Little Miss Safety secures first singles title
KEEN dancer Chloe White didn’t exactly waltz to her first tournament win in the Cuestars Section at Copnor Snooker Club.
But the 12-year-old from Portsmouth (pictured left) certainly had to tap into her inner strength to swing the third-frame decider on the final black against former rankings winner Ashley Smith.
“I’m very pleased to finally get over the line and win my first rankings tournament,” said a delighted White.
“At the beginning, I was as cool as ice but as it approached the end I got a little more nervous as I knew I had a good chance of winning and also more people approached to watch.”
To Smith’s credit, he had dug himself right back in from 1-0 down and more than 20 points adrift in the next to lead on the colours in the third before leaving the black near a middle pocket.
In the quarter-finals, White, with a 14-point start, had accounted for ten-year-old Jamie Wilson, who the previous weekend had lost in the last-16 of the English Under-14 Championship in Leeds.
Coach Pascal Richard, with whom White won the Portsmouth District Billiards & Snooker Association’s handicap pairs title in 2012/13, reckons the young lady is a “delight” to work with.
He said: “Chloe is ridiculously good tactically, especially for her age, and wins her games by taking the easy balls and then gluing the opponent to the baulk rail.
“One of the local adult teams in the league has christened her ‘Little Miss Safety’. She also tends to slot tough pots under pressure when it matters.
“I’m very proud of her. She is a delight to coach and she pretty much never gives me less than 100%. Technically, she is becoming very sound and her technique is good because it’s simple and repeats easily.”
Reflecting on their pairs’ campaigns, Richard added: “She has never once let me down in a match. In fact, when we do get into trouble, it’s usually me that’s the one causing it!”
White first took an interest in snooker when her brother Callum started playing. Two years later and she is knocking on the door of a first competitive 30 break.
She is now a valued member of the Copnor Cuestars B side that is currently lying third in Division 4 of the Portsmouth league.
“I don’t really have a hero, as such, but I do really enjoy watching Shaun Murphy – and, of course, Pascal Richard,” she laughed.
“My ambitions for the game is to be the number-one girl or beat Emma Bonney and also to make a 147 break at some point.”
As Richard said: “If she really wants it, she will be good enough.”
Picture by Steve Toms