Former Bronze champion strikes Gold

A TROWBRIDGE teenage potter admitted it was a “relief” to see the match-winning pink drop into the pocket in his first Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour final.

Callum Browne (pictured) was “determined” to prevent a repeat of his previous encounter with the awesome 13-year-old Bradley Cowdroy.

Cowdroy had clawed back a two-frame deficit to prevail 3-2 in the quarter-finals of last month’s event in Coulsdon.

And when the pair met again in the final of the fourth leg, Browne again took a 2-0 lead and again his left-handed opponent – playing on home tables at Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth – pulled one back. But a second bite of the cherry on the long pink in the fourth saw the 16-year-old over the line.

Browne said: “I was thinking ‘not again’. I was really determined.

“It was nerve-wracking. I didn’t really expect to get to the final because in the semi-final I was 1-0 down to James Budd, who I don’t think I’ve ever beaten before.”

Budd (Fareham) congratulated Browne on his win and added: “The last three pots he made (against me) were excellent and he held his nerve together really well.”

Browne, who attends The Clarendon Academy, is based at Player’s, Westbury, and also competes on the EASB Regional Junior Tour South.

He won the Cuestars Bronze Tour rankings title in his first full season in 2010/11, claimed one tournament win during three years on the Silver Tour and joined the Gold Tour in 2014/15.

Browne and Brad Chappell (Poole) are joint second in the rankings – one point behind Mark Lloyd, who was competing in the European Under-17 Open Championship in Malta. Two successive final defeats has taken Cowdroy up to joint fifth.

Home player Reece King recorded the day’s highest break of 56 in his first group-stage match against Budd.

The fifth leg of eight is at Woking Snooker Centre on Sunday, February 7.

BREAKS

Reece King: 56, 43.
James Budd: 52.
Bradley Cowdroy: 51, 47, 45.
Anthony Rice: 45, 41.
Brad Chappell: 44.

GOLD RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 3rd, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Mike Trigg (Chandler’s Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, James Budd (Fareham SC); 3rd, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Reece King (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth); 3rd, Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Chappell 2 Joyce 0, Cowdroy 2 Farmer 1, Budd 2 Rice 0, Browne 2 Wilson 0.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Cowdroy 2 Chappell 1, Browne 2 Budd 1.

FINAL (£40/£20 25/18 points): Browne 3 Cowdroy 1.

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley.