2024 saw a record entry from the Kent Interleague with 16 teams represented of the 96 Entries at this years finals.
For some it was their first time at a national event but we also had quite a few veterans.
How did we do?
Going out at the group stage were:-
Whitecliffs Dover A Gravesham B Ashford B Folkestone B Canterbury A Maidstone B
Last 64 of the Knockout stage meant the end for:-
Medway Chavvies Gravesham C Jordans Crusaders Gravesham A Whiteclifs Elite
Last 32 of the Knockout stage saw the departure of:-
Medway A
Whitecliffs Dover B – Good effort from the team currently at the foot of Our Division 3.
Last 16 of the Knockout stage after a close match we lost:-
Romney Invicta
Onto the quarter finals & after a very close match narrowly losing 10-7 to the eventual winners Maidenhead A it was the end of the road for;-
Sheppey A
This left us with one team standing at the semi final stage & once again after a close match losing 10-6 to Telford we saw the departure of a team that has previously won this event:-
Rochester
Thanks for your commitment and enthusiasm in competing in this event.
Special congratulations to Sheppey A on reaching the last 8 & Rochester for reaching yet another semi-final.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible taking part next year
Our London neighbours arrived at Chatham Pool and Snooker Club on a day when the club was going to pilot the live streaming of County matches, and everything, or nearly everything, went exactly to plan. Please go to the Chatham club website, and you will be able to watch all your favourite players at county pool. Find your own frames and send those great shots to your family and friends, and cut the bad ones out!
Kent came away from the matches with 5 wins and a draw (no junior’s match), which saw our Ladies, B team, C team, and Under 23s go top of their respective divisions early in the season.
Total frame score: Kent 144 v 96 London
A Team Dave Fernandez grabbed the A team at the start of the match to describe his team alterations for the day. Behind the scenes, Dave is trying to find the best balance for this team who had lost both matches despite winning 6/8 sets! The team went 3:1 up early but found themselves 8:3 down after the first set. At 13:7 down, the team managed to find some form and a strong run of frames across the board, showing some bottle. The score soon became 15:14 up. The two teams traded frames before a late burst gave the A team a 24:20 win to get their season started in earnest. Pat Cunningham, Willie Anderson, Charlie Minta, and Jasper Simmonds winning 3/4.
B Team Kent B is already top of their section with 9 points from 9, and the team will extend their frames ratio at the top in the Kent team’s internal battle for the top spot, another little stat we are producing this year. Kent dominated this match from the start, winning the first two sections 7:4, 7:4, before taking the third set 6/5. The team eased to the victory and posted an impressive 27:17 victory. Ben Morgan top player of the day with 4/4 followed by Jake Lloyd, Gavin Webb, Ritchie Bell, Andy Twigger, Jamie O’Donnell, and Andy Redsull all posting 3/4. Good going lads and looking strong already. Watched some of the B team match on stream, and there were a few frames with a few flukes around, but hey, take full advantage of these things when they come around.
C Team Our C team has also hit the top spot with 9/9 points posted. 25:19 was the final score in a match where Makhan Notay, Ricky Pierce, Dean White and Scott Woods all delivered 3/4. The top player this week, however, was the old Pigeon Mr. Coakley, delivering 4/4. Again, I am happy to see the youth blending with the experience on offer here and hope to see our young players progress their games through the season with people like Coakly, Cox and Freelove looking after them. The first set went 8:3 Kent’s way then a 6:5 swing the other way made it 13:9 up at the halfway point. London again pulled back well with a 7:4 win in the third to be a single frame down going into the last set. A 5-frame burst, however, sealed the deal as Coakly Fenech East Albert and Notay delivered those 5 frames.
Ladies Our ladies delivered an emphatic victory of 28:16, again settling in at the top of the table, a place they generally call home. Vanessa Ledger wins 4/4 again, and she was followed in with another 6 players popping in with 3/4 frames, those players being Mel Clements, Jan Spinner, Jo Herrington, Jo Miles, Erin Gannon, and Barbara Taylor. I should add that Barbara delivered a total of 7/8 today as she had already won 4/4 for the seniors earlier in the day. Well played. Again with that firepower at Captain Fane’s disposal, it was always going to be very difficult for any team to cope with the National Champions, especially after they delivered an 8:3 then 9:2 start. All over by halfway but kept going strong.
Under 23s A 5:0, 5:0, 5:0 start is what the Under 23 sheet told me, so yes a 15:0 lead, which is mightily impressive given that these rules can give lots of advantage from the break situation. However, the wheels fell off on frame 16 when Jasper Simmonds lost his first frame of the day, and by the end, it was 15:2. Well done to you guys especially as there are some new players from the junior section settling into this format. A couple of players that will be in this team for the next 4 years, which is exciting in itself, are Michael Cairns who is proving he has much more ability than his dad and the exact same thing can be said of James Goldsmith and his dad. Both won 4/4 well played boys. Also undefeated were Jake Lloyd and Joe Greenwood with 2/2 each, so a 4/4 total.
Seniors I’m beginning to wonder where my senior team have gone? Not because they are being battered by anyone at all in any form, rather we are not playing to our normal ability as either individuals or as a team. I get the feeling they are about to explode into life and when they do play to the standard they are all more than capable of, I expect to see some decent results. After three matches we have had two draws and a 23:21 defeat to the National Champions, so that tells me we are there or thereabouts. On the day, we were thankful to the girl in the team, Barbara Taylor, winning all 4 and securing the final frame with a number of team shots that you can all see on YouTube if you want to know what team pool is all about. Martin Prime and Andy Gee both won 3/4, well done Andy Gee especially for coming back to the team and showing a bit of confidence. Well done also to Steve Jepson for waking up after halftime and winning his last two frames and to Bill Rase for his perseverance and a rather excellent pot out of a snooker, which can also be viewed on YouTube.
So well done all for an emphatic day. Good atmosphere in the club. I got to buy the Jaeger Bombs for the first time this season and our cameras caught many good shots during the course of the day.
Next match Hampshire away on Sunday 12th May. Until then keep practicing, enjoy your pool, and see you there.
