Double delight for Castle cousins
IT WAS all smiles for the formidable Castle cousins in the Cuestars Under-21 Doubles Championship.
Teaming up for the first time, Billy and Shane Castle (pictured left), from Marchwood, saw off Westbury duo Danny Tallentire and Daniel Winfield 4-2 in a highly-entertaining final at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club.
“It was a good match,” said 18-year-old Billy. “It was good fun.”
At 1-1, 12-year-old Shane laid the two snookers required and Billy cleared the last five colours to win by one point.
Winfield compiled a 52 in the fourth to lead by 42 with two reds left. Billy won with what Tallentire described as a “brilliant clearance”.
Shane went in off the black on a break of 41 in the fifth and Winfield cleared to the black for 3-2.
But Billy’s 40 following a Winfield miss cue sealed victory.
In the first round, Billy made a 46 and Shane a 61 in a 3-0 win over Dean Matthews and Cameron Holt.
They reached the final after overcoming Lee Roling and Ben Tanner, from The Academy in Eastleigh, 3-0. Shane chalked up runs of 60 and 50.
But then the tactics changed.
Billy explained: “I kept the balls tight in the first two matches and when Shane was let in, he scored. In the final we had to switch because he wasn’t potting very well.”
Billy is ranked tenth and Shane 13th on the EASB Premier Junior Tour for England’s best 48 players aged under-21.
Dean Matthews (Ivy Leaf Club) partnered Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) to victory in the Plate competition.
RESULTS (H/CAPS)
QUARTER-FINALS: Ben Tanner & Lee Roling (The Academy, Eastleigh) (0) beat David Edwards & Paul Ives (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) (+21) 3-1, Billy Castle (Cue T’s, Marchwood) & Shane Castle (Chandler’s Ford SC) (0) beat Dean Matthews (Ivy Leaf Club) & Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) (+21) 3-0, Daniel Winfield & Danny Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury) (+7) beat Oliver Clark & Karl Eggar (Stoke SC, Gosport) (+28) 3-1, Lee Bell & Bradley Hatch (The Academy, Eastleigh) (+7) beat Charlie Gray & Spike Hull (Chandler’s Ford SC) (+28) 3-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Castles beat Tanner & Roling 3-0, Winfield & Tallentire beat Bell & Hatch 3-1.
FINAL: Castles beat Winfield & Tallentire 4-2.
PLATE
SEMI-FINALS: Clark & Eggar beat Gray & Hull 2-0, Matthews & Holt beat Edwards & Ives 2-0.
FINAL: Matthews & Holt beat Clark & Eggar 3-0.
Picture by Kevin Legg: Billy Castle (left) & Shane Castle.