Hampshire leads the way

A SNOOKER player from Wiltshire has bounced back from a triple disappointment at the end of last season.

Drew Hampshire was runner-up in the final two legs of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour and finished fifth in the rankings, just two points shy of promotion to the Gold Tour.

But the 16-year-old, who is based at the 147 Club in Swindon, kicked off the first leg of the new campaign in the best possible way at Salisbury Snooker Club.

“I’m hoping to do better this year,” said Hampshire, after accounting for Silver Tour debutant David Rice (Fordingbridge) 2-1 in the final.

Hampshire clawed back a deficit to claim the first frame but was “thrashed” in the next before clinching victory on the colours in the decider

“It feels good,” he said. “Earlier on I was playing pretty bad. Luckily, I got through to the quarter-finals and started playing a lot better.

“Congratulations to David for making the final in his first Silver (event).”

Hampshire, who first picked up a cue aged 12, qualified in second place from his round-robin group after losing to Steven Hughes, last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner.

Remarkably, the other seven quarter-finalists qualified from their groups on the Silver Tour debuts.

Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC), last season’s Bronze championship play-off winner beat James Beavan (Coulsdon) 2-1 before going out 2-1 on the final black to Rice

Nine-year-old Oliver Sykes signalled his intent by compiling a 52 break (his first half-century) in a warm-up frame before the tournament began. The classy left-hander from Chandler’s Ford SC won his group and made the tournament’s highest break of 33 in a 2-1 quarter-final defeat by Harry Jones (Coulsdon), who was knocked out 2-1 by Hampshire in the last-four.

Jones and Beavan’s clubmate Evan Plummer lost 2-1 to Hampshire in the quarter-finals and Hughes lost by the same score to Rice.

The second leg of eight is at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, November 1.

BREAKS

Oliver Sykes: 33
Connor Benzey: 30.
Drew Hampshire: 30

SILVER RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Connor Benzey (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Harry Jones (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon); joint 3rd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC) and Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 5th, Charlie Pringle (Chandler’s Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Steven Hughes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Drew Hampshire (147 SC, Swindon); 3rd, Aidan Murphy (Bristol Conservative Club); 4th, Adam Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Evan Plummer (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon); 2nd, David Rice (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC); 4th, Olly Gibbs (Chandler’s Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, James Beavan (Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon); 3rd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 4th, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Benzey 2 Beavan 1, Rice 2 Hughes 0, Hampshire 2 Plummer 1, Jones 2 Sykes 1.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Rice 2 Benzey 1, Hampshire 2 Jones 1.

FINAL (25/18 points): Hampshire 2 Rice 1.

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley