January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Tuesday
December 27th: ANBA Rankings
The ANBA Rankings received their quarterly
update today, and have an unusual look to them due to the top 3
placings in the Autumn League going to players outside the previous
lists top 20. Winner John McCann and 3rd placed Derek Hearns are both
past ANBA number 1's, but have to make do with climbs to 17th and 27th
respectively in the latest list, due to their inactivity over the
Winter, Spring and Summer seasons. Autumn runner-up Jamie McNolty
re-enters at 26th, having previously been a top 20 player in 2003.
Of the regulars, Jim O'Hare returns to
number 1, largely due to the absence of Darren Matthew from the ANBA
Open; Martin McIntosh (4th to 3rd), Mark Gravener (6th to 5th) and
Gary Esson (9th to 6th) are all significant movers within the top 10,
whilst Sean Croll and Moray Milligan are top 16 debutants.
Good Autumn League form from Philip Craig,
Michael Adams and Adam Smith sees the trio, along with Hearns, McNolty
& McCann, to within touching distance of the top 16. With 300 points
to the winner of January 9th's Autumn League Cup, the door is open for
any of them to join the elite.
The choice of Rileys Chapel Street as the
new venue for ANBA tournaments has seen an influx of new faces-
reflected in the 15 new entries the list carries- and also an upswing
in fortunes for some junior players, whose entry was limited at the
previous venue.
Tuesday
December 13th: ANBA?....Or AEBA?
The ANBA agreed today to cancel the
forthcoming Winter 9-ball league, and replace it with a
Winter 8-ball league.
The first ANBA American 8-ball title will be decided after 10 weeks
tournaments (January 16th-March 20th) at
Rileys Chapel Street.
The move is seen not just as an attempt to "try something new", but
also to give ANBA players a chance to develop their skills at a new
pool discipline- one which will shortly be enjoying a global "boom".
The IPT (International Pool Tour) kicks off
in January in the USA. It's the one you may have read about that
snookers Ronnie O'Sullivan will be joining. That may be due to the
small matter of $200,000 to the winner of each event (!) Clearly, in
terms of prize money, the game is going to overtake 9-ball very
quickly; television coverage will undoubtedly follow, and it is quite
conceivable that it could be the biggest cue-sport game in the world
by 2007.
The ANBA Winter 8-ball league will run on
the exact same format as the ANBA Autumn 2005 9-ball league. That is,
entry fees, ranking points and payouts will be exactly the same. At
the end of the 10 week season, there will be an 8-ball League Cup
(triple ranking points). ANBA 8-ball ranking points will be seperate
from ANBA 9-ball ranking points. If the venture is successful, the
ANBA may decide to alternate between 8 and 9 ball seasons in the
future.
There is no truth in the rumour that we are
changing our name to AEBA. Or ANEBA for that matter.
Monday
December 12th: ANBA Autumn League week 10
The ANBA Autumn League season drew
to a close at Rileys Chapel Street on Monday night. John
McCann had already been declared champion, but the race was on
for places in the final week tournament. Jamie McNolty, 2nd at
the start of play, done enough to hold that spot with 2 wins
to advance to the quarter finals; similarly, Derek Hearns
avoided defeat against Pat McCarron in the first round to end
McCarrons chances, and secure 3rd place for himself. Mark
Gravener (4th at start of play) however suffered a first round
reversal to open the door for several players to steal it from
him.
Of these, Jim O'Hare beat Darren Matthew
to boost his chances, and Philip Craig advanced to the semi
finals to give himself a chance. Then 5th placed Gary Esson
went out to McNolty in the quarters, leaving O'Hare and Craig
as the sole challengers to Essons position- provided they both
made the final. O'Hare beat McNolty in the first semi final to
leapfrog Esson, and Craig looked likely to do the same against
Hearns in the other, but suffered a "kick" on the final 9 ball
at 5-5 to go out. O'Hare then won what was an academic final
in the deciding rack.
Results:
Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare bt. Darren
Matthew 6-5; Jamie McNolty bt. Gary Esson 6-3; Philip Craig bt.
John Keller 6-2; Derek Hearns w/o Moray Milligan (scr.)
Semi finals: O'Hare bt. McNolty 6-4;
Hearns bt. Craig 6-5 Final: O'Hare
bt. Hearns 6-5
Final standings and cash:
1.McCann (£402); 2.McNolty (£201); 3.Hearns (£120); 4.O'Hare
(£60); 5.Esson (£20); 6.Gravener; 7.Craig; 8.Matthew;
9.McCarron; 10.Martin McIntosh
Thanks to Rileys for the use of their
club. The new season kicks off on Monday Jan 9th at the venue
with the Autumn League Cup, followed on the 16th by a 10-week
American 8-ball season- details to follow.
|
Monday
December 5th: ANBA Autumn League week 9
After a gap of 2 and a half
years, John McCann is ANBA
League champion for the 7th time, after clinching the Autumn
2005 title at Rileys Chapel Street. After beating closest
challenger Jamie McNolty in the quarter finals of the week 9
event, McCann had all but sealed the title with a week to
spare. Victory over Craig Park in the semi finals confirmed
McCann's 7th title, a full 9 seasons after his sixth.
Jim
O'Hare defeated McCann in the final to give himself
an outside chance of finishing in the top 5 after next weeks
concluding tournament. As it stands, Jamie McNolty is likely
to finish 2nd having amassed a 55 point lead over 3rd placed
Derek Hearns, who in turn is 40 ahead of Mark Gravener. 5th
placed Gary Esson is just 13 points behind, and carries a 33
point cushion into the final week over O'Hare and Darren
Matthew. Cash is paid out to the top 5 finishers in a 50%,
25%, 15%, 71/2%,
21/2%
share of the cash fund.
Results: Quarter
finals: Philip Craig bt. Martin McIntosh 6-3;
Jim O'Hare bt. Mark Gravener 6-4; John McCann bt. Jamie
McNolty 6-3; Craig Park bt. Michael Adams 6-4 Semi
finals: O'Hare bt. Craig 6-4; McCann bt. Park
6-0 Final: O'Hare bt. McCann 6-4
Standings:
1.McCann 537 points; 2.McNolty 432; 3.D.Hearns 377; 4.Gravener
337; 5.Esson 324; 6=Matthew & O'Hare 291; 8=Pat McCarron &
P.Craig 270; 10.McIntosh 264 Cashpot: £715
|
Monday
November 28th: ANBA Autumn League week 8
John
McCann took a significant step towards a 7th ANBA
League title at Rileys Chapel Street on Monday night. McCann
won the week 8 event in the 10-week Autumn League to hit the
top for the first time this season, as the other 4 players in
the top 5 amazingly all made first round exits.
In the final against Pat McCarron, McCann
was pegged back to 4-4 having opened up a 4-1 lead, but
remained cool under pressure to add the next 2 for victory.
McCarron is the other significant mover in the top 10, rising
to 7th.
Results: Quarter
finals: Bruce McGill 6-2 Darren Matthew; John McCann
6-4 Ryan Law; Pat McCarron 6-4 Philip Craig; Martin McIntosh
6-3 Gary Aitkenhead Semi finals: McCann 6-1
McGill; McCarron 6-5 McIntosh Final: McCann 6-4
McCarron
Standings: 1.McCann 458
points; 2.Jamie McNolty 396; 3.Derek Hearns 377; 4.Gary Esson 323;
5.Mark Gravener 300; 6.Matthew 291; 7.McCarron 243; 8.McIntosh
221; 9.Craig 211; 10.Steve Mitchell 196 Cashpot: £652
|
Sunday
20th, Monday 21st November 2005: ANBA Open / Autumn League week 7
It was a confidence boosting
weekend for Pat McCarron,
as the former ANBA League champion returned to winning
ways at Rileys, Chapel Street. McCarron won the week 7
event in the Autumn League, to stand on the verge of the
top 10 with just 3 weeks to go. After 4 previous first
round exits this season, McCarron gave himself an outside
chance with a sudden death victory over Mark Gravener.
However, it looks a 3-horse race for
the title, as only 30 points separate Jamie McNolty, Derek
Hearns and John McCann after week 7. Hearns will be slight
favourite for eventual glory, as he lies 2nd despite 2
first round exits this season- and is therefore only
likely to lose 19 points when his 8 best performances are
tallied in 3 weeks time; McCann and McNolty have 27 and 48
points to deduct respectively at this stage.
Results:
Quarter finals: Mark Gravener bt.
Gordon Stevenson 6-4; Kenny MacPherson bt.Michael Adams
6-4; Jamie McNolty bt. John McCann 6-3; Pat McCarron bt.
Darren Matthew 6-3 Semi finals:
Gravener bt. MacPherson 6-4; McCarron bt. McNolty 6-3
Final: McCarron bt. Gravener 6-5
Standings:
1.McNolty 388 points; 2.D.Hearns 367; 3.McCann 358; 4.Gary
Esson 313; 5.Gravener 293; 6.Matthew 249; 7.Steve Mitchell
188; 8.Adams 183; 9.J.Hearns 182; 10.Philip Craig 167
Cash fund: £558
Just a day previously,
McCarron was the victim of an ongoing hoodoo which has
thus far prevented any Aberdonian from ever winning the
ANBA Open. In its 5th staging, McCarron found a burst of
form to oust Martin McIntosh in the quarter finals, then
Scottish top-16 ranked Andy Morris in the semis from 4-8
behind. In the final however, runaway Scottish no.1
Michael Valentine proved too strong, and clinched victory
for the 2nd year in a row, and 3rd in all. Valentine found
his feet after being given a wake up call by McIntosh in
the group stages- the young Aberdonian recording a
memorable 6-1 victory.
Results:
Quarter finals(Aberdeen unless stated):
Michael Valentine (Falkirk) bt. Jimmy Pollock (Dundee)
10-7; Jim O'Hare bt. Adam Smith 10-3; Pat McCarron bt.
Martin McIntosh 10-4; Andy Morris (Stirling) bt. Doug
Milne 10-4 Semi finals:
Valentine bt. O'Hare 10-2; McCarron bt. Morris 10-9
Final: Valentine bt. McCarron
11-3
There is a SAPPA ranking event in
Rileys, Bellshill on Sunday (27th Nov.) at 11:30am
|
Monday 14th
November 2005: ANBA Autumn League week 6
The leadership of the ANBA Autumn
League changed hands yet again at Rileys Chapel Street on
Monday, as the week 6 tournament was played. Jamie McNolty
(top at start of play) and John McCann (2nd) both suffered
early exits, and Derek Hearns
took full advantage by winning the tournament.
Derek beat Gary Esson, who himself would
have gone top with a win, in a tight semi final, before
winning the final against Adam Smith. Hearns won an untidy
first rack in the final, and in the second, doubled the 9
confidently after slightly over-running position. Hearns then
sprinted to 4-0 as Smith struggled to find his feet. He did
win the next however, to stop the rot, but Hearns went 5-1
with another "bank" shot on the 9, and took 8 and 9 in the
next to complete victory.
With 4 weeks to go, it looks a 4 horse
race as there is almost a 100 point gap between 4th and 5th,
yet only 49 points separate the top 4. Players competing in
Sundays ANBA Open at Rileys Chapel Street should note that
entries must be received by 11am on 07738 257689.
Results:
Quarter finals: Gary Esson beat Bob Chalmers
6-1; Derek Hearns beat Connor Stuart 6-1; Adam Smith beat
Darren Matthew 6-5; Moray Milligan beat Steve Mitchell 6-4
Semi finals: Hearns beat Esson 6-4;
Smith beat Milligan 6-3 Final:
Hearns beat Smith 6-1
Standings:
1.D.Hearns 357 points; 2.J.McNolty 330; 3.J.McCann 315;
4.G.Esson 308; 5.M.Gravener 213; 6.D.Matthew 206; 7.S.Mitchell
181; 8.J.Hearns 175; 9.P.Craig 167; 10.M.McIntosh 161
Cashpot: £480
|
Monday 7th November 2005: ANBA Autumn League week 5
John McCann
produced a clinical display of 9-ball pool to win the week 5
tournament of the ANBA Autumn League at Rileys Chapel Street. McCannn
beat Gary Esson in the final to pull to within 38 points of league
leader Jamie McNolty at the halfway stage, and in doing so, set
himself up for a tilt at an old record. From 3-2 up against Moray
Milligan in the last 16, McCann won the next 3 racks to reach the
quarter finals; from there, McCann produced 3 whitewashes to win the
tournament, giving him a run of 21 consecutive racks won. That means
he is halfway towards beating Derek Hearns' 4 year old record of 41,
set in the 2001 ANBA Open.
Results:
Quarter finals: Darren Matthew beat Jim O'Hare 6-3; Gary
Esson beat Jamie McNolty 6-2; John McCann beat Michael Adams 6-0; Mark
Gravener beat Andy Pirie 6-3 Semi finals:
Esson beat Matthew 6-3; McCann beat Gravener 6-0 Final:
McCann beat Esson 6-0
Standings: 1.McNolty 323
points; 2.McCann 285; 3.D.Hearns 257; 4.Esson 249; 5.Gravener 183;
6.=Philip Craig & Jack Hearns 167; 8.Matthew 161; 9.Martin McIntosh
153; 10.Steve Mitchell 137 Cashpot: £389
A reminder to players that the 2005 version of
the ANBA Open takes place at Rileys Chapel Street on Sunday Nov 20th
at 11am. Entry is £15 to the usual phone numbers.
|
Monday October 31st: ANBA Autumn League week 4
Jamie McNolty
blitzed his way to the top of the ANBA Autumn League at
Rileys Chapel Street on Monday night. McNolty climbs to the top
after victory over Martin McIntosh in the week 4 event, after
McIntosh had himself cleared McNoltys path to the summit by
beating former champions Derek Hearns and John McCann in
previous rounds.
In the final, however, McIntosh's
opportunities were limited as McNolty opened up a 4-2 lead after
an impressive potting display. An unexpected misjudgement on the
8, with 5-2 looming, gave McIntosh hope, and he potted the 9 and
controlled the next to level. But just as unexpectedly, McIntosh
undercut a 5 to leave McNolty an easy chance, from which he fell
back into "potting mode" to clinch the match.
Results:
Quarter finals: L.Craig 6-4 J.O'Hare;
M.McIntosh 6-3 D.Hearns; S.Mitchell 6-3 Gary Esson; J.McNolty
6-4 P.Will Semi finals: McIntosh 6-3
Craig; McNolty 6-3 Mitchell Final:
McNolty 6-4 McIntosh
Standings:
1.McNolty 281 pts; 2.D.Hearns 248; 3.McCann 185; 4.Esson 174;
5.P.Craig 167; 6.J.Hearns 158; 7.McIntosh 143; 8.M.Gravener 128;
9.Mitchell 109; 10.D.Matthew 103 Cashpot: £322
This years ANBA Open will
take place on Sunday November 20th at Rileys (Chapel Street),
with an 11:00 start. Entry fee is £15, and a double elimination
initial phase will be followed by the knockout stages in the
early evening. Entries to the usual contact numbers.
|
Monday October 25th: ANBA Autumn League week 3
It was a family affair in week 3 of the ANBA
Autumn League at Rileys Chapel Street. Derek
Hearns won the tournament to take his place at the top of the
league for the first time in 3 years. However, for the first time in
ANBA history, the final was between 2 family members as Dereks son Jack
survived 2 deciding rack finishes to take his place.
Any thoughts of father taking it easy on son soon
disappeared as Derek punished an in off with a 1-9 combination, then
sank a golden break to bring up 2-0; a strong finish made it 3-0 before
Jack got off the mark with a clever cannon from 2 to 9. However, Derek
enjoyed a kind run of the balls to go 4-1, and when a slow rolled 6 from
Jack didn't find the pocket, Derek made it 5-1. Derek missed an awkward
9 in the next, but made no mistake in rack 8 to seal a 6-2 victory.
However, the manner of 13 year-old Jacks win over 5th ranked Martin
McIntosh, and close wins over Jamie McNolty and Moray Milligan, suggest
he is a fine prospect.
Results:
Quarter finals: Jack Hearns bt. Moray Milligan 6-5; Jamie
McNolty bt. Connor Stuart 6-2; John McCann bt. Gary Esson 6-2; Derek
Hearns bt. Kenny MacPherson 6-2 Semi finals:
J.Hearns bt. McNolty 6-5; D.Hearns bt. McCann 6-3 Final:
D.Hearns bt. J.Hearns 6-2
Standings: 1.D.Hearns 205
points; 2.McNolty 181; 3.McCann 158; 4.Philip Craig 147; 5.=Esson 131 &
J.Hearns 131; 7.Mark Gravener 118; 8.Darren Matthew 93; 9.Ivan Tulloch
92; 10.MacPherson 85 Cashpot: £237
|
Tuesday October 18th:
SAPPA Championships
This weekend sees the
annual staging of the Scottish Championships at Styx in Kirkcaldy. Entry fee is
£35 (£25 for SAPPA members or juniors), and there is a prize fund of nearly
£3000. It's a double elimination, race to 7 format, and carries double SAPPA
ranking points. If anyone fancies the trip, contact Jim O'Hare on 07738 257689
by Friday evening.
Monday October 17th: ANBA
Autumn League week 2
John McCann
made a return to the winners enclosure by winning the week 2 tournament
of the ANBA Autumn League at Rileys Chapel Street. McCann beat Jamie
McNolty in the deciding rack of the final to record his first win in an
ANBA ranking event for 11 months. McNolty was in first in the decider,
after McCanns scratch from the break left a 2-9 combination, but left
himself snookered after potting the 1. McCann cleared after McNoltys
miss to record maximum points.
Results: Quarter finals: Derek
Hearns bt. Kenny MacPherson 6-3; Jamie McNolty bt. Steve Mitchell 6-3;
John McCann bt. Philip Craig 6-0; Ivan Tulloch bt. Jack Hearns 6-4
Semi finals: McNolty bt. D.Hearns 6-5; McCann bt. Tulloch 6-5
Final: McCann bt. McNolty 6-5
Standings:
|
1 |
Philip Craig |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
140 |
|
2 |
Jamie McNolty |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
121 |
|
3 |
Derek Hearns |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
105 |
|
4 |
John McCann |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100 |
|
5 |
Gary Esson |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
89 |
|
6 |
Mark Gravener |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
88 |
|
7 |
Darren Matthew |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
86 |
|
8 |
Sean Croll |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
70 |
|
9 |
Ivan Tulloch
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
66 |
|
|
Cash fund: £152 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday October 10th: ANBA
Autumn League week 1
The ANBA Autumn League commenced at a
new venue- Rileys Chapel Street- and some old faces returned to the
fray. Three times former champion Derek Hearns took his place in the
field after a years absence, whilst Jamie McNolty returned after 2 years
away. However it was Philip Craig
who took the spoils to set the early pace after surviving deciding racks
in both the semi final and final.
Results: Quarter finals:
Darren Matthew beat Sean Croll 6-2; Gary Esson beat Derek Hearns 6-5;
Philip Craig beat Jim Coltart 6-0; Mark Gravener beat Jamie McNolty 6-1
Semi finals: Esson beat Matthew 6-2; Craig Beat Gravener
6-5 Final: Craig beat Esson 6-5
Standings: 1.Craig 100 points;
2.Esson 80; 3.Gravener 60; 4.Matthew 57; 5.Hearns 45; 6.Croll 42;
7.McNolty 41; 8.Coltart 40
|
Monday September 27th:
ANBA Summer League Cup
The curtain was brought down on 1 years competitive
9-ball pool at The Golden Break last weekend, as the final 2 events were
held.
Firstly, a strong
Edinburgh side (Jim Smith, Cameron Bowes, Craig Blackstock &
Joni Holden) made the long trip north worthwhile, as they scooped the
honours in the charity team event on Sunday; they beat Perth in the
final of an event that raised £600 for the Anthony Nolan trust. Thanks
to all teams who entered.
Then on Monday, the concluding phase of the ANBA
Summer League Cup was held. Jim O'Hare
won the event after transforming a 2-5 deficit into a 10-7 lead against
Anthony Yau in the race to 13 final. Although Yau pulled it back to
9-10, O'Hare won the next 3 for the title.
Results (ANBA Summer
League Cup) Play off round [seeds in brackets]:
Martin McIntosh[2] beat Gary Esson[7] 7-2; Andy Pirie[6] beat Craig Park
7-5; Sean Croll beat Ryan Law 7-4; Anthony Yau[5] beat Ross Adams 7-2
Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare[1] beat
McIntosh 11-7; Mark Gravener[4] beat Pirie 11-6; Croll beat Kenny
MacPherson[3] 11-9; Yau beat George Mitchell 11-7 Semi
finals: O'Hare beat Gravener 11-7; Yau beat Croll 11-6
Final: O'Hare beat Yau 13-9
In the latest ANBA rankings, there are some healthy
climbs for the players involved at the business end of the Summer League
Cup. Winner Jim O'Hare goes 2nd behind leader Darren Matthew, Kenny
MacPherson is a top 3 player for the first time at 3rd, whilst there are
1 place climbs for Mark Gravener, Anthony Yau and Andy Pirie at 6th,8th
and 10th respectively. Craig Park is new to the top 16, as is Sean Croll
to the top 20 and George Mitchell is 27th within just a season and a
half of joining the ANBA set-up.
|
Monday September 20th:
ANBA Summer League Cup
The Golden Break played host to the ANBA
Summer League Cup on Monday evening, as the field was whittled down to
12 players. 3 of the top 8 seeds advanced directly to the quarter
finals, while another 4 have to negotiate a play-off next Monday to
progress. George Mitchell, better
known as a snooker player, is the only non seed in the quarters, and
awaits the winner of the Ross Adams-Anthony Yau play-off. Meanwhile top
seed Jim O'Hare and second seed Martin McIntosh find themselves in the
top quarter after McIntosh's early defeat from Sean Croll sent him to
the "one loss" side of the draw. McIntosh recovered to make the
play-offs where he faces 7th seed Gary Esson for a shot at O'Hare in
what looks the toughest section of the draw. 3rd seed Kenny MacPherson
was given a stern test by unseeded Craig Park, before advancing with a
win over Anthony Yau; Park meanwhile set up a play-off with Andy Pirie
after squeezing out Moray Milligan. The event will be played to a
conclusion at The Golden Break on Monday (26th). Fixtures [seeds in
brackets]:
Play-off round
(race to 7, 6:45pm start):
Martin McIntosh[2] v. Gary Esson[7]; Craig Park[-] v. Andy Pirie[6];
Ryan Law[-] v. Sean Croll[-]; Ross Adams[-] v. Anthony Yau[5]
Quarter finals
(race to 11, 7:30pm start): Jim
O'Hare[1] v. McIntosh or Esson; Mark Gravener[4] v. Park or Pirie; Kenny
MacPherson[3] v. Law or Croll; George Mitchell[-] v. Adams or Yau
Semi finals
(race to 11, 8:45pm), and
Final (race to 13, 10:00pm)
to follow.
|
Tuesday September 13th:
Provisional ANBA Rankings
Darren Matthew's capture
of a second consecutive league title has propelled him to the number 1 position
in the ANBA rankings for the first time. Matthew swaps places with previous
summit holder Mark Oaten in an otherwise unchanged top 5 after his 612 points
haul in the summer league gave him a 400 point lead. Oaten has the
slimmest of leads-1 point- over 3rd placed Jim O'Hare after a largely inactive
summer season, Martin McIntosh (4th) holds only a 9 point lead over 5th placed
Kenny Mac Pherson, whilst Mark Gravener and Steve Mitchell both climb a place to
6th and 7th respectively. MacPherson, Mitchell and Gravener all have the chance
to climb further when the rankings are finalised after next weeks Summer League
Cup. Since none of the 3 entered last years version, they have no deductions to
come off their points totals. Of the top 4, Oaten's ranking, as holder, looks
most likely to suffer unless he retains the title.
Further down the list,
Andy Pirie (11th to 10th), Gary Esson (14th to 11th) and Bruce McGill (15th to
13th) are upwardly mobile members of the top 16, which consists of the same 16
players from the Spring rankings. Moray Milligan and Sean Croll are the only
newcomers to the top 32 at 30th and 31st after good summer league showings,
whilst Ross Adams is the highest climber in the list (79th to 52nd). Alex Scott,
a former top 20 player until a hand injury halted his progress, is the highest
of 6 new entries at 56th.
Top 16(the 8
highest ranked eligible players who enter the Summer League Cup on September
19th will be seeded): 1.D.Matthew 2655 points; 2.M.Oaten 2244;
3.J.O'Hare 2243; 4.M.McIntosh 1981; 5.K.MacPherson 1974; 6.M.Gravener 1704;
7.S.Mitchell 1536; 8.P.McCarron 1398; 9.A.Yau 1267; 10.A.Pirie 1184; 11.G.Esson
1156; 12. B.Craig 996; 13.B.McGill 991; 14.G.Reid 926; 15.P.Craig 814;
16.J.McCann 720
Monday September 12th:
ANBA Summer League week 10
Darren Matthew retained the title of ANBA league champion by winning
the summer version at The Golden Break. With little to choose between himself
and Jim O'Hare going into the final week, the title would go to whoever
progressed further in the week 10 tournament. As it was, the 2 met in the semi
final in a winner takes all showdown. O'Hare broke in the first, but with the
balls spread nicely, snookered himself on the 2-ball; Matthew cleared with ball
in hand to draw first blood-a fluke on the 9 giving him a 1-0 lead. There was
nothing flukey about the next 3 however, as Matthew powered to 4-0. With 5-0
looming in the race to 7 clash, Matthew wobbled the 8, and O'Hare got on the
scoresheet. O'Hare won the 6th as well after a Matthew in-off, and brought up
4-4 as momentum shifted. O'Hare potted 4 balls from the break in the next, but
missed a thin 1-ball with everything else in the open, and Matthew took
advantage for 5-4; however, O'Hare cleared from a Matthew push-out in the next
to bring the title down to a best of 3. A scratch on the break in the 11th rack
proved to be O'Hares undoing as Matthew cleared to the 6, and left an awkward 7
for his opponent. The resultant miss handed Matthew 6-5, and he then finished in
style with a positionally perfect break and finish for 7-5.
In the battle for places,
Kenny MacPherson beat Martin McIntosh to condemn him to 5th place, and after the
exit of Mark Gravener in the quarters, needed to reach the final and win 4 racks
to grab 3rd for himself. At 5-2 down to Darren Matthew, MacPherson won the next
then fired down a "golden break" in the ninth rack to make certain of the 3rd
place.
Results:
ANBA Summer League, week10: Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare beat
Mark Gravener 7-6; Darren Matthew beat Gary Esson 7-4; Martin McIntosh beat Sean
Croll 7-2; Kenny MacPherson beat Steve Mitchell 7-? Semi finals:
Matthew beat O'Hare 7-5; MacPherson beat McIntosh 7-4 Final:
Matthew beat MacPherson 7-4
Final standings and
cash: 1st Darren Matthew 612 points (£247) 2nd Jim O'Hare 573 (£123) 3rd
Kenny MacPherson 441 (£74) 4th Mark Gravener 440 (£37) 5th Martin McIntosh 421
(£12) 6th Gary Esson 374; 7th Moray Milligan 354; 8th Steve Mitchell 317; 9th
Andy Pirie 272; 10th Bruce McGill 217
Monday September 5th:
ANBA Summer League week 9
It's a 2-horse race for the ANBA Summer League
after the week 9 event at The Golden Break.
Jim O'Hare won for the second consecutive week
to pull to within 28 points of leader Darren Matthew. However, since
only a players best 8 performances from 10 events count towards their
total, O'Hare effectively has a 1 point lead going into week 10.
Provided both players progress beyond the last 16 in Mondays week 10
tournament, then whoever goes furthest will be crowned champion. It's a
close call for the places as well as 92 points separate the next 5
players. Mark Gravener is favourite to grab 3rd spot, but it'll be a
scramble for the remaining 2 places as cash is paid out to the top 5.
Results: ANBA Summer
League Week 9: Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare beat
Kenny MacPherson 7-6; Anthony Yau beat Andy Pirie 7-6; Bruce McGill beat
Alex Scott 7-4; Gary Esson beat Darren Matthew 7-5 Semi
finals: O'Hare beat Yau 7-4; McGill beat Esson 7-2
Final: O'Hare beat McGill 7-1
Standings: 1.Matthew 541
points; 2.O'Hare 513; 3.Gravener 422; 4.MacPherson 390; 5.Martin
McIntosh 373; 6.Moray Milligan 354; 7.Esson 330; 8.Steve Mitchell 286;
9.Pirie 253; 10.McGill 215 Cash fund: £454
|
Monday August 29th: ANBA
Summer League week 8
Jim O'Hare won the week 8 event of the ANBA Summer League at
the Golden Break this week to emerge as the closest challenger to Darren
Matthews title charge. Matthew holds a 93 point lead with 2 weeks
remaining, although this is effectively only 54 points once the players 2 worst
performances are deducted. In reality, 6 players are still in contention, as the
next 4 in the table are within 150 points of Matthews total. Unusually, the
quarter final line up comprised the top 8 players in the league, who all managed
to avoid each other in the draw.
Results:
Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare beat Martin McIntosh 7-3; Darren Matthew
beat Kenny MacPherson 7-6; Steve Mitchell beat Moray Milligan 7-5; Gary Esson
beat Mark Gravener 7-2 Semi finals: O'Hare beat Matthew 7-2;
Mitchell beat Esson 7-5 Final: O'Hare beat Mitchell 7-4
Standings:
1.Matthew 506 points; 2.O'Hare 413; 3.Gravener 399; 4.MacPherson 372; 5.McIntosh
371; 6.Milligan 353; 7.Mitchell 275; 8.Esson 273; 9.Andy Pirie 207; 10.Sean
Croll 171 Cash fund: £414
Monday August 22nd: ANBA
Summer League week 7
Martin McIntosh, hovering just outside the top 5 for the most part of
the season so far, climbed into the top 3 after success in the 7th event of the
season at The Golden Break. McIntosh, a winner and twice runner-up in the last 4
leagues, looks set for another high finish this time after beating title
favourite Darren Matthew in the final on this occasion. McIntosh recovered from
2-5 and 4-6 behind to edge the match 7-6, but still has a 121 point gap to plug
between himself and Matthew if he is to win a 2nd title.
Results: Quarter
finals: Martin McIntosh bt. Kenny MacPherson 7-2; Andy Pirie bt. Philip
Craig 7-6; Darren Matthew bt. Brian Craig 7-5; Jim O'Hare bt. George Mitchell
7-2 Semi finals: McIntosh bt. Pirie 7-4; Matthew bt. O'Hare 7-1
Final: McIntosh bt. Matthew 7-6
Standings:
1.Matthew 449 points; 2.Mark Gravener 357; 3.McIntosh 328; 4.MacPherson 326;
5.O'Hare 313; 6.Moray Milligan 308; 7.Gary Esson 213; 8.Pirie 207; 9.Steve
Mitchell 196; 10.Sean Croll 164 Cash fund: £370
Monday August 15th: ANBA
Summer League week 6
Darren Matthew
emphatically confirmed himself as favourite for the ANBA Summer League
by winning the week 6 event at The Golden Break. Matthew recorded a
second successive ranking event win with victory over Bruce McGill in
the final. Playing at a quick tempo, Darren quickly opened up a 4-0 lead
in the final. McGill looked certain to pull 1 back but jawed the 9 to
put Matthew on the hill. However, a clever carom by McGill in the next
averted the whitewash, and a gritty clearance made it 2-5; a missed 7
ball by McGill in the next left Matthew with an easy finish for the
match. Matthew now moves ominously into
top spot in the league with 4 weeks remaining, taking over from Mark
Gravener. Moray Milligan and Kenny MacPherson are 3rd & 4th respectively
despite last 16 exits, whilst Jim O'Hare goes 5th after a
3rd consecutive semi-final.
Results:
Quarter final: Alex Scott 6-5 Andy Pirie; Bruce McGill 6-5
Martin McIntosh; Darren Matthew 6-1 Steve Mitchell; Jim O'Hare 6-4 Mark
Gravener Semi final: McGill 6-2 Scott; Matthew
6-3 O'Hare Final: Matthew 6-2 McGill
Standings: 1.Matthew 368
pts; 2.Gravener 329; 3.Moray Milligan 298; 4.Kenny MacPherson 284;
5.O'Hare 257; 6.McIntosh 228; 7.Gary Esson 213; 8.Mitchell 170; 9.Sean
Croll 154; 10.Pirie 148 Cash fund: £330
There is a SAPPA ranking event this Sunday at
Rileys, Kirkintilloch- 12:00pm start.
|
Monday 8th August: ANBA
Summer League week 5
Darren Matthew became the first player this season to win 2 ranking
events, as he won the week 5 tournament of the ANBA Summer League at The Golden
Break. Matthew beat league leader Mark Gravener in the quarter finals, gained
revenge for last weeks defeat to Kenny MacPherson in the semi finals, and was in
awesome form against Moray Milligan in the final.
Milligan at least had the
consolation of climbing to 2nd place in the table after his runner-up spot,
ahead of Matthew in 3rd. Gravener still leads at the halfway stage.
Results:
Quarter finals: Moray Milligan beat Anthony Yau 6-5; Martin McIntosh
beat Sean Croll 6-0; Darren Matthew beat Mark Gravener 6-3; Kenny MacPherson
beat Gary Esson 6-5 Semi finals: Milligan beat McIntosh 6-5;
Matthew beat MacPherson 6-4 Final: Matthew beat Milligan 6-0
Standings:
1.Gravener 285 points; 2.Milligan 269; 3.Matthew 268; 4.MacPherson 254; 5.Esson
205; 6.Jim O'Hare 199; 7.McIntosh 183; 8.Croll 146; 9.Connor Stuart 131;
10.Steve Mitchell 129 Cash fund: £259
Monday 1st August: ANBA
Summer League week 4
Mark Gravener is the new leader in the ANBA summer League after
securing victory in the 4th event of the 10-week series at The Golden Break.
Gravener took a 3-0 lead in the final against Kenny MacPherson and never
loosened his grip until, when clearing up for victory at 5-2, he left the 9 in
the jaws of a pocket. MacPherson responded by winning the next 2 for a lifeline,
before Gravener cleared with his first chance in the next, albeit with an
unintentional "bank" shot on the 9.
Results:
Quarter finals: Kenny MacPherson bt. Gary Esson 6-2; Jim O'Hare bt.
Martin McIntosh 6-5; Connor Stuart bt. Moray Milligan 6-5; Mark Gravener bt. Lee
Craig 6-1 Semi finals: MacPherson bt. O'Hare 6-5; Gravener bt.
Stuart 6-3 Final: Gravener bt. MacPherson 6-4
Standings:
1.Gravener 242 points; 2.O'Hare 199; 3.MacPherson 195 4.Milligan 194; 5.Darren
Matthew 168; 6.Esson 160; 7.McIntosh 123; 8.Stuart 123; 9.Steve Mitchell 119;
10.Sean Croll 106 Cash fund: £214
A new team league will
take place at The Golden Break between October and December. Entries are invited
to teams of 4 players minimum who will compete for £1750 prize money. Further
details can be found on www.goldenbreak.com
Monday July 25th: ANBA
Summer League week 3
Darren Matthew returned to winning ways with victory in the week 3
event of the ANBA Summer League at The Golden Break. Spring League champion
Matthew won his first event of the new season after nearly falling at the first
hurdle. Week 2 winner Steve Mitchell looked to be going into round 2 when he led
5-4 and the balls split nicely in the next. An error on the 7 ball meant loss of
position, and Matthew levelled, and followed up with a "golden break" to
progress. From there onwards, Matthew dropped only 4 more racks all evening on
the way to a comfortable win.
Results:
Quarter finals: J.O'Hare 6-2 A.Smith; G.Esson 6-2 M.Milligan; A.Yau 6-3
P.Craig; D.Matthew 6-1 C.Park Semi finals: Esson 6-4 O'Hare;
Matthew 6-1 Yau Final: Matthew 6-2 Esson
Standings:
1.M.Milligan 149 points; 2.M.Gravener 142; 3=D.Matthew & J.O'Hare 139; 5.G.Esson
118; 6.K.MacPherson 116; 7.S.Mitchell 110; 8.M.McIntosh 78; 9.S.Croll 76;
10.A.Pirie 66 Cash fund: £161
The Golden Break will play
host to a Charity Team Event over the
weekend of 23-25 September. The event will raise funds for the Anthony Nolan
Trust, and teams of 4 players are invited to compete at a cost of £40 per team.
Details are available on www.pro9.co.uk
Monday July 18th: ANBA
Summer League week 2
After missing the ANBA League Cup and week 1
of the new League, Steve Mitchell
returned with a victory over Mark Gravener.
Having been 5-0 up against Bob Chalmers in
the quarter finals, Steve Mitchell saw his lead disappear to only one
rack after a battling performance from Bob. A nervy finish finally saw
Steve take a 6-4 victory. In the semi-final against Kenny MacPherson a
golden break at 5-5 saw Steve into his first final in several weeks to
face Mark Gravener.
After sharing the first 2 racks, Steve took
an early 2-1 lead but failed to extend his lead to 3-1 after missing
out on an easy 7,8,9 finish. Mark won the next rack after an
impressive clearance to close the gap to one, however Steve took the
next 3 racks to lead 5-2. Another golden break in the next rack saw
Steve win week 2 with a 6-2 victory.
Results: Quarter finals:
Kenny MacPherson beat Sean Croll 6-1; Steve Mitchell beat Bob
Chalmers 6-4; Connor Stuart beat Martin McIntosh 6-1; Mark Gravener
beat George Mitchell 6-4 Semi finals: Mitchell beat
MacPherson 6-5 Gravener beat Stuart 6-1 Final: Mitchell
beat Gravener 6-2
Standings: 1.Gravener 134
points; 2.M.Milligan 107; 3.S.Mitchell 100; 4.MacPherson 88;
5.J.O'Hare 80; 6.McIntosh 69; 7.M.Oaten 58; 8.Stuart 56; 9.Chalmers
50; 10.Croll 49 Cash fund: £94
|
Sunday July 17th: SAPPA
US Open qualifier
In the SAPPA US Open qualifier played at
Falkirk on Sunday, Pat Holtz won a gripping final against
Scotland no.1 Michael Valentine to win an all-expenses paid trip to
the event. Of the Aberdeen contingent, 17-year old
Ross Adams upset the form book to
progress furthest. Adams, the last of the 4 local players to qualify,
negotiated group matches against experienced dup Sanjay Varma
(Edinburgh) and Peter McLanachan (Stewarton) to reach the last 16,
where he put SAPPA no.24 Davie Markie (Glasgow) to the sword. Stevie
Westwater (Edinburgh) proved too strong in the quarter finals however
to defeat the youngster, who was debuting in a SAPPA event. Jim O'Hare
and Mark Oaten exited at the last 16 stage, Stevie Capaldi (Glasgow)
and Paddy Moir (Dunfermline) respectively ending the pairs hopes.
|
Monday July 11th: ANBA
Summer League, week 1
Week 1 of the ANBA Summer League took place
at The Golden Break on Monday, and a trend which developed last season
looks set to continue as another first time winner of an ANBA event
emerged. Moray Milligan, ranked
59th found a potting fluency and maintained it for the entire evening
to set the early league pace.
Milligan survived a final rack against debutant
David Forster to reach the semis, and then found a new gear to beat
firstly ANBA number 1 Mark Oaten, then in the final, 3rd ranked Jim
O'Hare. With never more than a rack between the pair in the race to 6
final, O'Hare broke leading 5-4; Milligan attempted a 1-9 combination,
which missed the intended pocket, only to find another to level the
match. In the decider, it was always going to be about who disturbed
the 7 and 8, as they covered each others path to a pocket. O'Hare
potted the 6 but missed the cannon on the 7. The thin safety which
followed, left a direct 7-8 combination, and Milligan held firm to
clear the 3 balls for the win.
Results: Quarter finals:
Jim O'Hare beat Gary Esson 6-1; Mark Gravener beat Marc Davis 6-2;
Moray Milligan beat David Forster 6-5; Mark Oaten beat Michael Adams
6-0 Semi finals: O'Hare beat Gravener 6-2; Milligan beat
Oaten 6-3 Final: Milligan beat O'Hare 6-5
|
Wednesday July 6th: US
Open pre-qualifiers
The ANBA Summer League commences on Monday
(July 11th) at the Golden Break (within the United Services). As usual,
10 consecutive weekly straight knock-out events will be played, with a
players best 8 performances counting towards their league points total.
Prize money is paid to the top 5. Entry fee is £5 per event, and all
commence at 6:30pm. Details of how to enter can be found on
www.anba.co.uk
The line up of Aberdeen players for the SAPPA
US Open qualifier was completed this week. Sean Croll and Ross
Adams will join Mark Oaten and Jim O'Hare as the 4 who travel to
Pennies, Falkirk on July 17th for the 32-man shoot-out, first prize for
which is a trip to Chesapeake Virginia to play in the US Open. Adams won
Wednesdays qualifier, beating Lee Craig in the final. Crolls path was
slightly more unusual, but he did make the semi-finals of the Monday
qualifier-alongside 3 fellow players who could not make the Falkirk
trip.
|
Monday June 27th: ANBA
Spring League Cup
Darren Matthew won the Spring League Cup at The Golden Break to
become only the second player in ANBA history to win the league and cup "double"
in a season. Darren beat sixth seed Mark Gravener 13-10 in a final that at one
point threatened to be the most one-sided match of the evening. Gravener, having
impressively despatched surprise package Sean Croll and 3rd seed Jim O'Hare,
suddenly found himself missing elementary balls in the final, and Matthew opened
up a 10-3 lead. However, a 5-rack spurt from Gravener put him back in the match,
before the pair shared the next 4 racks. An early Gravener foul in the 23rd rack
sealed it though, as Matthew cleared to win the £100 prize.
Earlier, Matthew had been
given 2 tough encounters, as first unseeded Paul Will only bowed out 11-9 in a
match in which the lead changed hands 5 times, and then Kenny MacPherson
over-ran position from 8 to 9 by millimetres when clearing up to force a
decider.
Results:
Quarter finals [seeds in brackets] Mark Gravener[6]
beat Sean Croll 11-2; Jim O'Hare[3] beat Andy Pirie[8]
11-7; Kenny MacPherson[5] beat Martin McIntosh[4]
11-6; Darren Matthew[2] beat Paul Will 11-9 Semi finals:
Gravener beat O'Hare 11-7; Matthew beat MacPherson 11-9 Final:
Matthew beat Gravener 13-10
The Summer League
commences on Monday 11th July at The Golden Break. There will be a US Open
qualifier (£5 entry) at the club on Monday (July 4th) and also Wednesday
(6th).
In the latest ANBA
rankings list, Mark Oaten's lead has been cut to just 50 points over
Darren Matthew following the latters League Cup win. Jim O'Hare (3rd), Martin
McIntosh (4th) and Pat McCarron (5th) are all over 500 points adrift of Matthew,
whilst Kenny MacPherson is a top 10 newcomer at 6th. League Cup runner-up Mark
Gravener is 7th, whilst Gary Esson(13th) and Bruce McGill(15th) are new top 16
entries. Outside the elite, Marc Davis (35th to 21st), Terry King(39th to 26th)
and Sean Croll(80th to 43rd) are the biggest climbers, whilst George Mitchell is
the highest new entry at 41st.
Monday June 20th: ANBA
Spring League Cup
| The group phase of the ANBA Spring
League Cup took place at The Golden Break on Monday night, and all but 2 of
the seeded players made it through to next weeks quarter finals. In one of
the most staggering results in the history of ANBA tournaments, top seed
Mark Oaten was dumped at the first hurdle by 57th ranked Sean Croll. Croll
had already lost his first group match to George Mitchell, and Oaten,
chasing a "grand slam" of League Cup wins, was expected to win comfortably;
however, he found himself on the wrong side of a 9-1 scoreline to end his
hopes. Oaten recovered to beat Mitchell in the final group match, but Croll
qualified above both on "rack difference". 7th
seed Anthony Yau was the only other seed to exit, as he saw a 4-0 lead
evaporate and eventually transform into a 9-7 defeat against 24th ranked
Paul Will. Martin McIntosh had to endure a decider for the second
consecutive week against John Keller to take his place, whilst Kenny
MacPherson, Darren Matthew, Jim O'Hare and Mark Gravener had more
comfortable victories to qualify. Andy Pirie took the final spot after
squeezing out Brian Craig 9-7. The event is played to a conclusion on Monday
(27th June).
Fixtures: Spring League Cup Quarter
finals, Monday June 27th (6:30 for 6:45) at The Golden Break. Race to 11,
[seeds in brackets]: Sean Croll
[-] v. Mark Gravener [6]
Jim O'Hare [3] v. Andy Pirie
[8] Martin McIntosh
[4] v. Kenny MacPherson [5]
Darren Matthew [2] v. Paul
Will [-] |
Thursday June 16th:
Updated Money List:
| 1 |
Mark Oaten |
£1,171.92 |
| 2 |
Darren Matthew |
£1,059.75 |
| 3 |
Michael Valentine |
£650.00 |
| 4 |
Pat McCarron |
£577.50 |
| 5 |
Martin McIntosh |
£506.75 |
| 6 |
Jim O'Hare |
£276.40 |
| 7 |
Phil Craig |
£260.00 |
| 8 |
Anthony Yau |
£206.05 |
| 9 |
Clark Smith |
£200.00 |
| 10 |
Kenny MacPherson |
