Storming run sees Petty clinch runners-up spot

A STORMING run in the second half of the season sparked by a new high break saw Austen Petty clinch runners-up spot on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour.

The teenager from Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club (pictured left) collected his third winner’s trophy in four outings in the eighth and final leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Petty, who won the Bronze Tour championship play-off in 2012, upped his personal best break to 62 in the Eastleigh & District Under-18 League a week after missing the Cuestars trip to Bournemouth in January.

He them set himself the target of a top-four finish on the junior circuit.

Since then, the 15-year-old from Boyatt Wood has won the events at his home club and in Swindon, knocked in a new high of 64, reached the semi-finals in Fareham and now wrapped up a remarkable season with victory in Salisbury.

“I just started to pot more balls and become a better break builder,” he explained.

Mickey Joyce led the rankings into the final leg, six points ahead of Nathan Farmer with Petty four points further back.

All three progressed through the group stages but Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport) went out 2-1 in the quarter-finals to clubmate Matt Gillon.

Joyce wrapped up the title by seeing off Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) and Gillon while Petty secured the runners-up spot by accounting for Thomas Holton (Woking SC) and Lewis Parnham (SWSA, Gloucester). All four matches ended in 2-0 scorelines.

Petty, who turns out for Super League outfit Chandlers Ford Central Club A, took the first frame, largely thanks to a 32 break, and led in the second by more than 20 points.

But never-say-die Joyce clawed back the deficit, fluked the brown, doubled the blue and sunk the pink that was hanging over a pocket to take a seven-point lead.

Petty, in his trademark calm and collected way, potted the black and then won the re-spot.

He is now looking forward to his debut on the Gold Tour.

“It’s going to be a hard challenge so I’ll have to try harder,” he smiled.

And he added: “Well done to Mickey because he’s only ten and he’s won the rankings in his first season.”</p><p>The top-16 ranked players now head to Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon, on Sunday, May 25, for the championship play-off.

BREAKS

Mickey Joyce: 38.
Austen Petty: 32.

SILVER RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth); 4th, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Lewis Parnham (SWSA, Gloucester); 2nd, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport); 4th, Anthony Church (Greenbaize SC, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Bradley Leishman (Stoke SC, Gosport).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 2nd, Thomas Holton (Woking SC); 3rd, Canberk Benning (Jesters, Swindon).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Petty beat Holton 2-0, Parnham beat Sykes 2-1, Joyce beat Browne 2-0, Gillon beat Farmer 2-1.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Joyce beat Gillon 2-0, Petty beat Parnham 2-0.

FINAL (25/18 points): Petty beat Joyce 2-0.

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley.