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Click on the hyperlinks below to access the appropriate month quickly: December November October September August July June May April March February January Monday 27th December 2004: Scotmoni Cup This years "Scotmoni Cup" went ahead despite the small numbers attending the event, sandwiched between Christmas and New Year. A 6-a-side "Tcheuchters" vs. "Townies" challenge match was arranged, which was settled when Chris Meiklejohn(Westhill) rolled home the winning 9-ball against Aberdeens Andy Pirie to bring about a 12-10 victory. Monday 20th December 2004: ANBA American 8-ball event As has become tradition in the gaps between seasons, a novelty event was held on Monday at The Golden Break. American 8-ball is played using "spots and stripes" in a similar fashion to UK 8-ball, but the main difference being the "ball in hand" rule as opposed to the "two shots" rule. Jim O'Hare won the event, beating Sean Croll in the final. 2 more novelty events occupy the next 2 Monday evenings. The Scotmoni Cup (a team of snooker players v. a team of 8-ball pool players v. a team of 9-ball pool players) takes place on the 27th, whilst the first event of 2005 is a 14:1 tournament on Jan 3rd. The Winter League commences in earnest on Monday January 10th. Results: (ANBA American 8-ball event) Quarter finals: Malcolm Burt bt. Brian Craig 6-5; Sean Croll bt. Martin McIntosh 6-1; John Keller bt. Gary Esson 6-5; Jim O'Hare bt. Lee Craig 6-0 Semi finals: Croll bt. Burt 6-0; O'Hare bt. Keller 6-1 Final: O'Hare bt. Croll 6-0 Sunday 19th December 2004: Rankings update After the Autumn League Cup the previous day, the number one ranking position changed hands again. Martin McIntosh had knocked Jim O'Hare off top spot, but was deposed himself after only 5 days at the summit by Pat McCarron, whose run to the quarter final secured enough points to overtake McIntosh- a first round casualty in the event. Winner Mark Oaten climbs again to 3rd, meaning O'Hare now occupies 4th. There is then a gap of some 460 points to 5th placed Mark Gravener, whilst further down, good League Cup performances mean further climbs for Phil Craig(24th), Graham Reid(25th) and Kenny McPherson(27th), who all have only 1 full seasons points tally. Saturday 18th December 2004: ANBA Autumn League Cup Mark Oaten became the first player in ANBA history to complete a League and League Cup double in the same season, when he won the Autumn League Cup at The Golden Break on Saturday. The win is a record 6th League Cup victory in all for Oaten, who as a result brought his 9-ball earnings to £700 in just 5 days after the £200 first prize supplemented his £500 Autumn League prize.
Mark Oaten with the Autumn League Cup trophy. Oaten breezed through his first round group without loss, and was only extended by fellow qualifier Kenny McPherson in a 5-4 win. At 5-5 in his quarter final with Steve Mitchell, Oaten faced a nervy conclusion, but instead upped the tempo to win 8-5, before finding a rich vein of form in the semi final against Phil Craig, in which he progressed from 2-2 to 9-2. In the final, Graham Reid led 8-7 and looked favourite, but positional errors cost Reid dearly as Oaten won the next 3.
Runner-up Graham Reid Results: [seeds in brackets] Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare[3] bt. Pat McCarron[2] 8-5; Graham Reid[-] bt. Kenny McPherson[-] 8-5; Phil Craig[-] bt. Anthony Yau[-] 8-5; Mark Oaten[4] bt. Steve Mitchell[-] 8-5 Semi finals: Reid bt O'Hare(£50) 9-5; Oaten bt. Craig(£50) 9-2 Final: Oaten(£200) bt. Reid(£100) 10-8 Wednesday 15th December 2004: ANBA t-shirts turn up in the strangest places... A few eyebrows were raised recently when a purchase of an ANBA polo shirt was made. The name to be emblazoned on the shirt? Snooker professional Marco Fu, to whom Jim O'Hare posted the shirt last month. Marco recently modelled said t-shirt in his local billiards haunt....
Marco sends best wishes and thanks to all at ANBA.
Tuesday 14th December 2004: ANBA Rankings: In the new ANBA Rankings, updated after the conclusion of the Autumn League, Jim O'Hare has been knocked from the number 1 spot by Martin McIntosh. McIntosh, with the Spring league title in the bag, as well as a runner up position in the Autumn league, and an Aberdeen Singles semi final place, assumes the summit with a 94 point lead over Pat McCarron. O'Hare drops to 3rd after a poor Autumn league campaign, whilst Autumn league champion Mark Oaten rises 1 to 4th. The rankings are created from the total points haul from the following events: the 4 most recent Leagues; the 4 most recent League Cups (all double points), and the most recent ANBA Open (treble points) and Aberdeen Singles (two and a half times points). Within the top 10, 6 times former league champion John McCann climbs 5 places to 7th; Darren Matthew, with only 2 complete league seasons to count, rises from 11th to 8th after finishing 3rd in the Autumn league. Gary Duncan moves from 14th to 9th. There are top 16 re-entries for Ryan Law and Anthony Yau, whilst 3 players widely recognised as top 10 players in terms of ability, climb into the top 32 after successful league performances. Phil Craig moves from 40th to 25th; Graham Reid is back in the the elite at 28, whilst Kenny McPherson climbs 42 places to 32nd, one of several big jumps in the list. Highest climber award goes to Bruce McGill (123rd to 69th), whilst Gary Esson (90th to 45th) and Chris Harper (100th to 50th) also score massive moves. Chris Meiklejohn is the highest of 11 new entries at 61st. Monday 13th December 2004: ANBA Autumn League, week 10:
Monday 6th December: ANBA Autumn League, week 9:
Sunday 5th December: SAPPA Tour, Kirkcaldy: 2 ANBA players travelled south for the final event in the 2004 SAPPA season; Jim O'Hare beat Martin Hughes (Glasgow), but then lost 6-5 to Stuart Ellis (Falkirk) and 6-1 to Dave Tait (Glasgow) to go out. Ean Jones beat Ian Skirving (Ayr) but the lost out to Tam Wilkinshaw (Dundee) and Tait. In the end of season rankings, Jim O'Hare is 10th and Jones is 32nd; of the other Aberdeen players, John McCann is 46th, Neil Tocher is 47th, Brian Craig is 60th, Gary Stein is 61st and Pat McCarron is 64th. Monday 29th November 2004: ANBA Autumn League week 8:
John McCann's late title charge
gained it's overdue momentum on Monday night at The Golden Break, as he
won week 8 of the 10 counting events. McCann moved into 7th place in the
table as he attempts to rescue what has been a lacklustre season. Kenny
McPhersons run to the final means he narrows the gap on leader Mark Oaten
and 2nd placed Martin McIntosh in a positionally unchanged top 6.
In the final, McCann went in off in swerving out of a
snooker on the 3, and McPherson cleared to lead 1-0; McPherson underhit
position from 5 to 6 in the next, and McCann cleared for 1-1; McCann made it
2-1 after his opponent snookered himself on the 3 behind the 8. Both players
then upped the pace as first McPherson broke and cleared, then McCann
followed suit. McPherson levelled in the next, manoeuvering the cue ball
fully 18 feet up and down the table to dislodge the 5 from the 7;with McCann
set to go 4-3, he missed a 7 ball to hand McPherson the advantage. McCann
brought up 4-4 after a McPherson in off to force a decider, key shot of
which was McPhersons attempt to force a potting angle on the 2 to gain
position on the 3. The 2 stayed on the lip, and with the balls invitingly
spread, McCann cleared for victory.
Results: Quarter finals:
Phil Craig bt. Graham Reid 5-2; John McCann bt. Martin McIntosh 5-1; Blair
Balment bt. Darren Matthew 5-4; Kenny McPherson bt. Steve Mitchell 5-1;
Semi finals: McCann bt. Craig 5-3; McPherson bt.
Balment 5-0; Final: McCann bt. McPherson 5-4
Standings: 1. Mark Oaten 419
points; 2. Martin McIntosh 394; 3. Kenny McPherson 381; 4. Graham Reid 337;
5. Pat McCarron 320; 6. Darren Matthew 296; 7. John McCann 259; 8. Jim
O'Hare 246; 9. Marc Davis 240; 10. Scott Baxter 233
Sunday 28th November 2004: Jim Beam Masters, Falkirk: In the Jim Beam Masters, held at Falkirk on Sunday, Aberdeens 4 representatives suffered early exits. Martin McIntosh lost to eventual winner Geoff Dunn (Falkirk) , Pat McCarron was edged 9-8 by Chris Slack (Glasgow) and Graham Reid recovered from 2-7 to 6-7, but ultimately lost out to Scottish number 1 Michael Valentine. Mark Oaten, having negotiated the last 32, agonisingly missed out on prize money by losing a decider to Charles McCaig (Glasgow) in the next round. Friday 26th November 2004: Festive calendar announced: With the current league season coming to a conclusion on Monday 13th December, pool players will still have a chance to keep their cue arms fit over the festive season as the ANBA announced 3 new tournaments. On Monday 20th December, an American 8-ball event will be held, and on Monday 3rd January, a 14:1 tournament will be held. Sandwiched between the 2 is the Scotmoni Cup on Monday December 27th. The more established ANBA members will remember the first Scotmoni Cup, held at Rileys in 2000, and featured a team of 9-ball players against a team of snooker players (at 9-ball). This years version will feature an 8-ball team, a snooker team and a 9-ball team in what should be a fun evening of pool. The other 2 disciplines will be new to most players however. SAPPA are intending to run more American pool events in 2005, including some in American 8-ball and 14:1. The 2 festive events will give ANBA players the chance to find out how the games are played, and clue themselves up on the rules, which can be found here. 8-ball pool players should adapt quickly to the American version, the main rule difference being the "ball in hand" instead of "2 shots". Snooker players will relish the "scoring" aspect of 14:1, in which big breaks can be made. However, playing in both, and learning the new subtleties and shots will benefit all 9-ball pool players who take part. Enjoy! Monday 22nd November 2004: ANBA Autumn League week 7:
Martin McIntosh won the week 7
event in the ANBA Autumn League at The Golden Break. League leader Mark
Oaten suffered a surprise reversal in a prelim and McIntosh took full
advantage to move into second place in the standings.
In the final against Philip Craig, a good clearance put
McIntosh 1-0 up, but with Craig poised to do the same and level, he missed
the 8 to let McIntosh in, and he added a break and clearance for 3-0.
Although Craig pulled 2 back, including a "golden break", McIntosh brought
proceedings to an end with a 2-9 combination.
With 3 weeks to go, McIntosh is 24 behind leader Mark
Oaten; Kenny McPherson (3rd) and Graham Reid (4th) are close behind, and 5th
placed Pat McCarron is not out of it. There is then a gap of 34 points to a
clutch of players chasing a top 5 cash finish.
Results: Quarter finals:
Philip Craig bt. Pat McCarron 5-1; Jim O'Hare bt. Kenny McPherson
5-4; Scott Baxter bt. Darren Matthew 5-1; Martin McIntosh w/o
Semi finals: Craig bt. O'Hare 5-4; McIntosh bt. Baxter 5-3
Final: McIntosh bt. Craig 5-2
Standings: 1.M.Oaten 387
points; 2.M.McIntosh 353; 3.K.McPherson 307; 4.G.Reid 295; 5.P.McCarron 286;
6.D.Matthew 252; 7.M.Davis 240; 8.J.O'Hare 224; 9.S.Baxter 210; 10.R.Law 201
Wednesday 17th November 2004: ANBA Rankings: The ANBA Rankings received an update following the weekends ANBA Open, which carried triple ranking points. Main feature is the scattering of new entries from Central Belt players who made the journey north, of which beaten finalist Clark Smith is the highest placed. Winner Michael Valentine adds to his tally from the Aberdeen Singles triumph he recorded in October to climb 20 places into the top 32. The top 4 are unchanged, but Mark Graveners' run to the quarter finals sees him climb 4 places to 6th, whilst Darren Matthew goes 11th after his semi final appearance. Tuesday 16th November 2004: Jim Beam draw: The draw for the Jim Beam Masters has just taken place in Falkirk. 4 ANBA players qualified for this in a series of qualifying events at The Golden Break, and their opponents, subject to confirmation, are as follows: Martin McIntosh v Geoff Dunn (Falkirk) Pat McCarron v Chris Slack (Glasgow) Graham Reid v Michael Valentine (Falkirk) Mark Oaten v Andy Morris (Stirling) Ties to take place at Pennies, Sunday 28th November. Good luck to all 4 players. Monday 15th November 2004: ANBA Autumn League, week 6:
Mark Oaten took a
large step towards securing the ANBA Autumn League title at The Golden
Break on Monday evening, when he won the week 6 event. With 1 previous
league title behind him, Oaten became a short priced favourite for title
no.2, as a 5-1 win over Mark Gravener in the final opened up a 116 point
lead in the league table.
Results: Quarter finals: M Davis bt. C
Harper 5-3; M Gravener bt. P McCarron 5-4; M Oaten bt. I Tulloch 5-1; G
Duncan bt. J Balment 5-1 Semi finals: Gravener
bt. Davis 5-3; Oaten bt. Duncan 5-0 Final: Oaten
bt. Gravener 5-1
Standings:1.M.Oaten 379 points; 2.G.Reid 263;
3.K.McPherson 262; 4.M.McIntosh 253; 5.P.McCarron 245; 6.M.Davis 240;
7.D.Matthew 211; 8.=J.O'Hare & R.Law 170; 10.G.Esson 160
Sunday 14th November 2004: ANBA Open
51 players attended this
years ANBA Open, held jointly at The Golden Break and
Rileys, Chapel Street. Runaway Scotland number 1 Michael Valentine
justified favouritism by landing the title with an 11-7 win over
Clark Smith (Glasgow) in the final. The win caps a profitable month for
the Falkirk cueist, after he won the Aberdeen Singles in October, and the
Scottish Championship 2 weeks ago. The £400 prize for the ANBA Open title
takes his winnings to £1650 in this spell.
Of the Aberdeen contingent, Darren Matthew reached the
semis, and Mark Gravener the quarters. Matthew swept
through unbeaten at Rileys, and then beat top Dundee junior Josh Brannan
to line up a semi final against Smith. Matthew had already posted a win
over Smith earlier in the day, forcing Smith to negotiate the "losers"
side of the draw. A tight rematch was decided after a long bout of safety
on the 1 ball in the deciding rack, when Smith took a long 1-9 combination
to take his place in the final. Gravener also went to the knockout phase
unbeaten, but lost out to Steve Capaldi (Glasgow) at that stage.
Results: Quarter finals (Aberdeen unless stated):
C.Smith (Glasgow) bt. S.Ellis (Falkirk) 9-4; D.Matthew bt.
J.Brannan (Dundee) 9-4; M.Valentine (Falkirk) bt. A.Morris (Stirling) 9-6;
S.Capaldi (Glasgow) bt. M.Gravener 9-5 Semi finals:
Smith bt. Matthew 9-8; Valentine bt. Capaldi 9-4
Final: Valentine bt. Smith 11-7
Friday 12th November 2004: Golden Break to host Wednesday events: The Golden Break will play host to events on Wednesday evenings starting 17th November after a number of requests from ANBA members. These will be fun based, non ranking events, and cost £5 to enter, of which £2 will be paid out in prize monies. Events will be run on the popular "round robin groups" system used in previous ANBA leagues, by popular demand. Wednesday 10th November 2004:ANBA Autumn League, week 5 & Jim Beam Masters Qualifier 4:
The ANBA Autumn League reached
its halfway stage at the Golden Break on Wednesday evening, as Mondays held
over final between Kenny McPherson and Martin
McIntosh was played. McPherson blazed to an early 3-0 lead
in the race to 5 final, showing the kind of potting form which helped him
oust league leader Mark Oaten in the last 16. However, after a dry break in
the 4th rack, McIntosh was left with a simple 1-9 combination to pull one
back. McIntosh then successfully applied the "3 foul rule" in the next to
pull another back, and thereafter, the momentum changed, as the balls ran
unkindly for McPherson. At 4-4, Kenny had the chance to win but left the cue
ball too close to the 8-ball, with no potting angle. The resultant safety
left Martin 8 and 9 for a victory that launches him into 3rd place in the
league. McPherson goes 4th after what was a 5th successive exit from a
tournament in the deciding rack- an astonishing fact for a player who had
never played the game until last month. The top 2 remain unchanged.
Results: Quarter
finals: David Young bt. Paul Will 5-4; Martin McIntosh bt.
Andy McCartney 5-1; Kenny McPherson bt. Andy Pirie 5-1; Scott Baxter bt. Pat
McCarron 5-2 Semi finals: McIntosh bt. Young 5-4;
McPherson bt. Baxter 5-3 Final: McIntosh bt.
McPherson 5-4
Standings:
1.Mark Oaten 279 points; 2.Graham Reid
263; 3.Martin McIntosh 242; 4.Kenny
McPherson 230; 5.Pat McCarron 201; 6.Darren
Matthew 199; 7.Marc Davis 187; 8.Ryan Law
161; 9.John McCann 153; 10.J.O'Hare 149
Graham Reid completed the line up in the Jim Beam Masters, by winning the final qualifying event at The Golden Break. Graham beat Phil Craig in the final, but the 9-8 margin tells only half the story. At 8-4 ahead, Graham potted the 9 ball for victory, only to watch the cue ball drop as well. Phil broke and potted the 9 to quickly reduce the deficit to 2, and a typically gritty clearance brought up 7-8. With momentum on his side, Phil cleared again to force the decider, but his break off in the next left an untidy table, which resulted in a nervy safety exchange. This was ended after Reid snookered Craig on the 2 ball to force "ball in hand", from which, despite a positional wobble on the 8 and 9, Reid secured his place at Falkirk. Wednesday 3rd November 2004: Jim Beam Masters Qualifier 3: Pat McCarron is the latest qualifier for the Jim Beam Masters, to be held in Falkirk later this month. McCarron qualified for the last 32 of the £2000 tournament by remaining unbeaten in the penultimate qualifier at The Golden Break.
In the race to 7 final, opponent Graham Reid was clearing up at 3-2, but in
potting the 6, nudged the 7 into an unpottable position, and gave up control
of the table. McCarron didn't allow Reid back to the table until he had built
a 5-3 lead in a ruthless spell that included a fluked 9 ball. With confidence
and momentum flowing, McCarron then went on to complete a 7-5 victory.
Tuesday 2nd November 2004:ANBA Open details This years ANBA Open takes place on Sunday November 14th. For the first time, the event will be held jointly between 2 venues: The Golden Break, and Rileys (Chapel Street). Entry fee is £20 (£15 for SAPPA/United Services members), and the prize fund will be a minimum of £1000. Triple ANBA ranking points are on offer, as well as a trophy donated generously by Trophies International, Rosemount Place. Players must register between 11 and 11:30 at the Golden Break, whereupon they may or may not be relocated to Rileys after the 11:30 unseeded draw. A double elimination style tournament will then be held at each venue, each producing 4 qualifiers who will play the quarter finals onwards (straight knockout) at The Golden Break. The GOLDEN BREAK AMERICAN 9 BALL POOL CLUB A.N.B.A. ABERDEEN OPEN Sunday 14th November 2004 Draw 11am (held at Golden Break)
£1000+ GUARANTEED PRIZE MONEY 100% Payout Unseeded, completely random draw Played In Conjunction With Riley’s Chapel Street (Free taxi service to players drawn at Rileys) Entry £20 (£15 ANBA/SAPPA/UNITED SERVICES ASSOCIATION MEMBERS) Registration by 11am latest or call the Registration Number: 07074 GOLDEN
Monday 1st November 2004:ANBA Autumn League, week 4:
Mark Oaten
is the new leader in the ANBA Autumn League after
capturing the week 4 event at The Golden Break. Oaten hardly put a foot
wrong all night, as wins over top 10 players Gary Aitkenhead, Jim O'Hare and
Pat McCarron put him in the final against Darren Matthew. Matthew had had
just as tough a route to the final, beating Scotland 8-ball captain Phil
Craig, and then league leader Graham Reid.
Oaten raced to a 3-0 lead, but Matthew came back, and
at 2-4 in the race to 5, produced a do or die long cut on the 5 ball to hold
position and clear to 3-4. Oaten was in first in the next however, and
completed victory in a tournament for the 3rd time since the venue opened
last month.
Results: Quarter finals:
G.Reid bt. A.Meldrum 5-2; D.Matthew bt. P.Craig (snr) 5-2; M.Oaten
bt. J.O'Hare 5-1; P.McCarron bt. K.McPherson 5-4. Semi finals:
Matthew bt. Reid 5-2; Oaten bt. McCarron 5-2. Final:
Oaten bt. Matthew 5-3.
Standings: 1.M.Oaten 246
points; 2.G.Reid 229; 3.D.Matthew 178; 4.M.Davis 164; 5.P.McCarron 159;
6.K.McPherson 156; 7.M.McIntosh 142; 8.J.O'Hare 137; 9.S.Mitchell 133; 10=.D.Hearns
& R.Law 129
Sunday 31st October 2004:Carlsberg Scottish Championship: 3 Aberdeen players travelled to Kirkcaldy for the annual staging of the Carlsberg Scottish Championships; Martin McIntosh lost out in the qualifying rounds to 2 Irish guest players, whilst Ean Jones saw Dundees Steven Cameron fight back from 6-8 to inflict a 9-8 defeat. Jim O'Hare managed to reach the quarter finals after beating Irish international Charlie Murphy 9-8, then Jimmy Pollock (Dundee) 9-6, before succumbing 2-9 to an in form Irish number 1 Paddy McLaughlin. Scottish number 1 Michael Valentine won the £1000 first prize. Wednesday 27th October 2004:Jim Beam qualifier 2: Mark Oaten won the second of 4
qualifying events for Falkirk's Jim Beam Masters on November 28th. Mark
joined Martin McIntosh in the final phase of the £2000
event with a win over Neil Tocher in the final of Wednesdays qualifier at
The Golden Break. There are 2 remaining qualifying slots, and they will be
decided over the next 2 Wednesdays at The Golden Break, but it could be
tough for Aberdeen players to get through- rumour has it that the scramble
for the final 2 places will attract entries from Tayside and the central
belt. Monday 25th October 2004:ANBA Autumn League, week 3: John McCann finally got off the starting blocks by winning week 3's event in the ANBA Autumn League at The Golden Break. John displayed the ruthless form he is known for to storm to victory and erase memories of his first round defeats in weeks 1 and 2. A 5-1 victory over Marc Davis in the final sends John into 5th place in the league table, whilst Davis -playing in a second successive final, climbs to 2nd.
Results: Quarter
finals: G.Reid bt. S.Baxter 5-2; M.Davis bt. K.McPherson 5-4;
J.McCann bt. S.Mitchell 5-1; M.McIntosh bt. D.Matthew 5-2 Semi
finals: Davis bt. Reid 5-4; McCann bt. McIntosh 5-0;
Final: McCann bt. Davis 5-1
Standings: 1.
Graham Reid 177 points; 2. Marc Davis
156; 3. Mark Oaten 146; 4.
Derek Hearns 129; 5. John McCann 121;
6. Kenny McPherson 112; 7. Martin
McIntosh 109; 8. Pat McCarron 107; 9.
Darren Matthew 105; 10.
Wednesday 20th October 2004: Jim Beam Masters Qualifier 1: In the first of 4 Aberdeen qualifying events held at the Golden Break for the Jim Beam Masters, a 2000 pounds event in Falkirk in November, Martin McIntosh secured his place in the 32 man field. Martin took a nailbiting victory in the final over Anthony Yau after a heart stopping near in-off on the final 8 ball.
Monday 18th October 2004: ANBA Autumn League, Week 2 In week 2 of the ANBA Autumn League, Mark Oaten got the verdict over Marc Davis in the final to climb to 2nd place in the league. Oaten won the hard way, edging Kenny McPherson 5-4 before being pushed by both Anthony Yau and Derek Hearns on the way to the final- a high quality affair with few misses. Results: Quarter finals: M.Oaten 5-3 A.Yau; D.Hearns 5-1 J.O'Hare; D.Matthew 5-2 S.Watt; M.Davis 5-3 G.Esson Semi finals: Oaten 5-3 Hearns; Davis 5-3 Matthew Final: Oaten 5-2 Davis Standings: 1. G.Reid 123 points; 2. M.Oaten 113; 3. D.Hearns 106; 4. M.Davis 85; 5. R.Law 84; 6. P.McCarron 77; 7. J.O'Hare 72; 8. K.McPherson 68; 9.G.Esson 66; 10. D.Matthew 63
Monday 11th October 2004: ANBA Autumn League, Week 1 The ANBA Autumn League got under way at new venue "The Golden Break" on Monday night, and 40 players took their place in the line up. The league carries a 500 pounds prize for the overall winner, and early front runner for the title is Graham Reid, who beat Ryan Law in the final. Reid, winner of the Scottish Masters title in 2002, but without an ANBA ranking event victory, laid this curious statistic to rest in confident fashion. With wins over Jim O'Hare and Pat McCarron (1st and 3rd in the rankings), Graham followed up with a win over triple league winner Derek Hearns in the semis. In the final, Graham quickly raced to a 3-0 lead before Law pulled one back. Clearing up in rack 5, Reid almost saw the cue ball drop in the middle pocket after potting the 8 ball. It stopped short precariously on the lip of the pocket, and Reid displayed sufficient composure to add the 9 for a 4-1 lead. In the next, Ryan successfully escaped a snooker on the 4 ball, but managed to somehow leave an easy 4-9 combination for the match. Results: Quarter finals: G.Reid 5-3 P.McCarron; D.Hearns 5-0 S.Mitchell; R.Law 5-4 P.Will; M.McIntosh 5-3 Gary Stein Semi finals: Reid 5-3 Hearns; Law 5-2 McIntosh Final: Reid 5-1 Law Sunday 10th October 2004 : 2004 Aberdeen Singles: The previous day saw the annual staging of the Aberdeen Singles, which, with a 250 pounds purse to the winner, attracted players from Central Scotland, and it was Scottish number 1 Michael Valentine who scooped the honours. Showing the kind of solid form which has seen him collect 3 SAPPA ranking event wins this season, Valentine swept through the field for the loss of only 10 racks. Phil Craig- better known for achievements on an 8-ball table- showed he is just as handy on a 9-ball table with an excellent run to the final, taking the scalps of Scottish number 4 Stuart Ellis, and Spring League champion Martin McIntosh. Results: Quarter finals: P.Craig 8-5 S.Ellis; M.McIntosh 8-5 M.Oaten; M.Valentine 8-2 P.McCarron; Gareth Stein 8-6 J.O'Hare Semi finals: Craig 9-2 McIntosh; Valentine 9-2 Stein Final: Valentine 10-2 Craig Friday 8th October 2004: Jim Beam Qualifying events announced: The ANBA has been allocated 4 spots in the field for the Jim Beam Masters to be held at Pennies, Falkirk on November 28th. It carries a 2000 pounds prize fund, the richest 9 ball tournament held in Scotland so far. 4 qualifying events will be held at The Golden Break over 4 consecutive Wednesdays (20th,27th October + 3rd,10th November), and each costs 5 pounds to enter. Players may enter as many as they wish, providing they have not already qualified.
Tuesday 5/10/04: Press release from "The Golden Break" This Saturday night sees the opening of the GOLDEN BREAK, Aberdeen’s newest American pool club. It is furnished with brand new Brunswick tables imported directly from the USA, which along with its world championship-standard Simonis cloths and Aramith balls makes it the best-equipped American pool club in Scotland. Indeed the Gold Crown IV match table will be identical to the one used at the 2003 World Championship Final between Thorsten Homann and Alex Pagulayan. All ANBA 9-ball tournaments, including the regular Monday nights, will be played at the Golden Break from now onwards, although the larger events will be shared with other Aberdeen venues.
The new club is located on the first floor of the United Services Association building at 15 Bon Accord Square, and although all regular players will be required to become members, newcomers are welcome to make a few visits as signed-in guests before they need to commit.
The opening night on Saturday will give the opportunity for people to come along to celebrate the launch, as well as see the new club in action and try out the tables free of charge. Doors are open from 7pm and there will be a fun tournament (no entry fee) that will commence around 8pm (minimum doubles partners, although teams of more are welcome). A light buffet will also be provided later in the evening and there is a 1am license.
The competition begins in earnest on Sunday morning at 11am with the 2004 Aberdeen Singles which carries £500 prize money (£250 to the winner). Entry is £10 and the format will be decided on the day, dependant on the size of the entry. The club will be open from 9am and the registration telephone hotline for entering all Golden Break/ANBA events from now on will be 07074 GOLDEN. Monday night completes the ‘Festival Of Pool’ with the commencement of the ANBA Autumn League. Full details are available at www.goldenbreak.com and www.anba.co.uk Monday 27/9/2004: ANBA Ranking Event 9-ball pool players in Aberdeen had their final warm-up for the new Autumn season on Monday night with a ranking event at Rileys, Chapel Street. Darren Matthew looks in good shape for the new campaign, as he won his third event since the Spring League with a 5-2 victory over Jim O'Hare in the final. The win cements Matthews' place in the top 16, and therefore a seeding for the opening event at new venue "The Golden Break" which is the Aberdeen Singles on October 10th. Other performances of note came from newcomers Gary Esson and Chris Harper, who met in the last 16 after beating ANBA regulars Andy Pirie and Anthony Yau in an earlier round. Esson went on to reach the semi finals, and both look to be useful additions to the circuit. Bob Chalmers (44th ranked at start of play) beat 2nd ranked Martin McIntosh in what was the shock of the night, then went on to push Summer League Cup winner Mark Oaten all the way in a 5-4 defeat. Gareth Steins' run to the semi final is further indication of his improving status, whilst Paul Will and Brian Craig will be satisfied with runs to the quarter finals. The new season commences in earnest on Sunday October 10th, as mentioned, with the Aberdeen Singles at the Golden Break. It starts at 11:00 am, carries a 10 pounds entry fee, and is seeded according to ANBA rankings. Format to be decided. The previous evening sees the opening night for the new club, on which a fun event will be organised with pool related prizes. Then on Monday October 11th, the new league starts.
Results: ANBA Ranking event: Quarter finals: Gareth Stein bt. I.Tulloch 5-2; D.Matthew bt. B.Craig 5-3; G.Esson bt. M.Oaten 5-4; J.O'Hare bt. P.Will 5-0 Semi finals: Matthew bt. Stein 5-2; O'Hare bt. Esson 5-3 Final: Matthew bt. O'Hare 5-2
Current ANBA rankings: 1.J.O'Hare 2304 points; 2.M.McIntosh 2000; 3. P.McCarron 1850; 4.J.McCann 1587; 5.S.Baxter 1520; 6.S.Gilbert 1380; 7.M.Oaten 1372; 8.G.Aitkenhead 1365; 9.A.Pirie 1361; 10.M.Gravener 1324; 11.B.Craig 1283; 12.S.Mitchell 1258; 13.G.Innes 1202; 14.G.Duncan 1201; 15.D.Matthew 1159; 16.P.Will 999
Monday 13/9/2004: Jim Beam Tournament Qualifying events for a £2000 tournament have been taking place in the Central belt over the last month. The Jim Beam Masters will take place at Pennies, Falkirk on Sunday November 28th, and the field will comprise 32 qualifiers from a series of events at the venue. Each event costs £5 to enter, and players can enter as many times as they wish. Qualifiers so far include Geoff Dunn, Alan Reynolds and Michael Valentine, as well as several Falkirk 8-ball players. The remaining qualifying events are: Wed 15/9/04 Wed 22/9/04 Wed 29/9/04 Sun 3/10/04 Wed 6/10/04 Sun 10/10/04 Wed 13/10/04 The Sunday events have a 1pm kick off, and it's a 7pm start on Wednesdays. Call Pennies on 01324 670557, or contact Brian Hunter on 01324 637776 for further details. Friday 10/9/2004: Liechtenstein Open This event was attended by ANBA stalwarts Jim O'Hare and Ean Jones. On the itinerary were the Central Open (Liechtenstein September 3rd to 5th), and an unofficial Switzerland v. Scotland international (Rebstein, Swi, September 6th). The Open event turned out to be a non-starter for Jones, who was unfortunate to misplace his cue on a Swiss train on the way to the event. His disqualification was complete when Jones failed to awake for the ungodly 9am start the next day. Despite pleas to the organisers, no place became available for Jones, who was forced to sit out. O'Hare proceeded to round 2 with a victory over Jurgen Schallert (Austria), and then faced German Sascha Tege- who reached the final of a qualifying event for the 2003 World Championships, beating ANBA's Jim Coltart on the way. Tege and O'Hare exchanged racks in a tense encounter, but Tege prevailed on the triple foul rule in rack 13 for a 7-6 win. In the losers side of the draw, Jim beat Sami Sadiqi (Switzerland), but then could not get to grips with another German, Erwin Hartl in the next, and lost 7-3. The event proved to be a hugely enjoyable experience for the pair, as well as the 6 other SAPPA players who travelled, of whom only Michael Valentine and Geoff Dunn reached the prize money stage. The standard of competitor on show was extremely high, with Czech Roman Hybler scooping the E2700 first prize. Austrian Jasmin Ouschan scooped the E1600 prize in the ladies event. O'Hare and Jones are already speaking of making the event an annual excursion. For the benefit of anyone else who wants to travel in the future, here is something which could persuade you:
This is Miss Ouschan, and an indication of her ability came in an a group match in which she potted 5 balls from a frightening break, and nailed the cue ball centre table to leave an easy finish. This proved to be a regular occurrence throughout the tournament. She's just secured a Coca Cola sponsorship deal to compete on the WBPA tour next season against the likes of pros Alison Fisher and Karen Corr. In the friendly international, played in a round robin format in which all 8 Swiss played each Scots player race to 3, Jones beat Swiss no.5 Pascal Nydegger, and no.6 Roger Bruderer; O'Hare beat these 2 plus no.4 Pascal Perriset, and 2 others. The pair could not help Scotland slumping to a 47-17 defeat however, star of the Swiss team being top lady player Ingrid Nydegger, who beat all 8 Scots. Monday 23/8/2004: ANBA Summer Ranking Event: The ANBA held the first of 2 ranking events at Rileys, Chapel Street on Monday, and an encouraging 33 players took part, looking for some match practice before the opening of "The Golden Break" in October. The event was run under the same conditions which will face competitors at the new club, i.e: race to 5 throughout, unseeded draw, all played on 4 tables. The unseeded nature of the draw threw together 2 of the Autumn League favourites, and multiple ANBA title holders John McCann and Mark Oaten. Oaten stormed to a 4-1 lead; McCann battled back to 3-4 only to lose it in the next. Oaten proceeded to drop just 1 more rack on the way to the final, where he met old adversary Derek Hearns, himself a 5-3 winner over Jim O'Hare in the semi final after leading 4-1. Pivotal moment of the match came at 4-3 Oaten; Hearns, in potting the 7 ball, found the middle pocket with the white to leave Oaten a simple finish. Oaten moves from 10th to 9th in the ANBA rankings in what is the only significant change following the event.
Wednesday 11/8/2004: ANBA announces 2 new tournaments! The ANBA are delighted to announce two more Monday night events in the coming weeks. Both will take place at Rileys, Chapel Street with a 6:30pm start. The format will be straight, unseeded knockout with a 5 pounds entry fee. Thanks to Gary at Rileys, in a move that will keep 9-ball enthusiasts cue arms going in preparation for the opening of "The Golden Break" in October. The dates are: Monday 23rd August Monday 27th September Monday 2/8/2004: ANBA Farewell Tournament:
Darren Matthew scooped first prize in the ANBA Farewell Tournament at Miami Beach on Monday night. The Event brought the curtain down on two years of competition at the beach venue, before the ANBA relocates to "The Golden Break" in October.
In the final, Darren met Autumn 2000 league champion Willie Guyan- showing his best form for years in a run which included the scalps of ANBA top 10 players Mark Oaten and Scott Gilbert- the latter in a titanic 11-10 semi final battle. Darren started the brighter in the race to 13 final, and having opened up an 8-4 lead, looked clear favourite, but Guyan dug deep to trail by just 2 at 8-10, at which point the pivotal moment of the match arrived. Willie had the chance to pot 8 and 9 after Darren wobbled the 8 ball playing with deep screw. In potting the 8, Guyan cannoned the 9 onto a cushion; when Guyans all-or-nothing bank shot on the 9 stayed in the jaws, the difference between a 10-9 lead, and the 3 rack lead which materialized, was evident as Matthew kept control in the next 2 racks for victory. The ANBA would like to thank Miami Beach and its staff for the use of its facilities over the last 2 years. Results: Quarter finals:[Seeds in brackets] S.Gilbert[8] bt. D.Hearns 11-9; W.Guyan bt. J.Hearns 11-3; D.Matthew bt. P.McCarron[6] 11-6; M.Gravener[7] bt. S.Maley 11-7 Semi finals: Guyan bt. Gilbert 11-10; Matthew bt. Gravener 11-7 Final: Matthew bt. Guyan 13-8
Sunday 1/8/04: SAPPA 3-man team event: Aberdeen reached the last 16 of the Scottish three-man team event at Falkirk on Sunday. The team of Jim O'Hare, Martin McIntosh and Anthony Yau qualified the hard way by finishing 3rd in their 4-team group-therefore facing an all or nothing 1 rack shoot out with another 3rd placed team. In the draw to see who would represent each side in the rack against Edinburgh II, it was Aberdeens youngest team member Martin McIntosh who came out, and he displayed impressive cool under pressure to mop up the last 6 balls to secure a last 16 place. Against Edinburgh I (Paul Martin, Sanjay Varma and Alex Coutts), Aberdeen fell 5-1 behind thanks to 2 outrageous Varma flukes on the 9, and a fortunate Coutts clearance after a missed 7 ball found another pocket. At 6-7, Aberdeen had fought hard to get back into it, Yau in particular starting to flow. But Paul won a tense 14th rack for Edinburgh, who added the next for a 9-7 victory. Elsewhere, Aberdeens Mark Oaten teamed up with former ANBA stalwarts Joni Holden and Jim Smith (now based in Edinburgh) to reach the semis, beating the home side on the way. They lost out to eventual winners Dundee (Davy Jack, Tam Wilkinshaw & Jimmy Pollock). 31/7/2004: SAPPA Masters, Falkirk: Mark Oaten, Aberdeens sole qualifier for the Scottish Masters at Falkirk on Saturday, found himself in a tough initial group. A 5-2 loss to Joni Holden (Edinburgh) was followed by an impressive 5-0 win over Tam Talent (Rutherglen). Scotland no.1 Michael Valentine (Falkirk) ended Oatens hopes with a 5-2 win in the final group match.
26/7/04: Farewell Tournament: With appetites whetted by the recent coverage of the World Nine Ball Pool Championships on TV, a staggering 33 players turned up to Miami Beach on Monday night to play in the Farewell Tournament- a two week event which will conclude two years of competition at the venue. In the last 32, plum tie was the meeting of Sean Maley with ANBA no.2 Martin McIntosh, but a close match didn't materialize, as Sean ran out a convincing winner. Graham Innes joined McIntosh as the only 2 seeds to go out at this stage, when Davy Dornan inflicted defeat. Pat McCarron emerged from a see-saw encounter with Ryan Law, in which the lead changed hands 4 times, to win 9-7. With the last 16 being the final qualifying round for next weeks quarter finals, nerves were in evidence as it proved a graveyard for the seeded players. Top seed Jim O'Hare was ousted by old adversary Derek Hearns, who pulled away from 3-3 to 9-3; Scott Gilbert will be Dereks next opponent after he outlasted Gary Duncan. Completing the line up in the top half of the draw are Jack Hearns, son of Derek, who ended Dornans run, and former league champion Willie Guyan, who held his nerve to edge 4th seed Mark Oaten. Darren Matthew comfortably booked his quarter final place with a win over 3rd seed Scott Baxter, whilst McCarron sprinted to a 9-3 victory against Anthony Yau to bring the number of seeds in the quarters up to 2. Mark Gravener made this 3, and the final player to book his place was Sean Maley, who won a battle of the non-seeds against Scotland 8-ball international Mike Clark. The event will be played to a conclusion on Monday (2nd) at Miami Beach, 6:30pm start.
Results: Prelim: Gary Stein bt. Gareth Stein 9-8 1st round[seeds in brackets]:J.O'Hare[1] bt. Stein 9-3; D.Hearns bt. M.Adams 9-3;G.Duncan bt. R.Buchan 9-3; S.Gilbert[8] bt. W.Dornan 9-0; D.Dornan bt. G.Innes[5] 9-2; J.Hearns bt. B.Chalmers 9-4; W.Guyan bt. P.Will 9-6; M.Oaten[4] bt. C.Park 9-2; S.Baxter[3] bt. J.Keller 9-4; D.Matthew bt. P.Craig 9-1; A.Yau bt. J.Balment 9-4; P.McCarron[6] bt. R.Law 9-7; M.Gravener[7] bt. M.Davis 9-6; A.Pirie bt. C.Stuart 9-5; M.Clark bt. P.Smith 9-1; S.Maley bt. M.McIntosh[2] 9-1 Last 16: D.Hearns bt. O'Hare[1] 9-3; Gilbert[8] bt. Duncan 9-7; J.Hearns bt. D.Dornan 9-4; Guyan bt. Oaten[4] 9-8; Matthew bt. Baxter[3] 9-4; McCarron[6] bt. Yau 9-3; Gravener[7] bt. Pirie 9-1; Maley bt. Clark 9-6
Draw: Quarter finals (race to 11), Miami Beach, Monday 2nd August, 6:30 start: Derek Hearns v. Scott Gilbert[8]; Jack Hearns v. Willie Guyan; Darren Matthew v. Pat McCarron[6] Mark Gravener[7] v. Sean Maley
24/7/04: ANBA Polo shirts available to buy! The ANBA are currently taking orders from any players for polo shirts. These shirts are ideal for players representing the association in competition, and will be worn by ANBA players in tournaments ranging from Monday night league events at The Golden Break, to The European Nine Ball Tour Event in Liechtenstein.
Spec of shirt as follows: Each shirt comes with the following logo:"ANBA" arked over a 9 ball image in bold yellow print, with "Aberdeen Nine Ball Association" underneath.This will be embroidered on the left breast. There will also be our anba website on the right sleeve in plain bold lower case text."The Golden Break's" website will be on the back below the collar in bold lower case text measuring approx 4 inches across, with a 1.1/2" x 1" saltire above the wording.
Each shirt costs £14. Optional extra is for names:
If you are interested, please give your order to any committee member, stating
clearly: size, coulour(s), quantity and any additional features (e.g your name). 19/7/2004: Beach venue to host final event The ANBA will bring down the curtain at Miami Beach on Monday, as 2 years of 9-ball pool events at the venue come to an end. The Farewell Tournament (Monday July 26th) starts at 6:30 pm, and costs £10 to enter. It will be a straight knockout, and seeded according to ANBA rankings. Matches will be races to 9, and the tournament will be played down to the last 8, with the quarter finals onwards (race to 11 racks) being played on Monday August 2nd. Prize money subject to number of entrants; this event carries triple ANBA ranking points. In terms of ranking points, Pat McCarron has been the chief beneficiary of the series of tournaments held over the summer at Miami Beach. With semi final placings in both League Cup events, as well as a final and a quarter final in the other 2 counting tournaments, McCarron finds himself 3rd in the latest provisional list. Considering Mark Oaten loses the 683 points he accrued as the summer 2003 league champion, he has done well to hold on to his top 16 status with a win and a 2nd place in the 2 league cup events. Ryan Law will make his top 16 debut after a consistent year, whilst Philip Craig is on the verge of joining him as the only other top 16 debutant. Latest Rankings: 1.J.O'Hare 2086 points; 2.M.McIntosh 1923; 3.P.McCarron 1667; 4.J.McCann 1554; 5.S.Baxter 1426; 6.G.Aitkenhead 1335; 7.A.Pirie 1227; 8.S.Mitchell 1213; 9.S.Gilbert 1208; 10.B.Craig 1200; 11.G.Innes 1170; 12.M.Gravener 1167; 13.M.Oaten 1130; 14.G.Duncan 1058; 15.R.Law 895; 16.P.Will 890 12/7/2004: Pool Olympics II Pat McCarron proved to be the top "olympian" at Miami Beach on Monday evening. Pat came out on top after performing well in 4 separate pool disciplines. In the Speed Pool, McCarron cleared all 15 balls (8 ball last being the only stipulation) in 1 minute 27 seconds, to win from Anthony Yau. Pat also won the Golden Break discipline with 21 points from his 18 breaks (1 point per ball, 5 for the 9). Yau again was second. Of the other 2 legs, Jim O'Hare shot a 44 break in the 14:1 to squeeze Gary Aitkenhead's effort of 29 into second place, whilst in the Penalty Shoot Out, Anthony Yau's 14 pots from 15 attempts won first prize from Martin McIntosh (13). The event proved massively popular again, and the 3rd version will be held in new club "The Golden Break" in the autumn.
5/7/2004: ANBA Summer League Cup Mark Oaten won a record 5th ANBA League Cup on Monday, when he beat John McCann in the final at Miami Beach. Oaten, in a repeat of last weeks performance when he qualified for the Scottish Masters for the loss of only 7 racks, surged to victory for the loss of only 6 on this occasion. McCann was renewing rivalry with Oaten for the first time in a final since mid 2003, but was handed a rare defeat at the venue where he has won 4 league titles, 2 league cups and 1 Aberdeen singles title. Oaten has now won 10 consecutive matches in ANBA tournaments, with an impressive racks won/lost record of 60:14. Results: Quarter finals: [seeding in brackets] C.Davidson bt. J.O'Hare[1] 7-6; M.Oaten[5] bt.A.Yau 7-2; J.McCann[6] bt. G.Duncan 7-3; P.McCarron[7] bt. M.McIntosh[2] 7-5 Semi finals: Oaten bt. Davidson 8-0; McCann bt. McCarron 8-2 Final: Oaten bt. McCann 9-3 28/6/04: SAPPA Masters Qualifier Miami Beach held the North of Scotland qualifier for the SAPPA Masters, which will be held in Falkirk on July 31st, carrying £1200 prize money. Mark Oaten emerged as the winner after dropping only 8 racks all evening. After negotiating all 3 group matches for the loss of just 3 racks, Oaten faced his stiffest test in the quarter finals against Pat McCarron, and came through 7-4, before sweeping aside Sean Maley in the semis. Philip Craig came through the other half, having edged both Davy Dornan and Martin McIntosh in deciding racks. With Craig unable to make the trip to Falkirk, the final was left unplayed, to put Oaten directly into the event amongst Scotlands elite 9-ball players. Results: Quarter finals: M.Oaten 7-4 P.McCarron; S.Maley 7-4 B.Craig; P.Craig 7-6 D.Dornan; M.McIntosh 7-4 J.O'Hare Semi finals: Oaten 7-1 Maley; P.Craig 7-6 Mcintosh Final: not played 27/6/04: SAPPA Tour, 3rd leg: A total of 8 Aberdeen players, the best turnout of the season, travelled to Marcos Leisure, Edinburgh to compete in the latest Scottish tour event. Darren Matthew, a rejuvenated competitor after his recent League Cup win, reached the last 16 in his first SAPPA event for 2 years, before losing to Scottish number 5 Paddy Moir (Dunfermline), but had shown his class with an earlier victory over Clark Smith (Glasgow). Pat McCarron also reached the last 16, and gave Ross McInnes a fright before bowing out 7-5; in the previous round Jim O'Hare and Martin McIntosh went out, O'Hare to World Championship Qualifier Michael Valentine, and McIntosh, in his debut in a Scottish event, to 8th seed George Fagan, having impressively despatched 6th seed Davy Jack (Arbroath), and 16th seed Ian Mitchell (Grangemouth). Other performances of note came from Brian Craig, who pushed 10th seed Stevie Capaldi all the way in a 6-5 defeat, and Ean Jones, a 5-0 winner over Dave McPherson in an early round. 21/6/04: ANBA Scotch Doubles Event: In a break from the norm, a doubles event was held at Miami Beach on Monday night. (In Scotch Doubles, players play alternate shots). Top pairing turned out to be Scott Baxter and Andy Pirie (ANBA nos. 3 & 13 respectively), who triumphed in the final over Spring and Winter singles champs Martin McIntosh and Pat McCarron. The groundwork was done in the opening 3 racks of the final, when Baxter & Pirie fired 3 early combination plants to surge ahead. When Pirie thin cut a 9 along the baulk cushion for 4-0, the writing was on the wall, and at 5-1, Baxter ended proceedings with a powerful 9 up the rail. The format took its toll on a lot of players, as nerves played a big part. Favourites John McCann & Paul Hardy were edged in the quarters by McIntosh & McCarron, who then played out a tense semi final with Ean Jones & Jim O'Hare. The youngsters prevailed 6-5 in a match dominated by nervy exchanges. Results: Semi finals: S.Baxter & A.Pirie bt. B.Craig & G.Duncan 6-2; M.McIntosh & P.McCarron bt. E.Jones & J.O'Hare 6-5 Final: Baxter & Pirie bt. McIntosh & McCarron 6-1
14/6/04: ANBA Spring League Cup: Darren Matthew made a spectacular return to the 9-ball pool scene in Aberdeen by landing the Spring League Cup at Miami Beach. Darren showed no ill effects from his recent hospitalization to deny Mark Oaten a 5th title. Falling 3-0 behind to Scott Baxter in the last 16 seemed to spark some life into Matthew as he rattled off the next 6 racks for the match, and put himself in the semis with a 7-1 win over Gary Duncan. From there, winter league champ Pat McCarron provided a tough examination in the semis before Darren prevailed 7-5, and went on to beat Mark Oaten 9-6 in a high quality final. With both players breaking and clearing regularly all evening, it was clear that both were on form, but at 7-4 Matthew in the final, a turning point loomed as Darren fouled on the 8 ball whilst clearing up for 8-4. Matthews momentum however, was unaffected, and victory arrived 3 racks later for Matthews' 2nd league cup triumph. The only significant changes in the ANBA Rankings as a result of the Spring League Cup, are that runner up Mark Oaten climbs back into the top 5 from 11th place; winner Darren Matthew sneaks back into the top 16, despite missing 2 complete seasons, at 15th. Results: (Seeds in brackets) Quarter finals: M.Oaten[8] bt. J.O'Hare[1] 7-4; A.Yau[-] bt. G.Aitkenhead[4] 7-3; D.Matthew[14] bt. G.Duncan[11] 7-1; P.McCarron[7] bt. M.McIntosh[2] 7-3 Semi finals: Oaten bt. Yau 7-0; Matthew bt. McCarron 7-5; Final: Matthew bt. Oaten 9-6
9/6/04: ANBA Rankings: Spring League champion Martin McIntosh is closing in on the number 1 position in the latest ANBA Rankings. Martin climbs from 3rd to 2nd as a result of his capture of the title. Jim O'Hares' 3rd place in the league secured enough points to retain top spot, whilst Scott Baxter completes the top 3 with a massive 8 place rise from 11th. Elsewhere in the upper echelons, there are good moves for Gary Aitkenhead (6th to 4th), Mark Gravener (8th to 6th), Graham Innes (14th to 7th) and Pat McCarron (12th to 10th). Andy Pirie (13th) and Gary Duncan (14th) make their top 16 debuts, whilst Anthony Yau, having finished 6th in the Spring League, is the highest climber, leaping 39 places to 32nd. Craig Park is the highest of 18 new entries at 54th. Top 16: 1.J.O'Hare (2284 pts) 2.M.McIntosh (2012) 3.S.Baxter (1689) 4.G.Aitkenhead (1587) 5.J.McCann (1558) 6.M.Gravener (1518) 7.G.Innes (1504) 8.S.Gilbert (1485) 9.S.Mitchell (1482) 10.P.McCarron (1450) 11.M.Oaten (1437) 12.B.Craig (1304) 13.A.Pirie (1252) 14.G.Duncan (1126) 15.P.Will (1052) 16.S.Garden (995) 8/6/04: ANBA Summer Schedule: Following the conclusion of the Spring League, ANBA is delighted to announce a series of events to keep 9-ball enthusiasts occupied during the summer months. There will be events over the next 8 weeks at Miami Beach, before a close season from August-October. From then, the Autumn season commences at a new venue, The Golden Break. There will be no Summer League this year, however a Summer League Cup will be held, with ranking points awarded. Points can also be earned in the "Farewell Tournament", and there will be a qualifying event for a major Scottish tournament. Add 3 novelty pool evenings, and the summer season has something for everyone. The full calendar is as follows: June 14th: Spring League Cup (£5 entry, seeded draw, double ranking points) June 21st: Scotch Doubles event (£5 per player-scotch doubles involves each player playing alternate shots-format to be decided whether randomly drawn pairs, or players "pairing off") June 28th: SAPPA Masters Qualifier (£10 entry, seeded on SAPPA rankings, Aberdeen players only-winner qualifies for the SAPPA Masters in Falkirk on 31st July with over £1500 prize money) July 5th: Summer League Cup (£5 entry, seeded draw, double ranking points) July 12th: Pool Olympics II (£5 entry, see "March 2004" for details) July 19th: "Winner Stays On" Challenge (£5 entry: table time=points+cash!) July 26th and August 2nd: "Farewell Tournament" (£10 entry, seeded draw, minimum races to 7, triple ANBA ranking points. Played down to quarter finals first week, then concluded the next.)
7/6/04: ANBA Spring League, Week 10:
With Martin McIntosh having captured the ANBA Spring League title a fortnight previously, the race was on for the placings at Miami Beach on Monday. Pat McCarron needed to get to the final to guarantee second place, but almost fell at the first hurdle- a spectacular long pot on the 9 by already eliminated Paul McBain ensured McCarron edged Scott Gilbert on rack difference, much to his relief. Pat then progressed to the semi where Mark Oaten looked set to end his run as he took a 3-2 lead. However, McCarron found fluency at the right time to race to a 6-4 win to clinch 2nd place in the league. Jim O'Hare (4th at start of play) beat Mark Gravener (3rd) in the last 16 to raise his own hopes of grabbing 2nd. This was enhanced further when he beat Graham Innes (5th) in the semi final, but McCarrons' win over Oaten meant O'Hare could do no better than 3rd. With the final positions decided, McCarron and O'Hare proceeded to then play out a lacklustre final, ended when O'Hare missed a routine 9-ball with 5-5 looming. Results: Quarter finals: G.Innes 5-4 P.Craig; J.O'Hare 5-4 R.Keith; M.Oaten 5-4 A.Yau; P.McCarron 5-3 R.Law Semi finals: O'Hare 6-2 Innes; McCarron 6-4 Oaten Final: McCarron 6-4 O'Hare Final Standings: 1.McIntosh 619 points; 2.McCarron 475; 3.O'Hare 414; 4.Innes 378; 5.Gravener 360; 6.Yau 344; 7.S.Baxter 307; 8.Law 301; 9.Oaten 294; 10.Gilbert 282 31/05/04: ANBA Spring League, week 9: With the ANBA Spring League title sewn up the previous week by Martin McIntosh, the race was on for top 6 places in week 9's event. Pat McCarron (2nd at start of play) and Mark Gravener (3rd) held on to their positions despite being on 8-ball duty in Blackpool alongside McIntosh, as Jim O'Hare triumphed to launch a challenge for 2nd place. At 5-1 down to Scott Baxter in the quarter finals, an O'Hare exit seemed the most likely possibility as Baxter produced a potting display of high quality; however, O'Hare nicked the next to stay alive, and dug deep to bring up 4-5. By this time, the balls were running against Baxter, and a missed 6 ball at 5-5 set O'Hare up for the clearance which put him in the semis, where Scott Gilbert put up a good fight despite going 3-0 behind to level at 4-4. A missed 6 in the next cost Gilbert dear, as O'Hare cleared, then took a 1-9 combination early in the next to secure a final place against Mark Oaten. Oaten started brightly, going 2-0 up after O'Hare errors, and was still favourite at 3-1; however, the match swung one way then the next as O'Hare won 3 in a row, before Oaten hit back to lead 5-4; a missed 5-8 combination by Oaten in the next brought up 5-5, and in the decider, a timely piece of luck decided it, as O'Hare missed the 3, but left Oaten snookered. The resultant missed escape left O'Hare with a simple run out for the match. Results: Quarter finals: M.Oaten bt. A.Pirie 6-4; G.Aitkenhead bt. R.Law 6-5; J.O'Hare bt. S.Baxter 6-5; S.Gilbert bt. A.Yau 6-2 |
