Eleven hours of extremely competitive and exciting action on Mid Sussex Billiards and Snooker League Finals Day

The Stoner Cup Final commenced with the mighty Mark Bright gaining a convincing 69-7 first frame win then seeing the marauding Mark Coles retaliating with a 65-47. Bright showed his prowess to move on to secure the title by winning the next two frames 66-30 and 50-36. Last year’s Grandmasters losing finalist was determined not to be defeated on this occasion, the swashbuckling Trevor Smith took all three frames against the battler John Jenner.

The Charity Trebles brought together players Matt Verrell, Brian Coleman and Charlie Harris from Division Three and Barry Martin, Lee Morley and Martin Payne from Division One. The vibrant Verrell was not going to be overhauled by the brilliance of Barry Martin, commencing with a team handicap of 106, he kept his metal by containing an 81 lead for his colleagues, the dogged Coleman came to the table to endeavour to contain the free scoring Morley but to see his team’s handicap lead slip back to 16. The calculated Harris started with some positive pots, but the proven Payne showed great strength to obtain a 40 points team success.

The Lanaway Doubles looked as if the pairings would go all the way over the five frames, it was not so as the flamboyant Anthony Flynn and the perilous David Page outshone the canny Lee Cannizarro and the determined Martin Batchelor 3-0, winning 66-21, 65-36 and 58-31. The Secretary’s Billiards Cup saw Mark Coles and Barry Martin fighting a tough battle which Martin won 250-177. Coles returned to the table in the Dennis Wakeford Trophy having lost two finals on the day, chomping on his cigars he took the two snooker frames with pulse racing skills 62-11 and 68-32 against Stuart Williamson, Williamson had the opportunity to produce his wizardry at billiards but the smooth potting Coles took the title with a 200-158 win.

Willem Mol, making his debut as a referee on Finals Day took charge of the Open Snooker Championship between the MSBSL billiards skipper Ian Janman and this season’s top ranked snooker player James Dew. Mol smartly dressed in his referee’s refinery and red bow tie was fully aware that both players had full respect for each other and both would be determined to make the final a tough drawn out battle.

The destroyer Dew opened strongly winning 77-32 then saw the creative Janman returning with 57-37 and 58-37 wins. Dew strived to come back on terms and did so securing the frame 54-16 and confidently took the next 70-32. The sixth frame meant Janman had to win, this he did with a close encounter finish of 58-53. The match now going into the sixth hour kept the late night audience on their tip toes as the jovial Janman opened with a 28 break and to take a 40 points lead. Dew, the Mark Selby of Mid Sussex snooker, analysed the situation and commandingly commenced to build a fluent 39 break then to move on to take the frame 68-53 to gain an extremely hard fought 4-3 victory.

The other referees officiating were Dennis Wakeford, Steve Barton , Roy Tucknott and Norman Green, the Denman Billiards Final between Ian Janman and Barry Martin will be played at the Lindfield Club on Thursday 30 April.