Clark wins first internet final
SWINDON snooker ace Richard Clark showed no signs of stage fright as he won the first Cuestars final to be streamed live on the internet.
Viewers on ustream witnessed Clark defeat home player Mike Coudray 2-1 to clinch the fifth leg of the Cuestars South of England Championship Tour at Woking Snooker Centre.
It was Clark’s first tournament win this season and a second in total. He climbed to fourth in the rankings.
After not dropping a frame in three group-stage matches, the Swindon Snooker Club cueman survived two five-frame battles against Daniel Martin (Woking SC) and Welsh international Callum Lloyd (Rileys, Newport) to reach the final.
Jon Charlton (Selsey RBL) lost 3-1 to Seb Worrall (Swindon SC) in the quarter-finals but remains top of the rankings.
A 3-1 defeat by Coudray in the last-four stopped Worrall, who won the previous leg at Jesters, Swindon, from catching his title rival.
Second-placed Worrall goes into the final leg at Fareham next month ten points adrift. Daniel Woods (Chandler’s Ford SC), beaten 3-2 by Coudray in the last-eight, is six points further back in third.
Coudray progressed the furthest of the five new faces from Woking Snooker Centre who compete in the Byfleet & District Billiards & Snooker League.
Like Martin, who returned the day’s highest break of 87, Mark Leonard also qualified from his round-robin group but went out 3-2 in the first knockout round – to Lloyd.
Mitch Poissonnet and James Cullen failed to make the cut.
Cuestars director John Hunter thanked Terry Teeman for refereeing the matches and for live streaming of matches throughout the day.
And he paid tribute to club owner Bob Mason and his staff who made Cuestars “very welcome”.
Hunter said: “It was interesting to witness the extra pressure the camera put on the players.
“Cuestars looks forward to running more events at Woking Snooker Centre.”
The sixth and final leg is at Fareham Snooker Club on Sunday, April 14.
BREAKS
Daniel Martin: 87, 72, 68, 59.
Callum Lloyd: 73, 71, 68, 62.
Jon Charlton: 71, 57.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Mike Coudray (Woking SC); 2nd, Callum Lloyd (Rileys, Newport, Wales); 3rd, Adam King (New Arches SC, Coventry); 4th, James Cullen (Woking SC).
GROUP B: 1st, Jon Charlton (Selsey RBL); 2nd, Daniel Martin (Woking SC); 3rd, Mitch Poissonnet (Woking SC); 4th, Wasim Khan (Liberal Club, High Wycombe).
GROUP C: 1st, Richard Clark (Swindon SC); 2nd, Seb Worrall (Swindon SC); 3rd, Christian Chislett (Selsey RBL); 4th, Mike Lloyd (Rileys, Newport, Wales).
GROUP D: 1st, Mark Leonard (Woking SC); 2nd, Daniel Woods (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Martin Wallace (Colours, Reading).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (£5, 12 points): Coudray beat Woods 3-2, Worrall beat Charlton 3-1, Clark beat Martin 3-2, C Lloyd beat Leonard 3-2.
SEMI-FINALS (£15, 15 points): Coudray beat Worrall 3-1, Clark beat C Lloyd 3-2.
FINAL (£70/£30, 25/18 points): Clark beat Coudray 2-1.