By Fin Ruane
The first event in this season’s inaugural CrossGuns Junior Series took place Saturday last and the winners on the day were John Joyce in the Under-14 category and Andrei Blondu in the Under-19s.
The new junior events, which are sponsored by The Billiard Co. and SnookerHQ, and staged in CrossGuns Snooker Club, are designed to bring much-needed tournament snooker to the Irish junior snooker scene.
Going by Saturday’s entries and the standard of snooker, particularly in the Under-19 event, everything bodes well for the Junior Series this season.
The Under-14 final was contested by two youngsters from the Classic Snooker Club in Finglas and it was 13 year-old John Joyce who prevailed over Sean Cloak by two frames to one.
To see such a healthy number of entries in the first edition was very encouraging and no doubt these numbers will continue to grow throughout the season.
The Under-19 event, allowing all players in attendance the opportunity to compete, was a showpiece of junior snooker as, among others, the likes of Irish international players Fergal Quinn and Jason O’Hagan lined up alongside the highly rated Aaron Holland.
In the end it was Andrei Blondu who came through the pack, defeating Jason O’Hagan 3-1 in a fantastic final – the highlight being an 83 break by Andrei in the third frame.
Indeed, only for a missed yellow by Andrei the Junior Series would have had its first century break.
In the following frame Jason almost matched Andrei’s exploits but ran out of position on the eighth red when a possible maximum break was on.
Other high breaks on the day included a 62 from O’Hagan and runs of 46 and 44 from Holland and Blondu.
I would again like to thank all the players and guests who made it to CrossGuns last Saturday with all the matches played in a great spirit.
Among a very relaxed atmosphere it was also nice to see several players stay on to support others in the latter stages.
I look forward to welcoming you all back to CrossGuns for Event 2 on Saturday, October 3rd.
Click here to view the rankings after Event 1.
Dates: (Entry: €10 for each event)
Event 1 Saturday Sept 5th
Event 2 Saturday Oct 3rd
Event 3 Saturday Nov 7th
Event 4 Saturday Dec 5th
Event 5 Saturday Jan 9th
Event 6 Saturday Feb 6th
Event 7 Saturday Mar 5th
Event 8 Saturday Apr 2nd
Event 9 Saturday May 14th
To Register For Event 1 Or For Further Details Please Contact CrossGuns At:
Email : info@crossgunssnookerclub.com
Phone : 0868196760
