Beebe edges Gibbs for first winner’s trophy

TWO young potters with the world at their feet entertained spectators with an absorbing and high-quality finale to the fourth leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.

But it was Luke Beebe (pictured left) who emerged victorious from the clash against rankings title-rival Ollie Gibbs to claim his first winner’s trophy on the junior circuit at Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth.

The 12-year-old from Eastleigh produced intelligent matchplay to see off his sharp-shooting opponent from Stoke Snooker Club, Gosport.

Speaking after the 2-1 win, Beebe, who is based at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, said it felt “really good because I had to battle hard through all the stages”.

Gibbs made a 25 break from a fluked red in the first frame but lost on the pink.

The ten-year-old added a 24 in the next which Beebe conceded with one red left.

Determined not to suffer a third successive final defeat, Beebe took a decent lead in the decider. Gibbs started clawing back the deficit but fell victim to good safety play and intelligent snookers.

Second-placed Beebe, who now trails rankings leader Gibbs by four points, made his Cuestars debut in Salisbury in October, 2012. After finishing third in his group in the first two events, he made four successive quarter-final exits. This season he reached the semi-final in the first leg and picked up runners-up trophies in the next two.

Elsewhere, Keegan Reed (Salisbury Snooker Club) reached the quarter-finals for the first time in his debut season. The 14-year-old, who took up snooker only six months ago and has already posted a 25 break, was beaten 2-1 by clubmate Callum McDonald, who had survived a three-way play-off in the group stages.

Sam Warren, from Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club, topped his group and qualified for the knockout for the first time. But the 13-year-old went out 2-0 to Gibbs.

Gibbs exploded onto the Cuestars circuit this season, winning two of his first three competitions. The lad with the unorthodox technique collected the winner’s trophy in his first tournament in Salisbury and repeated the feat in the third leg in Swindon, where he beat Beebe 2-0 in the final.

He started on a small table, aged four, and progressed to a full-sized version at Butlins.

Mum Louise said she was “ecstatic” and added: “I’m very proud. When I bought him his first table at four-years-old, I never dreamed he would be so good. Long may it continue.”

The fifth leg of eight is at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club on Sunday, February 2.

BREAKS

Edward James: 28, 23.
Ben Hatch: 21.
Ollie Gibbs: 25, 24, 21.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Sam Warren (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Edward James (Woking SC); 3rd, Ben Tillison (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 4th, Ryan Compton (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Liam Ashman (Player’s, Westbury); 4th, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Ben Hatch (Southampton); 2nd, Ollie Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Connor Shaw (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Gibbs beat Warren 2-0, McDonald beat Reed 2-1, Beebe beat Petty 2-0, James beat Hatch 2-1.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Gibbs beat McDonald 2-0, Beebe beat James 2-0.

FINAL (25/18 points): Beebe beat Gibbs 2-1.

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley.