The ANBA Spring League Cup takes place on
Monday (June 19th) at Rileys Chapel Street. The event will be played
over 2 weeks, with the field being whittled down to 8 on the first week,
with the quarter finals onwards on the 26th. League runner-up Mark Oaten
will be a dangerous floater in the draw alongside Anthony Yau and
in-form Bruce McGill, all of whom just miss out on a top-8 seeding for
the tournament. The 8 seeds will be: Jim O'Hare, Darren Matthew, Mark
Gravener, Martin McIntosh, Gary Esson, Pat McCarron, Andy Pirie & Kenny
MacPherson.
Jim O'Hare won the close season 10-ball tournament
at Rileys, beating Marc Davis in the final. The forthcoming League Cup
is followed on July 3rd with the first week of the 10-week Summer
League, in which the top 8 finishers gain automatic access to the
Scottish 9-ball championships in Kirkcaldy on October 21-22.
Monday June 5th: ANBA
Spring League week 10
The ANBA Spring League drew to a close at
Rileys Chapel Street on Monday evening, and a first time winner emerged
on the night. Bruce McGill, playing
in his 5th ranking event final, finally recorded a deserved and overdue
first win, by beating Stuart Garden in the final.
Garden- although previously victorious in an ANBA
8-ball event-, was also looking at a first ever 9-ball win, and sprinted
out the blocks in the final to 3-0; McGill got on the scoresheet with a
combination in the next, and doggedly fought back to 4-4; each player
then had a combination apiece to go 5-5, but then McGill took 2 good
clearances to win the tournament.
The overall placings in the league had been decided
the week before, and therefore remain unaltered, however McGill's win
placed him 8th, equalling his previous best in March 2005.
Results:
Quarter finals: Bruce McGill 7-4 Kevin Jamieson; Anthony
Yau 7-6 Jim O'Hare; Kenny MacPherson 7-6 Moray Milligan; Stuart Garden
7-4 Ross Adams Semi finals:
McGill 7-6 Yau; Garden 7-3 MacPherson Final:
McGill 7-5 Garden
A non-ranking tournament will be held at Rileys
Chapel Street on Monday (12th June); all entry monies to be paid out.
Spring League Cup (£10 entry) follows on June 19th.
Monday May 29th: ANBA
Spring League week 9
The ANBA Spring League
title was won and lost at Rileys Chapel Street on Monday night- despite still
having a week to run. In the week 9 event, Martin McIntosh claimed the honours,
but the real drama took place in a preliminary round match between league leader
Mark Oaten and 4th placed Darren Matthew. Oaten needed a good run this week to
stay ahead at the top, so to pull Matthew out of the hat represented a nightmare
first round draw. Oaten led 3-1, but lost 6-4. This gave Oaten a 9-week total of
466 points. However, it was common knowledge that Oaten- as well as Matthew,
McIntosh and a few other players would miss week 10 due to international 8-ball
commitments. Matthew's win over Oaten meant Jim
O'Hare could leapfrog the long term leader if he made it to the
final on the night- and that's exactly what happened, as O'Hare done enough to
secure the title. O'Hare beat Sean Croll, and Gary Esson to cut into Oatens
lead, then beat Ross Adams in the semi final to seal victory.
The "most invisible neck" competition was a success
In the final against McIntosh, both players
put on a sub-standard display, as by this time all the placings had been
decided- McIntosh having confirmed 3rd place by beating Matthew.
McIntosh made the most of O'Hare mistakes to lead 4-1, but then started
to miss easy balls himself as O'Hare closed to 4-5 in a messy encounter.
O'Hare broke the balls well in the next, and had a chance to level as
the 9 crept close to a corner pocket. In potting the 1 however, O'Hare's
attempted cannon on the 9 found the tightest of gaps past the 9 into the
pocket. McIntosh was left with an easy 3-9 combo for victory.
Results:Quarter finals:
Ross Adams beat Pat McCarron 6-5; Jim O'Hare beat Gary Esson 6-3; Martin
McIntosh beat Darren Matthew 6-5; Philip Craig beat Stuart Garden 6-5
Semi finals:
O'Hare beat Adams 6-1; McIntosh beat Craig 6-4
Final: McIntosh beat O'Hare 6-4
There is a SAPPA ranking event at Reardons, Glasgow
on Sunday (June 4th) at 11:00am.
Monday May 22nd: ANBA
Spring League week 8
Pat McCarron's
rich vein of form continued as he won a 2nd consecutive League event at
Rileys Chapel Street. McCarron, stationed in 18th place 2 weeks ago, has
now won weeks 7 & 8 to propel himself to 5th in the league, with an
outside chance of finishing in the top 3 cash payout.
In the final, McCarron was ruthless against Sean
Croll. After sweeping to 2-0, McCarron ran out of position and laid a
snooker on the 5 ball; with no escape obvious, Croll tried to tie
the nearby 8 up to the 5, but left a thin gap between them; this
provided McCarron the opportunity to clear up for 3-0, and a "golden
break" brought up 4-0. After such a crushing blow, there was no respite
for Croll, as McCarron added the remaining 2 racks.
In the league table, Jim O'Hare goes second after
being the only top 5 player to negotiate the first round. Mark Oaten now
holds only a 59 point lead with 2 weeks to go, whilst Martin McIntosh
and Darren Matthew's early exits mean their title chances are
effectively over.
Results:
Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare beat Ryan Law 6-0; Sean Croll
beat Michael Adams 6-1; Pat McCarron beat Anthony Yau 6-5; Stuart Garden
beat Mark Gravener 6-2 Semi finals:
Croll beat O'Hare 6-5; McCarron beat Garden 6-1
Final: McCarron beat Croll
6-0
Pat McCarron
turned in a classy performance to take the honours in week 7 of the ANBA
Spring League. McCarron, stationed at 18th in the league table before
the start of play, put his previous form behind him in emphatic fashion,
by dropping only 6 racks all evening in the event at Rileys Chapel
Street.
In the final against Jim O'Hare, McCarron took
advantage of a loose safety to clear up in the first, and then cleared
from the break in the 2nd for 2-0. After running out of position in the
3rd, McCarron kept O'Hare at bay with a tight snooker, and cleared from
the resultant position for 3-0. The 9 went over a pocket from the break
in rack 4, but McCarron had no direct shot at it; his safety left O'Hare
a 1-9 combination, to get off the mark at 1-3. O'Hare then scratched on
the break in rack 5, and McCarron restored a 3-rack lead with a good
finish, and he looked set to go 5-1, but missed a routine 9- his first
miss in the match. O'Hare potted it for 2-4, but amazingly returned the
compliment by missing a similar 9 that would have brought up 3-4.
Instead, McCarron potted it, and concluded matters with a 5-9 carom in
the next for a 6-2 win.
Results: Quarter finals: Jim
O'Hare beat Mark Oaten 6-4; Brian Craig beat Gary Esson 6-0; Pat
McCarron beat Marc Davis 6-2; Martin McIntosh beat Moray Milligan 6-5;
Semi finals: O'Hare beat
Craig 6-2; McCarron beat McIntosh 6-1 Final:
McCarron beat O'Hare 6-2
Darren
Matthew became the first player to win 2 counting events
this season after the latest ANBA Spring League tournament at Rileys
Chapel Street. Darren beat Martin McIntosh in the final of an event
which followed current form, as the top 4 players in the league at the
start of play filled the 4 semi final places.
The final hinged on one shot in rack 6, as
McIntosh, looking to build on a 4-1 lead, rushed a pot on the 4, and
missed with the 7, 8 and 9 all in easy positions. Matthew, staring at a
1-5 deficit seconds previously, mopped up to reduce matters to 2-4, and
ended up a 6-5 winner.
Results:
Quarter finals: Jim O'Hare
beat Gary Esson 6-2; Martin McIntosh beat Brian Craig 6-3; Mark Oaten
beat Andy Pirie 6-5; Darren Matthew beat Anthony Yau 6-5;
Semi finals: McIntosh beat
O'Hare 6-5; Matthew beat Oaten 6-1
Final: Matthew beat McIntosh 6-5
Anyone wishing to play in Sunday (May 14th)s
Glasgow Open (Rileys, Ledard Road, 12:00 start, £25 entry), contact Jim
O'Hare.
Monday May 1st: ANBA
Spring League week 5
The ANBA Spring League reached the halfway
stage at Rileys Chapel Street on Monday with the 5th tournament of 10
being played, and the trend of different winners every week continued.
Recipient of maximum points this week is
Jim O'Hare who beat Mark Oaten in the final.
O'Hare won the lag and cleared from his initial
break to lead 1-0. When Oaten missed a 3 in the next, O'Hare finished
for 2-0, and went to 3-0 after Oaten missed a double on the 8 in the
3rd. With 4-0 looming, O'Hare jawed a 9 with the rest into a blind
pocket to get Oaten on the scoresheet. But a thin 3 down the cushion
eluded Oaten in rack 5, and O'Hare potted that, plus a 4-9 combo to
restore a 3-rack advantage. The next 2 were shared, and Oaten pulled
back to 3-5 after O'Hare ran out of position on the 6 and twice failed
to lay a good enough snooker. However, Oaten himself over-ran position
on the 7 in rack 9, and left the subsequent safety too close to a
pocket. O'Hare then potted 7, 8 and 9 for a win that sees him climb to
6th in the league.
Good luck Mitchell, you
slaaaaag!!!
Oaten stretches his lead at the top to 130 points
after a second successive runner-up berth. Darren Matthew, after 2
consecutive semi finals, is second, and Martin McIntosh is 3rd.
Results:Quarter finals: Darren Matthew beat
Ivan Tulloch 6-3; Mark Oaten beat Bruce McGill 6-3; Jim O'Hare beat Andy
Pirie 6-1; Sean Croll beat R.Mumibor 6-3 Semi finals: Oaten beat Matthew 6-4; O'Hare
beat Croll 6-2 Final:
O'Hare beat Oaten 6-3
Philip Craig
claimed some notable scalps to win the week 4 event of the ANBA Spring
League at Rileys Chapel Street. After negotiating a tough last 16 match
with Anthony Yau by 6-5, Philip then beat 3 former league champions to
take maximum points. He beat Pat Mccarron and Darren Matthew in the
quarters and semis respectively, and lined up against Mark Oaten in the
final.
In the first rack, Oaten missed the 6, but left no
pot on; Craig then played a deft carom from 6 to 9 for a 1-0 lead. A
more direct combination of 7 onto 9 won the second for Craig, and a
confident break and clearance brought up 3-0. Another break and
clearance looked like making it 4-0, but the cue ball ran in-off the
thin-cut 9 to make it 3-1. This looked to be a potential turning point,
especially when Oaten cleared from his own break to go 2-3. However,
Oaten cued across the 8 when poised to dish again in the next, and a
relieved Craig potted 8 and 9 for 4-2, and when Oaten scratched early in
the next, Craig potted 1,2,3 and a 4-9 combo to lead 5-2. Oaten won the
next with a thin plant of 1 onto 9, but another untimely in-off gave
Craig an easy 7 8 and 9 for a deserved 6-3 win.
Oaten extends his lead in the overall standings to
92 points after the players lying 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the start of play
all suffered first round exits. The last 7 ANBA tournaments have now
been won by 7 different players.
Results: Quarter
finals: Darren Matthew beat Marc Davis 6-3; Philip Craig
beat Pat McCarron 6-4; Kenny MacPherson beat Moray Milligan 6-4; Mark
Oaten beat Bob Chalmers 6-1 Semi finals: Craig beat Matthew 6-4; Oaten beat MacPherson 6-1
Final: Craig beat Oaten 6-3
Saturday April
22nd/Sunday April 23rd: SAPPA tour, 4th leg
3 ANBA players travelled
north for the latest SAPPA event at the brand new Rileys club in Castle Street,
Inverness. Brian Craig, Ean Jones and Jim O'Hare prepared for the tournament in
the traditional ANBA way by heading for the nearest Indian restaurant on the
Saturday evening......except with Ean Jones leading the way, we found one on the
outskirts. Near Nairn, we think.
Anyway, the food and beer
were superb. So good in fact, that Ean shamelessly asked for a "doggy bag" to
take from the premises, containing all the uneaten stuff. No, really he did.
After carrying it back through the Inverness climate to Rileys, Ean asked the
bar staff to look after it until the next day. More on that later.
Inverness Castle, yesterday
Well we knew that
Inverness had a reputation for few nightclubs and early shutting times, but we
got involved in a "flyer" event that went on till 1am. (None of us won it by the
way.) So it served us right when we didn't get in anywhere afterwards, despite
the efforts of Tam "but we're the SCOTTISH POOL TEAM!" Talent, failing to blag
us into a club. But it was all worth it 30 minutes later for the look on Brian
Craigs face as we stood in a taxi queue. Brian politely struck up conversation
with an angelic little local lass, but made the mistake of commenting on the "12
o'clock curfew" in place in Inverness. Her response? An emphatic " Fuk-off!!"
Back to Aberdeen, we presume. Priceless.
Next day, and the
tournament itself. The Glove, despite his ticking off the previous night, raced
to a comfee win over top 20 player Graham Tough. He was happy and said he was
playing well, and right eeenough, won again to reach the last 16. Or as Glove
put it "the last 8 on the winners side." Meanwhile Ean Jones risked arrest by
shouting obscenities in Tesco on the Sunday morning. In front of families. Then
raced to comfee defeats against, respectively, a god-fearer, and a sheep-botherer.
Probably. Never mind, he had his Indian takeaway to look forward to. And O'Hare
took his place in the last 16 courtesy of fluking the final 9 17 feet round the
table, despite being 3 inches from the pocket. Yes, the Budweiser was going down
well.
A sheep-botherer, yesterday.
With a god-fearer. Possibly.
As O'Hare and Craig
prepared for their last 16 encounters, Ean Jones wished them luck, and skulked
off back to Aberdeen. Still, at least he had his Indian to look forward to.
Brian Craig lined up against local player J.McNeil, whilst O'Hare had top 5 man
Clark Smith.
Just before their matches,
a text message arrived from Jones. It read simply, "Beat. Sober. And the
bastards threw out my Indian!" After that, it didn't matter if we both lost.
Which we did.
"I'd have got that!"
Oh, and Michael Valentine won the
thing. Roll on Inverness 2007! We'll get to the clubs quicker next time!
Monday April 17th: ANBA
Spring League week 3
Martin McIntosh
became the 3rd different winner in as many weeks of an ANBA Spring
League event, when he won the 3rd of this seasons 10 counting
tournaments at Rileys Chapel Street. Both he and Mark Gravener made
short work of their respective semi finals- albeit against tough
opposition-, to face each other in the final.
The first 4 racks were shared, before Gravener
negotiated a tricky clearance to lead, and when McIntosh missed a
glaring 6 to an open middle pocket in the next to trail 2-4, the writing
seemed to be on the wall. McIntosh got back in the match by laying a
tight safety on the 6 in the next, from which he was presented with an
easy clearance, and he brought up 4-4 after another Gravener miss. With
the balls invitingly placed in the 9th rack, McIntosh ignored the
clearance and won the rack with a confident 4-9 plant, and when Gravener
left an acute cut on the 8 in rack 10, he left it on the lip of the
pocket for McIntosh to gratefully accept.
Results: Quarter finals: Mark Oaten
beat Andy Pirie 6-0; Martin McIntosh beat Ivan Tulloch 6-2; Mark
Gravener beat Philip Craig 6-3; Gary Esson beat Moray Milligan 6-2;
Semi finals: McIntosh beat Oaten 6-1;
Gravener beat Esson 6-1 Final:
McIntosh beat Gravener 6-4
There is a SAPPA ranking event on Sunday (23rd
April) at Rileys, Castle Street Inverness. 11:00am start, £20 entry
Monday April 10th: ANBA
Spring League week 2
Mark Oaten
launched his challenge for a 3rd ANBA league title by winning event 2 of
the Spring season at Rileys Chapel Street. In his first round match,
Gary Esson potted the 9 to lead 5-4, whereupon Oaten offered his
handshake, mistakenly believing the match to be a race to 5. All matches
are race to 6 however, and Oaten,after his unexpected reprieve, raced
through the next 2 racks to win.
In the final, Anthony Yau sprinted to 2-0 with some
typically crisp potting; however Oaten gained heart after Yau snatched
at a 7 when clearing up for 3-0, and brought up 2-2 after Yau mis hit
the 8 in rack 4. The next 2 were shared, but Oaten was starting to
exert authority by this stage, and was breaking the balls better. This
helped him control the next 2 racks to go on the hill, and the match was
settled in the next after Yau left himself a tricky cut on the 5 which
failed to drop, Oaten clearing the remaining 4 balls for victory.
Results:Quarter finals:
Anthony Yau beat Mark Gravener 6-3; Ivan Tulloch beat Bruce McGill 6-5;
Jim O'Hare beat Andy Pirie 6-2; Mark Oaten beat George Esson 6-1
Semi finals: Yau beat Tulloch 6-3; Oaten beat O'Hare 6-4
Final: Oaten beat Yau 6-3
Standings after week 2: 1.Oaten 145
points; 2.McGill 124; 3.Darren Matthew 109; 4.Yau 78; 5.Martin McIntosh
72; 6.Gravener 71; 7=.O'Hare & Gary Esson 69; 9.Brian Craig 66;
10.Tulloch 64
Monday
April 3rd: ANBA Spring League, week 1
The ANBA Spring 9-ball League got under way at Rileys
Chapel Street on Monday evening. With a return to the more
traditional 9-ball, and an increase of prize money to £90 per
event, the field was almost double the one that assembled for
the previous weeks 8-ball league cup.
One returning player,
Darren Matthew
stood out on the night however. Largely absent from the 8-ball
season, Darren found a rich vein of 9-ball form to take the
opening week honours. In the semi final against Brian Craig,
Matthews 3-1 lead became 4-4 as Craig started to buzz. An
early Craig miss in the next rack proved costly though, as
Matthew cleared, then sank a "golden break" to take his place
in the final. The pattern was repeated in that match against
another returning player Bruce McGill as an early 4-1 lead
became only 5-4, but Matthew held firm in the next for
victory.
Results:Quarter finals: Bruce McGill beat Stuart
Garden 6-4; Gary Esson beat Philip Craig 6-4; Darren Matthew
beat Mark Oaten 6-5; Brian Craig beat Martin McIntosh 6-4
Semi finals: McGill beat Esson 6-4;
Matthew beat B.Craig 6-4 Final:Matthew
beat McGill 6-4
The ANBA Spring 9-ball League got under way at Rileys
Chapel Street on Monday evening. With a return to the more
traditional 9-ball, and an increase of prize money to £90 per
event, the field was almost double the one that assembled for
the previous weeks 8-ball league cup.
One returning player,
Darren Matthew
stood out on the night however. Largely absent from the 8-ball
season, Darren found a rich vein of 9-ball form to take the
opening week honours. In the semi final against Brian Craig,
Matthews 3-1 lead became 4-4 as Craig started to buzz. An
early Craig miss in the next rack proved costly though, as
Matthew cleared, then sank a "golden break" to take his place
in the final. The pattern was repeated in that match against
another returning player Bruce McGill as an early 4-1 lead
became only 5-4, but Matthew held firm in the next for
victory.
Results:Quarter finals: Bruce McGill beat Stuart
Garden 6-4; Gary Esson beat Philip Craig 6-4; Darren Matthew
beat Mark Oaten 6-5; Brian Craig beat Martin McIntosh 6-4
Semi finals: McGill beat Esson 6-4;
Matthew beat B.Craig 6-4 Final:Matthew
beat McGill 6-4
The ANBA winter 8-ball season was
brought to a conclusion on Monday at Rileys Chapel Street with
the traditional holding of the seasonal League Cup. As is
typical with League Cups, shock results were plentiful, and 4
of the 8 seeded players failed to make it past the first
round. Jim Coltart and Darren Gibb, tough competitors at
English 8-ball, adapted well to the American version and
knocked out 5th seed Stuart Garden and 2nd seed Gary Esson
respectively. This left Andy
Pirie(7) as the only seed in the bottom half,
and after coming through a deciding rack in the first round
himself, progressed to the final with wins over Gibb, and in
the semi final Darren Matthew in the nights most entertaining
battle in front of an enthusiastic crowd. In the deciding rack
of this, Matthew got in first but lost position on the
8; Pirie cleaned up all his stripes, but then missed the 8
himself. There then followed a series of attempted bank shots
which all ran safe, before Pirie was left a tap in to the
middle for match.
League runner-up Pat McCarron came
through the other half to meet Pirie in the final, which due
to time constraints was over a one rack as agreed by both
players. In this, the outcome was sealed as McCarron broke and
cleared 6 of his stripes, before cannoning the black in off
the 7th to hand Pirie the win without playing a shot!
The Spring season starts on Monday (April
3) at Rileys Chapel Street, and will feature a return to
9-ball pool. Entries (£7.50 per week) by 6:30pm to the usual
numbers.
Monday
March 20th: ANBA Winter 8-ball league, week 10
John McCann
won the ANBA Winter 8-ball League at Rileys Chapel Street on
Monday evening- before he'd even struck a ball. With himself
and Pat McCarron in the running for the title, McCarron was
unlucky to draw an inspired Stuart Garden in round 1, who
handed out a 6-1 defeat filled with clearance after clearance.
Garden needed points himself to get into the top 5, and put in
his best performance of the season so far to deny McCarron a
shot at the title.
The only remaining issue after that was
who would fill 3rd, 4th and 5th places. Garden, Jim O'Hare and
Martin McIntosh all had a chance to grab 3rd in the absence of
Gary Esson, a surprise no-show, but one of the trio had to win
the event. As it happened, all 3 exited at the quarter final
stage to leave Esson in 3rd, and positions 4, 5 and 6 all
unchanged from last week.
Marc Davis won the tournament, beating
John McCann in the final. Next Monday (27th) sees the ANBA
8-ball League Cup at the venue. The top 8 finishers in the
league just finished will be seeded. £10 entry, 6:30 start.
Results: Quarter finals: Marc Davis beat Jim O'Hare 6-3; Darren Matthew beat Martin
McIntosh 6-1; Andy Pirie beat Stuart Garden 6-3; John McCann
beat Sean Croll 6-3 Semi finals: Davis beat
Matthew 6-4; McCann beat Pirie 6-5 Final: Davis
beat McCann 6-5
Monday
March 13th: ANBA Winter 8-ball league, week 9
The ANBA Winter 8-ball league is set up for an
exciting finish, after the latest tournament at Rileys Chapel
Street. Pat McCarron was
particularly impressive in winning the week 9 event for the
loss of only 5 racks. McCarron has lost only 1 match in the
league since mid February, and carries all the momentum going
into the final tournament on Monday.
As things stand, John McCann sits top,
and holds a mere 6 point lead. However, since a players best 8
performances count only, McCanns lead is effectively 17
points. Therefore McCarron has to progress 2 rounds further
than McCann in the week 10 event to win the title, a feat he
has managed on each of the last 3 weeks.
Gary Esson looks to have secured 3rd
after reaching the semi finals in week 9, but will have to
ensure he reaches at least the quarter finals of week 10 to
make absolutely sure. Martin McIntosh, Jim O'Hare & Stuart
Garden are all poised to grab 3rd in the event of an Esson
slip up, with only 21 points separating the trio.
Results: Quarter
finals: Martin McIntosh beat Moray Milligan 6-2; Gary
Esson beat John McCann 6-5; Pat McCarron beat Harry Brebner
6-0; Jim O'Hare beat Justin Balment 6-1 Semi finals:
McIntosh beat Esson 6-5; McCarron beat O'Hare 6-2 Final:
McCarron beat McIntosh 6-2
Monday
March 6th: ANBA Winter 8-ball league, week 8
Martin
McIntosh climbs to 6th in the ANBA Winter 8-ball
league after winning the week 8 event at Rileys, Chapel
Street. McIntosh, previously among the lower reaches of the
top 10, is now in a position to challenge for a top 5 place
after beating Pat McCarron in the final. The defeat was
McCarrons first in the league since mid February, but he
nevertheless closes to within striking distance of league
leader John McCann.
Results:Quarter
finals: Philip Craig beat John McCann 6-3; Pat
McCarron beat Jim Coltart 6-0; Harry Brebner beat Michael Wood
6-4; Martin McIntosh beat Jim O'Hare 6-1 Semi finals:
McCarron beat Craig 6-3; McIntosh beat Brebner 6-3
Final: McIntosh beat McCarron 6-3
There is a SAPPA ranking event this
Sunday (12th March) at Reardons,
Glasgow, 11:00am start, £20 entry
Monday
February 27th: ANBA Winter 8-ball league, week 7
In the latest event of the ANBA Winter 8-ball league
at Rileys Chapel Street, the fluctuating fortunes of the game
were in evidence. All of the main contenders suffered highs
and lows during what was the most exciting tournament so far
of the 10 week campaign.
John McCann- close to being champion
after winning the last 3 events- went out in the quarter
finals to Jim O'Hare, who also knocked out 2nd placed Stuart
Garden to throw himself and others a title lifeline. In
the semi final however, O'Hare ran into
Pat McCarron in unstoppable form, and was handed
a convincing defeat. Meanwhile Gary Esson-3rd at start of
play-came through the bottom half largely unscathed to face
McCarron in the final.
In the first rack, Esson failed to get
position on the 8, and McCarron cleaned up to continue his
good form. Esson levelled after McCarron misjudged the 1-ball,
and after McCarron fouled on the break in the 3rd, Esson
elected to break, and cleared in 1 visit to lead. 2-1 became
3-1 after a McCarron safety went astray, but McCarron rediscovered
his earlier form to level. The pair traded racks to force a
decider, and McCarron had first chance after a safety battle,
but bizarrely miscued on a tap in 6 with only the 8 remaining.
Then Esson coolly swept through his stripes only to opt to
roll the final 8 to the corner, rather than cut it to the
centre. The resultant miss left McCarron with 2 easy pots for
victory.
The evening was notable for a rare occurence
in the Martin McIntosh-Moray Milligan 2nd round encounter.
Both players were left scurrying for a rule book after
McIntosh, playing with extreme top and running side, planted
the cue ball firmly on the top of the rail, where it came to
rest. Despite much amusement from onlookers, Milligan was
correctly awarded ball in hand, and ran out a 5-4 winner.
Results: Quarter finals:Pat McCarron beat Moray Milligan 5-2; Jim O'Hare beat John
McCann 5-4; Gary Esson beat S.Hambles 5-2; Craig Park beat
Philip Craig 5-2 Semi finals: McCarron beat
O'Hare 5-1; Esson beat Park 5-3 Final: McCarron
beat Esson 5-4
Monday
February 20th: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 6
John McCann made it 3 wins
on the trot, and a 4th from 6 events, by winning the latest
leg of the ANBA Winter 8-ball League at Rileys, Chapel Street.
McCann was severely tested in the quarter final by Gary Esson
to emerge a 6-5 winner in the pairs 5th encounter of the
season. From then on, the champion elect dropped only 1 more
rack on the way to securing another 100 points. He now carries
an 85 point lead over beaten finalist Stuart Garden. Sean
Croll and Andy Pirie rise to 5th and 7th respectively.
1/4 final Stuart Garden beat Sean Croll 6-1
Ross Adams beat Michael Wood 6-4
John McCann beat Gary Esson 6-5
Andy Pirie beat John Keller 6-5
Semi final Garden beat Adams 6-1
MCann beat Pirie 6-1
Monday
February 13th: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 5:
John McCann
made it 2 tournament wins on the trot to take his place at the top of
the winter 8-ball league for the first time. For the 2nd week in a
row, McCann beat Gary Esson in the final at Rileys Chapel Street, and
Esson himself moves into 2nd place in the league.
Results:Quarter finals:
Jim O'Hare 5-0 Pat McCarron; John McCann 5-1 Sean Croll; Gary Esson
5-3 Terry King; Stuart Garden 5-3 Andy Pirie Semi
finals: McCann 5-3
O'Hare; Esson 5-3 Garden Final:
McCann beat Esson 5-2
Monday
February 6th: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 4:
John McCann won
the 4th week of the ANBA Winter 8-ball league at Rileys Chapel
Street. McCann recorded a second tournament win this season by
beating Gary Esson in the final. Pat McCarron holds an 8 point
lead over McCann, whilst Esson is rewarded with a climb to 4th
behind Stuart Garden.
There is a SAPPA ranking event on Sunday
(12th) at Rileys, Stirling. £20 entry, 11am start.
Results:Quarter
finals: Moray Milligan beat Andy Pirie 5-4; Gary Esson
beat Paul Mair 5-2; Philip Craig beat Martin McIntosh 5-2;
John McCann beat Pat McCarron 5-3; Semi finals:
Esson beat Milligan 5-1; McCann beat Craig 5-3 Final:
McCann beat Esson 5-3
Monday
January 30th: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 3:
Stuart Garden
blossomed into an ANBA ranking event winner for the first time, by
winning maximum points in the week 3 event of the ANBA winter league
at Rileys, Chapel Street. Garden had negotiated a gritty path to the
final after letting slip 4-2 leads against both Jim O'Hare and Martin
McIntosh, only to prevail in the decider in each match. He then beat
league leader Pat McCarron in the semi finals, before recording a 5-0
verdict over Philip Craig in the final.
Results:Quarter finals:Stuart Garden beat Martin McIntosh
5-4; Pat McCarron beat Andy Pirie 5-0; Philip Craig beat Sean Croll
5-0; Barry Edmond beat Gary Esson 5-2Semi
finals: Garden beat McCarron 5-3; Craig beat Edmond 5-1 Final:
Garden beat Craig 5-0
Monday
January 23rd: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 2:
John
McCann proved he has
a knack for the 15-ball game when he won the 2nd leg of the ANBA
Winter 8-ball League at Rileys Chapel Street. McCann beat Pat McCarron
5-4 in a final in which both players demonstrated good tactical
awareness. At 2-2, McCarron's safety brought him the lead after
leaving McCann no pot on any of his 3 remaining stripes, and
McCann's attempted slow-roll snooker failed to reach a cushion. McCann
came back to lead 4-3 though, dislodging the awkward 7 with running
side to aid the clearance in the 7th rack. McCarron held firm to clear
in the next, despite being out of position for most of the clearance.
In the decider, McCann went straight on the attack, and after potting
4 "open" spots, left an angle on the 5th to free the 7 from a cluster
of stripes. He then produced a fine cut on the 8 to win the match and
earn maximum points.
McCarron goes top after going 1 step further
than in week 1; last 16 loser Jim O'Hare is 2nd, whilst Sean Croll is
3rd after 2 consecutive semi finals. McCann is 4th, ahead of a clutch
of players on 80-odd points, led by double quarter finalists Ross
Adams and Martin McIntosh.
Results:Quarter finals:
Sean Croll beat Willie Guyan 5-1; Pat McCarron beat Ross Adams 5-2;
John McCann beat Gary Esson 5-1; Brian Craig beat Martin McIntosh 5-3
Semi finals:
McCarron beat Croll 5-0; McCann beat Craig 5-0
Final: McCann beat
McCarron 5-4
Monday
January 16th: ANBA Winter 8-ball League, week 1
The Aberdeen Nine Ball Association
took it's first steps in a new direction on Monday as it
launched its inaugural American 8-ball season at Rileys Chapel
Street. 24 players entered the first event, with a few ADPL
players trying their hand at the bigger table version, as well
as the regular 9-ball faces.
After a brief explanation of the rules,
play commenced and fastest out the blocks was Philip Craig who
wasted no time recording a 5-0 first round win. Other matches
made slower progress, however as players struggled to adjust
to what is a less flowing game than 9-ball. By the semi finals
it was a different story as players were breaking and
clearing- Stuart Garden particularly impressive in converting
a 1-4 semi final deficit into a win.
First week honours went to
Jim O'Hare, who raced to 3-0
against Garden in the final; Garden took the next but then
missed the black that would have brought him back to 2-3, and
O'Hare took advantage to run out a 5-1 winner.
Results:Quarter
finals: Jim O'Hare bt. Martin McIntosh 5-3; Pat
McCarron bt. Ross Adams 5-4; Sean Croll bt. Gary Esson 5-1;
Stuart Garden bt. Craig Park 5-1 Semi finals:
O'Hare bt. McCarron 5-2; Garden bt. Croll 5-4 Final:
O'Hare bt. Garden 5-1
Pat
McCarron landed the first title of 2006 by
triumphing in the held-over Autumn League Cup at Rileys Chapel
Street. McCarron played in typically solid fashion all
evening; after a first round testing from Ean Jones, McCarron
then proceeded to beat 3 players ranked above him to scoop the
cash.
In the new ANBA rankings following the
event, McCarron climbs 2 places to 5th, and League Cup riunner-up
Mark Gravener moves from 5th to 4th.
Results:Quarter finals:[seeds in brackets] Ryan
Law[-] beat Andy Pirie[8] 7-4; Mark Gravener[4] beat Jamie
McNolty[-] 7-5; Pat McCarron[6] beat Martin McIntosh[3] 7-4;
Darren Matthew[2] beat Bruce McGill[-] 7-4
Semi-finals: Gravener beat Law 8-7; McCarron
beat Matthew 8-5 Final: McCarron
beat Gravener 8-3
It'll be 5 months before another 9-ball
title is landed in Aberdeen however, as the inaugural American
8-ball season kicks off on Monday(16th) at Rileys Chapel
Street. Players should register by 6:30 for the opening
tournament, and a brief demonstration of the rules will
follow. Play is expected to start at around 7pm. Rules are
available on
www.anba.co.uk/what_is_9-ball.htm
Send mail to
jimnohare@btinternet.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 04/11/06
