Nat’s the way to do it – snooker’s version of the 39 steps
“IT’S JUST unbelievable.”
That was Ferndown teenager Nat Kidner’s reaction after ending a near five-year wait for a Cuestars winner’s trophy.
The champagne moment that he’ll never forget came in the 14-year-old’s 39th tournament on the south of England under-21 circuit.
And it happened at his home club in Bournemouth watched by family and friends.
Kidner was understandably ecstatic after beating Chloe White 2-0 in the final of the fifth leg of the Cuestars Silver Tour at Greenbaize Snooker Club.
Clutching his prized piece of silverware, he said: “I never thought I could do it.
“It’s just unbelievable. I’m just really, really happy.”
Kidner broke the back of the first frame with a run of 30 and wrapped up the next by doubling the black the full length of the table into the green pocket – a trademark shot, friends said.
Not a great lover of the fine art of safety play, he insisted the double was always on.
“If it works, it works,” he explained. “If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. And it worked.”
Paying tribute to his 16-year-old opponent from Havant, he added: “It was very tough and she played really well.
“There was no ball that I didn’t think she was going to pot. She was in that kind of form.”
Earlier, Kidner topped his round-robin group and was “thrilled” to overcame his clubmate David O’Callaghan, the runaway rankings leader, 2-1 in the last-four.
And he revealed that he followed his own advice given to young clubmate Josh Reeves the previous day.
“I concentrated and was focused,” he said. “I was telling Josh to do that exact thing and, well, it worked for me.”
White, the women’s world number 30, also beat O’Callaghan en route to winning her group and defeated Riley Ellis, last season’s Bronze Tour rankings winner, 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Kidner, who had never even appeared in a final before, made his Cuestars Bronze Tour debut on March 3, 2013, in Gloucester and was promoted to the Silver Tour at the end of the following season.
He is now joint fourth in the rankings with Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge). White moves up to third, behind O’Callaghan and Brett Wallace (Gosport), going into the second half of the season.
The sixth leg of ten is at Top Spot Snooker Club, Havant, on February 4.
For more information about tournament sponsor Greenbaize SC, visit www.ambassadorsnooker.com.
BREAKS
David O’Callaghan: 46.
Chloe White: 33, 30.
Nat Kidner: 30.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Chloe White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, David O’Callaghan (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Shane Kearns (Jesters, Swindon); 4th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC); 5th, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 3rd, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Brett Wallace (Fareham SC); 5th, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Chloe White 2-0 Ellis, Kidner 2-1 O’Callaghan.
FINAL (25/18 points): Kidner 2-0 Chloe White.
Picture by Tim Dunkley
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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)