Grant Cole – Overall Winner
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 1
(Victoria Snooker Centre, Plymouth)
BOND CARRIES ON WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Report
6th November 2004
Snooker in the West Country kicked off in style with the first Junior Silver Waistcoat tour event of the season being won by the current United Kingdom Champion Darren Bond 15 years, from Tiverton. Bond overcame Mike Day from Rileys Snooker Club Plymouth 3 -1 in the final.
For Bond it was business has usual has he brushed aside all before him with a fine display of potting and break building. The only real scare came from James Hendry 15 years, from Cornwall who led 1-0 and only lost the second frame on the black before going down 2-1 in the quarter final. Hendry has improved dramatically since last season and is sure to be in the reckoning in future events.
In the semi-finals both Bond and Day won there respective matches against two times tour winners from last season, Grant Cole 16 years, Plymouth and Sam Cox 17 years, Exeter.
The quarter final saw three new comers namely Scott Seldon, Exeter Adrian Bond, Tiverton, brother of Darren and Ben Pike, Honiton the latter recording the highest break of the day a fine 66.
The last sixteen and the round robin qualifying matches saw the best play of the tournament with no fewer than six breaks of over 60 and eight of 40 plus.
The group stages claimed previous tour winners Darran Lock, Seaton and David Bennett, Falmouth. Other impressive performances came from newcomers Scott Seldon, Exeter who toped his group, Daniel Hind, Sam Baird, and three players from Plymouth, Danny Wicks, Karl Negus, and Danny Bolt. Danny in particular proved he was more than capable of rising to the challenge with a good performance against some of the the very best juniors from all over Devon and Cornwall. Tour spokesman Roger Cole said “The junior snooker tours which have been developed in conjunction with the West of England Billiards and Snooker Foundation (WEBSF) are proving to be just what grass roots snooker needs to regenerate our sport reaching all players throughout the West Country and not just the few.
For more details and entry forms to all of the tournaments available go to http://www.websfsnooker.com
Report by Keith Millard
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 1 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 2
(Bells Court Snooker Club, Falmouth)
SAM BAIRD FORM HALBERTON CLUB TAKES FIRST PRIZE AT SECOND ATTEMPT
Report
11th December 2004
Current under 19 Devon Youth Champion and last tournament Plate Winner Sam Baird moved up the rankings with a great win against Bobby Southworth in the second Silver Waistcoat final of the season.
Group1
Despite posting a couple of decent breaks last event winner Darren Bond lost on frame count back in a three way tie with Bobby Southworth and group winner Gary Mills. Scott Seldon was hoping to add a few more ranking points to his decent finish in the last tournament but had to withdraw due to the after effects of an operation he underwent earlier in the week. Get well soon Scott.
Group2
Sam Cox is struggling with his tournament form so far this season narrowly missing out to group winner David Bennett and newcomer Joel Martin.
Group3
Ben Pike retains the title of ‘The Breakmaster’ with a another highest break of the day 75. He added to this a couple of 50’s and 40’s but only managed 4th in his group. Grant Cole was in clinical form heading the group with 10 points. Darran Lock the other qualifier.
Group4
Shayne Tregale forgot his cue and had to borrow what most would consider something not much better that a ‘club cue, out of the rack’. Not put off by this Shayne notched a fine 60 break proving it’s not the cue but how you use it, “nice one Trigger!” Deane Pascoe posted a 67 in this his first Silver Waistcoat. Sam Baird (54) and Mike Day qualified
Knock-out Stages
The quarters saw Grant Cole bow out to Bobby Southworth despite a fine 54 break and Sam Baird start his drive for victory.
The semi’s guaranteed a Cornwall v Devon final between Bobby Southworth who dispatched Darran Lock 2-0 and Sam Baird saw off Mike Day by the same score with breaks of 48 and 44.
The Final proved one match too far for Bobby Southworth, the defeat of Grant Cole, one of the tournament favourites, in the semi-final must have taken it’s toll. Sam Baird was in full flow recording a 3-1 victory, his first Silver Waistcoat event title 3-1.
Keith Millard (Tournament Director) kept the tournament flowing in his usual professional manner and Ray Varsie, top Cornwall Referee was in attendance to officiate as and when required.
Roger Cole (WEBSF Champion) said “All the players played with great camaraderie and competitive spirit lifting the standard once again”
Report by Steve Canniford
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 2 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 3
(Sidwell Snooker Club, Exeter)
LOCK FINALLY BREAKS THROUGH
Report
15th January 2005
Darran lock (Seaton) won his first Silver Waistcoat tournament with real nerve after making a frame and match winning break of 51 against Plymouthian Grant Cole.
The semi-finals threw together old adversaries, Grant Cole against Darren Bond. Grant won by potting a re spotted black after Darren had made a 33 break. Grant also made breaks of 38 & 32. Darran Lock looked dead and buried against Mike Day. Darran won the first frame, Mike replied with a 37 break in the second to level the match. In the deciding frame Mike had taken an early lead and left Darran needing snooker with one red on the table. Darran got the snooker which Mike failed to escape from. Darran then snookered Mike again which he also failed to hit. Mike snookered, sportingly called a foul & miss on himself which he failed to escape from a further four times bringing Darran right back into the frame. Darran then potted the last red and cleared to the pink to win the match.
The quarter finals really showed the level of snooker these young players are playing in this tournament this season. The best example of this was Adrian Bond against Mike Day. Adrian was 61-0 in front and Mike cleared the table with an excellent 62 to win the frame and the match. Darran Lock comfortably dispensed last months winner Sam Baird with breaks of 53 & 46. Sam Cox lost to Grant Cole who recorded a 40 break. Darren Bond overcame the up-and-coming Cornishman Robert Charman.
GROUP STAGES
Group 1
Grant Cole won Group 1 without losing a match, he made breaks of 49, 42, 41 and a 40. Sam Baird finished second winning 5 of his 7 matches and recording breaks of 64, 58 and a couple 30’s. Adrian Bond qualified with several breaks over 30 and a 43. A player who qualified in only his second tournament and will be one to look out for the future is Robert Charman who made a 66 break. Bobby Southworth failed to qualify after beating last months winner, Sam Baird, in his opening match. Bobby’s best effort of the day was a break of 42. It was good to see Scott Seldon back playing after having to withdraw from the previous tournament. Scott posted breaks of, 38 & 35. Rob Wills was struggling to find his form after having a problem with his tip. Danny Wicks deserves a mention, he never won a match but took a few of the ‘big guns’ to the colours.
Group 2
Mike Day won Group 1 and recorded no fewer than nine breaks over 30 with the best of them being 70. Darren Bond was runner up in the group with a fine display of potting making seven breaks over 30 and two breaks of 66. Local boy Sam Cox qualified with breaks 48 & 45. The final qualifier was Darren Lock with the highest break of the day and tournament thus far, 80 He now takes the title of ‘The Breakmaster’. He also knocked in a couple of 30’s for good measure. Ben Pike was unlucky to go out at the first hurdle after making seven breaks over 30 the best being a 46. Sam Edmunds narrowly missed out on qualifing had a good tournament which included the scalp of Mike Day. Sam made three breaks over 30 with the highest being 49. Shane ‘Trigger’ Treagale failed to reach the knockout stages but made a few breaks over 30, the best being 45. Joel Martin will hope his luck changes after missing out on qualifing. Joel made no note able breaks but three of his matches against the players who qualified went to the deciding frame which could have changed the outlook of this tournament. Danny Bolt is another player who would like his luck to change after losing quite a few matches on the pink and black.
Tournament Director Keith Millard stated “The standard never fails to amaze me, the lads started at 10.30 and the final frame finished at 9pm. In the final the deciding frame included a 51 break and there were another 63 breaks over 30. This is such an exciting tournament; you just cannot pick a winner. It’s great listening to the boys talking about who’s going to win because it changes with every match.”
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 3 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 4
(Victoria Snooker Centre, Plymouth)
PIKE NETS WIN
Report
12th February 2005
Ben Pike of Exeter won the February Silver Waistcoat tournament held at the Victoria Snooker Centre, Plymouth with an emphatic 3-0 win over Tiverton’s Darren Bond. Although Darren was favourite to lift the trophy, Ben’s safety was the telling factor. Ben grew with confidence which left Darren with no answer. Ben defeated his practice partner Sam Cox in the semi-finals 2-1. Darren dispersed of Plymouth’s Grant Cole with breaks of 37, 39 & 42.
In the quarter finals Sam Cox (Exeter) made a 30 break in defeating Gary Mills (Plymouth). Adrian Bond (Tiverton) lost to the winner Ben Pike. Sam Baird lost to his fellow team mate Darren Bond. In the Plymouth derby Sam Edmunds had a hard match just losing out to Grant Cole 2-1. Sam made a 32 break & Grant had a 30.
GROUP STAGES
Group 1
Sam Cox won Group 1 with maximum points only dropping one frame. Runner-up was the eventual winner Ben Pike. Ben’s only defeat came at the hands of Sam Cox. Ben recorded breaks of 71 & 38. other notable breaks in this group were Bobby Southworth 39, 48 & Darren Lock 39.
Group 2
Sam Baird won this group with breaks of 32 & 36. Grant Cole qualified in second place with consistent break building (31, 39, 58 and 65). Scott Seldon deserves a mention after beating group winner Sam Baird 2-1.
Group 3
This turned out to be the hardest fought group of the lot with just one point separating the top four. Adrian Bond won the group with the help of 44 & 33 breaks. Gary Mills was runner up with the highest break of the day, a very credible 73. Mike Day who leads the ranking table failed to qualify for the knockout stages.
Group 4
Local boy from Plymouth and newcomer to the Silver Waistcoat tour Sam Edmunds won group 4 without losing a match. Sam was cueing well and a few of the spectators were putting their money on him to win the tournament, after defeating Darren Bond 2-0. Darren qualified in second place with the help of a 44 break.
Report by Keith Millard
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 4 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 5
(Bell’s Court Snooker Club, Falmouth)
SILVER WAISTCOAT SETS NEW RECORD
Report
5th March 2005
Ben Pike the 18year old potting machine from East Devon, set a new United Kingdom National Record during the fifth in the series of the West Of England Billiards and Snooker Foundation (WEBSF) Junior Silver Waistcoat Tour. This event was held in Cornwall at Bells Court Snooker Club, Falmouth. Pike who became a Member The WEBSF this season, beat the previous highest break record with a magnificent 116. The existing record of 114 was held by last seasons regional winner Grant Cole (Plymouth). In addition to this fine break there were no fewer than four breaks of 70+, nine of 50+ and 29 breaks between 30 and 50. This illustrates just how high a standard the youngsters are setting.
Although Pike set a new benchmark he still needs to work on his frame winning consistency, he will then be a real contender to lift the overall tournament series. No-doubt this will come in the not to distant future but for now he had to be content with seeing the most consistent match players of the tour, Darren Bond (Tiverton) and Grant Cole (Plymouth) battle out yet another final. Bond won by the narrowest of margins of 3-2 in a closely contested final. Bond’s is the only player to win two tour events this season and takes the top spot in the rankings from Cole. For Cole this was the second final which he failed to convert into a victory. Never-the-less he still remains one of the most consistent player on the tour, with the other players playing catch up behind these two.
The group stages produced some great performances, not only from the best players but also from Danny Wicks and Danny Bolt, both from Plymouth, who turned in good results in their groups. Sam Edmunds narrowly failed to reach the final stages of the tournament by the narrowest of margins after a strong performance in his group.
The quarter finals produced some very interesting pairings with Robert Charman (Redruth) versus Grant Cole, Cole running out the winner 2-0. For Charman this was the second time he as reached the last 8. He is sure to be a strong contender for future tournaments.
Other quarter final matches saw one of the quietest and most highly respected players on the tour, 15 year old James Hendry, defeat the very consistent Darran Lock 2-0. Hendry has a very natural style which is improving all the time. He is sure to win a tour event soon.
Sam Baird (Tiverton) accounted for Ben Pike (Honiton) 2-1 in a very close match with neither player giving any quarter. In the last of the quarter final matches Darren Bond overcame local and ever improving Bobby Southworth (Falmouth) 2-0
In the semi finals Grant Cole just managed to beat James Hendry 2-1 to book is place in the final along side Darren Bond who won his match against fellow Tiverton League representative Sam Baird 2-1.
The final turned out to be an anti climax with regard to break building with both players feeling the strain of a full days competitive match play. The first two frames were shared and the match was set to go either way but for the outstanding single ball potting of 14 year old Darren Bond. Time and time again he produces great pots when it counts. The turning point in this match saw Bond take two tremendous pots in frame four, clearing the pink and black to win the frame. In the final frame onlookers saw Bond in full flight, full of confidence and running out a worthy winner.
Keith Milliard the tournament director said “this tournament never fails to produce the very best from all of the competitors. I was fortunate to witness the first ever century break in this championship last season in Bells Court Snooker Club (Falmouth), to see a second century break at the same club must be some kind of a record.” He went on to say “With the number of players taking up the challenge this tour is becoming a stepping stone for all aspiring youngsters throughout the West of England to reach there full potential in the sport. I would urge all players from all clubs to take up the challenge and bring our sport to all within the West of England.
The next tour event is at Sidwell Snooker Club, Exeter on the 2nd of April 2005 . For full details go to http://www.websfsnooker.com.
Report by Roger Cole
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 5 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 6
(Sidwell Snooker Club, Exeter)
LOCK UNDONE BY FLARE OF BOND
Report
2nd April 2005
Adrian bond (Tiverton), older brother of Darren won his first Silver Waistcoat Tournament with what seemed relative ease at Sidwell Snooker Club, Exeter. Bond beat Darran Lock (Seaton) 3-0 in the final, he took the first frame with a 58 break, winning 88-17. The second frame score was 79-45 in Bonds favour. The third frame was a tense affair with Bond winning on a re-spotted black 61-54.
Bond was undefeated in all his matches only dropping two frames in the whole tournament, a remarkable achievement given the standard of opposition. In the semi final Bond defeated local Exeter player Shayne Tregale 2-0 with the aid of a 31 break and in the other semi final Lock beat Grant Cole (Plymouth) 2-0 recording a 50 break.
In the quarter finals Lock made a 34 break in his 2-0 win over Sam Baird (Halberton). Cole’s 2(42)-0 win over Darren Bond takes him to the top of the ranking table with Darren Bond just behind in second spot. This leaves all to play for in the last in the series of the WEBSF Silver Waistcoat Tour next month in Plymouth. In the other quarter final matches Sam Cox (Exeter) lost 2-0 at the hands of his club mate Treagale who made a 51 break and Adrian Bond beat Rob Charman (Redruth) 2-0.
COX’S 124 CLEARANCE IS BITTER-SWEET
In the group stages Sam Cox moved the highest break milestone in this the penultimate tournament with a magnificent 124 clearance in his 2-0 win over Jay Harrington (Cornwall). The previous highest break 116 was made last month by Ben Pike (Honiton) and how he may regret missing the blue with a possible clearance there for the taking. What makes Cox’s break bitter-sweet is the fact that it was made in his home club and it will be the last ever WEBSF tournament held at the Sidwell Snooker Club. At the end of this month, after 20 years of trading, the club will close for good and the snooker fraternity in the South West will lose a vital breeding ground for young aspiring players.
Adrian Bond won group 1 without losing a match recording four breaks over 30 the best being 42. Darren Bond finished runner up in the group with seven breaks over 30, including a brace of 40’s and a 56. Cox finish third in this group, losing two of his matches 2-1. Those two defeats were at the hands of the in-form Bond brothers. The final qualifying spot went to Lock whose contribution included two 50 breaks a 59 & 52. Other notable breaks were recorded by Jay Harrington 37 (x2) & 33 and Danny Wicks (Plymouth) 36.
Group 2 was a closely fought affair with six points separating all seven players. There were only three points between the top five players all won four of their six matches. Baird came out on top by picking up two frames in the two matches he lost. Treagale and Cole were joint second, Tregale given the runner up spot by courtesy of beating Cole 2-0. The fourth qualifying spot was also a joint affair between Charman and Mike Day (Plymouth). Charman went through having defeated Day 2-0 with the aid of a 33 break. Every player in this group recorded breaks over 30, the best being a 64 clearance by Day, who also had a 42 break. Ben Pike recorded a 63 break, while Sam Edmunds (Plymouth) made a 51. Treagale hit two 49’s and a 40, Baird recorded six breaks over 30, the best being a 49 and Coles’ best effort was a 40.
Tournament Director Keith Millard said “it’s a sad day for snooker in the South West with the closure of the Sidwell Snooker Club and I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the WEBSF members, to thank Bill Whelan and Rob Thompson for all the support they have given to us and snooker in the area over the last 20 years.”
Report by Keith Millard
Silver Waistcoat Tour Event 6 Results
Silver Waistcoat Tour – Event 7
(Sidwell Snooker Club, Exeter)
BAIRD WINS FINALS DAY BUT COLE IS OVERALL CHAMPION
7th May 2005 – no report
Adrian Bond – 64,63,58,48,44,43,43,42,40,40,39,36,36,34,32,31,30,30
Ben Pike – 116,75,74,73,71,66,63,56,55,50,48,46,43,43,38,36,36,35,35,34,32,32,32,32,31,31,31,30
Bobby Southworth – 60,48,47,46,42,42,40,39,32,32,32
Danny Bolt – 32,30
Dale Branton – 33
Danny Wicks – 40,36,31
Darran Lock – 80,75,59,55,53,53,52,52,51,46,40,39,35,32,32,30
Darren Bond – 79,60,66,66,66,56,55,53,52,52,51,50,49,49,48,47,44,44,42,40,40,39,39,38,37,37,36,35,33,31,31,30,30,30
David Bennett – 6,55,53,49,47,48,39,33,31
Deane Pascoe – 67
Gary Mills – 73
Grant Cole – 68,60,58,54,49,42,41,40,40,40,40,39,39,38,38,35,32,32,32,32,32,31,31,30
James Hendry – 55,55,53,42,35,33
Jay Harrington – 37,37,33,31
Mike Day – 70,64cl,62,61,48,42,42,40,36,34,33,33,32,32,30,30
Rob Charman – 66,49,38,35,33,32,31,31,30
Sam Baird – 89,79,66,64,63,58,54,52,50,49,48,45,44,43,41,39,38,38,36,36,32,32,32,31,31,31,31
Sam Cox –124cl,48,47,42,42,41,38,32,31
Sam Edmunds – 51,49,46,37,36,32,30,30
Scott Seldon – 38,35
Shane Tregale – 60,49,49,45,40,38,33,32
WEBSF 