Castle and Harrison star at Pontin’s
CUESTARS players collected one of the three main titles and came close to a second at the UK’s biggest and richest junior snooker tournament.
The Lt Col Walter Rowley OBE Junior Star of the Future at Pontin’s Prestatyn Sands Holiday Centre, North Wales, attracted 229 of the UK’s top under-21s chasing more than £6,000 in prize money and sponsorship in the seven-day jamboree.
Chandler’s Ford youngster Shane Castle, as expected, retained the under-12 crown. Sporting his star-spangled England waistcoat, the 11-year-old disposed of Manchester’s Paul Clynes 2-0 in the final.
Coach Dave Mumford made the now traditional 500-mile round trip to watch his protégé take centre stage on table one at Pontin’s World Snooker Centre in front of a 60-plus crowd.
Mumford, 40, said: “It doesn’t mean the little lad’s going to turn pro; it doesn’t mean he’s going to be on the telly; it just means he’s achieved the maximum that he could achieve in his age group – twice.”
Sponsored by Andover-based insurance brokers Oliver & Sanders, Castle, who pocketed £200 and a year’s free entry to Pontin’s tournaments, won all 11 matches without dropping a frame.
Westbury’s Ben Harrison came one match from picking up a £3,200 package in the 16-20 age group.
Harrison lost 4-1 in the final to Welsh star Michael White who rejoins the professional circuit next season.
Trailing 1-0, White chalked up four frames on the bounce with breaks of 72, 40 and 62.
Harrison, who defeated Scottish number one Anthony McGill 3-1 in the last 64, is ranked 67th on the Pontin’s International Open Series (PIOS) the main feeder circuit for the Main Tour.
A controversial rule change on day four allowed some top players a back-door route to the knockout.
Tournament director John Williams, a former world championship final referee, added an extra knockout round and announced the top four – and not two – would qualify from each under-21 round-robin group.
Known as a stickler for the rules, Williams denied acting under pressure from Pontin’s officials or parents and insisted “it was purely to give players more table time”. The last-64 matches ended at 12.20am.
Round-robin group results (won, drawn, lost):
U12s: Shane Castle (C/Ford) W7 D0 L0; Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport) W1 D3 L3.
U16s: James Bolton (Salisbury) W5 D4 L1; Jordan Winbourne (C/ford) W2 D5 L4.
U21s: Ben Harrison (Westbury) W4 D2 L0; Kishan Hirani (Cardiff) W4 D2 L1; Ryan Mears (Aldershot) W3 D2 L1; Sadiq Munzir (Cardiff) W0 D3 L3; Liam Tinne (Salisbury) W0 D2 L4; Mark Green (Salisbury) W3 D2 L1; Alex Dunkley (C/Ford) W2 D2 L2; Daniel Woods (C/Ford) W4 D1 L1; Ollie Tydeman (C/Ford) W5 D1 L1; Billy Castle (C/Ford) W6 D1 L0.
U12 knockout: Lloyd 0 James Paul (Skegness) 2; Shane Castle (40, 37) 2 Brandon Sargeant (Stoke) 0, Castle (29) 2 Billy Stanton (Walsall) 0, Castle 2 Rob Jones (Birmingham) 0, Castle (30, 24) 2 Paul Clynes (Manchester) 0.
U16 knockout: Bolton 0 Campbell Dunlop (Scotland) 3;
U21 knockout: Harrison 3Anthony McGill (Scotland) 1, Harrison 3 Alex Taubman (Wales) 0, Harrison 3 Steven Gregson (York) 1, Harrison 3 Jack Lisowski (Gloucester) 1, Harrison 3 Dunkley 1, Harrison (£100) 1 Michael White (Wales) 4; Mears 3 Sameer Knight (Leicester) 2, Mears 3 Daniel Womersley (Leeds) 2, Mears 1 Mitchell Mann (Birmingham) 3; Luke Haines (Cardiff) 0 Nick Jennings (Otterbourne) 3; Dunkley 3 Billy Castle 1, Dunkley 3 Ryan Causton (London) 1, Dunkley (49) 3 Adam Duffy (Sheffield) 2, Dunkley (42) 3 Callum Downing (Birmingham) 0, Dunkley (£75) 1 Harrison 3; Woods 1 Womersley 3; Tydeman 0 Kyren Wilson (Kettering) 3; Hirani 2 Chris Batey (Plymouth) 3; Green 3 Shahrukh Nasir (Birmingham) 0, Green 1 Duffy 3.