Silver winner Gibbs: happy with how I’m doing
AN ELEVEN-year-old from Gosport is quite rightly “happy with how I’m doing” after winning his first tournament on the second tier of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 structure.
Olly Gibbs (pictured), last season’s Bronze Tour play-off champion, defeated his Stoke SC clubmate Matt Gillon 2-1 in the final of the sixth leg of the Silver Tour at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club
Gibbs, who prevailed in the decider by a margin, said: “I played well at the start but he was just too good in the second frame.”
Reflecting on stepping up a level, Gibbs said: “It’s harder because obviously the players are better. They’ve got more experience.
“I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen but I’m happy with how I’m doing.”
Earlier, he accounted for Reece King 2-0 in the last-eight, who had “demolished me” in the semi-finals at Swindon last November.
“The last game against Matt was pretty tough but the game against Reece King was very tough,” said Gibbs.
And he congratulated 17-year-old Gillon for taking over top spot in the rankings from group-stage casualty Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC), who dropped to second – ahead of semi-finalist Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport).
The seventh leg of eight is at Fareham Snooker Club on Sunday, April 12
BREAKS
Reece King: 33.
Olly Gibbs: 33.
Lee Fitzpatrick: 30.
RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Reece King (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 2nd, Jasmine Bolsover (Woking SC); 3rd, Abhay Chopra (Chandler’s Ford SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Drew Hampshire (147 SC, Swindon); 3rd, Ally Pollard (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Lee Fitzpatrick (Totton Rec); 2nd, Olly Gibbs (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Nat Kidner (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Gibbs 2 King 0, Kitchen 2 Petty 0, Gillon 2 Hampshire 0, Fitzpatrick 2 Bolsover 1.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Gibbs 2 Kitchen 1, Gillon 2 Fitzpatrick 0.
FINAL (25/18 points): Gibbs 2 Gillon 1.
Report and picture by Tim Dunkley.