Monday 1st November 2004:ANBA Autumn League, week 4:

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:

  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.

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:

Pique Knit
Reactive dyed
Three button placket
Twin needle finish on shoulders and arms
Raised anti roll seam on collar and cuff
65% polyester/35% cotton
195-200 grams

  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:
£1 plus vat for a christian name
£1.50 plus vat for a full name.

Sizes of shirt as follows.

Small = 34"
Medium = 38"
Large = 42"
X Large = 44"
XX Large = 46"
XXX Large = 48"
XXXX Large = 52"

Colours as follows:
White
Black
Red
Royal
Navy
Burgundy
Gold
Yellow
Winter emerald
Bottle green
Jade
Sky blue
Purple
Grey marl
Kelly
Cerise

  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 Semi finals: Oaten bt. Aitkenhead 6-2; O'Hare bt. Gilbert 6-5 Final: O'Hare bt. Oaten 6-5

  Standings: 1.McIntosh 619 points; 2.McCarron 405; 3.Gravener 344; 4.O'Hare 340; 5.G.Innes 335; 6.Yau 311; 7.Baxter 304; 8.Law 289; 9.Gilbert 265; 10.Pirie 259

29/5/04: Irish 9-ball tour, Derry 

  Jim O'Hare and Brian Craig made the long journey to Northern Ireland at the weekend to compete in the Derry Open. A wasted journey was in store for both players as they both lost their initial 2 group matches. However both Aberdonians recovered to win their next 2 -O'Hare qualifying by the skin of his teeth on racks countback, but Craig narrowly missing out by the same method. O'Hare then posted victories over Irish no.3 Paul Bonner (7-5) and provisional no.1 Paddy McLaughlin (7-6) to reach the semi finals, where he found 7th ranked Brian Woodrow a tougher proposition, and lost 7-3.Click here for photos.

24/5/04:ANBA Spring League, week 8

  Martin McIntosh is the new ANBA League Champion after wrapping up the Spring version at Miami Beach on Monday night. With 2 weeks to spare, Martin goes to the World 8-ball championships in Blackpool with the ANBA 9-ball title in the bag after reaching the final of week 8's event.

  The unseeded nature of the draw threw together the toughest group possible when ANBA numbers 1 (Jim O'Hare), 3 (McIntosh) and 4 (Mark Oaten) all ended up in the same first phase group. Oaten ensured qualification by beating both O'Hare and McIntosh, leaving an O'Hare-McIntosh shootout for a last 16 place, in which McIntosh displayed gritty qualities in recovering from 0-3 to win 4-3. Thereafter, Oaten and McIntosh came through the draw unscathed to meet in the final, with only Oaten facing resistance in the form of Anthony Yau in a deciding rack semi final.

  Oatens 6-4 win in the final is his first ANBA tournament victory since winning the Summer 2003 league, and catapults him up the league to 20th, with an outside chance of a top 6 finish. McIntosh's 2 nearest challengers for the title, Pat McCarron and Mark Gravener, both go to Blackpool for the 8-ball championships as well, meaning Martins' 200 point lead will still be intact by week 10 to confirm the title.

  Results: Quarter finals:M.McIntosh 4-2 S.Gilbert; S.Baxter 4-0 B.Balment; A.Yau 4-2 P.McCarron; M.Oaten 4-1 M.Gravener; Semi finals: McIntosh 4-1 Baxter; Oaten 4-3 Yau Final: Oaten 6-4 McIntosh

17/5/04:ANBA Spring League, week 7:

  Martin McIntosh went some distance towards securing a first ANBA League title at Miami Beach on Monday night, when he won event 7- a fourth victory this season for the youngster. At 4-3 ahead in the race to 7 final against Jim O'Hare, the pivotal moment of the match arrived when O'Hare missed a 3-9 combination; with a difficult looking finish left for McIntosh, a 5-3 lead seemed some way away, but a brilliant distance combination of 4 onto 9 ended the rack 2 shots later, and Martin went on to an untroubled victory.

  With 545 points from the first 7 weeks, Martin is on course for a record points haul-Mark Oatens' 683 points in Summer 2003 looks to be under threat.

  Performance of the night was from teenager Ross Adams; stationed at 52nd in the league at the start of play, Adams enjoyed a run to the quarter finals with victories over former champions O'Hare (group stage) and Mark Oaten (last 16), before Scott Gilbert ended the run.

  Results: Quarter finals: J.O'Hare 5-1 M.Gravener; J.McCann 5-3 P.McCarron; M.McIntosh 5-2 M.Adams; S.Gilbert 5-2 R.Adams Semi finals: O'Hare 5-2 McCann; McIntosh 5-1 Gilbert Final: McIntosh 7-4 O'Hare

  Standings: 1.McIntosh 545 points; 2.McCarron 363; 3.Gravener 303; 4.G.Innes 276; 5.R.Law 242; 6.O'Hare 230; 7.S.Baxter 219; 8.A.Yau 216; 9.B.Craig 203; 10.G.Duncan 200

16/5/04: SAPPA World Championship Qualifier, Kirkcaldy

  6 Aberdeen players travelled to Kirkcaldy hoping to secure the one place up for grabs in the World 9-ball Championships in Taiwan, but all were to be disappointed. Gary Duncan,Brian Craig and Gary Stein were all involved in first round ties, and only Stein managed to win, recovering in style to post an 8-7 win from 0-6 behind. Gary then missed a chance at 7-7 against Joni Holden (Edinburgh) in the next round, and lost 8-7. Ean Jones met an in-form Clark Smith (Glasgow), who broke and cleared several times in an 8-2 win.

  With Neil Tocher seeded into the last 32, and Jim O'Hare to the last 24, neither player had struck a ball before 4:30 pm, but this didn't affect Tochers' form as he recorded an excellent 8-6 victory over Davie Markie (Coatbridge) to join O'Hare in the next round. Bobby Lee (Bellshill), ranked 18th on the UK tour, confidently ended O'Hares' hopes 8-3 to leave Tocher as the last ANBA player standing. A tough match followed with Brian Hunter (Falkirk), and it was anybodys game at 6-6, before Hunter got the better of a nervy conclusion to prevail 8-6.

10/5/04: ANBA Spring League, week 6:

  Graham Innes put himself in the picture for a first ANBA league title by winning the week 6 event of the Spring League at Miami Beach. Graham moved into 4th place with 4 weeks remaining, and put it all down to an unlikely comeback in the quarter finals. Trailing 0-3 to John Keller, Graham grittily won the next 4 racks for a semi final place, and inspired by this, proceeded to beat both the league leader and the second placed for victory. Martin McIntosh, leader at the start of play, was beaten 4-1, whilst second placed Pat McCarron-defending his Winter title-put in a performance filled with uncharacteristic errors in the final, to hand Innes the win. Innes finished in style with a "golden break" in the 8th rack to win 5-3.

   A qualifying event for the World 9-ball Championships takes place on Sunday at Styx, Kirkcaldy. The winner receives automatic entry as Scotland's representative in the 128 man field for this July's extravaganza in Taiwan. Entry fee is 20 pounds, 11:00 am start. Contact Jim O'Hare or visit anba.co.uk for details.

  Results: ANBA Spring League week 6 (Quarter finals) P.McCarron 4-3 M.Gravener; Gary Stein 4-2 A.Pirie; M.McIntosh 4-3 B.Balment; G.Innes 4-3 J.Keller (Semi finals) McCarron 4-0 Stein; Innes 4-1 McIntosh (Final) Innes 5-3 McCarron

  Standings: 1.M.McIntosh 445 points; 2.P.McCarron 320; 3.M.Gravener 262; 4.G.Innes 243; 5.R.Law 210; 6.S.Baxter 208; 7.A.Yau 205; 8.=G.Duncan & A.Pirie 183; 10.Gary Stein 182

30/4/04-3/5/04: UK Tour Scotland double header:

  3 Aberdeen players ventured south to take their place in the UK Tour double-header in Kirkcaldy and Stirling. 

  In the first event at Styx, Kirkcaldy, Neil Tocher set the ball rolling for the ANBA with a convincing victory over UK no.46 Brett Armer. Jim O'Hare and Ean Jones were both called to play simultaneously, Jones falling to Andy Mistry (UK ranked 56th), whilst O'Hare beat James Akenhead (24th). Tocher and O'Hare both lost their next matches to join Jones on the one loss side of the draw, where only O'Hare progressed with a win over Gordon Paterson. Jones could count himself unlucky to go out in a deciding rack to James Taylor (36th), but then O'Hare knocked Taylor out to go within one round of qualification, which was duly achieved with an assured 5-1 win over Steve Farquhar.

  The next day, Jim was one of 8 Scottish players in the line up for the last 32, but could find no rhythm in a 10-2 thumping by Kevin Smith (8th).

  In Stirling on the Sunday, Jones led the way for ANBA as O'Hare and Tocher suffered early exits. Jones won through 2 rounds, claiming the scalp of fellow SAPPA member Rab Armstrong. But youngster Chris Buckmaster (20th) displayed lots of flair in a 5-2 victory.

3/5/04:ANBA Spring League, Week 5:

  Pat McCarron showed he was in no mood to give up his ANBA League title without a fight, when he won the 5th counting event of the Spring League at Miami Beach.

  Despite losing his first match to Ryan Law, McCarron swept through 3 further group games for the loss of only 1 rack. Playing in some discomfort due to a football injury, McCarron then ousted Scott Baxter, former ANBA no.2 Darren Matthew, and crucially, league leader Martin McIntosh in the semis- a defeat which puts McIntoshs' threat to run away with the league on hold.

  Brian Craig almost had to withdraw from the event due to a family emergency-thankfully not as serious as first thought-before producing his best form this year. Jim O'Hare, Philip Craig and Graham Innes were victims of this run to the final, where Craig got off to the best possible start by doubling the 9 table-length to lead. McCarron equalised with a double of his own on the 8 after over-running position, and at 2-2, a long safety bout ensued from which McCarron emerged in control- a confident finish of the last 5 balls putting him within 1 rack of victory, which followed with a break and clearance in the next.

  Results: Quarter finals: M.McIntosh 4-2 G.Aitkenhead; P.McCarron 4-3 D.Matthew; B.Craig 4-3 P.Craig; G.Innes 4-1 S.Gilbert Semi finals: McCarron 4-1 McIntosh; Craig 4-2 Innes Final: McCarron 4-2 Craig

  Standings:1.M.McIntosh 394 points; 2.P.McCarron 247 3.M.Gravener 219; 4.A.Yau 188; 5.R.Law 179; 6. S.Baxter 175; 7.G.Duncan 164; 8.J.O'Hare 156; 9.S.Mitchell 155 10.P.Wright 151

26/4/04: ANBA Spring League, Week 4:

  A 140 point lead was opened up at the top of the ANBA Spring League at Miami Beach on Monday night, as Martin McIntosh sustained his advantage with a 3rd consecutive victory. At the start of the evening, McIntosh had Derek Hearns 3 year old record of 35 straight match wins on his mind, but within a couple of hours was anxiously relying on a result to go in his favour just to qualify for the knockout phase.

  An initial win over Andy Pirie stretched McIntosh's run to 15, but when Gary Stein, and then an in-form Anthony Yau inflicted defeats on the league leader, qualification seemed unlikely. However Pirie, already out by this stage, rescued McIntosh with victory over Stein, and from then on, McIntosh never looked back, as wins over Paul Hill, Scott Gilbert and Scott Baxter set up a final meeting for the second time this season with Philip Wright, who himself had to negotiate a wobbly final group match, before sweeping through the knockout.

  McIntosh has never looked more comfortable on the table than when playing in finals this season, and this trend continued with a 6-1 rout. Although one of Hearns' records survived the evening, an assault on another could be taking shape; Martins' 3rd consecutive tournament victory is the first since Darren Matthews' capture of 3 league events at the latter end of last years Spring League. However, Dereks record of 7 in summer 2001 still looks formidable.

  Results: Quarter final: P.Wright 4 S.Mitchell 2; A.Yau 4 G.Duncan 0; M.McIntosh 4 S.Gilbert 3; S.Baxter 4 M.Gravener 0 Semi final: Wright 4 Yau 2; McIntosh 4 Baxter 2 Final: McIntosh 6 Wright 1

  Standings: 1.McIntosh 343 points; 2.Gravener 203; 3.Yau 156; 4.Mitchell 155; 5.Wright 151; 6.R.Law 149; 7.P.McCarron 147; 8.Baxter 144; 9.G.Duncan 133; 10.J.O'Hare 124

24/4/04: New ANBA Venue:

  The ANBA committee today voted to make the current league the last one to be played at Miami Beach, after an offer of new playing facilities in the autumn. "The Golden Break", the brainchild of ex-ANBA secretary and much travelled 9-ball player Ean Jones, will open in October, and will host the ANBA League from then onwards. Check out www.goldenbreak.com for details.

  At present, Ean is putting together the finer details of the league format, but early indications are that the league will carry a significantly higher prize fund than ever before. The club has a very central location, and boasts 4 Brunswick tables. John McCann will defend his Aberdeen Singles title on Sunday October 10th in a glamorous curtain raiser for the new venue, whilst Sean Boxalls' defence of the ANBA Open will take place 5 weeks later in an event shared with one time ANBA League hosts Rileys, Chapel Street.

  It is unclear whether there will be a "Summer League" as such, or whether there will be a close season for 9-ball pool in Aberdeen between June and October, however the popularity of recent events like "Pool Olympics" -another successful Jones idea-  merits some inclusion in the currently empty summer calendar, along with some Sunday "open" events at venues to be decided. 

  The move represents an exciting step for all at ANBA, who will now take their increasingly competitive circuit to its 5th venue after Barracudas, Rileys, Sunset Boulevard and Miami Beach, which shall bow out after 2 memorable years-the match between Michael Valentine and Fabio Petroni in the 2003 UK Tour final perhaps being the pick.

19/4/04: ANBA Spring League, Week 3:

  Martin McIntosh strengthened his position at the top of the ANBA Spring League on Monday night at Miami Beach. Martin beat Jim O'Hare in an error-strewn final to open up an 80 point gap over his nearest challenger.

  ANBA tournaments always attract newcomers, and 3 debutants made impressions this week. Ellon 8-ball players Barry & Bruce Pitcher, and Alan Grant all look like useful additions to the Aberdeen 9-ball scene. All 3 reached the knockout phase, Grant emerging from a particularly tough group containing 2 ANBA top 10 players, whilst Bruce Pitcher had a good run to the semi finals, where O'Hare denied him a shock final spot. McIntosh meanwhile negotiated a final rack against Ryan Law in the other semi, but neither O'Hare or McIntosh played to their strenghths in the final, with most racks decided by fouls or mistakes- at 4-3 McIntosh, an O'Hare in-off in potting the 8 ball-his second of the match, handed victory to McIntosh, who has now won 14 consecutive matches in ANBA tournaments. Derek Hearns 3 year old record of 35 will still take some catching.

  Results: Quarter-finals: M.McIntosh 4 S.Mitchell 2; R.Law 4 M.Gravener 0; J.O'Hare 4 D.Young 2; Bruce Pitcher 4 A.Grant 2 Semi-finals: McIntosh 5 Law 4; O'Hare 5 Pitcher 2 Final: McIntosh 5 O'Hare 3

  Standings:1.M.McIntosh 243 points; 2.M.Gravener 163; 3.J.O'Hare 124; 4.R.Law 118; 5.P.McCarron 117; 6.S.Mitchell 113; 7.A.Yau 94; 8.A.Pirie 93; 9.G.Duncan 92; 10.S.Baxter 89

18/4/04: SAPPA Tour, Dunfermline:

  6 Aberdeen players travelled to Dunfermline for the third leg of this years SAPPA Tour, and although interest was over before the quarter finals, all 6 players recorded some success. Jim O'Hare reached the last 16, before finding Ian Mitchell (Falkirk) too strong, whilst Neil Tocher scored a satisfying 5-4 win over former top 10 player Jim McCorkhill, from 0-4 behind, but then lost out to Stevie Westwater (Edinburgh).

  Paul Will beat Scott Algie (Glasgow) before Challenge Tour snooker pro Clark Smith (Glasgow) put an end to his run. Gareth Stein beat SAPPA no.24 Rab Armstrong (Falkirk), whilst father Gary Stein won 2 rounds prior to his exit against top junior Jason Shaw (Rutherglen). Brian Craig beat David Kay, before losing out to Paul Martin (Edinburgh).

12/4/04: ANBA Spring League, Week 2:

  After week 2 of the ANBA Spring League at Miami Beach, Martin McIntosh leads the way. Martin, 3rd in the last league, and 4th in the one before that, set himself up as the front runner on this occasion with a consistent display, culminating in a 5-1 final success over Philip Wright, who was returning to ANBA competition after a 6 month break.

  Success story of the evening was the run of Gareth Stein, who took the scalp of none other than multiple ANBA champion John McCann in the last 16, before losing to McIntosh in the semi finals. Another former champ to lose in the last 16 was Mark Oaten, whilst the cut-throat nature of the group stages has never been better demonstrated as regular top 6 finishers Jim O'Hare, Gary Aitkenhead, Scott Baxter, Mark Gravener and Scott Gilbert all failed to progress.

  Results: Quarter finals: G.Innes bt. A.Pirie 4-3; P.Wright bt. K.Burt 4-3; M.McIntosh bt. P.McCarron 4-3; G.Stein bt. J.Balment 4-1 Semi finals: Wright bt. Innes 4-1; McIntosh bt. Stein 4-0 Final: McIntosh bt. Wright 5-1 

  Standings: 1.M.McIntosh 143 points; 2.M.Gravener 123; 3.A.Yau 104; 4.P.McCarron 85; 5.G.Duncan 83; 6.K.Burt 76; 7.S.Mitchell 71; 8.P.Wright 71; 9.Gary Stein 68; 10.J.Balment 67

5/4/04: ANBA Spring League, Week 1:

  Mark Gravener, usually fast out the blocks at the start of a new league season, continued that tradition with victory in the week 1 event of the ANBA Spring League at Miami Beach. After losing his opening match to ANBA no.5 Steve Mitchell, Mark dropped only 3 more racks on the way to the quarter final-where he held his nerve in the deciding rack against Martin McIntosh. Victory over Gary Stein in the semi final brought about a final encounter with Anthony Yau- playing in his first ANBA event for 8 months.

  Mark won the opening rack by cleverly dislodging the 8 ball from under the middle pocket knuckle, and cutting it almost 90 degrees to leave an easy 9; at 2-1, a fortunate cannon on the 8 left the 9 easy again for Mark, who then forged 4-1 ahead; Anthony then hit a 3 rack burst to force a decider, but in attempting to bank the 1 ball, left it directly in front of the 9 for an unmissable combination, which Mark gratefully accepted.

  Results: Quarter finals: Gary Stein bt E.Jones 4-0; M.Gravener bt. M.McIntosh 4-3; A.Yau bt. S.Mitchell 4-0; G.Duncan bt. P.McCarron 4-2 Semi finals: Gravener bt. Stein 5-2; Yau bt. Duncan 5-2 Final:Gravener bt. Yau 5-4

 26/3/04:"Pool Olympics":

  Something a little different will take place at Miami Beach this Monday evening; instead of the usual league action, players are invited to take part in a multi-discipline, pool-based festival. The idea has already been labelled "Pool Olympics", and it is hoped that this fun alternative to the cut-throat competitiveness of the ANBA circuit, will become a regular feature in the close season weeks. It all starts at 6:30 on Monday evening, £5 to enter. Full details can be found here.

23/3/04: New ANBA Rankings:

  In the latest ANBA Rankings, published after the end of season League Cup, Jim O'Hare retains top spot despite a poor league showing, whilst John McCann's infrequent competitive play doesn't affect his second place. Martin McIntosh is the most significant top 10 climber, rising from 7 to 3 after a best ever 3rd place in the league. Gary Aitkenhead rises from 10th to 6th, whilst league runner up Scott Baxter arrives one place short of the top 10 at 11th. Champion Pat McCarron moves up 3 to 12th. David Young is the only top 16 casualty, dropping out to be replaced by league 4th Graham Innes.

  Craig Malcolm is the highest climber, rising 36 places to 44th. There are good moves also for Ryan Law (40th to 26th), Adam Smith (42nd to 28th) and Michael Adams (45th to 33rd). Marc Davis, after a promising league cup run, is the highest of 18 new entries at 46th.

  There is an open singles event at Rileys/Churchills, Glasgow on Sunday at 12:30; the event follows the friendly international between Scotland and Ireland the previous day, and as such will feature the cream of both countries' players. Entry fee is 15 pounds; contact Jim O'Hare for further details.

22/3/04: ANBA Winter League Cup:

  From having never won a League Cup title just 3 months ago, John McCann scooped his second consecutive victory on Tuesday evening, with a win over Marc Davis in the final at Rileys, Chapel Street. 

  Davis was bidding to be the first unseeded winner of the event since Paul Reid in 2000, and quickly demonstrated his ability with victories over ANBA numbers 10 (Gary Aitkenhead) and 16 (Andy McCartney) to reach the quarter finals. The 16-year old nephew of snooker legend Steve Davis was playing in only his third ANBA 9 ball event, and showed admirable coolness under pressure in recovering from 3-5 to win 6-5 against Steve Mitchell in the next round; playing with increasing confidence, Davis matched Jim O'Hare shot for shot in a semi final dominated by long safety battles to prevail 6-5 again.

  McCann, meanwhile was only troubled on his path by newly crowned league champion Pat McCarron, who took 3 racks off the 6-times league champ. By the time the final was ready to play, it was past midnight, and both players agreed to resume matters the following evening in a race to 11 final. With his momentum interrupted, the youngster could not stay with McCann, and the League Cup holder retained his title with a fluent display.

  Results (Seeds in brackets): Quarter finals: J.O'Hare[1] 6-2 S.Baxter[8]; M.Davis[-] 6-5 S.Mitchell[5]; G.Stein[-] 6-5 A.Smith[-]; J.McCann[2] 6-3 P.McCarron[10] Semi finals: Davis 6-5 O'Hare; McCann 6-0 Stein Final: McCann 11-5 Davis

15/3/04: ANBA Winter League, week 10:

  Pat McCarron became the youngest ever winner of the ANBA League, when, just half an hour short of his sixteenth birthday, he clinched the Winter League title at Miami Beach. In terms of drama, this was the most exciting finish to a league in history.

  At the start of play, McCarron, along with Graham Innes, Scott Baxter and Scott Gilbert were all in with good shouts of winning the league; another 3 had outside hopes (Steve Mitchell, Martin McIntosh & Mark Gravener), whilst to add spice to events, multiple former champ John McCann turned up to play. John was still in with a chance of a top 6 finish, and when he drew McIntosh and McCarron in a first round group, the pressure was on all 3 immediately. McCarron missed an 8 ball at 3-0 up against McCann, then lost 4-3; he recovered sufficient composure to beat McIntosh to secure his place in the knockout phase; then McIntosh delivered the shock of the evening with a 4-1 win over McCann to give the 6 times champ a rare early bath.

  Meanwhile, fellow title hopefuls Innes, Gilbert, & Baxter progressed to the last 16, where Gilbert was the first to drop out of contention with a 4-3 defeat to McIntosh. McIntosh turned party pooper again in the quarters with a solid victory over Innes, setting up a semi-final with Baxter, a final rack winner over Gary Duncan. In the bottom half of the draw, McCarron endured a 4-3 win over Roy Rimmer, and at 4-3 down to Ryan Law in the quarters, was facing defeat as Law potted the final 9 ball. However the cue ball dropped into a middle pocket, to bring up 4-4, and McCarron needed only one more shot as the 9 trickled in from the break in the decider, much to Law's astonishment.

  At the semi final stage, McCarron and Baxter were clear league favourites, whoever progressed furthest being champion; McIntosh could still win, but needed to win the event, and for Gary Aitkenhead to oust McCarron in the other semi. Baxter marched into a 3-0 lead over McIntosh, but hung the 9 with 4-1 looming; this meant 3-2 and a turning point as McIntosh reeled off the next 4 to end Baxter's hopes, and prolong his own. All eyes turned to the other semi final, where at 5-4 down, McCarron enjoyed some of the good running that deserted him in last weeks final, as Aitkenhead first over-run position from 8 to 9 to lose the 10th rack, then went in off on the 8 in the decider to confirm McCarron as champion.

  With the honours decided, McCarron relaxed into a fluent game in the final, and the champion enjoyed another "golden break" on the way to a 6-2 victory.

  Results: Quarter finals: M.McIntosh 5-1 G.Innes; S.Baxter 5-4 G.Duncan; G.Aitkenhead 5-4 J.O'Hare; P.McCarron 5-4 R.Law Semi finals: McIntosh 6-3 Baxter; McCarron 6-5 Aitkenhead Final: McCarron 6-2 McIntosh

  Final standings: 1.P.McCarron 454 points; 2.S.Baxter 395; 3.M.McIntosh 388; 4.G.Innes 386; 5.S.Gilbert 379; 6.S.Mitchell 335; 7=.J.O'Hare & G.Aitkenhead 326; 9.M.Gravener 313; 10.J.McCann 294

8/3/04: ANBA Winter League, Week 9:

  With 1 week to go of the ANBA Winter League, a new favourite has emerged to take the honours. Positioned at 23rd just 2 weeks ago, Graham Innes finds himself within a few points of the leader in 4th place, having won the week 9 event at Miami Beach, a second successive victory.

  Innes successfully negotiated stubborn encounters against John Keller and Gary Aitkenhead to take his place in the final against Pat McCarron, who himself had taken out 3 of the leagues top 8 players (including leader Scott Baxter) on the way to the final. The final itself went to a deciding rack, when McCarron broke off, unluckily potted nothing, and left the dreaded combination of 1 onto 9 for his opponent.

  In the standings, any one of about 6 or 7 players can still win the title, such is the closeness; Innes, with momentum on his side, probably just shades favouritism as he has no deductions to come off his total; leader Baxter could win next weeks deciding tournament, and still not win the league, as he has played all 9 weeks so far, and only a players best 8 performances will count. However, these 2 seem the most likely winners, with McCarron and Scott Gilbert best of the rest. Mark Gravener, Martin McIntosh and Steve Mitchell all have slender chances, but need a few results to go their way. Prize money will bea paid to the top 6 finishers.

  Results: Quarter finals: P.McCarron 4-1 S.Baxter; M.McIntosh 4-2 S.Mitchell; G.Aitkenhead 4-3 R.Law; G.Innes 4-3 J.Keller Semi finals: McCarron 4-3 McIntosh; Innes 4-3 Aitkenhead Final: Innes 4-3 McCarron

  Standings: 1.S.Baxter 373 points; 2.P.McCarron 371; 3.S.Gilbert 346; 4.G.Innes 345; 5.S.Mitchell 335; 6.M.McIntosh 323; 7. M.Gravener 313; 8.J.O'Hare 299; 9.G.Aitkenhead 291; 10.A.Smith 291 

7/3/04: SAPPA Tour, 2nd leg:

  4 Aberdeen players travelled to the latest SAPPA event in Bellshill; John McCann fared best, ousting snooker pro Clark Smith (Glasgow) in the first round, before running into an inspired Jason Shaw (Glasgow) in the last 16; Shaw was the eventual beaten finalist.

  Jim O'Hare reached the final qualifying round, losing to eventual semi-finalist Chic McCaig (Glasgow) whilst both Ean Jones and Brian Craig reached the penultimate qualifying round, Jones losing to another semi-finalist Paddy Moir (Dunfermline), and Craig falling to Davy Jack (Arbroath), runner-up in the previous event.

1/3/04: ANBA Winter League, Week 8:

  A staggering 39 players turned up to play in the latest tournament of the ANBA Winter League at Miami Beach on Monday, a record for a league event at that venue. The result was that the usual format of initial group matches could not be considered due to time constraints, and a "straight knockout" format was agreed.

  In the last 32, ex champ Neil Tocher enjoyed a 4-0 victory despite playing in his first league event since December; league secretary Karin Burt, playing with a borrowed cue, ousted talented youngster Roy Rimmer, another ex-regular planning to return regularly; there were notable defeats for title hopefuls Adam Smith (4th at start of play), Philip Craig (8th) and Jim O'Hare (5th).

  The pattern of players at the upper end of the league falling, continued in the last 16 as Steve Mitchell (2nd) found Gary Aitkenhead in good form; Mark Gravener toppled leader Scott Baxter; and Karin Burt continued her good run with a win over 6th placed Pat McCarron.

  Aitkenhead and Burt kept up the good work in the next round to sweep into the semis; Graham Innes joined them with a hard fought win over Brian Craig, whilst Mark Gravener and Scott Gilbert, by now the 2 highest placed left in the event, met and Gilbert got the better of a 6-5 nail-biter.

  With Gilbert and Innes both sharp after deciding rack victories, they posted comfortable wins over Burt and Aitkenhead respectively, in the semis and the 2 "drinking buddies" therefore met in a final for the second time. In their last final, Innes came back from behind to win 7-5, but on this occasion was never headed in a 6-2 victory, a win which denied Gilbert league leadership at the 8 week stage.

  Results: Quarter finals: G.Innes 6-5 B.Craig; G.Aitkenhead 6-0 G.Duncan; K.Burt 6-3 M.McIntosh; S.Gilbert 6-5 M.Gravener Semi finals: Innes 6-3 Aitkenhead; Gilbert 6-3 Burt Final: Innes 6-2 Gilbert

  Standings: 1.S.Baxter 341 points; 2.S.Gilbert 316; 3.S.Mitchell 311; 4.P.McCarron 298; 5.A.Smith 291; 6.J.O'Hare 284; 7.M.Gravener 281; 8.J.McCann 273; 9.M.McIntosh 269; 10.P.Craig 260

  Players are reminded that league placings will alter drastically in the next 2 weeks, as only a players best 8 finishes count towards league placings.

  There is a Scottish ranking event this weekend in Rileys, Bellshill at 11:00am.  £15 entry (members) £25 (non-members)

Monday 23/2/04: ANBA Winter League, Week 7

  Steve Mitchell won the week 7 event in the ANBA Winter League at Miami Beach on Monday, to launch a belated title challenge. Mitchell, runner-up in the Autumn 2003 League, has been in indefferent form all season, but found his touch to land the spoils.

  In the final against Brian Craig, who was making his debut in the final of an ANBA ranking event, Mitchell saw his 2-0 lead disappear as Craig got into the match; from then on, it was rack for rack; with Mitchell leading 5-4, Craig looked set to clear 7, 8 & 9 to force the decider, but snookered himself on the 8 in potting the 7. With Mitchell back in control of the table, only a couple more visits were required, including another snooker on the 8, to secure a victory which represents a 10 place jump in the table, from 12th to 2nd.

  Craig Malcolm demonstrated how last weeks whitewash of 6 times champion John McCann was no fluke with a run to the semi finals; Scott Baxter beat Autumn champ Jim O'Hare and is rewarded with league leadership with 3 weeks to go.

  Results: Quarter finals: S.Baxter 5-1 A.Smith; S.Mitchell 5-3 A.Pirie; C.Malcolm 5-1 S.Gilbert; B.Craig 5-4 G.Duncan Semi finals: Mitchell 6-3 Baxter; Craig 6-1 Malcolm Final: Mitchell 6-4 Craig

 Standings: 1. S.Baxter 310 points; 2.S.Mitchell 279; 3. J.McCann 273; 4.=A.Smith & J.O'Hare 268; 6.P.McCarron 264; 7. S.Gilbert 244; 8.P.Craig 242; 9.M.Gravener 236; 10. M.McIntosh 226

Monday 16/2/04: ANBA Winter League, Week 6

  John McCann resumed normal service at the top of the ANBA Winter League on Monday night at Miami Beach, when he won the week 6 event. A rare defeat for the 6-times champion at the venue was handed out by teenager Craig Malcolm in the group stages, but McCann nonetheless qualified, and proceeded to rip through the knockout phase with his usual efficiency. In the semi finals, Andy McCartney showed stubborn resistance in his first semi final appearance since July, and can count himself unlucky to jaw a 6-ball with a deciding rack looming.

  Meanwhile Pat McCarron, in the other half of the draw took 2 cool finishes from 2-1 to end Summer champion Mark Oatens chances in the semi final. At 2-2 in the final, McCarron uncharacteristically missed a short range 8 ball to hand McCann an advantage which he didn't thereafter surrender.

  In the latest league positions, McCann holds top spot after maintaining his record of either winning, or finishing runner-up to a deciding rack finish, in every ANBA event he enters, a sequence that now stretches to 8 tournaments. McCarron goes 2nd after what is his best finish of the season so far, whilst Scott Baxter remains in the top 3 at 3rd. Consistent showings from Mark Gravener (4th) and Philip Craig (5th) justify their positions; Jim O'Hare is 6th, and long term leader Adam Smith drops off the top spot to 7th after a 2nd consecutive "no show".

  Results: Quarter finals: M.Oaten 4-3 P.Craig; P.McCarron 4-2 S.Baxter; A.McCartney 4-3 M.McIntosh; J.McCann 4-1 M.Davis Semi finals: McCarron 4-1 Oaten; McCann 4-2 McCartney Final: McCann 5-2 McCarron

Sunday 15/2/04 SAPPA Tour, 1st leg

  6 ANBA players travelled to Stirling for the start of the Scottish American Pool Players Association (SAPPA) season. There was disappointment for Ean Jones, David Young and Boyd Strachan who all made early exits, but debutant Brian Craig won a prelim to reach the event proper, before his form deserted him. Neil Tocher won a couple of rounds, but ex-ANBA member Jim Smith (Edinburgh) knocked him out 5-4 after Neil had missed a 9 for a 5-3 win. Jim O'Hare won 3 matches to go to the knockout phase and missed a great opportunity to knock out an off form Scottish no.1 Geoff Dunn (Falkirk), who emerged from a scrappy encounter a 7-3 winner.

Monday 9/2/04: ANBA Winter League Week 5

  Martin McIntosh became the 5th consecutive different winner of an ANBA event at Miami Beach on Monday night, when he won week 5 of the ANBA Winter League. The Scotland junior 8-ball international warmed up for next weekends home internationals in Jersey by demonstrating his flair on the larger tables- a 6-2 win over Jim O'Hare in the final wrapping up the 15 year olds first ANBA ranking event victory.

  Martin had earlier came back from the dead in his semi final, beating Gary Stein from a 4-1 deficit. In the final, McIntosh went 2-0 up, but O'Hare won the next 2 to level; the key to victory in the next rack was a brave cut-combination of 1 onto 9 from distance, with only millimetres of the 1 ball showing. An O'Hare attempt to cannon from 3 onto 8 and 9 in the next left the 9 over a pocket, and McIntosh doubled the 3 length of the table onto it for 4-2. With momentum now in McIntosh's favour, a cool clearance brought up 5-2, and any thoughts of a comeback were quickly extinguished with a "golden break" in the next, his 3rd 9 from the break of the evening.

  McIntosh now leaps from 21st to just outside the prize money places at 7th; of all the event winners at the halfway stage, only 2 are in the top 6 (Adam Smith & Scott Baxter) who are 1st and 2nd, with O'Hare 3rd.

  Results: Quarter finals: J.O'Hare 5-4 S.Baxter; S.Gilbert 5-2 R.Law; Gary Stein 5-4 M.Gravener; M.McIntosh 5-2 P.Craig; Semi finals: O'Hare 5-0 Gilbert; McIntosh 5-4 Stein Final: McIntosh 6-2 O'Hare

  Standings: 1.A.Smith 227 points; 2.S.Baxter 215; 3.J.O'Hare 213; 4. M.Gravener 203; 5.P.Craig 199; 6. P.McCarron 192; 7.M.McIntosh 183; 8.Gareth Stein 181; 9.J.McCann 173; 10.S.Gilbert 171

  This weekend sees the start of the SAPPA tour, with the first event in Rileys, Stirling. Entry is £15 for SAPPA members (£25 non-members), and has an 11:00 am start.  

Monday 2/2/04: ANBA Winter League Week 4

  Scott Gilbert became the 4th different winner of an ANBA tournament in as many weeks, when he was victorious at Miami Beach in the 4th leg of the Winter League. A routine 8 ball down the rail surprisingly eluded 6 times champion John McCann in the deciding rack of the final, and Gilbert took full advantage to close the match out. Scott is therefore this weeks highest climber, moving 20 plaecs to 11th. McCann moves into a potential cash position in 2nd place behind leader Adam Smith, a semi-finalist on this occasion. Newcomer Mark Davis made an impact in his first ANBA tournament, defeating ANBA numbers 10 (Gary Aitkenhead) and 7 (Martin Mcintosh) on the way to the semis.

  Results: Quarter finals: S.Gilbert 4-2 A.McCartney; M.Davis 4-1 J.Balment; A.Smith 4-1 E.Jones; J.McCann 4-2 J.O'Hare Semi finals: Gilbert 5-2 Davis; McCann 5-2 Smith Final: Gilbert 5-4 McCann

  Standings: 1. A.Smith 227 points; 2. J.McCann 173; 3. S.Baxter 171; 4=. P.McCarron & M.Gravener 159; 6. P.Craig 157;

Thursday 29/1/04: SAPPA Tour Dates announced

  This years Scottish American Pool Players Association tour dates were announced today; the first takes place in the traditional Stirling venue on 15th February, and the tour concludes on November 28th in Coatbridge. New venues Bellshill and Edinburgh host events for the first time, but perhaps most noticably, Aberdeen has for the moment been left off the calendar. Full list under Where It's At.

 Monday 26/1/04: ANBA Winter League Week 3

  Scott Baxter has barely been playing 9-ball for a year, but won a first ever ANBA ranking event at Miami Beach on Monday. The 17 year old confirmed his promise by denying Adam Smith in a close final of week 3 of the ANBA Winter League.

  Scott qualified for the knockout phase despite losing to Pat McCarron in his initial group match; from then on, Baxter improved with every round, a convincing victory over triple semi-finalist Philip Craig putting him in the final. Smith, meanwhile had swept past autumn champion Jim O'Hare, and prevailed over McCarron in the semis after the latter missed an easy 9 ball for 5-5.

  In the final, the first 6 racks were shared in a nervy contest; Smith then broke free to forge 2 racks ahead by clearing up from 2 Baxter errors to go "on the hill". However, Baxter cleared confidently from a Smith in-off to bring up 4-5, and a brave double on the 9 made it 5-5 when position seemed lost. Key moment in the decider was when Smith scratched after a failed 4-9 combination, and Baxter, by now into his stride, cleared the remaining balls.

  Results: Quarter-finals: A.Smith 5-0 J.O'Hare; P.McCarron 5-3 Gareth Stein; S.Baxter 5-2 Gary Stein; P.Craig 5-3 D.Young Semi-finals: Smith 6-4 McCarron; Baxter 6-1 Craig Final: Baxter 6-5 Smith

  Standings: 1. A.Smith 175 points; 2. S.Baxter 162; 3. P.Craig 157; 4. P.McCarron 142; 5. M.Gravener 134; 6. Gareth Stein 118; 7. G.Innes 106; 8. S.Mitchell 105

 Monday 19/1/04: ANBA Winter League Weeks 1 & 2

  After the first 2 weeks of the ANBA Winter League, Mark Gravener is the deserved leader. Mark reached the final in week 1, and the quarter final in week 2-losing both matches only in the deciding rack-to sit top. The only other player showing consistently good performances is Philip Craig; the double semi-finalist sits 2nd, 6 points ahead of week 1 winner Adam Smith, who ties for 3rd with week 2 winner John McCann.

  Smith showed good form all night to win week 1's tournament at Miami Beach; an untroubled run to the semi finals pitted him against Craig, and a hard fought 5-3 victory stood him in good stead for the final tussle with Gravener; Smith prevailed in the final rack for a 5-4 win.

  Meanwhile 6 times champ John McCann swept to victory in week 2; Ryan Law put up stubborn resistance in the quarter finals, before McCann won 5-3. Victory over Philip Craig brought up a final meeting with Graham Innes-who had battled through deciding racks in both the quarters and semis. This was perhaps a factor as Innes could not stop McCann recording a 7-3 final victory.

  Results: (Week 1) Quarter finals: P.Craig 5-1 j.Balment; A.Smith 5-1 S.Garden; M.Gravener 5-2 J.O'Hare; S.Mitchell 5-2 G.Aitkenhead Semi finals: Smith 5-3 Craig; Gravener 5-2 Mitchell Final: Smith 5-4 Gravener

 (Week 2) Quarter finals: J.McCann 5-3 R.Law; P.Craig 5-4 M.Gravener; G.Innes 5-4 Gareth Stein; P.McCarron 5-0 P.Lovie Semi finals: McCann 6-3 Craig; Innes 6-5 McCarron Final: McCann 7-3 innes

  Standings: 1.M.Gravener 117 points; 2.P.Craig 106; 3=A.Smith & J.McCann 100; 5.P.McCarron 88

5/1/02: ANBA Committee Meeting

  The new Winter League commences on Monday 12th January at Miami Beach; as usual, 10 consecutive Monday events will be held at the venue, with points awarded each week towards final league positions. Each event costs £3 to enter (£5 for non ANBA members).
  In a slight change to previous formats, prize money for each individual event will be capped at the same level every week; all residual funds will accumulate into an end of season prize kitty, which will be distributed to the top 6 players in the league.

  The prize fund each week will be:

Winner: £30

Runner-up: £15

Semi-finalists: £5

End of Season Payout will be:

Winner: 30%

Runner-up: 25%

Third: 15%

4th, 5th, 6th: 10% each

  For event formats, ranking points, see "Tournament Structure" and "ANBA Rankings Explained" respectively.

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Last modified: 04/11/06