment of their fees.
So a lot of money up for grabs over the weekend and hope to see some new faces entering this popular tour.
Hope you all have a successful tour and look forward to seeing you at event five on Saturday 28th November.
Click here for details on PFW event 5 at Trecco bay
Grand prix event 3 report
The third event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with selected results from the early rounds
Not many surprise results in the early rounds, but Jon Bushnell went out 7 – 6 to Steve Martin. The inform Dave Stratford looked to improve his run of form but was quickly disposed 7 – 2 by Jason Summerhayes. Paul Hawkins narrowly lost to Russell Burgess 7 – 6 after Russell pulled out a great clearance to level the match. Nicky Griffiths narrowly lost to Phil Hoskins 7 – 5 in a very open game.
Quarter / Finals
The match saw IPA pro’s Russell burgess take on Rob Chilton. The game was always tight with very few mistakes, but it was Russell who held his nerve to edge the match 7 – 5. Next up was tour two winner, Antony Doble, who was playing Steve Martin. The match did not take long as Steve made too many mistakes and left Antony to win the match 7 – 2. The next match saw Wayne Smith take on team mate Oly bale. Wayne quickly took a 3 – 0 lead but then missed some easy balls to extend his lead leaving Oly bale back into the match and an impressive 7 – 4 victory. The last match of the round saw Kristian Phillips take on Phil Hoskins. Phil always had control of the match and he quickly won 7 – 2.
Russell Burgess 7 – 5 Rob Chilton Antony Doble 7 – 2 Steve Martin Wayne Smith 4 – 7 Oly Bale Phil Hoskins 7 – 2 Kristian Phillips
Semi / Finals
The first semi final looked to be a classic as Russell Burgess took on Antony doble his practice partner. After a slow start both players took advantage of a few mistakes and it was Antony who led 5 – 3. Russell looked out of sorts and starting to make too many mistakes and it was Antony who took full advantage for an 8 – 4 victory and his second final in a row.
The second semi final saw Phil Hoskins and Oly Bale do battle. The game was never a classic as both players enjoyed a few tactical frames to see the score at 4 – 4. It was Phil however who took the chances that came his way and he quickly went into a 7 – 5 lead, only to see Oly come back at him to level the match 7 – 7. Both players had a chance in the last frame but it was Phil who held his nerve to make his first PFW final appearance.
Phil Hoskins 8 – 7 Oly Bale Russell Burgess 4 – 8 Antony Doble
Final
So we had Antony Doble in his second final in a row against Phil Hoskins who was in his first final. Antony started the stronger and quickly went into a 3 – 0 lead before Phil pulled one back with a good clearance. Antony found some more momentum and before long he was 6 – 2 up. Phil won the next in scrappy game but it was Antony who took advantage of mistakes in the next two frames to win his second tour in a row by 8 frames to 3.
Phil Hoskins 3 – 8 Antony Doble
The next tour is on Saturday 12th September in potters bar Cardiff. If you want to enter this popular event please give me a call or drop me an e-mail on Tel: 07854 918403 E-mail – waynerhino@aol.com
Look forward to seeing you all at tour four in September.
The 2009 Welsh grand prix starts again on Saturday 25th July 2009 at Potters Bar, Cardiff. Event 2 was won by Antony Doble after beating all the top players to lift his first Welsh tour title.
Entries are now being taken and an entry form can be printed off on the home page of welsh8ball.com. The draw will take place on 19th July and posted on the website for all to view.
If you wish to enter prior to each event then you can do so at a cost of £40 and you will be in the draw. Players may enter on the day at a cost of £40 but will need to be at the venue for 9.00am to enter the draw.
There will be a forum on welsh8ball.com to register your name.
The players listed below are seeded into the last 32, based on their two year ranking. As you will see a few of the top seeds are missing so the players ranked lower from last year have been moved forward for this event only:
1 Russell Burgess
2 Wayne Smith
3 Ryan John
4 Jon Bushnell
5 Gareth Manning
6 Oly Bale
7 Antony Doble
8 Marc Evans
These players will only keep their seeded position upon payment of their fees.
So a lot of money up for grabs over the weekend and hope to see some new faces entering this popular tour.
Hope you all have a successful season and look forward to seeing you at event three on Saturday 25th July.
World championships 2009
Report
The world championships has been for another year and in the main it was another disappointing tournament with 3 very strong teams representing Wales but none of them able to win their respective categories. The men's team which included players like Oly Bale and Ben Davies were caught off guard in the semi final against an awesome performance by the Australian team who won the last 5 frames for an 11 – 10 victory. The men's team event this year was very strong with 6 teams capable of winning it, but Wales were the tip this year and understandably very disappointed to not do the job we set out for. Paul Hawkins and Ben Davies made the World team and Ben was voted Welsh player of the tournament.
In the World Masters event which had 384 entrants our very own Ben Davies reached the final but to narrowly lose 10 – 8 to England international Ben Flack from Bristol. Andy Macdonald and Antony Doble also reached the quarter final stage giving the PFW tour 3 players in the last eight.
The ladies also had an excellent team on paper and came so close this year, unfortunately losing in the final to a strong but very beatable England team. They got off to a very bad start going 4 – 1 down, and it was too much to ask, eventually losing 8 - 1. The final was played in the main TV arena for the first time on the 8 foot table but England were too good for our Ladies. Laura Pearce was voted player of the Tournament for Wales.
Collette Henriksen went the furthest in the singles event, eventually losing 7 – 4 to Emma Cunningham of N. Ireland in the semi finals.
The under 21s also had a great team and all in all, a brilliant tournament. They lost in the final by 13 - 6 to a formidable under 21 England team who are probably full of potential future world champions and even though they were disappointed to lose they should be very proud of there efforts. Special thanks to Scott Jones and Andrew Hughes for playing at short notice and doing the team proud. Some of these boys look ready for the men's team and will surely be in with a shout before long. Scott Jones was voted player of the tournament for Wales.
Our junior team tried hard in their event but found the opposition too strong. Having only won one of their group games they failed to reach the semi finals. Shane Virgin however did very well in the junior singles and lost in the semi finals. Shane was also voted player of the tournament for Wales.
On reflection it’s the hardest tournament to win for a reason, and all our teams put a monumental effort in, and they must be proud of this. Pool is a game of chances and sometimes it’s not your day or year. This year it wasn’t meant to be, but we are Wales, and we will be back in 2010.
Fosters World Championships 2009
Once again the PFW welsh teams will embark on a trip to Blackpool with hope of lifting the world crown at the Fosters World Championships, to be held at the Imperial hotel, from Sunday 28th June to Friday 10th July 2009.
The men’s team is as strong as ever, and they will be looking to reach the final again after an impressive performance in the European Championships, narrowly losing out the England 8 – 7.
The team is a little bit stronger this year, and they have high hopes of lifting the crown.
In the singles event we have three seeded players through to the last 64, Russell Burgess, Tom Cousins, Paul Hawkins, and they will be looking to gain a place on SKY SPORTS with a quarter final position. The others will need to qualify from the remaining 192 players in the qualifiers.
Men’s Team
Wayne Smith (Capt)
Ben Davies
Tom Cousins
Russell Burgess
Andy Macdonald
Ryan John
Oly Bale
Paul Hawkins
Warren Hodgson
The ladies team again have a good chance of making the final. They are without a few of the usual faces but still field a strong team and hope to go one better than last year when they narrowly lost to England in the final.
Ladies Team
Sharon Dickson (Capt)
Collette Hendrikson
Leanne Pearce
Laura Pearce
Anne Meadows
The U21 team is again strong and like the ladies lost to England in the final last year with some great performances from some new players. This year we again have a few new faces and they will be up for the challenge as usual.
U21 Team
Josh Craze (Capt)
Scott Jones
Nathan Richards
Andrew Hughes
Sean Howarth
Zach Taylor
The junior welsh team have a great chance of winning their event. They field a very strong team indeed with the inclusion of a few blackball players due to the rules changing last year.
Junior Team
Shane Virgin (Capt)
Connor Davies
Declan O’callaghan
Travis Furnish
James Chappell
Daniel Lewis
So a hectic two weeks of pool ahead and Team Wales will be looking to do their country proud in the usual fashion.
Good luck Wales.
Grand prix event 2 report
The second event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with selected results from the early rounds
The first shock of the day was tour number 8 seed Jon Bushnell losing to tour 1 winner Jordan Shepherd 7 - 1. Josh Craze was next to fall as he lost 7 – 5 to Phil Hoskins. Antony Doble looked in good shape as he beat Oly Bale 7 – 4. Paul Hawkins then lost to Russell Burgess 7 – 5 in long tight battle.
At the last 16 stage number 1 ranked player Ben Davies lost 7 – 6 to Rob Chilton who is the current number 1 ranked player on the IPA PRO tour. Scott Jones lost 7 – 0 to Craig Marsh in quick fire time. Ryan John was playing well and took out the in form Nicky Griffiths 7 – 4. Tom Cousins put pay to Phil Hoskins run as he won 7 – 5. The only other shock was the defeat of tour 1 winner Jordan Shepherd as he lost 7 – 5 to Antony Doble.
Quarter / Finals
The first match was between Rob Chilton and Craig Marsh. This match was always going to be quick and very tough to call. It was Craig however who made a few mistakes and Rob won the match 7 – 5. The second match was too close to call as International team mates Tom Cousins and Ryan John fought out a great match. It was no surprise to see the match level at 6 – 6 with both players taking their chances. It was Ryan who made a mistake first and left the door open for Tom to clear and win the match 7 – 6. The third match saw Wayne Smith take on Antony Doble. The match was full of mistakes by both players but it was Antony who finished the stronger for a 7 – 5 victory. The last match of the round saw Russell Burgess take on good friend Gareth Manning. Again it was a very difficult match to call as both players know each other inside out. It was Russell who took control in the last frame and won a hard fought match 7 – 6.
Craig Marsh 5 – 7 Rob Chilton Tom Cousins 7 – 6 Ryan John Wayne Smith 5 – 7 Antony Doble Gareth Manning 6 – 7 Russell Burgess
Semi / Finals
The first semi final looked to be a classic as Tom Cousins took on Rob Chilton. After a slow start both players took advantage of a few mistakes and it was Rob who led 5 – 3. Tom looked out of sorts and starting to make too many mistakes and it was Rob who took full advantage for an 8 – 4 victory.
The second semi final saw good friends Russell Burgess and Antony Doble do battle. The game was never a classic as both players enjoyed a few tactical frames to see the score at 4 – 4. It was Antony however who took the chances that came his way and he quickly won the match 8 – 4 and his first Welsh Grand Prix final along with Rob Chilton.
Rob Chilton 8 – 4 Tom Cousins Russell Burgess 4 – 8 Antony Doble
Final
So we had two new players in the final with Rob Chilton looking to add to his array of titles against the ever improving Antony Doble who by his standards was the under dog in this match. Rob Got out of the blocks very quickly and looked good value as he quickly opened up a 4 – 1 lead with some great pool being played. However Antony dug deep and started to claw some frames back as Rob started to make some mistakes. The scores were now level at 4 – 4. Antony had a new belief and started to play some positive pool with great finishing to take him to a 6 – 4 lead. Rob broke and cleared in the next but it was Antony who finished the stronger with a great clearance in the last frame for a 8 – 5 victory and his first Welsh Grand Prix title.
Rob Chilton 5 – 8 Antony Doble
The next tour is on Saturday 25th July in potters bar Cardiff. If you want to enter this ever popular event please give me a call or drop me an e-mail on Tel: 07854 918403 E-mail – waynerhino@aol.com
Look forward to seeing you all at tour three in July.
Ladies Tour
The 2009 Welsh ladies grand prix kicked off again on Sunday 26th April 2009 at Potters Bar, Cardiff. We have guaranteed the prize fund of £2000 for the whole year providing we obtain 16 entries to the tour and with 18 players in the draw there was £500 up for grabs.
Early Rounds
The first bid match up was Emma Senior against the very experienced Claire Dempster of Scotland. The match was always tight and no surprise to see at 5 – 5. It was Claire who kept her cool to win the match 6 – 5. Next to play was the talented Leanne Davies who took on Norma Nogle who travelled from Ipswich to play. Leanne was always in control of the match and quickly won 6 – 2.
Last 16
The first match saw welsh international team mates Natalie Bunce take on Becky Corfield. Both players looked in good form as they took frame for frame, but it was Becky who held her nerve to win the match 6 – 5. After her first round win Claire Dempster was to take on Collette Hendrikson who travelled from N.Ireland to play in the event. Collette looked in great form taking advantage of some mistakes and quickly won the match 6 -1. Lisa Conlin was next to play against Anne Meadows, who did not get may chances as Lisa took advantage in every frame and won the match 6 – 0. Mandy Palmer was to play next against the talented Laura Pearce. The match was always tight with both players taking out some decent clearances to make it 5 – 5, but it was Laura who came through with a 6 – 5 victory. Leanne Pearce was next and she took on England International Jackie Baker. Jackie took early control of the match and quickly won 6 – 3. Kirsty Davies was next to play against Becky Trott. Kirsty looked in great shape as she quickly won the match 6 – 3. Michelle Brown was next to play as she took on Leanne Evans. Again this match was always tight but it was Michelle who took advantage to win 6 – 4. The last match of the round saw Sharon Dickson take on Michelle Rooney and again in a tight match it was Michelle who won 6 – 4.
The round started with Becky Corfield taking on Collette Hendrikson. Both players were playing well but it was Collette who had the edge as she won 6 – 3. Lisa Conlin then took on Laura Pearce and again both players took every chance that came their way but it was Lisa who finished the stronger and won the match 6 – 3. Kirsty Davies was starting to enjoy the new rules and took England International Jackie Baker all the way to a deciding frame and calmly cleared the table for a well deserved 6 – 5 win. Michelle Brown then took on Michelle Rooney in a great match. It was Rooney who started the stronger and held her lead to take an impressive 6 – 3 win.
Becky Corfield 3 – 6 Collette Hendrikson
Lisa Conlin 6 – 3 Laura Pearce
Kirsty Davies 6 – 5 Jackie Baker
Michelle Brown 3 – 6 Michelle Rooney
Semi Finals
The first semi-final was between Collette Hendrikson and Lisa Conlin. Both players were on good form and they did not disappoint as the match was level at 4 – 4 with both players taking every chance that came their way. However a few errors from Lisa let Collette in for the match at 6 – 4.
The second semi-final was between Kirsty Davies and Michelle Rooney. Kirsty’s attacking style soon put pay to Michelle’s chances of victory as she raced in to a 5 – 1 lead and took the match in style with a clearance for a 6 – 1 win.
The final was to be an all welsh affair with 16 year old Kirsty Davies taking on the very experienced Collette Hendrikson. Once again both players looked good when at the table with few errors being made but it was young Kirsty who made the early mistakes for Collette to hold a 5 – 2 lead. Another mistake from Kirsty left Collette the chance of victory and she took full advantage to win the final 6 – 2 and collect the first prize of £250.
Collette Hendrikson 6 – 2 Kirsty Davies
So the first event is over and some quality pool was played by International players from Wales, N.Ireland, England and Scotland, lets hope we increase the numbers for tour two.
Download an entry form for the PFW Grand Prix below: Mens Ladies Juniors
The PFW AGM will now be held on the evening of Wednesday 11th March 2009.
Start time: 7.30pm.
Any Proposals must arrive by 10th March 2009
Via email to the Secretary: Paul Penhale - Paul @classicman.co.uk
or
by post to 57 Kempe Way, Weston-super-Mare. BS24 7DZ
The 2009 European championships will be held in Dundalk, Ireland between February 16th to 20th. Team Wales will be taking a strong squad as normal. The men’s team fly out to Northern Ireland on Friday to play an international friendly against Northern Ireland and to support the new club opening of good friends Nigel and Nicola Craig.
Many thanks must be given to Paul Penhale and Russell Burgess for the hard work in putting this trip together. Without people like Paul and Russell, none of this would be possible.
MEN’S TEAM
The men’s team is very strong and they will be looking to go a step further than last year when they lost to Malta in the semi finals. Having lost in the semi finals of both the Europeans and the Worlds last year, the team will be confident of success this time round. The team will consist of the following players:
PAUL HAWKINS (Captain)
RYAN JOHN
RUSSELL BURGESS
TOM COUSINS
JOSH CRAZE
OLY BALE
LADIE’S TEAM
The ladies team are in with a great shout of bringing home some silverware. They field a very strong side with experienced players who know what it takes. The team will consist of the following players:
SHARON DICKSON (Captain)
ANNE MEADOWS
COLLETTE HENDRIKSON
LEANNE PEARCE
HARRI SHAW
HEATHER MORTON
So with a full week of pool to play in Ireland, who knows what can happen, but the Welsh spirit will be in force to help bring home the crown of European champions.
Good luck to team Wales.
Grand prix event 5 report
The final event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with selected results from the last 32 and last 16 stage.
In the early rounds it was Glyn Craze who fell first at the hands of Tom Cousins 7 – 5 and a one sided game between Gareth Manning and Ryan John saw Gareth winning 7 – 1. Next to fall was Welsh International Paul Hawkins who lost to Mark Emery 7 – 5. Russell burgess looked in good shape as he disposed of Josh Craze 7 – 2, and Jon Bushnell also lost early 7 – 2 to Warren Hodgson. Craig Marsh went through 7 – 1 against Phil Hoskins and Andy Macdonald edged through 7 – 6 against Shawn Preece. Simon ward looked in good shape as he beat Nicky Griffiths 7 – 4.
In the last 16 Oly Bale put pay to Craig Marsh with an impressive 7 – 5 win and Simon Ward went through with an equally impressive result against Andy Macdonald 7 – 2. Jordan Shepherd edged through against Marc Evans 7 – 6 while Warren Hodgson beat International team mate Russell Burgess 7 – 4. Wayne Smith went through 7 – 1 against Paul Penhale and the surprise of the round was Tom Cousins losing to Josh Corkett 7 – 6. Ben Davies looked to be hitting top form as he disposed of Scott Jones 7 – 2 and finally Gareth Manning beat Mark emery 7 – 1.
Quarter / Finals
The first match saw Ben Davies take on Wayne Smith and despite very few mistakes Ben won the match 7 – 3. Next up was Gareth Manning against Josh Corkett and in a one sided match Gareth run away to a 7 – 1 victory. Warren hodgson then took on young Jordan Shepherd. In a very tactical match Warren edged through 7 – 5. And the final match Saw Oly Bale take on Simon Ward in what turned out to be a very open game, Oly took advantage early on but Simon (Boomerang) Ward came back for a 7 – 5 victory.
Ben Davies 7 – 3 Wayne Smith Josh Corkett 1 – 7 Gareth Manning Warren Hodgson 7 – 5 Jordan Shepherd Oly Bale 5 – 7 Simon Ward
Semi / Finals
The first semi final saw Ben Davies take on Gareth Manning. In a free flowing game it was Gareth who took an early lead at 4 – 2, but Ben bounced back with some great finishing to lead 6 – 5. Gareth then responded with two quick frames but only to see Ben clear the table once more to level the match at 7 – 7. Ben had control in the deciding frame and easily won to make it three finals for the season and an 8-7 victory.
The second semi final saw a contrast of styles as Warren Hodgson took on Simon Ward. Simon looked in good shape early on and took a huge 7 – 4 lead over Warren. But Warren dug deep and slowly started to claw back the frames and again to level the match at 7 – 7. A mistake by Simon in the final frame left Warren in for the match and he calmly took out the finish for an 8 – 7 Victory.
Gareth Manning 7 – 8 Ben Davies Simon Ward 7 – 8 Warren Hodgson
Final
So on to the final, where Warren hodgson was making yet another appearance in a PFW TOUR final after some 5 years away from the game and he was up against the best player in Wales Ben Davies who was in his Third final of the season. The match had very few errors from both players, but it was scrappy at times, which was to the benefit of Warren. After some solid play from both players it was Warren who took an early lead at 5 – 3. The match started to open up a bit for both players and they both took advantage of the chances that came their way and it was Warren who now led 7 – 5. Ben then went for a finish and failed which left Warren the chance to clear the table, which he did in his usual methodical style for an impressive 8 – 6 victory.
Ben Davies 6 – 8 Warren Hodgson
SEEDS FOR 2009
The seeded spots into the last 32 for the 2009 season are listed below:
1 Ben Davies
2 Russell Burgess
3 Wayne Smith
4 Tom Cousins
5 Craig Marsh
6 Andy Mac
7 Ryan John
8 Michael Howe
The above seeded positions will only be given upon receipt of the tour fees for 2009.
It was great to see so many quality players from both rules playing together in what turned out to be a fantastic day of pool. The first Tour of next season is on Saturday April 18th 2009 and we hope to continue the ever increasing amount of interest in World Rules Pool in Wales. Entry forms will be available on welsh8ball.com home page.
Tour dates for 2009:
1) April 18th 2009
2) June 6th 2009
3) July 25th 2009
4) Sept 12th 2009
5) Oct 10th 2009
Look forward to seeing you all at tour one in April.
The fourth event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with selected results from the last 32 and last 16 stage.
In the early rounds there were few shocks but Steve Martin fought back well against Anthony Doble to square the match at 6 – 6. Anthony had a great chance but left Steve in for game, however he failed to clear leaving an easy black for Anthony. Young Jordan Shepherd took Russell Burgess to 5 – 5 but Russell came out on top to win the match 7 – 5. In the last 16 Michael Howe disposed of the talented Oly Bale 7 -3 and Craig Marsh beat Jon Bushnell 7 – 4 in a tight match.
Quarter / Finals
The quarter finals had seven full internationals on show and there were plenty of quality encounters in store. In the first match Wayne smith took on young Shane Virgin and quickly disposed of him 7 – 1 as Wayne cleared the table at every opportunity. Ben Davies then took out Michael Howe by the same score line of 7 – 1, and he looked in great form in doing so. Russell Burgess then played Phil Hoskins in a tactical battle with Russell winning the match 7 – 3 and again a very solid display. The last match saw Tom Cousins take on Tour 3 winner Craig Marsh. Not many mistakes from either player, with Tom winning the match 7 – 4 in quick time.
Shane Virgin 1 – 7 Wayne Smith Ben Davies 7 – 1 Michael Howe Russell Burgess 7 – 3 Phil Hoskins Tom Cousins 7 – 4 Craig Marsh
Semi / Finals
The first semi final saw Wayne smith take on Ben Davies in what turned out to be a master class performance from Ben. Wayne had chances in the early frames but did not make them count. Ben took full advantage and cleared the table at every opportunity with some brilliant shot making and very quickly won the match 8 – 1.
The second semi final was not so quick, as Tom Cousins took on Russell Burgess. The match was very tactical with both players giving each other a lot of respect but it was Tom who edged the match 8 – 7 after a monster fluke to make it 7 – 7 then clearing off Russell’s break for the win..
Wayne Smith 1 – 8 Ben Davies Russell Burgess 7 – 8 Tom Cousins
Final
The final looked to be a quality match up with both players able to clear the table at every chance and they did not disappoint as they both went for the title in style. After the first four frames Ben took an early 3 – 1 lead before Tom pulled one back with a break and dish. That sparked Ben into life as he quickly cleared the table in the next Four frames to make it 7 – 2. Tom then cleared to get one back but Ben was in awesome form as he cleared the table for an impressive 8 – 3 victory. Ben only dropped seven frames all day, showing yet again that he is the man too beat at what ever rules he plays.
Ben Davies 8 – 3 Tom Cousins
It was great to see so many quality players from both rules playing together in what turned out to be a fantastic day of pool. The next Tour is in January 2009 and we hope to continue the ever increasing amount of interest in World Rules Pool in Wales.
Look forward to seeing you all at tour five on January 19th 2009.
The fourth event of the season gets underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, on Saturday 29th November 2008, and so far it’s been Ben Davies, Russell Burgess and Craig Marsh doing the damage in the first three events.
Again the winner will pick up £500, as we have the minimum amount of players registered in the draw. The prize fund will increase for positions below the winner depending on how many players enter on the day. We again have a strong presence of blackball players entering, only proving that the rules don’t make a difference.
The draw has been done for event four and can be found below. Only fully paid players are in the draw but players can enter on the day at a cost of £40. If you wish to be registered on the reserve list, please PM me (Wayne Smith), or phone 07854 918403 with your details prior to the 26th November 2008.
Just a reminder to those players under the age of 18.We will be holding a junior tour on the same day at potters bar starting at 2.30pm. You can register on the day at £15 per event and entries will be limited to 16 players only. If you wish to register before hand please PM me with your details.
So the event looks strong again and with players able to register on the day, who knows what this event will bring.
To register your place for entry, please PM myself with your details, and be at the venue for a 9.30am start.
The cost of entry on the day will be £40 and giving you a chance of picking up a first prize of £500.
Look forward to seeing you all at the weekend.
Anglo Welsh Cup 2008
The yearly Anglo welsh cup was played last weekend between old rivals England and Wales. Thanks to all players who made the long journey to Great Yarmouth for this international Cup.
The event was run along side the English champion of champions team event with 96 teams and well over 1000 pool players, so playing against England in their back yard was not going to be easy. The Welsh Squad was missing many of their top players so a chance for the squad players to show what they could do.
The weekend started with a friendly against Scotland. Everybody looked in good form as Wales swept them aside 22 – 11 with Glyn Craze, Josh craze and Russell Burgess getting 3 from 3.
Next up were England U21’s, who have an array of talented players to choose from. Wales started really well in the match and always looked comfortable winning all three sessions to win the match an impressive 20 – 16. Solid performances from Glyn Craze who won 3 from 3, along with Wayne smith, Tom Cousins, Oly Bale, Jamie moray, Russell Burgess, Josh Craze and Paul Hawkins all winning 2 frames.
The next game was against England in a repeat of the World championship final of 2007. Wales got off to a poor start despite the improving Paul Penhale beating World champion Gareth Potts and England took control from the off, with Wales not having the best of luck. Good performances from Wayne Smith, Jamie Moray and Tom Cousins with 2 out of 3 and Russell Burgess with 3 from 3 were not enough as England took the first match 21 – 12.
The second game against England was a very one sided as Wales got out of blocks early but only for England to claw their way back as England won the session 7 - 4. The second session saw England go into overdrive as they won it 9 - 2. England then completed a memorable victory with an impressive 11 – 0 last session to take the match 27 – 6.
So two wins out of four for this inexperienced Welsh team was a good performance, but England retained the cup with a 48 – 18 victory over the two matches. All the Welsh players did the PFW proud and also put themselves in the frame for a call up to the main squad.
PFW tour report 3
The third tour of the PFW calendar saw the usual suspects descend upon Cardiff and Russell burgess got an early hammering from Craig marsh 7-1. Tom Cousins also fell early at the hands of Andrew Hughes. Wayne Smith progressed comfortably to the quarter final where he met Jon Bushnell but Jon dominated the match and was good value for his 7-3 win.
Ben Davies also made it to the semi after coming through a comfortable section without being tested. Craig Marsh continued his form disposing of Oly Bale in lightning time winning 7-1.
A difficult section saw Andy macdonald have to beat welsh team mate Paul Hawkins on route to the quarter final where he met IPA professional Gareth Manning but despite not missing a ball, he lost 7-6.
Wayne smith 3 v 7 Jon Bushnell
Craig Marsh 7 v 1 Oly Bale
Ben Davies 7 v 3 Antony Doble
Gareth Manning 7 v 6 Andy Macdonald
Gareth continued his form outplaying an out of sorts Davies by 8-5 and the other semi with Marsh and Jon Bushnell saw Craig continue his recent form to progress through by 8-4.
Ben Davies 5 v 8 Gareth Manning
Craig Marsh 8 v 4 Jon Bushnell
The final was a tight affair with both players playing well but Craig was too strong for Gareth Manning in the end and won 8-5 to suggest that along with Ben Davies they are the two in form players of recent months.
The third event of the season gets underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, on Saturday 11th October 2008 and so far it’s been Ben Davies and Russell Burgess taking the first two events.
Again the winner will pick up £500 as we have the minimum amount of players registered in the draw. The prize fund will increase for positions below the winner depending on how many players enter on the day. We again have a strong presence of blackball players entering, only proving that the rules don’t make a difference.
The draw has been done for event three and can be found below. Only fully paid players are in the draw but players can enter on the day at a cost of £40. If you wish to be registered on the reserve list then please PM me, or phone 07854 918403 with your details prior to the 7th October 2008.
Junior Tour
Just a reminder to those players under the age of 18.We will be holding a junior tour on the same day at potters bar starting at 2.30pm. You can register on the day at £15 per event and entries will be limited to 16 players only. If you wish to register before hand please PM me with your details. We will also be selecting the team for the 2009 European Championships at this event, and players from the tour will be selected.
So the event looks strong again and with players able to register on the day, who knows what this event will bring.
To register your place for entry, please PM myself with your details, and be at the venue for a 9.30am start.
The cost of entry on the day will be £40 and giving you a chance of picking up a first prize of £500.
Look forward to seeing you all at the weekend.
Please note: the dates for the remaining PFW Grand Prix Events are:
Event 3 - 11th October 2008
Event 4 - 29th November 2008
Event 5 - 17th January 2009
World championships 2008
Report
The world championships has been for another year and on the main it was another disappointing tournament with 3 very strong teams representing Wales but none of them able to win their respective categories. The men's team which included new players Dave Roblin and Ben Davies were caught off guard in the semi final against an awesome performance by the Irish team, running 7 of their 11 racks at the 1st visit. The men's team event this year was very strong with 6 teams capable of winning it, but Wales were many peoples tips this year and understandably very disappointed to not do the job we set out too. Paul Hawkins went some way to exorcising last years demons with a string of assured performances this year and was voted player of the tournament.
The ladies also had an excellent team on paper and came so close this year,unfortunately losing in the final to a strong but very beatable England team. They got off to a very bad start going 8-2 down before kicking into gear, but it was too much to ask, eventually losing 13-10. A great effort anyway and a particular well done to Collette Henrickson who finished top of the averages and was the ladies player of the tournament.
The under 21s also had a great team and all in all a brilliant tournament. They lost in the final to a formidable under 21 England team who are probably full of potential future world champions and even though they were disappointed to lose they should be very proud of there efforts. Special thanks to Scott Jones and Daniel Parry for playing at short notice and doing the team proud. Some of these boys look ready for the men's team and will surely be in with a shout before long. One of these players is Jon Bushnell who was the under 21 player of the tournament and also had an amazing run in the men’s singles getting to the last 16. Incredible effort and the future look’s bright for DC.
The one big success story was the under 21 singles event which was won by Wales own Josh Craze. Although only 17 Josh seems to of been around forever, playing on the PFW tour since he was tall enough to reach the table, and over the last couple of years people have started to say 'when is Josh going to make the step up'? Well he has certainly answered that question after coming to Blackpool with a few months good form behind him. He did the unthinkable, and removed the English from a category they generally dominate. Beating Sam Jeffery’s in the semi is an incredible result in itself, but to give Karl Sutton a 7-2 lead first to 8 and come back to win 8-7 is the stuff dreams are made of and I am sure Josh will remember that last black just reaching the pocket for the rest of his life. Massive well done.
On reflection its the hardest tournament to win for a reason, and all teams put monumental efforts in and must be proud of this. Pool is a game of chances and sometimes it’s not your day or year. This year it wasn’t meant to be, but we are Wales and we will be back !!!!!
Josh Craze is the Under 21's World Champion
Josh Craze (pictured above) produced an incredible come back from 7-3 down against England's Karl Sutton in the World Under 21's Final.
Tribute to Nathan Cullen
A minute's applause was held prior to the 2008 World U21's Championship final, at the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool.
Nathan's funeral will take place at 2pm on Monday 14th July 2008, at St Martins Church, Hereford.
Welsh grand prix Event 2 2008
The 2nd tour event got underway at potters bar and another decent turn out for this fastly growing popular tour and with £500 first prize guaranteed the field was of a typically high standard.
Last 16
Huw salmon was making his debut and after overcoming the experienced Warren Hodgson he then lost in the last 16 7-5 to Jamie Moray and Michael Howe beat IPA Professional Gareth Manning by the same score. Russell Burgess edged home 7-6 against Josh Craze and Oly Bale comfortably beat Tom cousins 7-3. Ryan John sneaked through 7-4 against Anthony Doble and Ben Davis was let of the hook by Phil Hoskins who failed to take several gilt edged chances to put the match beyond Ben who also took the match 7-4. At the bottom of the draw young Shane Virgin who has started dominating the youth events of late, stepped up a level and disposed of Welsh team captain Wayne Smith by 7-5
Quarter Finals
Jamie moray ran out of steam as he lost to Craig Marsh 7-2. Michael Howe overcame Ryan John by a surprisingly comfortable scoerline 7-1.
Russell Burgess put an end to Oly Bales chances winning in style 7-4.The last Qf saw the ever consistent Ben Davis comfortably beat the emerging talent of Shane Virgin although Shane will no doubt have gained a lot of belief from holding his own with the seniors.
Semi Finals
The first semi final was federation team mates Michael Howe and Craig Marsh and with both players in good form it was always going to be a decent game with Craig emerging victorious with an 8-5 score line.
Russell Burgess has been in fine form this year and continued with another confident display taking all the chances that came his way to beat Ben Davis 8 -6 in a excellent match.
Final
The final saw the experienced Russell Burgess take on the young potting machine Craig Marsh and both players played excellent pool with regular clearances but it was Russell who ended his baron spell without a tour win by running out in the deciding frame a deserved winner 8-7.
The second event of the season gets underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, on Saturday 7th June 2008 and so far it’s been Ben Davies doing the damage as he won event one in style against Jon Bushnell making it two events back to back for this talented player.
Again the winner will pick up £500 as we have the minimum amount of players registered in the draw. The prize fund will increase for positions below the winner depending on how many players enter on the day.
The draw has been done for event two and can be found below. Only fully paid players are in the draw but players can enter on the day at a cost of £50 plus your £20 membership fee. If you wish to be registered on the reserve list then please contact me Wayne Smith (tel. 07854918403) with your details prior to the 7th June.
Junior Tour
Just a reminder to those players under the age of 18.We will be holding a junior tour on the same day at potters bar starting at 2.30pm. You can register on the day at £15 per event and entries will be limited to 16 players only. If you wish to register before hand please contact me Wayne Smith with your details.
World Singles Qualifier
We are also holding a world singles qualifier to start at 4.00pm. We have one place available for the World Eight Ball Pool Championships in Blackpool this July. You will need to prove you are Welsh to enter this event and it will be limited to 16 players only at £25.
If you wish to register you name in advance we will reserve a place for you in the draw. This event will not be available to Blackball players having played for Wales in the last year. The winner will gain a place into the first round draw in Blackpool and have two nights accommodation booked for them and a chance of playing on SKY SPORTS for a first prize of £8000.
So the event looks to be a cracker again and with players able to register on the day, who knows what this event will bring.
To register your place for entry, please contact myself Wayne Smith with your details, and be at the venue for a 9.30am start.
The cost of entry on the day will be £70 this includes your membership fee and giving you a chance of picking up a first prize of £500.
Look forward to seeing you all at the weekend. Draw
The first event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with results from the last 16 stage:
Last 16
The round started with Wayne Smith against Anthony Doble. Wayne took an early lead at 5 – 2 but Anthony fought back well to take the match 7 – 6. Jon Bushnell looked in good form against Marc Evans, Jon edging the match 7 – 5. Tom Cousins had a shock against Mandy Palmer but with the scores level at 6 – 6, Tom cleared for a 7 – 6 victory. Russell Burgess was playing well against Josh Craze and won by a comfortable score of 7 – 2. Ryan John won a close game against Kevin Barry by 7 – 4. Ben Davies looked in great shape against Gareth Manning and won the match 7 – 2. JJ Faul form South Africa was making his first appearance in the Welsh Grand Prix and went through easily against Keiran Madden 7 – 0. The last match of the round saw Andy Macdonald have a convincing win over Kristian Phillips 7 – 1.
Quarter / Finals
First match was Jon Bushnell against Anthony Doble, the match was always close but Jon held strong to edge out the talented Doble by 7 – 5. Tom Cousins looked in trouble again against Russell Burgess at 5 – 2 down, but Tom dug deep to win the match 7 – 5. Ryan John looked out of form against Ben Davies and Ben won the match 7 – 3. Another close match between JJ Faul and Andy Macdonald saw JJ edge it 7 – 5.
Ben Davies 7 – 3 Ryan John Tom Cousins 7 – 5 Russell Burgess JJ Faul 7 – 5 Andy Macdonald Jon Bushnell 7 – 5 Anthony Doble
Semi / Finals
The first semi / final saw good friends Tom Cousins against Jon Bushnell. The match was always tight and soon the scores were level at 7 – 7. This time it was Jon who held his nerve to win 8 – 7. The second semi / final also looked like a classic as JJ Faul took on the potting machine Ben Davies. The match again was tight with Ben taking a good finish to level at 7 – 7. Ben took advantage in the decider to win 8 – 7.
Ben Davies 8 – 7 JJ Faul Jon Bushnell 8 – 7 Tom Cousins
Final
On paper this looked to be a close match as both players were playing well and knew each others games inside out. Ben however had other ideas as he started to clear the table at every opportunity. Before you could blink Ben was 6 – 0 up and not missed a ball. Jon was now starting to struggle and started to make mistakes only for Ben to take full advantage and win the match 8 – 0. The score line was no reflection on Jon’s ability, but he simply got beat by the best player in Wales and I am sure we will see Jon in many more finals.
The fifth and final event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with results from the last 32 stage:
Last 32
We start with the tie of the round as Russell Burgess took on the in form Ben Davies. Russell playing in his first competition for 2 months after a big heart operation looked out of sorts, and Ben took full advantage of every mistake winning a comfortable 7 – 1. Jon Bushnell made short work of the young Dan Lewis with a 7 – 4 victory. Alan Llewellyn was next to go through as he defeated Josh Craze 7 – 5. Tom Cousins was in fine form as he defeated Darren Selvey 7 -1. The next match went all the way as Michael Howe took on Jamie Moray. Michael taking the victory after Jamie failed to clear in the decider. Simon Ward was next to go through as he beat Phil Hoskins 7 -1 with Phil having no run at all. Andy Macdonald made short work of Wayne White as he won 7 – 2. Ryan John looked in good form as he beat Jason Toovey 7 – 0. Dave Roblin also looked in good form as he defeated Nick Core 7 – 1. Event Four winner Craig Marsh beat Dan Bishop 7 – 3. Martin Goddard beat team mate Tom Price 7 – 6. Paul Penhale was a comfortable winner over Marc Evans as he won 7 – 3. Shane Virgin looked good in his defeat of Ben O’brien 7 – 4. Emilio Pulambo went through 7 – 6 in a close match with Joe Eljerrard. Wayne Smith went Through 7 – 1 against a steady looking Vince Dawes.
Last 16
Ben Davies again looked good as he defeated good friend Jon Bushnell 7 – 2. Alan Llewellyn had a good win against the young Dean o’connell by 7 – 4. Tom Cousins had a tough encounter against Michael Howe, but came through by
7 – 4. Another great match up as Andy Macdonald took on the in form Simon Ward. The match was always close but simon run out a few racks to end the match as a 7 – 4 winner. Ryan John again looked good as he beat Dave Roblin by a comfortable 7 – 3. Craig Marsh went crashing out to Martin Goddard, as Martin dished from every where to win the match 7 – 4. The young Shane virgin beat Paul Penhale 7 – 3 for his first appearance in a Quarter final. Wayne Smith beat Emilio Pulambo 7 – 2 with Emilio not having the best of run in the match.
Quarter / Finals
Ben Davies started off the quarter finals in blistering fashion as he defeated Alan Llewellyn 7 – 0. The next match went all the way as Simon Ward took full advantage of an error by Tom Cousins for a close 7 – 6 win. Martin Goddard was looking good as he edged out Ryan John 7 – 5. Wayne Smith beat Shane Virgin 7 – 4 in a tight match.
Ben Davies 7 – 0 Alan Llewellyn
Tom Cousins 6 – 7 Simon Ward
Ryan John 5 – 7 Martin Goddard
Wayne Smith 7 – 4 Shane Virgin
Semi / Finals
The semi finals brought some great pool as Ben Davies took on good friend Simon Ward. Ben always seemed to have the upper hand in the match and eventually run out an 8 – 5 winner for his Third final of the season. Next up was Martin Goddard against Wayne Smith. Wayne started the stronger and took a 3 – 1 lead. The match was always tight but Wayne missed four black balls in separate frames to leave martin back in. The match was all square at 6 – 6 when Wayne took advantage of Martin’s mistakes to edge the match 8 – 6.
Ben Davies 8 – 5 Simon Ward
Wayne Smith 8 – 6 Martin Goddard
Final
The final was for more than pride as the winner would finish top of the one year rankings. The match turned out to be a classic as the first four frames all went with break to 2 – 2. Ben then cleared off Wayne’s break and his own to take a
4 – 2 lead. Wayne then broke and cleared to pull a frame back but only to watch Ben do the same as he took a 5 -3 lead. Wayne then broke and cleared of his own break and did the same off Ben’s break to level the match at 5 – 5. A scrappy frame then went Ben’s way for a 6 – 5 lead. Wayne then cleared off Ben’s break to level the match at 6 – 6. The next frame proved costly for Wayne as he fouled and gave Ben a free ball when in full control of the table. Ben used his two shots to clear the table and take a 7 – 6 lead. Ben then broke and took out a clearance from nowhere to win his first ever PFW grand prix title after many defeats in the final.
Wayne Smith 6 – 8 Ben Davies
Rankings
In the one year ranking list the top eight were as follows:
Ben Davies
Wayne Smith (World Singles spot)
Tom Cousins (World Singles spot)
Russell Burgess (World singles spot)
Micheal Howe
Andy Macdonald
Martin Goddard
Craig Marsh
As you can see, the top three PFW team players to qualify for the last 64 of the World singles in Blackpool in July are Wayne Smith, Tom Cousins and Russell Burgess.
In the two year ranking list the top eight seeded players for 2008 are as follows:
Wayne Smith
Russell Burgess
Andy Macdonald
Ryan John
Tom Cousins
Martin Goddard
Ben Davies
Tom Price
The above eight players will now be seeded into the last 32 of every draw for 2008.
Once again it was great to see so many quality players from both rules playing together in what turned out to be a fantastic day of pool. The Grand prix Tour will start again in April 2008. Entry forms will be on line soon, so let’s hope we can continue the ever increasing amount of interest in World Rules Pool in Wales.
Look forward to seeing you all at tour one in April.
European Championships – Team Wales
The 2008 European championships will be held in Malta between February 16th to 23rd. Team Wales will be taking a strong squad as normal with the exclusion of an under 21 team. Many thanks must be given to Paul Penhale our secretary for the hard work in putting this trip together. Without people like Paul, none of this would be possible.
MEN’S “A” TEAM
The men’s “A” team is very strong and they will be looking to go a step further than last year when they lost to England in the final. Having lost in all three major finals last year, the team will be confident of success this time round. The team will consist of the following players:
WAYNE SMITH (Captain)
CRAIG REYNOLDS
ANDY MACDONALD
WARREN HODGSON
TOM COUSINS
TOM PRICE
MEN’S “B” TEAM
The men’s “B” team have a few new faces, but this is the strongest team they have fielded for some time. With a mixture of experience and new talent, they will be a hard team to beat. The team will consist of the following players:
PAUL HAWKINS (Captain)
MARTIN GODDARD
KEVIN BARRY
DAVE ROBLIN
JAMES ELLIS
MAEC EVANS
LADIE’S TEAM
The ladies team are in with a great shout of bringing home some silverware. They field a very strong side with experienced players who know what it takes. The team will consist of the following players:
ANNE MEADOWS (Captain)
SHARON DICKSON
COLLETTE HENDRIKSON
LEANNE PEARCE
LAURA PEARCE
BECKY CORFIELD
HEATHER MORTON
JUNIOR TEAM
The junior team is as always very strong and have a good chance of making the final. They have come close on many occasions, but this could be their moment. The team will consist of the following players:
JOSH CRAZE (Captain)
JAMES CAREY
GARETH EVANS
DEAN O’CONNELL
DANIEL LEWIS
SHANE VIRGIN
DECLAN O’CALLAGHAN
So with a full week of pool to play on the wonderful island of Malta, who knows what can happen, but the Welsh spirit will be in force to help bring home the crown of European champions.
Good luck to team Wales
Grand prix event 4 Preview
The forth event of the season gets underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, this Saturday 13th October and so far it’s the International Players contesting every final. In the one year ranking list things are getting close with Russell Burgess leading by four points from Andy Macdonald with Wayne Smith and Ryan John only two behind Andy.
With the draw having been done for tour four it looks a tough section for Wayne Smith, as Michael Howe winner of tour one, and Jamie Moray were drawn into his section. Tour two winner Andy Macdonald has an easier draw along with Russell Burgess who as lost in two of the three finals so far.
The tour has been supported this year by WPA players such as Lee Morris, Kristian Phillips, Sam Wintle, Simon Ward, Ben Davies, Jordan Shepard, Craig Marsh, Jon Bushnell, Jonny Vaughan making this event very difficult to win. With players being able to register on the day, the above players will be drawn out on the morning to bring up some interesting first round ties.
So the event looks to be a cracker again and with 25 slots available for players to register on the day, who knows what this event will bring. To register your place for entry, please PM myself with your details, and be at the venue for a 9.30am start.
The cost of entry on the day will be £40 with a chance of picking up a first prize of £500.
Look forward to seeing you all at the weekend.
Anglo Welsh Cup
The yearly Anglo welsh cup was played last weekend between old rivals England and Wales. Thank you to all players who made the long journey to Great Yarmouth for this international Cup.
The event was run along side the English Inter League team event with 96 teams and well over 1000 pool players, so playing against England in their back yard was not going to be easy. The Welsh Squad was missing many of their top players so a chance for the squad players to show what they could do.
The weekend started with a friendly against England U21’s, who have an array of talented players to choose from. Wales started really well in the match and always looked comfortable winning three of the four sessions to win the match an impressive 25 – 19. Solid performances from Russell Burgess and Wayne Smith who both won 4 out of 4, along with Warren Hodgson, Tom Cousins, Dave Roblin all winning 3 out of 4 frames.
The next game was against England in a repeat of the World championship final. Wales got off to a poor start and England took control from the off, with Wales not having the best of luck. Good performances from Wayne Smith with 3 out of 3 and Tom Cousins 2 out of 3 were not enough as England took the first match 23 – 10.
On the Saturday Wales took on Region 4, one of the top English county teams. Once again Wales got off to a flyer with all players taking their chances. Wales won all four sessions in the match to win 32 – 12 with great performances from Glyn Craze and Kevin Barry both winning 4 out of 4, along with Tom Cousins on 5 out of 5 and Dave Roblin, Warren Hodgson, Jason Leach and Paul Penhale all winning 3 out of 4 frames.
The second game against England was a classic match as Wales got out of blocks early but only for England to claw their way back as Wales won the session 6 – 5. The second session was again close but Wales again edged it 6 – 5. Wales then completed a memorable victory with a solid 7 – 4 last session to take the match 19 – 14. Wayne smith again led the way with a 3 out of 3 performance as did Warren Hodgson.
So three wins out of four for this inexperienced Welsh team was a good performance, but England retained the cup with a 37 – 29 victory over the two matches. All the Welsh players did the PFW proud and also put themselves in the frame for a call up to the main squad.
Anglo - Welsh Cup Great Yarmouth - 2007
Player
England U21
England Men
Region 4
England Men
Total
%
P
W
P
W
P
W
P
W
P
W
Russell Burgess
4
4
3
0
4
2
3
2
14
8
57.1%
Paul Penhale
4
1
3
0
4
3
3
0
14
4
28.6%
Nick Core
4
2
3
1
4
1
3
2
14
6
42.9%
Jason Leach
4
2
3
0
4
3
3
1
14
6
42.9%
Wayne Smith
4
4
3
3
4
2
3
3
14
12
85.7%
Nathan Cullan
4
2
3
0
3
2
3
1
13
5
38.5%
Glyn Craze
4
0
3
1
4
4
3
2
14
7
50.0%
Kevin Barry
4
1
3
1
4
4
3
1
14
7
50.0%
Dave Roblin
4
3
3
1
4
3
3
2
14
9
64.3%
Tom Cousins
4
3
3
2
5
5
3
2
15
12
80.0%
Warren Hodgson
4
3
3
1
4
3
3
3
14
10
71.4%
Total
44
25
33
10
44
32
33
19
154
86
55.8%
WON 25 - 19
LOST 23 - 10
WON 32 - 12
WON 19 - 14
Grand prix event 3 report
The third event of the season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff, last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start with selected results from the last 64 stage:
Last 64
First game of the round was another match up between Simon Ward and Ben Davies, in an even game Ben came out on top 6 – 5. Event One winner Michael Howe went out 6 – 3 to the in form Lee Morris. Craig Marsh edged out Jason Toovey 6 – 5. Johnny Bushnell also went through 6 – 5 against Richard Gifford. Phil Naylor also edged through with a 6 – 5 win over Shaun Preece.
Last 32
The top of the draw started with Wayne Smith beating a spirited Daniel Lewis 7 – 1. Nathan Cullen then overcame Welsh squad player Jason Leach 7 – 3. Craig Marsh had a walk over due to Glyn Craze not turning up. Martin Goddard had a solid 7 – 4 win over Nick Core. Tom Price also had a walk over due to players not turning up. Dave Hughes beat Kevin Barry 7 – 4 for a deserved result. Paul Hawkins had the win of the round beating Johnny Bushnall 7 -2. Lee Morris continued his good form by beating Ryan John 7 – 4.
The bottom half of the draw started with Tour Two winner Andy Macdonald beating a young Jordan Sheppard 7 – 4. Ben Davies looked in good form as he knocked out Josh Craze 7 – 4. Dave Roblin had a walk over due to players not turning up. Tom Cousins beat Mandy Palmer 7 – 2. Marc Evans was unlucky to not go through as Kristian Phillips trusted his luck to win 7 – 6. Phil Naylor had a solid win over Jamie Moray 7 – 3. James Ellis edged out team mate Darren Selvey 7 – 6. Russell Burgess looked good value for his 7 – 1 win over Declan O, Callaghan.
Last 16
Nathan Cullen took on Wayne Smith in what was to be a scrappy match but Wayne edged it 7 – 6. Craig Marsh looked in good form as he beat past winner Martin Goddard 7 – 3. Tom Price beat Dave Hughes 7- 2 in a one sided match. Lee Morris again looked good as he beat Welsh player Paul Hawkins 7 – 3. Andy Macdonald was next to fall as he played Ben Davies in a repeat of the tour two final, and lost 7 – 4. Dave Roblin put pay to Tom Cousins run as he beat him for a 7 – 5 win. Kristian Phillips made short work of beating Phil Naylor 7 – 3. Russell Burgess recorded another 7 – 1 victory this time over James Ellis.
Quarter / Finals
Craig Marsh was taking on Wayne Smith in a contrast of styles. Both players made mistakes to hand frames either way but it was Wayne who held his nerve to win 7 – 6. Lee Morris was again flyer in his match against Tom Price as he won 7- 2. Ben Davies took on Dave Roblin in a close battle but Ben edged the match 7 – 5. Last to go through was Russell Burgess as he also edged out Kristian Phillips 7 – 6 in a close match.
Craig Marsh 6 – 7 Wayne Smith
Lee Morris 7 – 2 Tom Price
Ben Davies 7 – 5 Dave Roblin
Russell Burgess 7 – 6 Kristian Phillips
Semi / Finals
The first Semi final saw Wayne Smith Take on Lee Morris. The game was to be very one sided as Lee continued to attack and fail only for Wayne to clear the table. Wayne took a 7 – 1 lead before Lee pulled a few back with good clearances. Wayne took the vital frame for a solid 8 – 3 victory.
The second Semi final was to be a closer match as Russell Burgess took an early lead over Ben Davies at 5 – 3. Ben drew level at 5 -5 with some good clearances. Russell then dug deep to take the next two frames but only for Ben to clear once more. Russell then made a great break and finish to edge the match 8 – 6.
Wayne Smith 8 – 3 Lee Morris
Russell Burgess 8 – 6 Ben Davies
Final
The final was to be a classic match up as Wayne Smith seeded number 1 was to take on Russell Burgess seeded number 2. The match went with break over the First few frames with Wayne always edging in front by the odd frame and both players being very careful not to make any mistakes. The score were level at 5 – 5 before the turning point in the match took place. Wayne broke and potted an incredible Eight balls from the break, Five reds, Two Yellows and the White ball. Russell took yellows as they were easier, but failed to pot his second yellow leaving Wayne just two reds and the black for a 6 – 5 lead. Russell then broke and went game but failed after six balls to leave Wayne an easy clearance and a 7 – 5 lead. Wayne then broke and again left a good run out. He took his time and cleared the table for an 8 – 5 victory and to extend his position as the Number 1 ranked player.
Wayne Smith 8 – 5 Russel Burgess
It was great to see so many quality players from both rules playing together in what turned out to be a fantastic day of pool. The next Tour is in October and we hope to continue the ever increasing amount of interest in World Rules Pool in Wales.
Look forward to seeing you all at four in October.
For World Championship 2007 Results etc Click Here
Grand prix event 1 report
The first event of the new season got underway at Potters bar, Cardiff last weekend, and as usual there were plenty of surprise results. So we start at the last 32 stage:
Last 32
First shock of the day was Wayne Smith losing out to Welsh team player Jamie Moray by 7 – 5, not a great game to watch but Jamie came strong in the end. Michael Howe came through a close game against team mate and new Welsh squad player Jason Leach by 7 -5. The tour then welcomed back the twice world champion Rob Mckenna who overcame Martin Passmore 7 – 0. Welsh squad player Dave Roblin had a scare against the young Shane Virgin with Dave edging the match 7 – 6. The young Joe Innes beat Welsh squad player Nick Core 7 -5 and Ryan John brushed Glyn Craze aside 7 – 3. The next big shock was the defeat of no:3 seed Andy Macdonald to Kevin Barry another new Welsh squad player by 7 – 5. Nathan Cullen beat Welsh squad player Dave Hughes 7 – 1 and Young Ricky Hillier blew Tom Price away 7 – 0. New squad player Jason Toovey beat Marc Evans 7 – 5 and Martin Goddard beat Shaun Preece 7 – 2. Josh Craze had a comfortable win over Declan O’callaghan by 7 – 2 and the only lady in the event Mandy Palmer narrowly lost out to Darren Selvey 7 – 6. The last game of the round saw Russell burgess return to form with a 7 – 1 win over young Sam Figgures.
Last 16
First match saw a battle of the potters with Michael Howe over powering Jamie Moray 7 – 2 with a devastating display of potting and Jamie only able to watch. Rob Mckenna was in top form as he notched up another 7 – 0 win, this time against Gareth Williams. Next up was the potting machine Tom Cousins who hit top form against Dave Roblin with a
7 – 2 win. Ryan John was next to go through as he beat a spirited Joe Innes by 7 – 1. Then we had the battle of two Welsh squad players Nathan Cullen and Kevin Barry. After a tactical battle it was Nathan who won by 7 – 4. New squad player Jason Toovey then over came Ricky Hillier by 7 – 4, Jason looking in good form at this point. Another welsh squad match next as Martin Goddard over came young Josh Craze 7 – 6 in a tight match. Last match of the round saw Russell Burgess continue his form with a 7 – 5 win over team mate Darren Selvey,
Quarter / Finals
The first match was the pick of the round as Cardiff players Michael Howe and Rob Mckenna locked horns. Michael is the new hero in Cardiff these day’s, winning most events put before him, but in Rob Mckenna he was facing a legend of the game. Michael was dominant from the start and Rob found it difficult to get to the table and Michael won the match 8 – 5. Next up was Ryan John against Tom Cousins and in a very close game it was Ryan who won 8 – 6 after Tom knocked the black in by accident when on for a finish. Next was the in form Nathan Cullen against Jason Toovey and Nathan did not disappoint as he run the match out 8 – 4. Last game of the round was Russell Burgess against Martin Goddard and Russell wanting to avenge a defeat to Martin from last year was always going to be strong, and this proved to be the case as Russell won the match 8 – 2.
Semi / Finals
The first match looked to be a classic with both Ryan John and Michael Howe showing good form. Ryan was quickly out of the blocks and flew into a 5 – 1 lead with both players clearing at every opportunity. This did not phase Michael as he quickly responded with a few clearances of his own. Ryan seemed to be a bit shocked by Howey’s response and the game ran away from him as Howey won the match 8 – 5 having won seven frames in row.
The second match was difficult to call as both players looked solid all day. Russell Burgess and Nathan Cullen had a few tactical games to start and it was Russell who gained the advantage at 5 – 2. Nathan struggled to find any form in a match of few open chances and Russell ended up the winner by 8 – 4.
Final
This looked to be a contrast of styles with the free flowing Howey against the methodical Russell Burgess. The final did not disappoint as both players took their opportunities and finished the frames at their first chance. Russell was first out of the blocks with some solid finishing and took a 2 – 0 lead. The next frame proved to be a turning point as Russell again cleared the table but missed an easy ball to let Howey back in for the frame. This seemed to spur Howey on as he quickly notched up the next Three frames to take a 4 – 2 lead. Russell dug deep and won the next Two frames to level the match at 4 – 4 but Howey again went through the gears to take a 6 – 4 lead. Russell was under pressure and needed to produce some form, and that he did as he cleared the next Three games to put himself on the hill at 7 – 6 up. Howey made short work of the next frame to level the match at 7 – 7 and a One frame decider to take the title. Howey broke and potted and look certain to run out, surprisingly he missed the black. Russell then had a chance to win, after playing a shot to nothing leaving Howey only a difficult double. Howey got straight down and doubled the black to win the match 8 – 7 to win the Welsh Grand Prix event 1 at his first attempt. Howey is a blackball player for the Welsh team and his ability to pot and learn the rules quickly has put him in a strong position to become an even better player in the future and this can only prove that he is one of the best players Wales has produced yet again.
Look forward to seeing you all at event Two in June. Results
Dates for this year's Grand Prix Event
Tour1 -19th May
Tour2 - 9th June
Tour3 - 8th September
Tour4 - 13th October
Tour5 - 24th November
The Pool Federation of Wales are holding an open trials day on Saturday 21st April 2007, at Potters Bar, Canton, Cardiff, 11.00am Start.
It will be open to all players who can prove they are Welsh Qualifying* and have not represented Wales at International level since September 2006.
If you fit these criteria why not come along and compete with the unretained squad players from 2006, where there will be 8 places in the Welsh National Squad for 2007 up for grabs.
Players must register their names and contact details to Russell Burgess, email: secretary@pfw8ball.co.uk, telephone: 07876617906 by 14th April 2007.
*Players must prove one of the following:
Born in Wales
A parent born in Wales
A grandparent born in Wales
Currently Living (and lived for the past 10 years) in Wales
PFW Tour event 5 report
The last event of the season left the final tour rankings for the year wide open with the top four seeds all in with a chance of topping the rankings for the year. With Three places in the last 64 of the world championships also up for grabs, it was always going to mean the top seeds needed to play well.
LAST 64
A few upsets in this round with Phil Naylor losing out 6 – 3 to young Josh Craze and Mandy Palmer edging out Alan Llewellyn 6 – 5. Two welsh squad players also fell in this round with Chris Comens losing 6 – 1 to an in form Ceri Hobbs and Lee Venables going down 6 – 4 to English Junior international Scott Surridge 6 – 4.
LAST 32
The major shock on this round was the Defeat of Tour 4 winner Martin Goddard at the hands of young Ricky Hillier
6 – 3. Mandy Palmers event came to an end at the hands of Nathen Cullen 6 – 2. Welsh squad player Gareth Williams also fell in this round to Paul Clutterbuck 6 – 0. All the Top seeds had a comfortable route through with the exception of Wayne Smith who overcame a Quality Scott Surridge 6 – 4.
LAST 16
The first match of the round saw Russell Burgess get the better of an improving Kristian Phillips 7 – 4, next up was the new kid on the block Tom Cousins against Welsh Squad player Paul Hawkins. In a tight match Tom just edged out Paul in the decider 7 – 6. Craig Reynolds was next up and was given a good match by Paul Clutterbuck, but Paul ran out of steam and lost 7 – 4. Ryan John won by the same score line over a talented Nathen Cullen who has had a decent year and climbed up the rankings.
The first match of the bottom half saw the in form Andy Macdonald power his way through Welsh squad player Dave Hughes 7 – 2. Next was an in form Ricky Hillier who put out a other Welsh player in Marc Evans 7 – 4. The next match was a walk over for Jamie Moray as Jon Bushnell failed to turn up. This left the final match of the round with the talented Sam Wintle and number One seed Wayne Smith. The match was not a classic but a game of mistakes by both players left the match all square at 6 – 6. Wayne took the advantage straight from the break and ran out to take the match 7 – 6.
Q/FINALS
First match was very One sided with an inform Tom Cousins taking out the Number 3 seed Russell Burgess 7 – 1 and leaving Russell having to rely on other results to gain his world singles spot. Next was a mouth watering tie between Ryan John and Craig Reynolds. The match was always close with very few mistakes but it was Craig who failed to take out an easy chance to take a 6 – 4 lead, and Ryan took full advantage to level at 5 – 5 and went on to win the match
7 – 5. The inspired efforts of a young Ricky Hillier came to an end against Andy Macdonald 7 – 1 with Andy Breaking and dishing for fun all day. Ricky looks a good prospect for the future and this being his first year will give him plenty of confidence next year. The last match of the round was between Welsh team mates Jamie Moray and Wayne Smith. The game was never to to be a classic with both players failing to pot off the break right through though the match. The match was all square at 6 – 6 and Jamie with the first chance in the decider. Having taken out a quality finish he lost position on the black and had to make a very thin cut in the middle pocket, he took aim and nailed it but only for the white to spin off Two rails and go in off in the same bag, leaving Wayne to go through 7 – 6.
S/FINALS
First up was the in form Tom Cousins against Ryan John. Ryan needed to continue in the event to still have a chance of topping the yearly rankings. The match was close all the way, but Ryan closed the match out 7 – 5 to make it Three finals this year, and needing Wayne to lose in the other semi to guarantee being number One for the Year.
The next match saw good friends Andy Macdonald against Wayne Smith. The Game did not disappoint as Andy was breaking and dishing everything in sight. At 6 – 2 up and with Six break and dishes between them Andy looked good for the win, but he made a mistake to close the match out and Wayne Got another. Then Wayne dished Twice to make it 6 – 5 Only for Andy to Dish at the death to take the match 7 – 5 with Nine dishes in the match.
FINAL
Other than the bragging rights of being a Welsh tour winner all the seeding positions had been sorted out whatever the result but both players wanted to give a good show and Andy having never won a Welsh tour event was very focused on the job in hand.
The final did not disappoint with some quality pool being played by both players and again both break and dishing at every opportunity.
Ryan was first out of the blocks taking a Two frame lead with Andy’s break coming up dry for a change. Andy took the next in a tactical frame to pull One back, but Ryan ran out the next Two racks quickly to take a 4 – 1 lead. Andy then found his break and dished up the next Two frames as Ryan’s break failed to pot, it was now 4 – 3. Ryan then won a tactical frame to go 5 – 3 up, but again Andy came back strong with Two Quality run outs to level the match at 5 – 5.
Andy had full control of the next frame but to only wobble the black, but Ryan had no easy shot. Ryan tried a very difficult pot but missed and Snookered Andy on the black. Andy missed to get out of the snooker and Ryan Took out a good finish to make it 6 – 5 to him. Once Again Andy dug deep and took the next Two frames very quickly to put him on the hill at 7 – 6 up. A poor break by Ryan saw this frame become very tactical from the start and both players were not taking any chances. Eventually Andy went for came with Two shots but he had balls in difficult positions and needed to knock one of his away from a pocket to leave him only one visit to finish. Andy steadily took out the difficult balls but was left with a Yellow down the rail from distance and needed to screw back to get on the black. He took his time and nailed it at pace to leave a cut on the black in the middle, and dropped it in for the match at 8 -6.
Overall Andy deserved to win with some solid play all day, and was delighted at his first ever Welsh Tour victory. Both Andy and Ryan have now qualified for the world singles along with Wayne Smith. Ryan John finished top on the One year Rankings closely followed by Wayne Smith, but it is Wayne who still leads the overall rankings going into next season.
Until next season good luck to all Welsh pool players. Rankings
Under 21's Final Ranking Table
Name
1
2
3
4
Total
1
Sam Wintle
15
20
15
20
70
2
Ashley Troath
12
10
6
15
43
3
Thomas Price
12
10
10
10
42
4
Nathan Cullen
10
2
20
4
36
5
Jonathan Bushnell
8
12
10
6
36
6
Tom Cousins
4
15
12
4
35
7
Ceri Hobbs
4
10
10
6
30
8
Kristian Phillips
6
6
12
6
30
9
Ieuan Roberts
20
2
4
2
28
10
Sam Figgers
10
12
4
2
28
11
Josh Craze
4
10
10
4
28
12
Dean O`Connell
10
6
4
2
22
13
Declan O'Callaghan
6
6
4
2
18
14
Gareth Rosser
6
6
4
2
18
15
Shane Virgin
10
2
4
2
18
16
Shaun Preece
2
6
6
2
16
17
Jordan Weir
6
2
4
4
16
18
Joe Innes
6
2
4
4
16
19
Simon Arthur
6
2
4
4
16
20
Wayne White
6
2
4
4
16
21
Mike Irwin
2
6
4
2
14
22
Mike Smout
2
6
4
2
14
23
Jamie Baines
2
6
4
2
14
24
Daniel Lewis
6
2
4
2
14
25
Ricky Hillier
2
2
4
6
14
26
Rory Wigmore
4
2
4
2
12
27
James Wigmore
4
2
4
2
12
28
Grant Coombes
4
2
4
2
12
29
Adrian Naggington
4
2
4
2
12
30
John Weedon
2
2
4
2
10
31
Kieran Madden
2
2
4
2
10
32
Jason Smith
6
4
10
PFW Junior Tour2006/2007
All Events start at 10.00
7 Events all to be held at
Rileys Pool Club, Cardiff City Road
Event 1 19th Nov
Event 2 3rd Dec
Event 3 21st Jan
Events 4 – 7
Dates T.B.A.
Tour Cost: £70.00.
Plus £5.00 Registration costs.
½ or full fee to be paid by the 1st event.
Other ½ to be paid by the second event.
Going into the Home Internationals, Wales (Men's) looked a strong contender for the title. But unfortunately the whole team just could not produce the form they had shown at the recent World Championships when they topped the group stages. Averages
Home Internationals Mens 2006
Player
England
Scotland
N.Ireland
Ireland
Total
%
Ryan John
2
3
3
0
8
66.7%
Russell Burgess
1
1
3
2
7
58.3%
Oly Bale
2
1
1
2
6
50.0%
Andy Macdonald
0
0
3
3
6
50.0%
Wayne Smith
0
1
2
2
5
41.7%
Martin Goddard
1
1
2
1
5
41.7%
Andy Jones
1
1
3
0
5
41.7%
Craig Reynolds
0
0
3
1
4
33.3%
Marc Evans
0
1
0
1
2
22.2%
Gareth Williams
R
R
0
0
0
0.0%
Home Internationals Ladies 2006
Player
N.Ireland
Scotland
Ireland
England
Total
%
Sharon Dickson
1
2
2
2
7
58.3%
Anne Meadows
1
2
1
2
6
50.0%
Alison Evans
0
1
3
2
6
50.0%
Mandy Palmer
1
2
1
1
5
41.7%
Steph Lewis
1
0
3
0
4
33.3%
Home Internationals Juniors 2006
Player
Scotland
Ireland
N.Ireland
England
Total
%
Tom Price
2
2
3
2
9
75.0%
Tom Cousins
1
1
3
3
8
66.7%
Sam Wintle
3
2
1
2
8
66.7%
Josh Craze
2
0
2
2
6
60.0%
Dave Sargeant
1
2
0
1
4
33.3%
Shane Virgin
R
0
0
0
0
0.0%
PFW
Men's Grand Prix
Ryan
John wins the first PFW Men’s Grand Prix Event 2006
Claiming the £400 First Prize
The
first event of the PFW Grand prix tour was held in the Scala
on the 29th and 30th July 2005.
The last 32 of the main event saw Marc Evans seed number 8
for this event go out to Tom Price all other seeds had a bye
through to the last 16. There were a few shocks early on as
seed no. 1, Wayne Smith lost in his first match to Scott Surridge
a new player on the tour this year!. Scott found himself 6-2
up but Wayne dug deep to level the match at 6-6 but unfortunately
failed to win the final match which put Scott through to the
quarters with a 7-6 win.
Another surprise in the last 16 saw Oly Bale seed number 6
and current European Champion lose to Tom Price 7-2 which
put Tom through to the quarters. Other players in the quarters
were Tom Cousins, Ryan John, Andy Macdonald, Andy Jones, Gareth
Williams and Russell Burgess.
Tom Price carried on his good form and beat Scott Surridge
7-2 to secure his place in the semi- Finals. Tom cousins put
on a good show and found himself 4-3 up against Ryan John,
but were unable to carry on his form and eventually lost 7-5
to see Ryan through to the quarters to play Tom Price.
The other half of the draw saw a match against welsh team
mates Andy Macdonald and Andy Jones to play against each other
in a nail biting match which saw Andy J as the eventual winner
7-6. Russell Burgess played Gareth Williams. Russell won 7-4
after a close match early on where Russell had a few balls
bounce back out of the pocket, something I have come to expect
from a supreme table.
Russell knocked out Welsh team mate Andy in the semi finals
8-4. Tom Price played Ryan in the other semi with Ryan being
the eventual winner with an 8-6 score line.
With Ryan and Russell in the final it was always going to
be a good game to watch Ryan started off well and found himself
with a 4-1 lead. Russell upped his game to win the next three
matches taking out some clinical finishes to level the match
at 4-4.
Ryan took out some awesome finishes in the next few matches
to win 4 out of five and found him self claiming the £400
prize with a score of 8-5. Russell Burgess claimed the second
prize of £200.
Wayne Smith picked up his game to win the open event on the
Saturday night by beating his team mate and drinking partner
Andy Macdonald in the final.
The tables at the Scala were in excellent condition and a
good weekend was had by all. We would like to thank Richard
for the hospitality he had shown us all weekend.
Next event is at Riley’s CityRd, Cardiff on 20th/21st
October.
PFW
Men’s Grand Prix 2006
The details have now been released for the Men’s tour
for 2006. With a prize fund of £6500
based on a full 64 entries. The cost to enter the tour this
year will be £165 which includes membership and entry
into the national singles.
The dates of the tour are;
Event 1- Scala – 28/29th July 06
Event 2 – Rileys, City Road, Cardiff -21st/22nd Oct
06
Event 3- TBC - 18/19th Nov 06
Event 4 – Wrexham 02/03 Dec 06
Event 5 – TBC – 13th /14th Jan 07 Read
more
World
Championships - Blackpool, 5th - 15th June 2006
Wales
win group stages
Wales (Men) performed superbly to win the group stages winning
11 out their 12 matches, comfortably topping the league table
to automatically clinch a semi-final place. Unfortunately
Wales could not produce the form of the group stages and disappointingly
went out of the competition to Malta by 11-7 in the semi-final.
For the first time in the history of the event, England failed
to reach the final losing to Ireland who then beat Malta to
become World Mens Team Champions.
The Welsh Ladies team failed to come through the group stages.
The Junior team were unlucky to not get a shot when they were
7-6 up losing 8-7 to England. The Welsh Under 21 side reached
the semi-final losing to Ireland and the wheelchair team did
Wales proud also losing in the semi-final. Results
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The
first event of the PFW Grand prix tour was held in the Scala
on the 29th and 30th July 2005. 
