Eight-ball champs retain crown
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An extremely high standard of pool was on show as the influx of talented youngsters stood toe to toe with the more experienced older players.
Group “A” was dominated by the young pairing of Greg Simpson and Jordan Tait as they secured their place in the semi-final along with Ryan Cook and Alex Rosie from Blackstairs “2”.
Group “B” was not as straightforward as it ended in a three-way tie between Ryan Carter and David Hendry, James Riach and Bruce Honeyman and last year’s winners Tam Sutherland and Stuart Mckenzie.
Camps “1” pairing Shane Honeyman and Suzanne Carter performed well in group “B”, defeating teams from the Queen’s and the Crown but narrowly missed out on qualification for the semi-finals. A play-off was then held to decide the two teams from group “B” which would advance in the competition.
Carter and Hendry defeated both Riach and Honeyman and Sutherland and Mckenzie to book their place in the semis. Defending champions Sutherland and Mckenzie were victorious over Riach and Honeyman and they too secured their place.
The first semi-final was a tight affair but it was Cook and Rosie who took an early 2-1 lead over Sutherland and Mckenzie.
The current holders of the Bfest title then stepped it up a gear and ran out 5-3 winners to reach the final.
Sinclair Bay’s Simpson and Tait produced some outstanding pool and both players recorded total clearances to take a 4-0 lead over Carter and Hendry in the second semi-final. The latter battled back into the match to reduce the deficit to 4-2, but the Keiss lads halted any chance of a comeback to win the match 5-2.
The finalists could not be separated in the first six frames, but it was the more experienced pairing of Sutherland and Mckenzie who successfully defended their title with an impressive 5-3 victory.
