Nat’s the way to do it – again

FERNDOWN’S rapidly improving snooker teenager Nat Kidner has proved the old adage that winning can become a habit.

After a near five-year wait for a first Cuestars winner’s trophy, the 14-year-old has now clinched back-to-back tournament successes.

And he even admitted he may have added a touch of safety play to his all-out attacking game.

Kidner – who broke his duck in the fifth leg of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour on home tables at Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, last month – continued the run on his travels.

The Bournemouth School pupil overcame Brett Wallace (Gosport) 2-0 in the final of the sixth leg at Top Spot Snooker Club, Havant.

“I’ve just hit a run of form where I just can’t stop potting and it feels really, really good,” he said.

“I like winning and I like playing in Cuestars (tournaments) and for all those years I was never really able to get anything out of it.

“I was afraid after Bournemouth that I might just go back to losing in the group stage again.”

And he added: “Perhaps I am thinking more about shots and perhaps playing more safety. It does help.”

Kidner climbed to third place in the rankings, 26 points behind front runner and Greenbaize clubmate David O’Callaghan. Wallace is second.

Callum White (Havant) topped his four-man round-robin group and reached his second semi-final of the season. He climbed to sixth place after a 2-0 defeat by Kidner.

Last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner Riley Ellis (north Wilts) won his group on frames difference but went out 2-1 to Wallace in the last-four.

Fareham Snooker Club hosts the seventh leg of ten on Sunday, February 25.

Trophies were presented by Trevor Sanders from Trevor Sanders Snooker and Pool Table Services, a Fareham-based family-run firm that can be contacted via www.snookerandpooltableservices.co.uk/ .

BREAKS

Nat Kidner: 30.

SILVER RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 3rd, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 2nd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon).

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Wallace 2-1 Ellis, Kidner 2-0 Callum White.

FINAL (25/18 points): Kidner 2-0 Wallace.

Picture by Tim Dunkley

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)