Bubb in Woking wonderland
SIMON Bubb admitted he was “ready to go home” before turning in a performance on the snooker tables that will live long in his memory.
The 21-year-old’s departure back home to Ealing Common was delayed by several hours as his game scaled new heights.
Bubb, in his final season on the junior circuit, eventually left Woking Snooker Centre with his first winner’s trophy on the Cuestars Under-21 Gold Tour.
He ended another record-breaking day for the grass-roots organisation by pocketing £100 in prize money after beating O’Shay Scott 2-1 in the final of the seventh leg.
Wind back to mid-afternoon, though, and Bubb needed Zain Jeraj (Tooting) to beat Ryan Spratt (Botley) 2-0 to qualify from his round-robin group on the head-to-head rule.
When that result went in his favour, Bubb defeated Riley Ellis (north Wilts) – never an easy player to beat – 2-1 and then disposed of World Snooker Federation Junior semi-finalist Oliver Sykes 2-0 to reach his first final.
“I thought I was out,” he said. “I was ready to go home.
“It’s brilliant. I never expected to get to a final of Gold, let alone beat Oliver.
“The final was my main goal, once I’m there I just relax.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work (on the practice table), especially these last two weeks, at the Gunnersbury Triangle Club (in Chiswick).”
Earlier, 15-year-old Scott (Eastleigh) made the day’s highest break of 105 in the first frame of his 2-0 last-four victory over Ronnie Sullivan (Chipstead) on the club’s match table. A total of 22 breaks of 40 or more were recorded during the event.
Bubb moves up to sixth place in the rankings. Evan Plummer (Coulsdon) remains the front-runner with three to play. John Donovan (Camden Town) is second and reigning rankings champion Sykes (Chandler’s Ford), who lost 3-2 on the final black to Peter Lines on the Q Tour in Leeds the previous day, is third.
Debutant Brandon Nguyen (London) lost 2-0 to Sullivan in the last-eight.
There was a massive 66-strong field for the combined Gold, Silver and Bronze tournaments which were sponsored by snookerdad Tan Jeraj and snookerz.co.uk. It was the highest turnout in the 14-year-history of the competition and eclipsed the previous record of 62 set in Coulsdon last October.
Fareham Snooker Club hosts the eighth leg of ten on Sunday, March 3.
BREAKS
O’Shay Scott: 105, 70, 50, 45.
Oliver Sykes: 91, 68, 56, 41.
Ronnie Sullivan: 84, 41.
Adam Abbas: 68.
Harry Wyatt: 58.
Simon Bubb: 57, 54, 46.
Will Forster: 52.
Brandon Nguyen: 45.
Riley Ellis: 44.
John Donovan: 41.
William Thomson: 41.
Asten Sahota: 40.
Ryan Spratt: 40.
GOLD RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP: 1st, Ronnie Sullivan (Chipstead); 2nd, Oliver Sykes (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Evan Plummer (Frames, Coulsdon); 4th, Jacob Boyle (Mackintosh Sports Club, Cardiff).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Riley Ellis (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, John Donovan (Hurricane Room Colindale); 3rd, Asten Sahota (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Wyatt (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, William Thomson (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Brandon Nguyen (Welling SC); 3rd, Will Forster (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Adam Abbas (Castle SC, Brighton).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Simon Bubb (Gunnersbury Triangle Club); 3rd, Zain Jeraj (London Snooker, Tooting); 4th, Ryan Spratt (Chandlers Ford SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Sullivan 2-0 Nguyen, Scott 2-1 Donovan, Bubb 2-1 Ellis, Sykes 2-1 Thomson.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Scott 2-0 Sullivan, Bubb 2-0 Sykes.
FINAL (£100/£25, 25/18 points): Bubb 2-1 Scott.