Sykes warms up for Q School with Championship Tour success in Newbury

OLIVER Sykes was last man standing from a high-quality field of 33 for the penultimate leg of the Cuestars Championship Tour in Newbury.

The European Under-21 Championship runner-up, one of a number of our players preparing for next month’s Q School in Leicester, beat Bradley Cowdroy 3-1 in the final at The Crucible Sports & Social Club.

Chandler’s Ford-based Sykes, 19, pocketed £250. Cowdroy (Bournemouth) collected £100. Losing semi-finalists Connor Benzey (Eastleigh) and Dharminder Lilly (Fareham) picked up £50 each.

Top-notch conditions at the club and the strength of the runners led to 25 breaks of 50 or more.

Benzey, who had a maximum 147 break on his own professional standard Star table at Waterlooville Sports Bar in a practice match against Will Forster three days before the trip to Berkshire, put together the day’s highest break of 131 in his semi-final defeat by Cowdroy.

Wayne Townsend (Northolt) made the day’s other century of 112 in his 3-2 last-16 defeat by O’Shay Scott (Eastleigh).

Jason Pusser (Bournemouth), who was narrowly defeated 3-2 by the 2022/23 rankings champion Townsend in the first round of the event sponsored by Taom Chalk (taombilliards.com), went on to win the Plate competition without dropping a frame.

The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Reading, hosts the ninth and final leg on Sunday, May 11.

RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIM: Jake Baker 2-3 Dan Hall.

LAST-32: Dan Hall 3-0 Will Forster, Sean Reeves 1-3 Riley Ellis, Liam O’Shea 0-3 Ronnie Sullivan, Shaun Hayman 0-3 (60) Connor Benzey, Carl Davies 2-3 Bradley Cowdroy, George Apperley 3-1 Oliver Penney, Wayne Townsend 3-2 Jason Pusser, Jacob Boyle 0-3 O’Shay Scott, Oliver Sykes (96, 78) 3-0 Franco Carchedi, John Donovan 1-3 Garry Coulson, Ronnie Blake 1-3 (79, 63) Peter Devlin, Billy Castle 0-3 (71) Mark Lloyd, Labeeb Ahmed 2-3 (57) Dharminder Lilly, Nick O’Sullivan 0-3 (78) Dan Webb, Alex Greenham 1-3 (56, 51) Phil O’Kane, James Page 1-3 (78) Paul Davis.

LAST-16: Dan Hall 3-1 (52) Riley Ellis, Ronnie Sullivan 0-3 (78) Connor Benzey, Bradley Cowdroy 3-0 George Apperley, Wayne Townsend (112) 2-3 (96, 68) O’Shay Scott, Oliver Sykes 3-0 Garry Coulson, Peter Devlin 2-3 (60, 50) Mark Lloyd, Dharminder Lilly 3-0 Dan Webb, Phil O’Kane 2-3 (65) Paul Davis.

QUARTER-FINALS: Dan Hall 0-3 Connor Benzey, Bradley Cowdroy (50) 3-1 (76) O’Shay Scott, Oliver Sykes 3-2 Mark Lloyd, Dharminder Lilly 3-0 Paul Davis.

SEMI-FINALS (£50): Connor Benzey (131, 61) 2-3 (68) Bradley Cowdroy, Oliver Sykes 3-2 Dharminder Lilly.

FINAL (£250/£100): Oliver Sykes 3-1 (61) Bradley Cowdroy.

PLATE RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIMS: Ronnie Blake 0-2 Alex Greenham, Jason Pusser 2-0 Oliver Penney, Carl Davies 0-2 Labeeb Ahmed, Sean Reeves 2-1 James Page.

QUARTER-FINALS: Alex Greenham 0-2 Jason Pusser, Labeeb Ahmed 0-2 Sean Reeves, Nick O’Sullivan 2-1 Jake Baker, John Donovan 1-2 Shaun Hayman.

SEMI-FINALS: Jason Pusser 2-0 Sean Reeves, Nick O’Sullivan 2-1 Shaun Hayman.

FINAL (£30/£15): Jason Pusser 2-0 Nick O’Sullivan.

By Tim Dunkley and Steven Hughes