As Kent County Pool Team Manager I am incredibly proud of everything we have achieved since I took over 7 years ago. The support from the committee , captains and players has made my job easier and we have delivered countless happy memories for many players and teams , so congratulations to all for being part of a successful county pool set up during my tenure. Outside of the many regional titles over these 7 years we have also achieved National Titles across the categories . The men’s A and B have won national titles alongside our Ladies , our Juniors x2 and our Under 23’s .
However 2025 was a year of mixed fortunes by our high standards with three teams winning their respective categories , three finishing as runners up and two finishing 3 rd .
The junior team and under 23 s evidenced our youth policies are effective by finishing top of their divisions. We look forward to supporting these players develop their pool experiences further in the future through an agreement between the committee and Dave Fernandez ( ultimate Pool Professional, Kent A team player and Seasoned England internationalist ) to provide coaching to our juniors.
Some of our youth players have been promoted into the Open divisions to give them an opportunity to exhibit their skill set at a higher level . Finlay O’Shaughnessy has joined James Goldsmith in the B team with captain Farron Rowe keen to snap him up .
Ollie Mitchell, Kieren Bruce and Michael Cairns are also stepping up and into the C team .
Our other winning team was our C team , captained by the departing Paul Cox . I was delighted to see Paul finish his county career with an incredible 1400 caps on the final game of the season . We would like to thank Paul for everything he has done for Kent Pool and congratulate him for everything he has achieved over 4 decades. Best wishes for the future and enjoy your lie ins on a Sunday morning .
Our B team , ladies team and newly formed masters teams all finished second and I know already that Julie Fane and Farron Rowe are intending to try and wrestle those Regional titles back to Kent. John Paul Fowler will be keen to maintain the masters team good start and has added Jez Weaver to his squad this year.
Our A team finished 3 rd and on reflection it was a challenging year for them and the B team as we went through a significant period of transition .
Spare a thought for our seniors team who started the season with 3 losses then moved from the bottom to the top of the league with 5 wins in a row only to be leading 22-17 in the final game to lose all 5 final frames and lose out on national qualification by a frame . I remember speaking to Dylan Leary at the euros about hard knocks and battle scars and that certainly was another one added to my personal file . But we go again in 2026 .
So before announcing our 2026 squads , I would like to thank all our past and present players for putting the Kent County Pool Association on the Regional, National , European and World map.!
Many Kent players , past and present , have used this county stepping stone to then go on and start winning titles for their countries at European and World level.
It is our combined ambition to continue that trend moving forward especially for some of our juniors , still learning the game .
But it’s never too late as they say as Andy Redsull ( England ) represented his country for the first time ever at the World Championships and returned with a World Team Title in the over 60 s .
Lee Crowhurst represented Scotland seniors team at the World championships , also in 2025 , and is on his way to Cyprus in a few weeks to the Europeans .
In the past we have had players like Carl Morris and his brother Kurt representing their country while playing for Kent alongside a host of others. You might remember some but have you heard of them all ? They all have the same thing in common in that they played for their country while playing for Kent .
Previous Players
Jordan Church (England)
Jackie Baker (England)
Liesa Conlin (England)
Katie Martyn (England)
Amy Beauchamp (England)
Ian Hubbard (England)
Callum Brown (England)
Tony Bowles (England)
Emma Cunningham ( Northern Ireland )
Jamie Kitchen (Northern Ireland)
Corinne Gratton (Wales)
Steve Goodwin ( England )
Paul Rogers (England)
Andy Twigger ( Scotland)
Les Boddy ( England)
Sharon Dickson ( Wales)
Current Players
Willie Anderson (Scotland)
Lee Crowhurst (Scotland)
Jake Lloyd ( England )
Andy Redsull ( England)
Jasper Simmonds (England)
Dave Fernandez (England )
Adam Bassoo (England)
Josh Patel (India)
Aaron Bhat (India)
Steve Ritchie (England)
Barbara Taylor (England)
Jan Spinner (England)
Jools Fane (England)
Mel Clements (England)
Vanessa Ledger (England)
These are the players I remember but if anyone remembers any more please comment .
Apologies if I’ve missed someone obvious ……
So the 2026 season brings a new look to the squad following a review of our ambition. It is our combined objective to prepare squads that can challenge at National level every year moving forward . I recognise that our juniors may have a year of transition as no less than 6 players aged out this year . But we have talent coming through and that is a combined effort across Kent including the development of some fine pool environments across the county where these youngsters can play the game they love in a safe environment with experienced pool owners looking over them . I think you would be hard pressed to find another county with 6 top class pool venues . So Kent pool is thriving with all these factors and it is with this in mind that the standards are being set high . We are thriving on and off the table , are financially able to support Kent Pool for example contributing to nationals accommodation for last 3 years with our Finance Lead always looking for opportunities to invest our finances in the Kent footprint .
Kent A 2026 (12)
- Jasper Simmons (Captain)
- Dave Fernandez
- Adam Bassoo
- Metin Tomris (Returning Wildcard)
- Pat Cunningham
- Jack Galloway
- Jake Lloyd
- Sean Kirby
- Josh Patel
- Jamie Gamble
- Mitch Standen
- Aaron Bhat (Returning from Gap year)
Kent B 2026 (12)
- Farron Rowe ( Captain)
- Ash Hind
- Charley McDowell
- Jamie O Donnell
- Willie Anderson
- Steve Ritchie
- Steve Mullins
- George Taylor (Transfer London)
- Paul Williams (Wildcard)
- James Goldsmith (from Juniors)
- Finley O Shaughnessy (from Juniors)
- Gavin Webb
Kent C 2026; (13)
Phil Harrison – Manager
- Chris Freelove (Captain)
- Ritchie Bell
- Andy Redsull
- Phil Horley
- Michael Cairns (Junior)
- Ollie Mitchell(Junior)
- Kieren Bruce (Junior)
- Callum Britt
- Carl Jones
- Darren Hill
- Barry Johnson
- Billy Rase
- Andre Cox
- Ladies (12)
- Jools Fane ( Captain)
- Vanessa Ledger
- Karen Riches
- Mel Clements
- Jan Spinner
- Amy Cook
- Jo Miles
- Karen Darby
- Hollie Potter
- Erin Gannon
- Hannah Bevan
- Barbara Taylor
- Seniors (12)
- Willie Anderson ( Captain )
- Graham Thrower
- Barbara Taylor
- Steve Jepson
- Lee Crowhurst
- Marc Brazier
- Richard Smith
- Gary Kingsnorth
- Bill Rase
- Barry Johnson
- Adrian Read
- Chris Freelove
- Under23s
- Jake Lloyd
- Finley O’Shaughnessey
- James Goldsmith
- Callum Britt
- Michael Cairns
- Liam McGrath
- Ollie Mitchell
- Juniors
- Liam McGrath – Captain
- Mason Coles – Vice Captain
- Jack Harding
- Alfie Richards
- Ollie Smith
- Harrison Guichard
- Alfie Hearn
- Slok Patel
- Alfie Kingsnorth
- Jamie Baird
- Masters
- John Paul Fowler ( Captain)
- Andy Gee
- Andy Redsull
- Jez Weaver
From the Committee and myself , I would like to wish all of our players the best of luck in this upcoming season. I have set the captains high standards this year and we want the players to deliver the results that match our ambitions as a county . At the same time we play with integrity and honesty and enjoy the times we spend with each other playing the game we love . Play well yourselves and remember this is a team game so help your team mates to play their best games also , you never know they may even go on and play for their country . We have world and European champions all over our squads so let’s use all of that skill and experience to have the best season ever !
See you all at presentation night on 7 th February where all our winners from last year will receive their moment in the spotlight that they deserve . WHO will take home the sponsors player of the year and Who will win the coveted managers player of the year trophy following Jasper Simmonds collecting the award last year ?
Join us to find out !!
Finally I would like to thank our Sponsor , Chatham Pool and Snooker Club for everything they do to give the players the best playing conditions possible . 8 Rasson Tables , video technology installed so that family and friends can watch county matches from afar , bar staff and table staff committed to looking after our every need at county days . Lee Crowhurst you lead a fabulous team and deserve great credit . What’s next? Dynaspheres on every table perhaps!!
Best wishes
Wilbo
Kent County Pool Team Manager on behalf of the KCPA