Kent 7-Up Joy Over London Neighbours! Combined Score 161:91!
The Kent County Pool squad went into the home game with London on the back of some good form, and that domination continued across all divisions with 7 wins from 7 matches (no junior game this month).
Team manager Willie Anderson went into the season with high hopes for the Kent squad and at this moment in time his teams are showing what they are capable of. From the juniors to the masters, the squad is demonstrating they have emerging talent that can bring rewards at the end of the season, should they continue their development in what is a bit of a transformational change season. The captains do feel that air of optimism as we move onto the middle stage of the season.
Seniors
First up on the day was the seniors match where Nigel Smith was feeling pretty optimistic about his team’s chances! Wilbo’s team took the first set 7:4 before the London team rallied in the second set to lead 11:9. Kent managed to take the final 2 frames courtesy of Billy Rase and Barbara Taylor, and the halfway point stood 11:11. Kent edged the 3rd set 6:5 and then piled on the pressure for the London team by taking the next 4 frames. This proved too much for the London team and their fate was sealed, with Kent taking the final set 8:3 to register the first win of the day 25:19, with Chris Freelove delivering the winning frame.
Top performers on the day were Lee Crowhurst (Scottish international), Steve Jepson, and a welcome return to form for Marc Brazier, as they all won 3/4.
Kent Seniors completely reversed their form of last season’s first 3 games and are now sitting top of the division on 9/9 points, 3 points clear of Sussex.
Under 23s
A first set win of 3:2 set the Kent team on their way in what they expected to be a tough match. The second set was replicated by another 3:2 scoreline, taking the Kent team to a halfway lead of 6:4. A more dominant 4:1 set took the Kent team over the winning line before normal matters resumed in the 4th set with another 3:2 scoreline.
So a 13:7 scoreline, and one that takes the Under 23s top of the league, clear by 2 points to Surrey.
3/4 for Finley O’Shaughnessy, Michael Cairns and Callum Britt, with Olly Mitchell 2/3 and Liam McGrath chipping in with 1/1.
Over 60s
Andy Gee and Andy Redsull won their first frames to take a 2:1 lead in the first set. The Kent team then stepped on the accelerator pedal and won the next two sets 3:0, 3:0. They made it 9:1 before the London team stole the last 2 frames of the day to end the game on a 9:3 Kent win. Andy Gee and John Fowler both recorded 3/4 in the match, and this win takes them top of the division with 7 points, 2 clear of Berkshire, who are their next opponents.
I believe the Over 60s go from a three-man team this season to a five-man team next season, so any budding over-60s who fancy trying to represent Kent — get in touch and we will let you know trial dates.
Ladies
It was a bit of a slow start for our ladies team, which made it a further surprise to see them go 5:1 down in the first set. They eventually only just lost the set 6:5, which wasn’t in keeping with what happened in the 2nd set.
What occurred was an 11:0 win — yes, that’s correct — 11 frames on the bounce to take the score from 6:5 down to 16:6 in front! Quite remarkable. The 3rd set was slightly more of a contest but the Kent Ladies took that one by an 8:3 scoreline. The winning frame came from Vanessa Ledger, with the third set finishing at 24:9 up. Julie Fane and Karen Darby both took their frames in the 4th set to acquire a full 4/4 for the day, as the final score came in at 30:14. Guess that’s what happens when the Kent Ladies lose their title — it’s likely coming back this year with performances like that.
Kent Ladies top with 9/9 points, 3 points clear of Hampshire.
A Team
Jasper’s team were hoping to kick-start their season after a poor result last time out. The game started well for the Kent team, taking an early lead before London pulled back to 3:3. Kent then took the set 7:4 to give the developing A team some breathing space. The next set went the same way with a 7:4 win, so half time looking like 14:8 to Kent.
The third set was something unusual for a Kent A team. Known to have some lapses in focus in the past, this set never went that way, and Kent ran out 8:3 winners to lead 22:11 after the third set. Metin Tomris won the winning frame to make it 23:11, before London went on to win the 4th set 7:4, with the final score being 26:18. A good step in the right direction, with perhaps the A team’s biggest test coming next, with the visit of Berkshire. Can our Kent A team find a win against Berkshire to put them back in the running for that national qualification next year?
Metin Tomris and Dave Fernandez led the way with 4/4 apiece, with Jamie Gamble, Sean Kirby and Aaron Bhat ably backing them up with 3/4.
C Team
An emphatic 30:14 win for Kent C.
A strong start to the match saw Kent stretch into a 19:3 lead after set 2. However, London C came back into the match in the third set, winning it 8:3. “The third set has been an issue so far this season and something we hope to iron out,” said team captain Chris Freelove.
The fourth set saw Kent get back into the groove and finish the set and match strongly, to win 8:3 in the set and 30:14 overall.
A lot of good performances across the team, with Phil Horley, Andre Cox, Darren Hill, Callum Britt, Olly Mitchell and captain Chris Freelove all recording 3 wins from 4 frames.
The man of the match though went to Ritchie Bell, on 4 wins from 4, with some quality clearances along the way.
The win keeps Kent C top of the table, 3 points clear of Surrey, and the team is looking forward to the battle with Berkshire next month.
B Team
George Taylor was making his debut against his former side, who were out to give him a bit of friendly banter for moving across the border to Kent. However, on the table it was George who was delivering the crucial strikes, as he took his first three frames in great style, proving he can be a big asset for Kent moving forward. Sadly he missed the opportunity of a full house in his final frame, but demonstrated composure throughout the day, with his new teammates backing him up.
Kent took the first two sets 7:4, 7:4, before an even more dominant third set of 8:3 put them on the cusp of victory at 22:11. Team captain Farron has set his team the target of winning as many sets as possible this year, trying to get his team to focus set by set, so even with the match won he wanted focus to win the set too. Kent won the set 6:5 to complete the full sweep, with Steve Mullins clinching the winning frame. Wilbo, Charley McDowall and Jamie O’Donnell all earned 4/4, with George Taylor and Steve Mullins delivering 3/4.
This win sees Kent B top of the group, 2 points clear of Berkshire, so a big game next month to ascertain the strength of the B team.
So the visitors to Chatham Pool and Snooker Club next month will be Berkshire. With high standards expected from both county squads, we should be in for a great day of pool on Sunday 10th May.
Until then, stay safe.
Wilbo
Final Scores
| Under 23s | 13:7 WIN |
| Over 50s | 25:19 WIN |
| Under 18s | no match |
| Ladies | 30:14 WIN |
| A | 26:18 WIN |
| B | 26:18 WIN |
| C | 30:14 WIN |
| Over 60s | 9:3 WIN |