Mumford: I owed him a few

Playing on his home tables at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, David Mumford defeated first-time finalist Alan Thomas (Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon) 2-0 to claim the first leg of the Cuestars South of England Seniors Tour.

But it was the epic semi-final against last season’s rankings winner John Hunter (Salisbury SC) that really decided the ultimate winner of this tournament.

Hunter had opened with a 76. Mumford replied with a 38 to square the match and then ground out the third.

It’s a rivalry that stretches back to the 1980s.

“I owed him a few,” declared Mumford, twice a losing semi-finalist last season. “He has a tendency to play extremely well against me. And he did again today.

“He’s done it all his life. We have had numerous battles over the last 25 years. To be fair to John, he has a good record against me.

“It makes a nice change for me to come out on top and it gave me a great deal of satisfaction beating him because he’s a top player and a top bloke. It was great.”

And the 44-year-old added: “It was immaculate, his break. I just thought if I can hang on in there and grind away, I’d get back into it in the second frame. Which I did.”

For Thomas, it wasn’t just his first appearance in a Seniors Tour final at the ninth time of asking but also the first time he had ever qualified for the knockout.

“I’ve never got out of the group (stage) before,” laughed the 63-year-old. “I didn’t lose a frame up to the final – so I was playing well. I wish I could do it every week.

Paying tribute to Thomas, Mumford said: “He ran out of steam a little bit but fair play to him. It’s a great achievement that he’s got to the final.

“He’s been playing snooker all his life. He’s got more stories than any of us. People like that are owed a lot of respect because they turn out and they could teach the youngsters a thing or two about how to conduct themselves.

“It’s great to be associated with people like Alan and the other Alan (Childs) that I played in the group. Hats off to them. They just turn up and play because they love the game.”

Mumford added that one of the attractions of the Seniors Tour is his fellow competitors.

He said: “It’s played in a good spirit and there’s some nice people that attend these events. It’s a nice day out. It’s a long day and it’s a battle of wills.

“I guess now the difficulty for me is I might have to enter a few more. That’s going to be a bit of a test.”

Earlier, there were dramatic finishes in two of the quarter-final matches.

After compiling a 33 break in his third frame decider against Steve Allen (Totton Recreation Club), Steve Tonks (Ashlett Club, near Fawley) forced a re-spotted black.

But with the cue-ball near the baulk cushion, Allen attempted to drill in a long black and went ‘in-off’.

And Thomas dug out a marvelous 27 clearance of the colours, which were not on their spots, in his decider to beat Cuestars new boy David Stewart 2-1 on the final black – just. Thomas was left with a tricky cutback on the black and the cue-ball bounced off the jaws of the middle pocket.

Clutching his £5 prize, RAF test pilot Stewart revealed it was the first time he had ever won money for playing snooker.

The second of the six legs is at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, on Sunday, December 9.

GROUP A: 1st, Steve Allen (Totton Recreation Club); 2nd, Terry Azor (Chandlers Ford Central Club); 3rd, Paul Rose (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Nick Miles (Ashlett Club, Fawley).

GROUP B: 1st, Alan Thomas (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Mike Thatcher (Shirley Conservative Club); 3rd, Peter Chin (Woking SC).

GROUP C: 1st, Dave Mumford (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, David Stewart (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Alan Childs (Salisbury SC).

GROUP D: 1st, John Hunter (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Steve Tonks (Ashlett Club, Fawley); 3rd, Martin Wallace (Colours, Reading).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points, £5): Tonks beat Allen 2-1, Thomas beat Stewart 2-1, Mumford beat Thatcher 2-0, Hunter beat Azor 2-0.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points, £10): Thomas beat Tonks 2-0, Mumford beat Hunter 2-1.

FINAL (25/18 points, £45/£25): Mumford beat Thomas 2-0.