WEBSF Billiards Open champion Steve Brookshaw equalled his career best result in a World Billiards ranking event at last weekend’s Welsh Open.
Held at the Redz Snooker Club in Cwmbran, female and male entrants from the UK and beyond made up the starting line-up of 43 players.
Brookshaw, who went into the tournament as world number 13, began strongly in South Wales, topping his group after winning all three round-robin matches. Seeded through to the last 16, the versatile cueist stepped things up as he crafted a break of 141 during a 403-256 victory over Brian Harvey.
In the quarter-finals he faced fellow local Plymouth Billiards League player and WEBSF participant Barry Russell, who was enjoying his longest run in a World Billiards main event. A close affair between the two, Brookshaw managed to progress by a margin of just 29 points.
Now matching his semi-final finish from the Scottish Open a few years ago, Brookshaw was denied a maiden final appearance by in-form world number one Peter Gilchrist after a 794-180 defeat. Singaporean representative Gilchrist went on to lift his fourth trophy in a row and sixth of the season when seeing off Martin Goodwill – another former WEBSF entrant – in the final.
During what was a fine weekend for several players of the Foundation, Chris Coumbe also recorded his joint-best outcome after reaching the last eight where he bowed out to Goodwill.
Alongside the aforementioned Harvey, West of England Billiards champion Ryan Mears’ hopes ended in the last 16 when he was stopped by Gilchrist. Terry Azor, Geoffrey Lingard, Mark Hill and Michael White all qualified from the groups to reach the knockout phase where they lost in the last 32.
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