Newly appointed president Max Faulkner sees off former president and defending champion Stewart Ball to become League Champion as Chen Wenshi holds stern to win the Plate.

June 25, 2016

The eagerly anticipated League Finals had finally arrived, and, it must be said, the occasion did not disappoint. 14 of the clubs finest Players attended the knockout competition at Riley’s Pool and Snooker Club, the pinnacle of snooker playing conditions. The main competition comprised eight first round best of three frame matches where the loser would drop into the Plate competition and the winner would proceed to the knock out stages.

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The first round did not offer any shock results and saw Michael Wilson and seasoned cueist Sam Matto-Willey enter the quarters on a bye. Two particularly competitive matches saw fresher’s champion Stone Chen and Giant Pool finalist Anthony Church face off whilst Power Snooker winner Max Faulkner engaged in what was to be a long and tiresome bout against Master’s Plate winner Ronan Love. Church won out to proceed to the quarters while Faulkner, mustering his tournament experience in what was a drawn out and scrappy two hour match, saw off Love in the final frame.

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The quarters produced a couple of surprising results. Faulkner, after two hours of mediocre play with Love, dispensed with tournament favourite Matto-Willey who may have suffered from being at the competition for those two hours without hitting a single ball. Another quarter final against another president lost for the club captain - will he ever dispatch a quarter final? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, George Edwards faced one of the most talented players on display in Cookson Chiu. In a sensational upset of the established order, fresher Edwards rocketed to a 2-0 victory in spectacular style leaving many onlookers in awe. Ball proceeded to the semis at the expense of Michael Wilson, while in what became a nervy and tense match, the senior saw off the fresher as Zach Roberts defeated Church.

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Now that the tournament had reached the semi-final stage, the Plate competition could finally get underway. Bartosz Prokop, with some fine play against Ball in the first round of the main competition impressed again in the Plate as he defeated third teamer Harrison Whitworth to play Chen for a Plate final spot; a high scoring match saw Chen eventually win out. In the other group, Bruno Sterner utilised his magical talent and cosmic mastery to see off Ricky To and Love, the latter of the pair severely miscuing a black over the bag from which he never fully recovered. The Plate final was settled, Sterner vs Stone. 

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Onto the semi-finals! Faulkner took a well-deserved ‘mid-tournament interval’ after near on four straight hours of play while Edwards and Ball got underway. The experienced and self-proclaimed best player of the club in Ball had seen Edwards’ demolition of Chiu and did well to stifle his potting play in their match up. The rapid approach of Edwards, who’s rumoured to have an average shot time of just three seconds, unfortunately couldn’t intimidate the wily Ball who defended the standing of the first team and advanced to the final. After his ‘rest’ or ‘break’ (pun very much intended) Faulkner’s match against Roberts began. In what we may describe as a spectacle of frame and fortune, Roberts, after a shaky end to his quarter final, left too many chances for Faulkner to clinch the match and it was he who advanced to the final to face Ball.

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The Plate final, on the other hand, saw Stone take a comfortable 1-0 advantage in their best of three match up. Sterner showed some fight in the second frame but couldn’t quite turn his control of the elements and skills in sleight of hand to impact on the scoreboard.

Congratulations to Stone Chen, 2-0 winner of the 2015/16 League Finals Plate competition!

A year of weekly fixtures had been whittled down to just two: old vs new. Outgoing president, Stewart Ball, in the defence of his league title for the first time, faced an inspired incoming president, Max Faulkner. Faulkner had come fresh from his semi-final bout during which he discovered his potting arm after months of leaving it on the shelf.

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The lead rapidly changed hands in the first frame, with neither player making considerably contributions. Only until there were just a few reds left did Faulkner unlock a surprising 24 break to open up a commanding lead, leaving Ball requiring snookers going into the colours. True to his playing style, Faulkner almost gifted Ball the frame but eventually saw it through. 1-0 to the challenger.

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Starting to waiver, Faulkner began missing easy chances. Ball capitalised on the mistakes and dictated the match in the second frame. Numerous contributions and a confidently worked mid-20s break from Ball levelled the contest at 1-1.

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Then came probably one of the day’s slower frames. A nervy start from both then became a Presidents’ Exhibition of the highest quality. Those who missed out really did miss a spectacle. After 30 minutes of what can only be described as bewildering 1 and 8 breaks, Faulkner finally broke through the characteristic safety play of Ball, finishing off the year with a triumphant win.

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Congratulations to this year's University of Warwick League Champion, Max Faulkner!

Stewart Ball took home his 3rd trophy of the season as Ronan Love secured his first inter-university competiton win with victory in the Plate.

February 24, 2016

19 Snooker enthusiasts graced the pristine tables of Riley’s Pool and Snooker Club on a sunny Wednesday Afternoon in Coventry, all eager to get their hands on the Warwick Masters Cup and secure a place in the history books of Warwick Snooker Club. Competitors were drawn into 4 groups, with the top 2 from each progressing to the quarter finals.

The group stages did not offer up many shock results, as all 5 members of the first team and 3 from the second team made it through to the knockout stages. Honourable mention goes to birthday boy Bruno Sterner, who wowed fans off the table as well as on it, with his magic tricks and Rubik’s cube solving skills during the mid-session intervals which proved popular with the paying public. Sadly the one trick he could not perform was escaping from his round robin group.  

In the first of the day’s quarter finals, 147 machine Sam Matto-Willey brushed aside 2nd team captain Jack Else 2-0, making a 45 in the process. Else later admitted his tactic of trying to ‘banter’ his opponent off the table may have been an error, and vowed to focus more on potting balls in future encounters. The second quarter was a much more closely contested affair, a repeat of the Handicap Cup semi-final between Stewart Ball and Anthony Church. Church won the first frame on the black, only for Ball to take the second to force a decider. It was clear that nerves got the better of both players in the final frame - a frame with a myriad of misses and unsuccessful safety play that was described by uninterested onlookers as ‘painful to watch’. Ball finally clinched the frame on the black.

A mixture of youth and experience was on show in the third quarter final, as Michael Wilson looked to cause an upset over an in-form Zach Roberts. Unfortunately, Wilson’s attempts to bore Roberts off the table with his advanced tactical play and uninspiring anecdotes ultimately proved in vain, as Roberts prevailed 2-0. A record was set in the last quarter final, as 1st team captain Gwilym Enstone faced off against 1st team veteran Cookson Chiu. The longest ever recorded match in Warwick Masters history saw Enstone prevail 2-0.

The semi-final line-up was complete with 4 members of the 1st team still in contention. Sam Matto-Willey, having lost to Stewart Ball in their previous encounters at Giant Pool and the Handicap Cup earlier this year, was keen to exact revenge in the first semi-final. Unfortunately the maximum man was not at his best, and Ball secured his place in the final with a 2-0 victory. Enstone beat Roberts 2-1 in the other semi-final, winning on the final black. Roberts came within a single pot of victory at one stage, with a trademark long brown followed by an easy blue leaving him with a tricky pink for the match. Roberts missed and Enstone potted pink and black to book his place in the final.

In a repeat of the Enstone Billiards Cup final, familiar foes Enstone and Ball locked horns once again. Ball took the first comfortably, and seemed in command with a 37 break at the beginning of the second frame. But Enstone clawed his way back with some good safety play and a timely 24 break. A safety battle ensued on the colours, with Ball finally potting the pink to secure the frame and match. Ball took home £30 prize money as well as the £5 high break prize for his 47 break in the group stages.

Congratulations also go to Ronan Love, who won the Plate competition for players who failed to reach the knockout stages. Love defeated event’s organiser Max Faulkner in the final. Faulkner, who told reporters earlier this week that he was ‘still experiencing flashbacks’ from his black ball miss at the Midlands Cup the previous weekend, said he was just ‘relieved’ to be competing again and getting on with life, and that he will take a lot of confidence from his performance in the Plate.

Thank you to everyone who took part in a great competition, and congratulations to Stewart and Ronan! 

The Warwick 1sts and 2nds both delivered stellar performances on Valentine’s weekend at the 2016 Midlands Cup, winning both team competitions, the Team Championship and the Team Trophy in similarly dramatic circumstances.

February 14, 2016

The Midlands Cup, a competition organized and ran by the Warwick Snooker Exec, saw 14 teams from 10 different universities accross the country turn out in force, hoping to acheive both individual and team glory. In the individual championship, the 1st team captain, Gwilym Enstone, showed that form may be temporary but class is permanent, by putting together a magnificent run to reach the semi finals, only succumbing to England captain and eventual winner, Nikolas Charalambous. As for the rest of the first team, Stewart Ball and Zach Roberts also had respectable individual performances, with both reaching the quarter finals, and Cookson Chiu and Sam Matto-Willey went out in the last 16.

In the Team Championship, the first team competition,  the firsts finished second in their round robin group of 5 to qualify for the knockout stages. The teams, consisting of 5 players each, competed over 10 frames, with the first team to reach 6 frames progressing to the next round. Warwick swiftly brushed aside Oxford in their quarter final, with a convincing 6-1 victory, and as their reward faced Southampton, last year’s Champions in the semi-final. After some tense moments in the early stages, Warwick took control and didn’t look back with a 6-3 victory. The final was a closely contested affair. Exeter, having beaten Warwick 4-1 in the group stages, were heavy pre-match favourites, but it was Warwick who got off to the better start with a 2-0 lead. Exeter were no pushovers, however, and levelled things up at 2-2, in part thanks to an impressive century break by Dan Devlin, the Individual Championship runner-up. But Warwick quickly put this behind them and surged ahead, pulling 2 clear at 4-2, only for Exeter to tie it up once more! 4-4 and two frames to play, with 1st team veterans Cookson Chiu and Gwilym Enstone last up.  Half way through the frames it was looking like one step too far for the hosts, as both Warwick men trailed their respective frames by 20 point margins. But Chiu wouldn’t go down without a fight, and clawed his way back into the frame, and finally sealed the frame with a phenomenal long black down the cushion, letting out a roar of delight as the ball disappeared into the     

pocket. 5-4 to Warwick, but Enstone had at this point fallen further behind by 30 points. Never knowing when he’s defeated, and after some exquisite potting, he cut the deficit to just 10 points before leaving the Exeter captain, Ed Poultney, a shot at a long pink for the frame and a chance to tie the match at 5 frames a piece. The pressure got the better of him, and a miss left Enstone a chance to take the match. He sunk the pink with ease, coming off two cushions with the white ball to leave himself a tricky rest shot on the black. After a moment’s deliberation, the 1st team captain composed himself and showed his nerves of steel, stroking the ball into the top pocket to the delight of his team mates, 6-4 to Warwick!

The second team competition, the Team Trophy, was reaching an even more dramatic conclusion at the same time on the opposite two tables. Warwick 2nds, after defeating Southampton 2nds in the semi finals, were in a battle against another Exeter team in their final. The two teams matched each other frame for frame, with Exeter eventually pulling 1 clear at 5-4 after a very tense ninth frame that lasted almost an hour and a half. It was down to Jack Else, 2nd team captain, to win the final frame and take the match to a decider. An experienced competitor in his third year of university competition, he comfortably saw off the Exeter 2nds captain James Martin to tie the match at 5-5. In a tie break situation, each team chooses 1 player to play a single frame playoff, and who stepped up to the plate? Who Else? By this point the first team Championship match had finished, and all attention had turned to the final two competitors and the final frame. With the fate of his team weighing heavily on his shoulders, Else remained the epitome of calm, his machine-like cue action and expert tactical play proving overwhelming for Exeter player Billy Roche. Else took the lead early on and never looked back, sealing victory with yellow and green to leave his opponent requiring snookers. The teams respectfully shook hands, both appreciating what a close final they had all played a part in. But in competiton there has to be a winner and a loser, and Warwick came out on top once again!

Special mention was also made by captain Jack Else to Anthony Church, a fresher in the second team who did not drop a single frame in the team event all weekend.

On a final note, the acheivement of winning the double is made even more remarkable by the fact that the club were running the tournament while simultaneously competing in the event. Special thanks go to Max Faulkner and Zach Roberts, as well as the entire exec for their outstanding work and committment in the weeks and months leading up to the Midlands Cup. Congratulations Warwick 1sts and 2nds, Midlands Cup Team Championship and Trophy winners 2016!  

President Stewart Ball defeats Max Faulkner in the first ever Handicap Cup Competition

February 10, 2016

The first ever Warwick University Handicap cup had a fantastic turnout, with 21 competitors vying for the Trophy at the start of play. There were 7 groups of 3, with the winner of each group progressing to the quarter finals.

The group stages offered up a few surprise results. 1st team player Cookson Chiu lost his first frame of the day against 3rd team Rookie Michael Wilson, while Richard Hanson pulled off some fantastic pots to see off 2nd team captain Jack Else. 3rd team player Bruno Sterner was left stewing after a loss to Stewart Ball in the group stages when a costly fluke early on gave Ball the opportunity to make a 30 break and eventually win the frame.

Other notable performances in the group stages include Harrison Whitworth who knocked in a 22 in his victory over Michael Wilson, and Anthony Church who made a  25 against Charlie Richards. Stone Chen and Adam Suhaimi had a very close fought match which Chen eventually won in a deciding frame on the pink.

Maximum man Sam Matto-Willey escaped from his group thanks to a questionable decision from his 3rd team opponent George Edwards. Edwards, 10 points ahead with just 4 colours left on the table, opted for a re-rack after an extended safety battle. The naïve young Forest supporter (another questionable decision) then went on to lose the second frame by 29 points. Matto-Willey later claimed he offered the rerack initially ‘as a joke’ but was visibly delighted when Edwards agreed moments later, a decision that will surely give him nightmares.

In the first quarter final of the day a close encounter saw Max Faulkner defeat Cookson Chiu on the pink. Jack Else, after limping through the group stages, came alive in his semi-final match-up with team mate Stone Chen. A clinical 24 break from Chen saw him leading going into the colours. But Else, who by his own admission had not been at his scintillating best up until this point, played a blinder, potting brown to black to win by a margin narrower than his new waistline.

Anthony Church received a bye straight through to the semi-finals, and awaited the winner of 1st team rivals Stewart Ball and Sam Matto-Willey.  Ball, who had defeated Matto-Willey at the same stage in the Giant Pool competition earlier in the year, again prevailed with a 40 point victory.

Max Faulkner triumphed over his 2nd team captain Jack Else in the first semi-final, exceeding Ball’s earlier high break of 30 with a 32, leaving Else too much to do to catch up. In stark contrast the other semi-final couldn’t have been closer. Anthony Church dominated the early exchanges, racing into a 29 point lead with just 1 red remaining. But Ball potted the last red from distance and cleared the table to win on the black, and in the process snatched the high break back off Faulkner with the 35 clearance.

So the final two, Faulkner and Ball, who between them have participated in every final so far this year, were left to battle it out for the Trophy and the £30 top prize. Faulkner, receiving a 7 point head start, was out the gates quickly and extended his advantage to 24 points. Then an uncharacteristic miss from Faulkner allowed Ball an easy chance, and he took the lead with a 39 break, and with it secured the £9 high break prize. Leading by 11 going into the colours, Stewart 'Ball-run' (as he is known to friends and family)  gained further advantage with a signature fluke on the yellow, swerving out of a snooker and potting it in the far corner. He followed it up with green and brown to leave Faulkner needing a snooker, and the players shook hands a few shots later.

Faulkner will have to wait 2 weeks to exact revenge in the Warwick Masters, but for now congratulations to Stewart Ball, Warwick University Handicap Champion!

This week saw our first ever Enstone Billiards Championships, with 11 competitors playing it out for a brand new championship plate (not just from IKEA…)! In 3 groups, a random draw saw exciting play from all areas as the top 2 players from each group proceeded to the knockout stages.

January 27, 2016

Group 1 featured a tantalising prospect, with 3 BUCS squad members - Michael Wilson, Max Faulkner and Jack Else - battling out with snooker fresher, Jacky Chan, for a place in the next round. Match 1 - Jack vs Jacky. Else had a slow start with a minor injury, but quickly found his form (aka basher’s luck) to overcome Chan. Wilson and Faulkner’s matchup gave Faulkner a chance for revenge after his crumbling 3-0 loss to Wilson in the last week of term 1 snooker league. After 15 of the 20 minutes, the scores were tight, but Faulkner prevailed and knocked in a 20 break to win it. Wilson then had a comfortable victory against Chan whilst Else had to perform well against Faulkner to give himself a good chance of progressing. Else managed to please the crowd with an incredibly played long pot - even while “walled” with half a cue - flying into the baulk corner pocket. Stood in shock, Faulkner’s jaw slammed to the floor as Else’s cue ball rolled perfectly in position for the red as it was respotted.

Even so, Faulkner carried on to win his second match in as many games. Crunch time - Else vs Wilson. Both players needed a win to proceed to the next round. The pressure was on. After a nervy start from both, Wilson began to pull away and, although he put in a valiant effort, Else unfortunately lost and - with aches and sighs - crashed out. Faulkner didn’t need to win to guarantee progression to the next round but put in a solid performance against Chan to top the group. Qualifiers: Max Faulkner, Michael Wilson

With just 3 players in group 2, only three matches were played in the round robin format. Stewart Ball, Stone Chen and Thomas Miller fought for 2 places in the next round. Ball, winner of this year’s Giant Pool Trophy, was looking for more silverware and comfortably saw off Chen in the first fixture. Chen couldn’t afford to lose his second and final group game against Miller. Chen was in good form, however, and won with a 50 point margin. The final match in group 2 saw the biggest winning margin of the day - Ball winning by an incredible 115 points against Miller. A very respectable performance to top the group from Ball. Qualifiers: Stewart Ball, Stone Chen

Another group featuring 3 BUCS squad members saw the tournament’s namesake, Gwilym Enstone, compete in his first competition of the year. Billiards veteran, Enstone, was up against Bartosz Prokop and 2 other squad members - Bruno Sterner and Harrison Whitworth. Quickly learning the game, Prokop, Sterner and Whitworth put up a great fight but Enstone was simply too good for them all and topped the group. Closely following Enstone was Whitworth: only losing to Enstone by 18 points, he put in a solid performance against both Sterner and Prokop, winning both. Sterner, at least, had a consolation win against Prokop. So, we have our 6 qualifiers for the next stage. Qualifiers: Gwilym Enstone, Harrison Whitworth

The top two players based on their average points difference went straight through to the semi final stage. This meant that Enstone and Ball proceeded straight through, leaving two matchups: Faulkner vs Chen and Wilson vs Whitworth. Two very close matches, each going down to the final seconds, ended up with Faulkner winning by the skin of his teeth and Wilson proceeding with a 12 point margin. 

In the semi-finals, Faulkner was drawn against an in-form legend in the shape of Enstone. Although the scores were tight for the first half of the match, Enstone quickly pulled away and almost doubled his opponent’s score, winning 88-46 at the timer. Maybe Faulkner should stick to revising his sitcom quotes…(fancy a latte, Jack?)

The other side of the draw saw Ball face against the one remaining fresher, Wilson. Impressing the crowd in the groups, Wilson put in another sparkling performance and Ball had to dig deep. A resilient Ball saw out the remaining minutes, beating Wilson 54-43.

Our finalists, Ball and Enstone, know each other well but when the timer starts, nothing is friendly between these two. Ball strung together a few breaks to put himself into a commanding position in the first 15 minutes of the 30-minute final. Realising he had work to do, Enstone turned on the afterburners, bringing things level going into the last 5 minutes. Chances raised for Ball, but Enstone was persistent and overtook with a few minutes remaining. Ball, feeling the pressure, missed his chance to put in a damaging break. Letting the frustration get to him, an ever-emotional Ball slammed his cue to the floor in anger and it was clear that it meant a lot to him. Ball watched on as Enstone stayed at the table for a few more shots as the timer beeped away. The very first Enstone Billiards Championships, it seems, ended with a worthy winner.

Congratulations to Gwilym Enstone, the first Enstone Billiards Champion (I guess we won’t have to get the plate engraved, then…)

The inaugural Sam Barton Power Snooker Championship saw 13 competitors battle it out for a brand new Trophy in a brand new format to Warwick Snooker Club. With just 3 exec members in separate groups, the freshers in the club had never fancied their chances more in an internal club competition.

November 18, 2015

In group one, Harrison Whitworth swiftly saw off his other two opponents to go through with two convincing wins, each with over 80 points on the board. A quick dispatch of the other players secured him the first semi-final place.

Group two - the only group with 4 players - saw our Events Coordinator, Max Faulkner, compete against three freshers to the club, who all put up a great fight. It wasn’t enough however, as Faulkner progressed to the semi finals with three victories; one of which included a score of 103.A tough group 3 was then ready and raring to go, with Adam Suhaimi, Giant Pool quarter-finalist Michael Wilson and our Club Captain, Jack Else, all in with a real chance to make an impact at the tournament. In the first match, Else took what seemed to be an unassailable lead of 40 points early on against Wilson.

However, Wilson never gave in, forcing a 20-point foul from Else during a PowerPlay to make things level. Else dug deep but a prevailing Wilson battled the match back to 83-83 at the timer! Wilson quickly saw off his second opponent, Suhaimi, leaving Else a task of beating Suhaimi by 65 points. Else, although beating Suhaimi, didn’t score enough points to progress through to the semi finals. It was back to the salad bar for Else, meaning Wilson was through by the skin of his teeth…

The final group was the last chance to get another exec member through to the semis. Our President, Stewart Ball, had a group with Ricky To and Giant Pool runner up, Anthony Church. Church and Ball both quickly saw off To in their matches, leaving a repeat of the Giant Pool final to decide who qualified for the knockout stage. A nervy performance from both went back and forth but Ball threw away an easy late chance to lose the match by just one point! I think it’s safe to say that Stewart “Ball Bag” showed up during the tournament today…

Semi Final time: one exec member and three freshers were just 2 matches away from being crowned Power Snooker Champion. In the semi final between Church and Whitworth, Church thought he was at a Billiards competition, going in-off like it was Christmas in the PowerZone.

Faulkner, who had put in a convincing performance in the group stages, now had to play an in-form Wilson to make the final. Wilson took a very healthy lead into the last 5 minutes, leaving Faulkner an uphill challenge of attaining 50 points. Faulkner couldn’t hit a barn door with a shotgun and it looked like things were over until Wilson left the PowerBall over the pocket with 3 minutes remaining. Faulkner took his chances in the dying seconds, qualifying for the final 95-87.

Both finalists were in uncharted territory, with both in their first internal competition final. Whitworth was looking strong, sinking long pot after long pot in the first half of the match. Faulkner found his form just at the right time, though, winning comfortably by 100 points in the end.

Thank you to all who competed today and congratulations to Max Faulkner, winner of the Inaugural Sam Barton Power Snooker Championship.

November 04, 2015

There was a 17 strong field for Warwick's 2nd annual Giant Pool competition. Entrants started out the day in four groups, with the top two from each progressing to the quarter finals. There was a dramatic end to group D as two players, Anthony Church and Tim Wakefield, finished in a tie for second place. A black ball pot-off ensued with Church prevailing at the second time of asking.

There was a mix of youth and experience in the quarter finals, with 4 members of the exec being joined by 4 freshers for the knockout stages. After a formidable effort from Scott Jenkins he succumbed 2-1 to Jack Else, while on the same side of the draw Stewart Ball snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by coming from a frame down to defeat 147 maker Sam Matto-Willey. Only 2 pots from a famous victory, and under severe pressure, Matto-Willey missed a straight forward blue over the pocket. The young lad from Sheffield, who claims to have never missed a pot before in his life, loudly exclaimed "WHAT!?" in surprise, distracting players on the other table. He was given a formal warning by the referee for his misconduct. After this he seemed to lose his head, and with it, the match. In the post-match interview he said "I would say it was a deserved victory from Mr Ball, but that would be lying unfortunately. Its like when Peter Ebdon won the world final, neither deserved it but somebody had to win".

On the other side of the draw Anthony Church pulled off a convincing 2-0 victory over events coordinator Max Faulkner. By his own admission Faulkner didn't show up in his quarter final but some great positional play from Church saw him clinch victory in true Pool fashion with a doubled black. Andrew Rout managed a 2-0 win over Michael Wilson. After taking the first frame Rout left the black over the pocket for Wilson to take the match to a decider, but under pressure Wilson potted the black and rolled the white in off to hand victory to Rout.

The two losing freshers semi-finalists, Anthony Church and Andrew Rout, were both looking to go one further as they met in the first of the semi-finals, and after some exciting pots from both competitors, Church defeated Rout 2-0. The second semi saw a rematch of the 2013 freshers final between Stewart Ball and Jack Else. Else was keen to exact revenge in this, their first competitive match in 2 years, and with a new diet regime and new coach he was playing the best snooker of his career, and seemed a strong favourite in the early exchanges. It was not to be, however, as Ball came from a frame down to win 2-1. After dominating the tactical exchanges in the match, a key error gave Ball 2 shots on the black to book his place in the final. Else, left devasted and in shock, in true Mourhino fashion commented "I have nothing to say" before promptly leaving to get a salad.

Ball and Church, who both grew up playing Snooker in the same club in Bournemouth, played out a tense final. After Ball took the opener, Church pulled off some great pots to take it into a decider before unfortuately leaving the black over the pocket in the final frame to give Ball the victory. Ball took home the top prize of £20 along with the Dan Turner Trophy.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the tournament!  

The 2015 Warwick Snooker Club Fresher's Tournament was held on Sunday 11th October and saw 32 competitors vying for the trophy.

October 10, 2015

The 2015 Warwick Snooker Club Fresher's Tournament was held on Sunday 11th October and saw 32 competitors vying for the trophy.

The day began with eight groups of four playing in a round-robin format, where only the group winner would progress to the next stages of the tournament. The group stages saw a real variety of styles and abilities on display, and onlookers were treated to the days highest break of 18 made by Sammy Shah.

For the plucky eight competitors who made it through the groups came the quarter finals - £2 entry fee returned and the chance to play for a record final prize pot of £25. 

Kab Choudry, Scott Jenkins, Adam Suhaimi and Joel Speed all fell at the quarter final stage, while Andrew Rout and Anthony Church came agonisingly close to the grand final, going home after some tough semi final snooker. That left George Edwards and Stone Chen to square off in the three-frame final. And what a final it was.

After initially trailing by over 20 points in the opening frame, a resilient Edwards fought back with breaks including a fine 17 to lead by three with only the black remaining. Feeling the pressure of the occasion, both players missed a string of half-chances (and the odd sitter, too). But, after a brave attempt from Chen which rattled agonisingly in the jaws, it was Edwards who dropped the black into the corner pocket to take a one-frame lead.

Frame two was a tense and nervy exchange to begin with, but burst into life when the competitors got onto the colours with only two points in it. Chen, trailing 22-20, came to the table looking to pot an easy yellow, but nerves got the better of him and he missed, giving Edwards the chance to clear. Edwards, however, followed with errors of his own, potting the cue ball twice to give Chen a lead which he soon expanded upon with a cool yellow and a fine long green to take it to 34-22. Chen then looked to pot the brown down the cushion, and not only missed but somehow found the middle pocket with the cue ball. An easy brown followed for Edwards to take the scores to 34-30, but a miss left Chen an admittedly tough chance on the blue with him still needing the pink as well. But like a reliable postman he delivered with a lovely cut on the blue and a simple pink into the corner to take the frames to one-apiece. 

An enthralling final frame decider ebbed and flowed, with both players playing some fine snooker and Edwards taking an eight point lead into the colours. It looked like Chen had forgotten how to pot the ball as an easy yellow to the baulk pocket went begging. But then out of nowhere he dropped yellow, green and brown with ease and got his nose just about in front. Edwards turned the tide one more with blue into the top corner, but missed a kiss on the pink which could have spelled curtains. It was still a heart in mouth moment for Chen, however, as Edwards fired the pink down the cushion for glory. But the ball just would not go, rattling in the jaws of one corner pocket before rolling along the baulk cushion and briefly flirting with the other. This left Chen facing a tough reach to get to the pink, but he was rewarded for his bravery as the ball dropped elegantly into the corner. Only the black was needed to take the match, and Chen duly obliged by slamming it home to the middle pocket to win the 2015/16 Freshers Trophy and a cool £25 of prize money.

Congratulations to Stone Chen, this year's Freshers Tournament Champion!