Sykes wraps up a good weekend’s work
OLIVER Sykes rounded off a profitable weekend by winning the fifth leg of the Cuestars Championship Tour at Fareham Snooker Club.
The 18-year-old from Chandler’s Ford pocketed £500 the previous day for his success in the Joe Perry Under-21 Super Series at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury.
And he collected another £250 after beating Wayne Townsend 3-2 in a fantastic final in Fareham that featured great pressure breaks and granite safety.
Townsend’s breaks to take the fourth frame were positionally play perfection. The decider was a nervy affair but Sykes potted a nerveless green to create the opportunity to secure victory.
Defending champion Townsend takes over top spot in the rankings.
Sykes had an impressive run to the final, beating Connor Benzey, Dharminder Singh Lilly, his clubmate O’Shay Scott and Ryan Mears.
Ronnie Blake made his first semi-final appearance for over four years.
A total of 35 breaks of 50 or more were recorded during the Fuller’s Brewery-sponsored event. Mark Lloyd, the 2018/19 rankings champion, made both of the day’s centuries – 102 against Jasmine Bolsover in a preliminary round and 112 in his quarter-final defeat by Townsend.
Bradley Cowdroy beat the 2021/22 champion Marcos Dayao 2-1 in the Plate final.
Salisbury Snooker Club hosts the sixth leg of nine on Sunday, February 11.
For more information about Fuller’s Brewery, go to www.fullersbrewery.co.uk.
RESULTS (BREAKS)
PRELIMS: Mark Lloyd (102) 3-0 Jasmine Bolsover, Jason Pusser 3-1 Marcos Dayao, Labeeb Ahmed 3-1 Rikki Moore, Sean Reeves 3-0 Lee Clayden.
LAST-32: Lloyd (71, 60) 3-0 Pusser, Ahmed 3-0 Reeves, Shane Kearns 3-1 Harry Wyatt, Wayne Townsend (67, 50) 3-1 Jack Dady, Simon Dent 3-2 Aristos Pampouris, Ronnie Blake 3-2 Chris Moulsdale, Evan Plummer (65) 3-1 Donnie Gola, Gavin Bolsover 3-1 John Donovan, Neil Herd 3-0 Alex Greenham, Ryan Mears 3-0 Will Forster, Peter Devlin (53) 3-1 James Leader, Ronnie Sullivan 3-0 Shaun Hayman, O’Shay Scott 3-0 Bradley Cowdroy, Lee Whaley (53) 3-0 Paul Davis, Dharminder Singh Lilly 3-2 James Budd, Oliver Sykes 3-2 Connor Benzey.
LAST-16: Lloyd (61, 51) 3-2 (71) Ahmed, Kearns 0-3 (52) Townsend, Dent 0-3 Blake, Plummer 2-3 G Bolsover, Herd 1-3 (79, 64) Mears, Devlin (66) 3-2 Sullivan, Scott 3-2 Whaley, Lilly (82) 1-3 (60) Sykes.
QUARTER-FINALS: Lloyd (112, 52) 2-3 (78, 50) Townsend, Blake 3-1 G Bolsover, Mears (77) 3-2 (57) Devlin, Scott (52) 2-3 (58) Sykes.
SEMI-FINALS (£60): Townsend 3-0 Blake, Mears (77) 2-3 (99, 62) Sykes.
FINAL (£250/£110): Sykes (87, 68, 50) 3-2 (67) Townsend.
PLATE RESULTS (BREAKS)
LAST-16: J Bolsover 2-1 Clayden, Gola 2-0 Pampouris, Moore 2-0 Forster, Dayao 2-0 Leader, Donovan 2-1 Dady, Budd 2-1 Moulsdale, Hayman 2-0 Wyatt, Cowdroy 2-0 Greenham.
QUARTER-FINALS: J Bolsover (53) 2-1 Gola, Moore 0-2 (56) Dayao, Donovan 1-2 (61) Budd, Hayman 0-2 Cowdroy.
SEMI-FINALS: J Bolsover 0-2 (55) Dayao, Budd 0-2 Cowdroy.
FINAL (£40/£20): Cowdroy 2-1 Dayao.
By Tim Dunkley and John Hunter