Charlton shakes off dose of semi-finalitis
WEST Sussex raider Jonathan Charlton has finally shaken off his dose of snooker semi-finalitis.
Victory in the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour event at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, ended a run of last-four exits in all four of his previous outings.
And Charlton, who made a 205-mile round trip from Bognor Regis, is now top of the rankings after three of the six legs.
The Aldwick Royal British Legion cueman won all three round-robin matches in Group C and accounted for Group B runner-up Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough) 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
After dispatching Group D winner Kane Grigg, who had travelled down from Landywood Snooker Club, Walsall, 3-1, he overcame Reading ace Martin Wallace by the same score in the final.
Charlton, who posted the day’s top break of 63, pocketed £75 prize money.
Wallace, who climbed to joint second, emerged from a tight Group A in first place, despite losing 3-1 to the home club’s Joshua Lee.
He beat Group D runner-up Kevin Ward (Hassocks Mens Club, West Sussex) 3-1 and Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) 3-2 to reach his first Championship Tour final.
In the last-eight, Group C runner-up Tanner defeated Group B winner Vince Elphick (Hassocks Mens Club, West Sussex) 3-2 and Grigg chalked up a 3-0 win over Neil Clayton (Woking SC), who finished runner-up to Wallace in Group A.
Silver Tour rankings leader Troy Bodman marked his Championship Tour debut with two five-frame defeats and a 3-0 victory to finish third in his group.
The fourth leg of the Cuestars Championship Tour events is on Sunday, February 26, at Salisbury Snooker Club.
BREAKS:
Jonathan Charlton: 63.
Dominic Holmes: 57.
James Ray: 57.
Ben Tanner: 51.
Vince Elphick: 46.
Paul Rose: 38.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Martin Wallace (Colours, Reading); 2nd, Neil Clayton (Woking SC); 3rd, James Ray (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 4th, Joshua Lee (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP B: 1st, Vince Elphick (Hassocks Mens Club, West Sussex); 2nd, Dominic Holmes (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 3rd, Steve Barton (Landywood SC, Walsall); 4th, Michael Hodgkiss (Landywood SC, Walsall).
GROUP C: 1st, Jonathan Charlton (Aldwick RBL, Bognor Regis); 2nd, Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh); 3rd, Jessie Stevens (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 4th, Paul Rose (Jesters, Swindon).
GROUP D: 1st, Kane Grigg (Landywood SC, Walsall); 2nd, Kevin Ward (Hassocks Mens Club, West Sussex); 3rd, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Tim Clark (Jesters, Swindon).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (8 points,): Wallace beat Ward 3-1, Tanner beat Elphick 3-2, Charlton beat Holmes 3-1, Grigg beat Clayton 3-0.
SEMI-FINALS (12 points, £20): Wallace beat Tanner 3-2, Charlton beat Grigg 3-1.
FINAL (25/18 points, £75/£35): Charlton beat Wallace 3-1.