The West of England Billiards & Snooker Foundation

BRONZE WAISTCOAT REPORTS - 2005/6
Plymouth Bronze Waistcoat Tour - Event 8 BRANTON PLYMOUTH BRONZE CHAMPION

8th April 2006
Rileys Snooker Club, Plymouth hosted the final event of this years West of England Billiards & Snooker Foundation Bronze Waistcoat Tour. Dale Branton, who has been in superb form all year, defended his Plymouth title emphatically by winning 7 out of the 8 local events. The top 4 ranked players from each of the three areas competing in this tournament will be brought together for the Finals Day of the WEBSF Bronze Waistcoat Tour to see who will be crowned the coveted overall U15 Regional Champion.

The final saw Branton against Daniel Keane with both players demonstrating some skilful play. Branton secured the victory by winning 2-0. Keane and Branton had scares in the semis by going 1-0 down. Keane turned his tie around against Ashley Negus, who looked intent on reaching his first final. Negus ran out of steam in the deciding frame allowing Keane to mop up the colours to take him through. The other semi-finalist, Jacob Stokes performed a gutsy display to secure third place on the leader board taking a frame from Branton along the way.

The group stages saw Branton drop a frame against the young Hayden Pinhey. Branton took the first frame with two breaks, 38 and 28 but Pinhey levelled taking the frame on the black. Branton eased to victory in the decider to win 2-1 and continued his form to overcome Curtis Campbell and Ashley Negus 2-0. 'Pocket Rocket' Pinhey was not deterred by his first defeat and produced potting well beyond his years to beat Campbell 2-0. Negus edged in front against Campbell taking the lead 2-1 in what were very close frames. He continued his success by taking a 2:0 victory against Pinhey.

Group B saw the return of Dylan Chilcott who produced some sound potting against Keane in a tough match where Chilcott held on to win 2-1. Stokes, who has shown consistent form of late, defeated Chilcott 2-0. During the preliminary stages, Stokes also triumphed 2-0 against Chris Corry. Although Corry played well on the day, Keane was able to draw from his experience to win 2-0. Corry’s match against Chilcott was a hard fought affair and finished with a 2-0 victory for Chilcott.

The Bronze Waistcoat Tournament Director said he was pleased to see such excellent sportsmanship and manners around the table. He added that the tournaments not only encouraged players to progress within the sport but also helped with character building, giving them the tools to deal with other obstacles they may come across in life. He also wished to give thanks to the Victoria Snooker Centre and Rileys Snooker Club for their hospitality and for providing such excellent venues.

Report by Steve Brookshaw