Benzey adds to his Q School fund
CONNOR Benzey (pictured) added £100 to his Q School fund after winning the fifth leg of the Cuestars Under-21 Gold Tour.
The 20-year-old from Eastleigh beat first-time finalist Evan Plummer 3-1 at Fareham Snooker Club.
Despite dropping just two frames out of 16 all day, Benzey insisted: “I was a bit inconsistent.”
Turning to his opponent from Coulsdon, south London, he said: “I haven’t played Evan in a final before. It’s good to play different people.
“He played all right, had a good 61 break. His safety was good. There were just a couple of shots here and there that he was missing at the end of frames.”
Benzey, who has his own professional standard Star table at Waterlooville Sports Bar, beat his practice partner and world No 101 Jamie Wilson 3-1 in the last-four.
Assisted by his sponsors – Devlin Cues, Mick Sawkins, Hillcrest Structural and GH Property Management – Benzey will enter Q School after the World Championship in a bid to earn a two-year professional tour card.
“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “I’ll put some good practice in for that.”
Plummer defeated rankings leader Ollie Briffett-Payne (Risca, near Newport, south Wales) 3-0 in the semi-finals to climb to joint seventh place. Benzey is second.
For more information about the event sponsor, Fareham Snooker Club, go to www.farehamsnooker.co.uk.
Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, hosts the sixth leg of eight on Sunday, April 3.
BREAKS
Jamie Wilson: 79, 50.
Connor Benzey: 78, 55, 54, 50.
Evan Plummer: 61, 51.
Ollie Briffett-Payne: 42, 41, 40.
Elliott Johnson: 41.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Ollie Briffett-Payne (Red Triangle SC, Newport); 2nd, Jamie Wilson (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Riley Ellis (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Steven Hughes (Chandlers Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Connor Benzey (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Evan Plummer (Frames, Coulsdon); 3rd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Elliott Johnson (London Snooker, Tooting).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Benzey 3-1 Wilson, Plummer 3-0 Briffett-Payne.
FINAL (£100/£25, 25/18 points): Benzey 3-1 Plummer.