Townsend secures late-night success in Newbury

KARL Townsend has now won eight of the 12 events he has entered on the Cuestars Masters Tour.

The Northolt cueist’s latest success came at the expense of serial runner-up David Moritz in the fifth leg at The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury.

Townsend secured a quick 2-0 victory with breaks of 55 and 48 – which was just as well because the clock had ticked round to 10.15pm and the club was about to close for the night!

The only frame Townsend lost all day was in his semi-final victory over new kid on the block Mark Evans (Bagshot), who reached the knockout for the first time and gave his opponent his toughest test. Townsend was impressed by Evans’s positive play.

Pinner-based Moritz (Pinner), also beaten in the finals of the previous two events in Salisbury and Chandler’s Ford, has the consolation of taking over top spot in the rankings on the Snooker Hub-sponsored midweek circuit for players aged 55 and over.

John Rees (Ware, Herts) reached the last-four for the first time in only his third event.

The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury, also hosts the sixth leg of ten on Wednesday, January 15.

To find out more about the amateur game, visit snookerhub.co.uk.

BREAKS

John Hunter: 69, 56, 55.
Karl Townsend: 64, 55, 55, 49, 49, 48, 40.
Neil Carroll: 55.
Mark Burrell: 48.
John Rees: 47.

RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, John Hunter (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Andy Norman (Castle SC, Brighton); 3rd, Mark Evans (Crucible, Reading); 4th, Ray Grall (Hayes WMC); 5th, Paul Burt (Salisbury SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Mark Burrell (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Mark Thomas (Shots, Watford); 3rd, David Moritz (Shots, Watford); 4th, Neil Carroll (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Al Maher (Frames, Coulsdon).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Karl Townsend (Rickmansworth RBL); 2nd, John Rees (Lyonsdown SC); 3rd, Phil Butler (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Dennis Tristram (Shots, Watford); 5th, Bob Toulouse (Sovereign SC, Farnborough).

QUARTER-FINALS (10 pts): Evans 2-1 Burrell, Townsend 2-0 Norman, Rees 2-1 Thomas, Moritz 2-1 Hunter.

SEMI-FINALS (£15, 15 pts): Townsend 2-1 Evans, Moritz 2-1 Rees.

FINAL (£80/£40, 25/18 pts): Townsend 2-0 Moritz.

Picture: David Moritz (left) and Karl Townsend.