LOCAL SNOOKER

by John Hartley

English Amateur and National CIU Champion David Lilley walked away £150 richer from Hartlepool Snooker Centre last weekend. Lilley came out on top of the fifth of this season's Pro-Am Ranking Events, from a total of 43 entries.

The events sponsored by Planet Snooker.com and Hartlepool Snooker Centre have continued to be a massive success after last years debut season, and already this season a total of 104 players from around the region have entered the competitions.

The Preliminary Round saw World Under 21 champion Gary Wilson (Wallsend) in magnificent form, coming from 2-0 down to beat Terry Singleton (+15) 3-2, with breaks of 131, 76 and 65. Two of the tournament favourites were both beaten at this early stage, as Premier League Champion Michael Rhodes went down 3-0 to 15 year old John Astley (+16), and Main Tour pro Mike Dunn from Redcar was beaten 3-0 by 13 year old Darren Cook (+47) from Hartlepool.

In round one, David Craggs (Tow Law) made breaks of 76, 57 and 51 as he defeated Jim Evans (Chester-Le-Street) (+21) 3-0, whilst Hartlepool's Richie Faulkner beat 13 year old Stuart Dexter (+20) from Redcar 3-1 with a break of 87. Gary Wilson maintained his good display, beating giantkiller Darren Cook (+49) 3-0 with breaks of 103 and 90, whilst Antony Parsons (Guisborough) progressed with a 3-1 win over Craig Brown (Billingham)(+2). Parsons made a 64, whilst Brown's winning frame included a 72 break.

Hartlepool's Michael Rudd returned to action since breaking a foot just before Christmas, and defeated Ewan Smith (+30) 3-0 with a top break of 58. Stan Buckle (Stockton) made a break of 50 as he beat Gateshead's Gary Astley (+24) 3-0. Former pro David Rippon, in practice for the forthcoming Planet Snooker Premier League knocked in a top break of 55 as he beat Mike Russell (+26) 3-0, whilst Steve Burdis, winner of the first pro-am this season, made a break of 94 as he beat Lee Wray (+17) 3-0.

Round Two again saw some good breaks, particularly the match between Rudd and Paul Garvin (+2). Despite runs of 74 and 55 from Garvin, it was Rudd that scraped through, as he made breaks of 58 and a 51 in the last. David Lilley was quietly making his way through the draw, and he knocked in breaks of 84 and 73 to beat Paul O'Dwyer (+39) 3-0.

In the quarter finals, all played in the clubs superb back room, the losers would pick up £20. Gary Wilson was conceding 7 start to David Craggs, and despite making a 107 start, Craggs didn't make the start count, with Wilson progressing 3-2. Two of the Hartlepool Club's own players, Michael Rudd and Michael Grey (+2) clashed, with Grey taking a 2-0 lead. However, with the help of a  65, Rudd turned things around, and recorded a 3-2 victory to reach the semi-finals.

Lilley beat Stan Buckle (+18) 3-0 with a 56 break, whilst a 59 helped Dave Rippon to a 3-2 win over Seaham's Chris Ball (+20).

In the semi-finals, Wilson breezed through, making a break of 96 in beating Rudd (+18) 3-0, and David Lilley knocked in a 100 and a 64 as he beat David Rippon (+4) 3-1, with Rippon making a 92 break.

The final was a one-sided affair, on the clubs newly re-clothed match table. Receiving 8 points start, Lilley went on to record a 3-0 victory, and move himself back up the rankings.

The current top 8 are as follows : =1st Antony Parsons (Guisborough) & Mike Dunn (Redcar) 80pts; 3rd Gary Wilson (Wallsend) 75pts; =4th David Lilley (Hebburn) & Steve Burdis (Jarrow) 70pts; 6th Michael Rhodes (Tudhoe) 60pts; =7th Craig Brown (Billingham), John Astley (Gateshead) and Stan Buckle (Stockton) 50pts.

The Plate Competition was won by Middlesbrough's Terry Singleton, who beat Lee Wray (Greatham) in the final 2-0. Terry defeated Colin Harrison, Mick McDermott, Michael Rhodes (88 break) and Steve Healy (55 break) to reach the final, whilst Lee beat Steve Maratty, Michael Astley and John Robson. The sixth event of the season will take place on Sunday 20th February, commencing at 11am.