The one-frame knockout event in Blackpool produced a series of exciting matches, and Dartford’s 32-year-old Hawkins was the last man standing. He pocketed his biggest cheque since turning pro in 1996: £32,000 for winning six ten-minute matches.

In the final against former World Champion Dott, Hawkins got the first chance and made an excellent break of 46 before missing a red with the rest. Dott knocked in a long red and had a chance to counter, but made just 8 before jawing a red to a centre pocket. As the clock ran down, Dott had one more scoring chance, but failed to double a red to a centre pocket, and Hawkins was able to close out the frame by a 61-23 scoreline.

“It’s a brilliant feeling, definitely the best moment of my career so far,” said Hawkins, whose only previous professional title came at the Masters qualifying tournament in 2007. “I’ve played in big matches at the Crucible, but to win a tournament live on television is amazing. It’s a shame there were no ranking points but I’m still delighted.

“The money is amazing, especially as I’m getting married in June (to Tara) in Dartford. This will pay for the whole thing and we’ll be able to have a great day.”

World No 23 Hawkins, who has appeared in the semi-finals of four ranking events, added: “I’ve shown spells of form but always struggled with consistency. I’ve been working with Terry Griffiths for the last few months on mental strength because in the past I have lacked self-belief. Terry is brilliant and has helped me a lot.

“I’ve always scored very heavily in practice so it’s a case of taking that to the match table. I made a lot of 50 and 60 breaks in this event, kept my composure under pressure and didn’t miss much. Hopefully this is the start of things to come.”

The innovative tournament, which features a shot-clock of 20 seconds for the first five minutes and 15 seconds for the last five, drew packed houses to the Tower Circus to see 64 of the world’s best players in action.

In the semi-finals, Hawkins beat Dave Harold 56-30, while Dott scored a 56-38 win over Tom Ford, who missed the black off the last red when poised to clear up.

Martin Gould made the highest break with a brilliant 135 total clearance.

Results (last 16 onwards)

Last 16

Dave Harold bt Ryan Day

Graeme Dott bt Rob Milkins

Barry Hawkins bt Stephen Maguire

Dominic Dale bt Stephen Lee

Martin Gould bt Jamie Jones

Tom Ford bt Gerard Greene

Barry Pinches bt Liang Wenbo

Mark Davis bt Mark Allen

Quarter-finals

Graeme Dott bt Dominic Dale

Barry Hawkins bt Mark Davis

Dave Harold bt Martin Gould

Tom Ford bt Barry Pinches

Semi-finals

Barry Hawkins bt Dave Harold

Graeme Dott bt Tom Ford

Final

Barry Hawkins bt Graeme Dott

The draw was just made live ok SKY Sports 2 with Jimmy White and Willie Thorne.

Robert Milkins v Mike Dunn

Ryan Day v Ian McCulloch

Dominic Dale v Mark Selby

Marcus Campbell v Martin Gould

Fergal O’Brien v Barry Hawkins

Graeme Dott v Ken Doherty

Stephen Maguire v Alfie Burden

Mark Davis v Anthony Hamilton

Dave Harold v Tony Drago

Stuart Bingham v Jamie Jones

Mark Williams v Barry Pinches

Ricky Walden v Stephen Lee

Gerard Greene v Stephen Hendry

Tom Ford v Matthew Selt

Liang Wenbo v Matthew Stevens

John Higgins v Mark Allen

Joe Jogia

It has been announced today that Joe Jogia, real name, Shailesh Jogia, has withdrawn from this weekends Shootout tournament in Blackpool, Jogia 34 from Leicester was named earlier this week along with fellow Snooker player Matthew Selt as part of irregular betting patters on their match which was scheduled to be played on Saturday.

Jogia sites his withdraw to health problems, he has been replaced in the event by Rod Lawler.

Follow Mark @markwil147 on Twitter

WPBSA full statement below

Mark Allen has been fined £250 and warned as to his future behaviour by the Disciplinary Committee of the WPBSA. This was for swearing at a live press conference during the williamhill.com UK Championship in York in December 2011.

The world ranking event runs from February 13 to 19 at the Newport Centre and will be known as the 888真人Welsh Open.

It will feature the world’s top 16 players, including Masters champion Neil Robertson, rising star Judd Trump, World Champion John Higgins, World No 1 Mark Selby, crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan and local favourite Mark Williams. They will be joined by Welsh stars Ryan Day and Dominic Dale as well as 16 others who come through the qualifying rounds, which run from February 8 to 11.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to welcome 888真人, one of Asia’s leading online gaming firms, on board for this event. The fact that an Asian based company has sponsored the Welsh Open demonstrates snooker’s massive appeal across Asia and the World.   Millions of viewers will tune in to live coverage on CCTV5, Shanghai TV, Now TV Hong Kong, not to mention BBC Wales and Eurosport, delivering exceptional exposure for the 888真人  brand.

“I have no doubt that the 888真人Welsh Open will produce another great show of snooker and we look forward to enjoying it along with our new colleagues at 888真人.”

The WPBSA have been made aware, by bookmakers of unusual betting patterns on the match due to take place at the Snooker Shootout in Blackpool on Saturday 28th January 2012 between Joe Jogia and Matthew Selt. An unusually high number of bets have been placed on Selt to win the match. The matter has been referred to Nigel Mawer, Head of the WPBSA’s Integrity Unit.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said  “Maintaining the integrity of snooker is essential to protect the sport. Working with our partners we will take all necessary steps to establish what has taken place and take appropriate action.

All in all, it was a fantastic week both on and off the table – the only thing that was wrong with it was the result in the final! But to come second to a fantastic player like Neil Robertson is no disgrace and he was a worthy winner.

To be honest, if you’d said to me at the start of the week that I would come runner-up in an event that I’ve not traditionally done well in, I’d have probably taken it.

It’s busy, busy, busy from now on until the end of the season and to know that my game is in good shape gives me a lot of confidence going into the upcoming German Masters and Welsh Open etc.

From a snooker perspective, the best thing about last week was that all the good things I’ve been practising really started to come through in tournament play. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully give myself more chances to do well.

Before those tournaments, we’ve got the Shoot-out in Blackpool this weekend. In fact, this afternoon, Nigel Bond and I have been doing a bit of promotional work at a snooker club in Blackpool, both for the event and the Paul Hunter Foundation.

I’m playing Fergal O’Brien in my first-round match on Saturday, but will be eagerly watching on Friday night when the tournament gets underway. The form book doesn’t really count for this event as just about anything can happen in these 10-minute frames.

Last year was the first Shoot-out and I didn’t hear a single bit of criticism from the players. I lost out in the first round to Rory McLeod but went home and watched the whole event – just like pretty much everyone else did. It was great fun and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it this weekend.

Mark Selby

It’s a big match and will be difficult on a number of levels. For a start, he’s the World No.1, a two-time Masters winner and a great all-round player.

But he’s also one of my best friends, which presents its own set of challenges. We have shared so much time together away from snooker and even been to each other’s family events. But tomorrow night from when we shake hands just before the start of the match, I will be doing everything I can to beat Mark.

Afterwards, though – win lose or draw – we will have a drink together and carry on being friends. I’m really looking forward to playing, am confident in my own game and feel well prepared. I’m comfortable and in good spirits, so I can’t ask for any more.

There’s a proper buzz around the tournament and I overcame a little bit of early nerves that I felt in my first match with Martin Gould. I made a slow start, probably because I wanted to win so much and put more pressure on myself than I needed to. I had a lot of respect for Martin and the way he plays.

He won the first and if he hadn’t missed a key green in the second it would have been a completely different match.

Once, I’d settled then I started to enjoy it – and that can make me quite dangerous. I was pleased with how I scored and – like at Crondon – I got some rewards for the practice I’ve been putting in over recent months. Hopefully, that’s a sign of things to come.

Away from the table, we’ve got an apartment here that is within walking distance of Ally Pally. With a few days in between matches, we’d thought about going home – but I’m glad I didn’t as I’ve really been enjoying myself.

Yesterday, I went to Mercedes Benz World in Surrey and it was a fantastic experience. Last night, I met up with a good friend and went to the theatre – the Garrick – to watch Chicago, which I love.

So, I just had a great day. In fact, I’m having a great week – let’s hope I can keep it going into the weekend!

Shaun

www.ShaunMurphy.net

Judd Trump

Snooker’s new sensation Judd Trump wants to recreate the buzz he enjoyed in winning last month’swilliamhill.com UK Championship when he plays in the BGC Masters, which starts tomorrow.

Trump showcased his massive talent in winning the UK title in York, beating Mark Allen 10-8 in the final. He kept his winning streak going this week by winning an event in the Championship League, and is now determined to keep riding the wave of success at the BGC Masters.

Snooker’s most prestigious invitation event runs from January 15 to 22 at Alexandra Palace in London and Trump enters the fray against Stuart Bingham on Monday at 12.30pm.

“I’m looking to go a long way in the tournament and get back the buzz that I had at the UK. Being in a big final is completely different to any other match, it’s just a  great feeling and brilliant atmosphere,” said 22-year-old Trump, who also got to the Betfred.com World Championship final last year before losing to John Higgins.

“It’s been an exciting season so far for me and I’m playing well. I’ve still got some improving to do and I know other players will be trying to bring me down.

“I’ve only played in the Masters once before but I know it would be a great achievement to win it because it’s only the top 16 players, so every match will be tough.”

Australian Goldfields Open champion Bingham won 5-1 when the two met at the Shanghai Masters earlier this season so Trump, who has coined the phrase ‘naughty snooker’ to describe his audacious potting, knows he will not have an easy start to his bid for glory at Ally Pally.

“Stuart and I have both broken through and won tournaments this season but we both still have a bit to prove in terms of playing well on TV,” said World No 5 Trump. “I’ll probably edge my way into the match and settle down, hopefully get a lead then I’ll be able to relax and take shots on.”

Tickets for the Trump v Bingham clash are ON SALE NOW – to book call 0871 620 7052 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras) or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

If Trump beats Bingham he will face a showpiece match with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or defending champion Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals on Thursday at 12.30pm. Tickets for that match are also available.

I will certainly go there pleased with the state of my game, knowing that it’s in good shape. It’s easy to get over-bullish but my results suggest that I am playing well and I’ve been practising hard again today.

That said, snooker form can be so up and down – there’s nothing to say that I will play as well next week as I have done this.

But what was encouraging at Crondon was that what I’ve been working on in my practice for the last three months started to come out in my matches.

In the last few years, I’ve almost been trying not to lose – ‘safety first, take what you can and don’t leave the balls open’. Such a style of play got me to the final of the Worlds in 2009.

But I decided three months ago that I was going to try and attack the game. That’s the way the game is played now if you look at players like Judd Trump and Mark Allen – attack first and then go on the defensive if you need to.

Anyway, let’s see what happens in The Masters. Of the major events in our calendar, the tournament is the one which I have the worst record of all in. I’ve never reached the semi-finals.

In the past it’s been at Wembley (the Conference Centre and then the Arena), but this year it’s being staged at the Alexandra Palace for the first time ever. So, I’m hoping that a change of venue might be the thing I need to bring me a change of luck.

I certainly think Ally Pally is a fantastic venue – I went there last year for the darts and it was great.

My first round game is on Monday night against Martin Gould and, I’m under no illusions, he is a very dangerous opponent. You just don’t know what you are going to get from him – he is one of those who can pot them off the lampshades some days.

His victory in the Power Snooker also seems to have given him a massive boost in terms of confidence. He thinks he can go out and win every match he plays, so I know he will be a very tough opponent. I’ll have to play very well indeed to keep him at bay. But I’ll be giving it 100 per cent, as I do every time that I pick up my cue.

Our season is full on from now on until the end of the World Championship, so it is time to get back on the bike and really go for it.

Shaun

www.ShaunMurphy.net

Mark Selby 0-3 Shaun Murphy

22-120 (Murphy 120), 7-105 (Murphy 82), 30-77

Semi-Finals

Mark Selby 3-1 Neil Robertson

15-109 (Robertson 109), 91-42 (Selby 91, Robertson 42), 69-64 (Selby 47), 121-7 (Selby 121)

Shaun Murphy 3-0 Mark Davis

95-0 (Murphy 95), 136-0 (Murphy 136), 84-0 (Murphy 57)

Shaun Murphy won the second group of 2012 Championship League Snooker to edge closer to a return to Premier League Snooker.

Murphy made breaks of 120 and 82 as he defeated Mark Selby 3-0 in the final of Group Two at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex.

This victory means Murphy joins Judd Trump in the Winners Group at the end of March where the overall champion will claim their place in Matchroom Sport’s prestigious Premier League event in the autumn.

“I’m chuffed, really pleased and this tournament is a great event in its own right,” said Murphy, who won the Premier League title in 2009.

“I’ve had four days of very competitive match practice and really feel sharp for the Masters next week. It’s also nice to take the pressure off and know I’ve given myself a good chance of getting into the Premier League.

“It’s not right that people just think of this as a warm-up to the Masters as it’s a great event and all the players have been here have had a great opportunity to sharpen up.

“It’s very tough playing four long days in a row but it’s a side of snooker you see more of with the PTC events and people are now playing multiple matches on one day.

“When this tournament started (in 2008) to play three or four times in one day was unheard of but all the players enjoy it now.”

Selby had earlier finished top after the round-robin league phase with six wins in six matches, while Murphy froze out Mark Davis in the semi-finals as breaks of 95, 136 and 57 gave Murphy a victory in a match where Davis failed to score a point.

There is a £500 prize for the highest break in each group and Australian Neil Robertson claimed that with an effort of 143.

Matthew Stevens made his second great escape this week as, just like in Group One, he lost his opening four matches but won his last two to scrape into the next group.

Stevens’ countryman Mark Williams finished in the bottom two as did Stuart Bingham and the pair are eliminated from the event.

Selby, Robertson, Davis and Stevens now move into Group Three with Jamie Cope , Martin Gould and Stephen Hendry joining the action when the competition returns on Monday, January 23.

The Championship League Snooker event is a venture between Matchroom Sport and Perform where 25 of the game’s finest players compete with all matches broadcast on a host of betting websites.

Each group winner then goes through to the final group on March 21^st & 22^nd where big money as well as a spot in the Sky Sports-televised Premier League Snooker is up for grabs. The two bottom players are eliminated from the competition, while the remaining four move forward to Group Two to be joined by three new players.

Day 2 League Results

Shaun Murphy 2-3 Neil Robertson

73-27 (Murphy 63), 0-125 (Robertson 115), 61-26 (Murphy 42), 63-71 (Murphy 62, Robertson 71), 40-70 (Murphy 43, Robertson 40)

Matthew Stevens 3-1 Stuart Bingham

62-7 (Stevens 37), 1-89 (Bingham 55), 99-26 (Stevens 60), 107-0 (Stevens 76)

Mark Selby 3-2 Mark Williams

72-0 (Selby 51), 20-62 (Williams 56), 0-73 (Williams 72), 72-0 (Selby 68), 69-48 (Selby 69)

Neil Robertson 3-2 Mark Davis

60-51 (Robertson 52, Davis 43), 52-58 (Robertson 45, Davis 40), 1-81 (Davis 81), 82-33 (Robertson 74, Davis 33), 62-59 (Davis 57)

Mark Williams 0-3 Shaun Murphy

18-73 (Murphy 73), 0-100 (Murphy 100), 1-59 (Murphy 37)

Mark Selby 3-1 Neil Robertson

116-12 (Selby 116), 0-64 (Robertson 42), 56-0 (Selby 56), 83-0 (Selby 83)

Shaun Murphy 1-3 Matthew Stevens

54-64 (Murphy 54, Stevens 64), 12-114 (Stevens 105), 71-55 (Murphy 70, Stevens 55), 24-55

Mark Selby 3-2 Stuart Bingham

87-24 (Selby 87), 76-42 (Selby 44, Bingham 42), 24-59 (Bingham 58), 15-57, 72-29 (Selby 60)

Mark Williams 0-3 Mark Davis

24-73 (Davis 40), 0-63 (Davis 43), 0-70 (Davis 52)

Century breaks

143 – Neil Robertson – v Matthew Stevens

136 – Shaun Murphy v Mark Davis

121 – Mark Selby v Neil Robertson

120 – Shaun Murphy v Mark Selby

116 – Mark Selby v Neil Robertson

115 – Neil Robertson – Shaun Murphy

109 – Neil Robertson v Mark Selby

105 – Matthew Stevens v Shaun Murphy

101 – Matthew Stevens v Mark Selby

100 – Shaun Murphy v Mark Williams

100 – Mark Davis v Stuart Bingham

Championship League Snooker Group 2 – Final Table

Winners

Group 1 – Judd Trump

Group 2 – Shaun Murphy

Group 3 –

Group 4 –

Group 5 –

Group 6 –

Group 7 –

Winners Group -

In a reversal of his results in Bournemouth last month, Tallentire (Player’s Westbury) beat rankings leader Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) in the group stages AND in the final.

Speaking after he “managed to nick” the fifth-frame decider following an awful slice of bad luck by his 19-year-old opponent, Tallentire said: “I knew with the form Ben had been in so far this season that the only way I was going to beat him was to try to keep it tight and play the way that suits me.

“I knew he would score better than me so I knew I had to try to stick in there and grind out a result. But I made it a lot harder than it should’ve been.”

Tallentire levelled the match at 1-1 with a 46 break. Tanner regained his advantage after Tallentire missed frame-ball pink in the third.

“I was very disappointed because I had done exactly the same in the last tournament in the final to go 2-1 up so I was thinking history could be repeating itself,” said the 19-year-old.

However, a 30 clearance to the black forced a decider.

Tanner, leading by four points with 18 on in the fifth, double kissed the cue-ball into the middle pocket and Tallentire pounced on blue and pink which were near the middle pockets for a 3-2 victory.

“I managed to nick the decider,” conceded second-placed Tallentire, who closed the gap at the top to ten points. “It was a relief to win but I definitely did it the hard way.

“I was glad to have made a good start to the year but was disappointed that I wasn’t scoring when I was in. I’m going to need to work hard on my break-building if I want to win more titles.”

Tanner said: “I couldn’t believe I got to the final. I didn’t really play well all day. My best frame was against Lee Bell, which was my first one.”

Earlier, Tallentire topped his group despite a 2-1 defeat by Tanner’s clubmate Bell. He accounted for Kevin Impett (Chandler’s Ford SC) 3-0 in the last-four.

Tanner dispatched Dean Matthews (Ivy Leaf Club, Maidenhead) by the same score in the second semi.

The fifth of the eight legs is at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club on Sunday, February 12. 

BREAKS

Ben Tanner: 69, 51.

GOLD RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Danny Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury); 2nd, Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh); 3rd, Dean Matthews (Ivy Leaf Club, Maidenhead); 4th, Kevin Impett (Chandler’s Ford SC); 5th, Lee Bell (The Academy, Eastleigh); 6th, Oliver Parsons (Jesters, Swindon).

SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Tallentire beat Impett 3-0, Tanner beat Matthews 3-0.

 FINAL (25/18 points): Tallentire beat Tanner 3-2.

Hat-trick for Silver favourite 

SWINDON star Troy Bodman already has one hand on the Cuestars South ofEngland Under-21 Silver Tour ranking title – and it’s only halfway through the season.

A remarkable third successive tournament win has taken the red-hot favourite from Jesters Snooker Hall a massive 32 points clear of second-placed Joshua Lee.

Bodman defeated Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-0 in the fourth-leg final at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Virtually unbeatable this season, Bodman has lost only two of his 24 matches in four tournaments.

Pitched together in the same round-robin group, the finalists drew their two-frame match. And that frame proved priceless as three players picked up two wins apiece. Lloyd (six frames) qualified for the knockout ahead of Sam Storey and Callum Brown (five frames each).

Bodman dropped just two frames out of 15 all day. He beat clubmate Joshua Lee 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Lloyd saw off Group A winner Thomas Lancastle (Eastville SC, Bristol) 2-0 in his last-four match to climb to fifth place. It was the youngster’s best ever performance on the Silver Tour since his debut in October, 2010.

The fifth of the eight legs is at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club on Sunday, February 12.

BREAKS

Sonnie O’Sullivan: 37.

Mark Lloyd: 33.

Sam Storey: 32.

Troy Bodman: 31.

SILVER RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Thomas Lancastle (Eastville SC, Bristol); 2nd, Joshua Lee (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Connor McLean (Hailsham Memorial Institute, East Sussex); 4th, Sonnie O’Sullivan (Liberal Club, High Wycombe); 5th, Joshua Hughes (Rileys, Worcester); 6th, Anthony Church (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Troy Bodman (Jesters, Swindon); 2nd, Mark Lloyd (StokeSC, Gosport); 3rd, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury); 4th, Sam Storey (Thatcham SC); 5th, Daniel Knox (Woking SC); 6th, Cameron Holt (Liberal Club High Wycombe).

SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Lloyd beat Lancastle 2-0, Bodman beat Lee 2-1 

FINAL (25/18 points): Bodman beat Lloyd 2-0.

Farmer has Bellinger in his sights 

A SECOND tournament win of the season has seen Gosport teenager Nathan Farmer home in on Matthew Bellinger at the top of the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings.

Farmer is now just two points adrift of Bellinger after claiming victory in the fourth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.

A 2-1 win from 1-0 down against Mike Trigg (Chandler’s Ford SC) in the final gave the Stoke Snooker Club youngster maximum points.

Farmer, who also won in Swindon in November, finished second in Group A after a defeat by Trigg’s clubmate Olly Clark.

He saw off the phenomenal 12-year-old Woking schoolgirl Jasmine Bolsover 2-0 in the quarter-finals and his Stoke clubmate Karl Eggar by the same score in the last-four.

Bellinger (Jesters, Swindon) was knocked out 2-0 in the quarter-finals by Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC).

Petty didn’t know whether to laugh or cry after losing in the semi-finals for the fourth successive Cuestars event.

The 13-year-old, who was beaten 2-0 in the last-four by Trigg, said: “I played OK until I got to the semi-final.”

Trigg’s appearance in the final was the furthest the 15-year-old has ever been in a Cuestars tournament. He reached the quarter-finals twice in his debut season in 2010/11 but had not qualified for the knockout in this campaign.

He had progressed as runner-up in Group D, courtesy of a three-way play-off, and beaten Group A winner Clark, 12, 2-1 in the last-eight.

Group C winner Spike Hull, the fourth Chandler’s Ford SC player (see picture) to make the quarter-finals, lost 2-1 to Karl Eggar (Stoke SC, Gosport) after taking the first frame on the pink.

The fifth of the eight legs is at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club on Sunday, February 12.

BREAKS

Austen Petty: 27.

Michael Trigg: 25.

Matthew Bellinger: 20.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Olly Clark (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Thomas Holton (Woking SC); 5th, Kaine Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Karl Eggar (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 4th, Matthew Boudier (Stoke SC, Gosport).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Spike Hull (Chandler’s Ford SC); 2nd, Matthew Bellinger (Jesters, Swindon); 3rd, Mickey Joyce (Crucible, Newbury); 4th, Arnie Petty (Greenbaize,Bournemouth).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Jasmine Bolsover (Woking SC); 2nd, Mike Trigg (Chandler’s Ford SC); 3rd, Corey Tallentire (Player’s, Westbury); 4th, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC).

QUARTER-FINALS (8 points): Trigg beat Clark 2-1, Austen Petty beat Bellinger 2-0, Eggar beat Hull 2-1, Farmer beat Bolsover 2-0.

SEMI-FINALS (12 points): Farmer beat Eggar 2-0, Trigg beat Austen Petty 2-0.

FINAL (25/18 points): Farmer beat Trigg 2-1.

Ball bounces back 

STEWART Ball, who won the first 2011/12 Bronze Tour event in Salisbury in October, told cuestars.uk.com in December: “There are so many good players in Bronze.”

Ball, who is based at Greenbaize Snooker Club in Bournemouth, realised early in this campaign that the Bronze Tour would be extremely close.

Such is the tough competition that he failed to progress from the round-robin group stages in the last two events.

But Ball hasn’t lost his talent. He defeated Silver Tour player Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) 1-0 in the Plate final at Salisbury Snooker Club and is now ranked fifth.

PLATE RESULTS (ONE-FRAME MATCHES)

LAST-16: Cameron Holt (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Matthew Boudier (Stoke SC, Gosport), Lee Bell (Academy, Eastleigh) beat Arnie Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Sonnie O’Sullivan (Liberal Club, High Wycombe) beat Oliver Parsons (Jesters, Swindon), Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), beat Connor McLean (Hailsham Memorial Institute, East Sussex), Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) beat Kaine Petty (Greenbaize, Bournemouth), Anthony Church (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) beat Daniel Knox (Woking SC).

QUARTER-FINALS: Holt beat Bell, Ball beat O’Sullivan, Browne beat Church, Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) beat Joshua Hughes (Rileys, Worcester).

SEMI-FINALS: Ball beat Holt, Browne beat Cowdroy.

FINAL: Ball beat Browne. 

Picture by Kevin Legg: Chandler’s Ford SC foursome, from left: Olly Clark, Spike Hull, Mike Trigg, Austen Petty.

About Cuestars

Founded 18 years ago by director John Hunter, Cuestars runs grass-root snooker tournaments across the South of England and South Wales.

Competitions take place on Sundays between October and June, and cater for players aged eight to 80 – and in some cases even older!

All Cuestars tournaments, apart from the Team Championship, are played off scratch. There are no handicaps. Cuestars uses a round-robin format leading to a knockout.

Competitions for 2011/12 include: South of England Championship Tour; Under-21 Gold, Silver and Bronze Tours; Weekend Junior Section Rankings and Masters Tour (40+).

Website: cuestars.uk.com. E-mail John Hunter: john@cuestars.uk.com

World Snooker is delighted to announce BGC Partners as the new title sponsor of the Masters, snooker’s greatest invitation event.
BGC Partners is a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial markets with offices in over 35 major cities.

THE BGC MASTERS is being held at Alexandra Palace in London, it will start this Sunday and will run until 22nd January.

China’s Ding Junhui will be defending his title against the rest of the top 16 players in the world including the likes of Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Selby.

The BGC Masters will be broadcast live on the BBC, Eurosport, CCTV5, GSC Shanghai and Now TV Hong Kong, with highlight coverage in Australia, India, Thailand, Malaysia and the Middle East.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “It gives us great pleasure to bring in a new title sponsor for one of our biggest tournaments, especially one as prestigious as BGC Partners.  This is a huge step forward for our sport and demonstrates the growing appeal of snooker on a global scale.

“Snooker is on the rise and the momentum built by a tremendous UK Championship last month will be continued at the BGC Masters as we already have outstanding ticket sales.  The world’s elite players will put on a fantastic show at Alexandra Palace and I’m sure our new friends at BGC are going to enjoy what they see.”

Shaun Lynn, President of BGC Partners said: “The Masters is one of the most prestigious and well-recognised events in the snooker industry’s calendar and BGC Partners is proud to be title sponsor for the first time this year. BGC prides itself on the excellence of the services our world-class brokers and state-of-the-art technology provide to clients around the globe. We are delighted to join with the world’s top snooker players in presenting this championship event to snooker enthusiasts and sports fans worldwide.”