Match Report

All to play for: Kent travels to London to maintain their challenge across all divisions.

Kent A kept the pressure on their rivals by delivering an emphatic 33:11 victory. This ensures the A team’s top place with two matches remaining. The match started in an unusual manner as slow starters Kent A put on the burners to deliver a first set 8:3 margin. The A team then continued to march forward in convincing style with further set wins of 9:2, 8:3, and 8:3 to emphasise their dominance on the day. Adam Bassoo, Sean Kirby delivered 4/4 results, and Ash Hind seemed to have brought his wand with him, as his 4/4 included some mesmerizing shots to win his frames. The team looked out for Mitch Standen, who lost his Nan this week, and celebrated her life with her favorite tipple, Tia Maria, and coke at the end of the match. The team will be thinking of Mitch and his family in the coming weeks.

The Kent B team overcame a slow start where they lost the first set 7-4 to move into the lead by frame 19 when Andy Twigger took the frame, and the team never looked back. Charley McDowell sealed the win on the way to a 25:19 win. That win sets the B team up to challenge again for the title with two games remaining. Two home game wins would clinch the title. Jake Lloyd continued to impress in his first season in the men’s game with 4/4 alongside Ben Morgan, who was spotted practicing at Jordans on the Friday evening. That’s what the team manager likes to see leading into county matches.

The Kent C team had a disappointing day, losing their match 25:19! It looked oh so different at the start of the match when they bolted out of the traps to take a 5:1 lead, but unfortunately, by the end of the set, that lead had gone as they went 6:5 behind. To be fair to the C team, they had a number of replacements enforced by absentees, which doesn’t help in establishing a consistent team. An issue the team manager will be looking at as it causes unnecessary stresses to a number of people on the day of the match.

At the start of the day, the Under 23s, led by Jasper, had another convincing win, 16:4, which cements their status at the top of the league. Jasper Simmonds and Makhan Notay both winning 4/4. The team is again looking solid throughout and will get another chance at national glory, I feel, next year.

Our Juniors did what they do best, and our National and Regional champions marched on with another emphatic victory with 4 players getting maximum 4/4. Captain Gannon, Chase East, Callum Britt, and Finlay O’Shaughnessy leading the way with more than able backup in the team.

Disappointingly, the Seniors delivered a very weak and poor effort against their London rivals, going down 22:14. Only Barbara Taylor 4/4 and Marc Brazier 3/4 came out with any kind of performance, and the seniors’ team knows that they need to be better to get anything out of the season after what had been a great start to the season.

Finally, our Ladies found themselves in a bit of an unusual position after the first 15 frames as they were 11:4 down. However, normal service was resumed by frame 29 when they went 15:14 up with a Jo Miles win before charging forward to deliver a 29:15 victory, losing only 2 frames from the final 22!!! Incredible resilience. Barbara Taylor, adding to her seniors’ haul, ended the day 8/8. Well done, and Jan Spinner 4/4 leading the way in an eventual dominant performance.

Also congratulations to Ladies’ captain Jools on earning her next county medal for 1100 frames.

So going forward, we have two home games left this season for our teams to decide their fates. Surrey is next, followed by Berkshire on the 8th October and 5th November, respectively.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support. Let’s finish off the business end of the season in style. Get back to those Nationals!

All the best, Wilbo.

Final Scores

u23s	4:16 WIN
Seniors	22:14 LOSS
Juniors	9:27 WIN
Ladies	15:29 WIN
A	11:33 WIN
B	15:29 WIN
C	25:19 LOSS

Match Report

Clean Sweep in Hampshire by Decent Margins

Kent traveled to Hampshire following a mixed bag of results across the sections last time out, but came home in emphatic style across all of our matches. There were no under 23 or junior matches today, which meant the seniors kicked the day off in Basingstoke.

Last time out, the Kent Seniors drew with the mighty Berkshire (we should have won), so Captain Twigger wanted more of the same. Well, he eventually got it on the way to a 21:15 win, a victory that seemed a long way away after going 5:1 down inside ten minutes. However, this team is beginning to trust each other’s ability, and by the time the second set had finished, the seniors had clawed it back to 10:8 down. At 13:12 down, Willie Anderson went on in frame 26 to win, and from that point to home, we won 9/11 frames to secure the match 21:15. A remarkable result.

The top player today was Steve Jepson with a 4/4 performance, while Willie Anderson, Lee Crowhurst, Mark Brazier, and Andy Redsull all chipped in with 3/4.

The Ladies lost to Hampshire at home in the last meeting, so I know it was in the mind of Captain Jooles to ensure a great victory, and this indeed was the case with a 29:15 win, which cements their position back at the top of the table. The top players on the day were Jo Herrington with 4/4, and Amy Cook, Vanessa Ledger, Jan Spinner, Jo Miles, Mel Clements, and Barbara Taylor all chipped in with 3/4. Well done, ladies.

The Mens’ teams all had convincing victories in their respective divisions, with the C team winning 24:20 and the B team winning 27-17. Three players gained a remarkable 4/4 to ease the B team to victory: Farrron Rowe, Jake Lloyd, and Charley McDowell. Well done, lads. It’s difficult to achieve 4/4 at that standard. There was never any danger to the B team following an 8:0 start, which must have rattled their players. Callum Briwn and Jamie O’Donnell both contributed with 3/4. It looks like the team is back on track.

The C team had to make a couple of late changes, and as usual, they were spotted almost having too much fun in their game. Each set was tight, but the third set set the C team up as they went from 13:10 up to 19:14 up. The winning frame was secured, quite aptly, by that old stager Paul Wood, who was moving towards his own 4/4 at the time.

Finally, the A team, still hunting their first regional title, also marched confidently through to victory. The team talk was called early, and after a few inspiring words from Mitch, Jasper and Patel, the usual mud flinging started, and the A’s got off to a good start for a change, winning the first set 6:5. They followed up with two 7:4 wins before taking the final set 8:3. Players of the day were Mitch Standen and Steve Ritchie with a perfect 4/4, with Willie Anderson, Dave Fernandez, and Adam Bassoo in supporting roles with 3/4 performances. Another comfortable day at the office with bigger, more crucial games to come.

Congratulations to the following players having earned their next county medal:

300 frames – Jake Lloyd
300 frames – Jo Miles
200 frames – Charlie Minta
100 frames – Karen Darby

So it’s off to London for our next match on September 10th. It’s my wedding anniversary that weekend (30 years), so if Louise lets me come to pool, I will see you all. Until then, enjoy the hot weather that is about to be bestowed upon us. Well done, teams!!

All the best, Wilbo.

Final Scores

u23s	no match
Seniors	15:21 WIN
Juniors	no match
Ladies	15:29 WIN
A	16:28 WIN
B	17:27 WIN
C	20:24 WIN

Match Report

Kent battle to claim slim advantage across the board: the heat was on in more than just the weather in Berkshire on County Day Sunday!

Travelling to Berkshire to win matches is always a tough ask, especially now in the men’s and seniors division where Dylan Leary and Eddie Barker are representing the Berkshire teams alongside a whole host of other talented international players.

The Seniors kicked the day off against a mighty Berkshire team with the cry for positivity and recovery following a first loss of the season last time out, where we went down too easily to Surrey. The first set was like a tennis match with no team giving up anything; Berkshire led 5:4. Second set 9:9. Kent’s Dean Kasitz, or as he is fondly known, “Deano Deano,” played a superb first frame of the third set to take out Dylan Leary and give us a slender advantage. Berkshire, however, fought back again to take a 15:12 lead before another response from Kent led to 6 in a row, taking an 18:15 lead. However, Berkshire, with all their experience and class, managed to salvage a draw, 18:18. So, still in the Kent boys’ hands again for a top 2 finish. Excellent performances from both Dean Kasitz and Andy Gee with 6/8 between them.

The Under 23s, led by their captain Jasper Simmonds, went ahead early in the match and raced to a 7:4 lead, but a spirited Berkshire comeback meant it came right down to the wire to get that win. Up stepped England International Jake Lloyd to deliver that victory, 11:9, and a sigh of relief for the Under 23s who are undefeated this year and sit top of their group at the halfway mark.

There was no Ladies’ game yesterday (postponed), and another date will be looked at in the future.

Onto the all-conquering Juniors who keep getting better and better. The region and national champions raved to a 6:3 lead in the first set, then eclipsed that, 7:2, in the second set to take a 13:5 lead. The third set was a little closer before the Kent juniors romped through the 4th set, 8:1, to deliver a resounding 26:10 win. James Goldsmith and Callum Britt were the standout performers with 4/4, and Finley O’Shaughnessy delivered the winning frame. Top of the group at the halfway stage and looking very much like Region 7 winners again!

The C team was missing their captain, Paul Cox, this month, and Paul entrusted the captaincy to his vice-captain Horley. Phil, supported by Chris Freelove, set the tone for the match, and their start was emphatic, delivering the first two sets 8:3 and 7:4 to take a 15:7 lead at halfway. More dominance ensued, with the final score running to 27:17. First-time captaining the side, Phil had to make some selection changes as another player dropped out. His choices made good as they delivered 11/12 frames, with Ben Coles coming in from reserve to win 4/4 (thank you, Ben, for agreeing to play for us). Nathan Glass got back to some form again, winning all 4 to cap an excellent day for the stand-in captain/vice-captain. Well done, lads.

A shock result for the Kent B men that had their captain saying, “That hurt!” Our B team lost their first regional match for 3 years, and just like the weather, it was a bolt from the blue!! Apparently, our Berkshire friends played extremely well, but I’m sure talking to some of our players at the end, there will be a keenness to reverse that result at Chatham later on in the year.

We move on to the much-anticipated A team match between the newly crowned national champs against a Berkshire side who have pretty much dominated locally and nationally over the last 8 years. The Kent boys are keen to show Berkshire their national result is no flash in the pan! Berkshire won the first set 6:5, but Kent roared back with an 8:3 win to lead 13:9 at the halfway point. The heat in the room was taking its toll on a few players, but Kent was gaining an advantage and reached a scoreline of 20:16 early in the third set.

With Kent seemingly one foot in the winning line, Berkshire pulled back to 20-20, then 21:20 Kent, a magnificent clearance under pressure from Steve Ritchie that took it to the last frame. A difficult chance for Josh Patel–he went for the clearance only to see his last red rattle and hang on and lie in the cushion. His opponent snookered him 4 times, and each time Josh found a way out of that snooker and once almost dramatically potting the ball down the rail from a snooker. In the end, the new rules enabled our opponent to steal the win, and a 22:22 draw was the outcome.

Our captain, Adam Bassoo, captured the mood in the camp when he said it shows where we have come from and where we are now when we are disappointed with a 22-22 draw to Berkshire. Still in the A team’s hands, can they seek that elusive Region 7 title that has eluded us, or will we at last get our name on that title? We will see what the second half brings. Player of the day for the A team, young Harry Compton, 4/4 with some controlled and measured finishes. Harry does love a pose when he wins 4/4!! 😂

Next month, it’s Sussex at home on July 10th. There will be no A team or seniors games as both teams lose players to the Worlds, so games are being rearranged for the future. Good luck to our Kent players going to Worlds in Morocco. That’s WC Barbara Taylor (ENG), Willie Anderson (SCO), Josh Patel (IND), Jasper Simmonds (ENG), and Andy Twigger (SCO).

As a final note congratulations to the following players having earned their next county medal. Special mention to Andy Redsull who joins Paul Cox in the ‘1300 club’, an amazing achievement:

1300 frames – Andy Redsull
100 frames – James Goldsmith

All the best, Wilbo

Final Scores

u23s	9:11 WIN
Seniors	18:18 DRAW
Juniors	10:26 WIN
Ladies	P-P
A	22:22 DRAW
B	27:17 LOSS
C	17:27 WIN

Match Report

Kent teams travelled to their nearest neighbours with some confidence following a positive start to the season.

National Champions v Region Champions in the Men’s A section saw the Kent men deliver a resounding 29-15 victory. All the more impressive when you consider the A team were missing three strong players in Charlie Minta, Sean Kirby and Dave Fernandez. However the strength in depth is now evident as there are plenty of players capable of stepping up to the mark when needed: Steve Ritchie (4/4), Jamie Gamble and Aaron Bhat coming into the team to maintain the strength. Josh Patel delivered another 4/4 to remain top of the rankings and only an in off black in my last frame of the day prevented a full house for Wilbo.

The B team raced to an early 6-0 start before the opponents pulled back to 10-8. The Kent side kept their noses in front before pulling away in the last set convincingly by winning 7 of the last 8 frames to deliver a 27-17 victory. The team certainly seem to have their mojo back following a disappointing nationals and the combination of youth and experience seems to be creating a positive atmosphere. Ben Morgan picked up 4/4 in the match and Nathan Glass, brought up for the day fought back well after losing his first two frames to pick up the next two to finish the day on a positive note.

The C team delivered an overall good team performance and looked like wrapping things up early in 4th set but our Surrey opponents fought back from 20-13 down to 20-19. Up stepped Chris Freelove to stop the rot before Paul Wood delivered the winning frame in a 24-20 win.

Our ladies had a convincing 29-15 victory with Captain Fane and WC Taylor both winning 4/4. Karen Darby stepping in for Amy Cook winning 3/4 frames. Well done ladies on another dominant performance.

Our Under 23 team had no match so it was left to our Juniors to hand out another convincing win by beating Surrey 25-11. Callum Britt the player to shine this month with his 4/4. When you look at the rankings of the juniors you will see most of them are 75% and above evidencing their win rates in the division.

The other match of the day saw our Seniors lose a rather disappointing match 23-13. We had a terrible start going 6-1 down then pulling back to 11-8 before our opponents pulled away in the 3rd and 4th sections. So that was the seniors first loss of the season and I’d back us to bounce back next time with a better performance.

Congratulations to the following players having earned their next county medal:

400 frames – Katie Martyn
400 frames – Jasper Simmonds
300 frames – Gavin Webb

Our next match is Sunday 11th June away to Berkshire so I look forward to seeing you all there. There a few pics of the day here – I never got round all the teams but will do next time out.

Best wishes,

Wilbo

Final Scores

u23s	no match
Seniors	23-13 LOSS
Juniors	11:25 WIN
Ladies	15:29 WIN
A	15:29 WIN
B	17:27 WIN
C	20:24 WIN

Match Report

Kent clean up across all divisions – despite some stern opposition

On the face of it winning all sections might look easy but it was far from it across the board with London putting up some excellent challenges in a number of sections.

Kent Ladies ran out 24:20 winners but nearing the end of the second section London were ahead by 12:4 and at the start of the last set it was 17:17. A burst of frames from Mel Clements, Jo Herrington, Hannah Bevan and Karen Riches helped the ladies to steer clear before Amy Cook sealed the win.

The Under 23s had started the days events with a comfortable 14:6 win with Jasper Simmonds leading the line with 4/4.

The Senior team seemed to be cruising after the third set as they took a 17:10 lead into the 4th. That lead suddenly became 17:16 as the London seniors ripped through the heart of the team until Steve Jepson and Mark Brazier sealed the deal with a winning couple of frames. Final score 19:17 and a special mention to Dean Kasitz who delivered 3/4 in his first match starting. Well done.

The Junior side showed no signs of slipping up as they raced into a 5-0 lead, never looking back with a 30:6 win. Chase East, Finley O’Shaughnessy and Josh Wheeler all achieving the maximum 4/4.

Onto the C team another tight start until 8:8 which is when Kent side began to pull away for their victory of 25:19. Top performers today were Phil Horley leading off, Scott Woods and our evergreen captain Paul Cox also achieving his 1300th county frame for Kent – what an achievement.

Our B team were in a right match from the off as they were 6:5 down after the first set, 11:11 at the start of the third and 17:17 after the first leg of the final set. Thankfully a run of 6 wins starting with Jake Lloyd who achieved 4/4 took the score to 23:17 before another run from London made the final score 23:21 so a real match up in the end but we take the points onwards to the next game.

The A team men lost their first set 7:4 but quickly recovered in the 2nd set with a 9:2 victory to set the precedent for the rest of the game and at the end ran out 26:18 winners with Sean Kirby continuing his impressive run from the nationals with 4/4 alongside Dave Fernandez.

So a full set from the teams and we now move forward to our next match against Surrey on 14th May. Until then stay safe and keep practising . We are looking for more titles this year than last year!

As a final note congratulations to the following players having earned their next county medal:

1300 frames – Paul Cox
800 frames – Karen Riches
600 frames – Martin Prime
200 frames – Ritchie Bell
100 frames – Paul Wood
100 frames – Louie Wilson

All the best.

Wilbo

Final Scores

u23s	14:6 WIN
Seniors	19-17 WIN
Juniors	30:6 WIN
Ladies	24-20 WIN
A	26:18 WIN
B	23:21 WIN
C	25:19 WIN

Match Report

Sunday 19^th March was Mother’s day so probably a good thing there were no Juniors or Under 23 matches, meaning they could spend the day with their Mums. For the rest of us, Hampshire were the visitors to Chatham Pool and Snooker Club.

The day started well for Kent when the Kent Seniors won the opening match pretty convincingly 22-14. There were a couple of good performances from Andy Redsull and Andy Gee with maximum points and Barbara Taylor got her first senior frames on the board with 3 out of 4. So, the Seniors have started the season with two games unbeaten and look forward to having a good season.   

Before the afternoon matches began there was recognition and celebration for the Kent A team as they won the Inter County National championships a couple of weeks before. Although the Juniors did not have a game they were also applauded for their endeavours at the same competition, as they also came home National Champions. Well done all. 

Kent A

Hampshire proved to be stern competition for the new champions winning the first and third sets 6-5. Going into the final set it was 17-16 to Hampshire but a 5 frame winning burst at the start of the final set all but sealed the victory with Kent going on to win the match 24-20. 

Notable performance from Jasper Simmonds winning 4/4 with some good clearances and an exceptional final frame clearance from Charlie Minta, delivered the winning frame.   

Kent B 

Kent B were determined to get back to winning ways following, in their words, a poor performance at the national finals. Farron Rowe gathered the team at the start of the match to get the team in the right mindset and this seemed to work well as they won the first set 7-4 and the second set 8-3. Farron must have motivated himself pretty well as he delivered all 4 of his frames as did Charley McDowell, so that’s 8/8 for the man called up from the C team for the last two games. Well done Charley, great start to the season.   

31-13 final score. 

Kent C 

A couple of changes at the start of the game meant a shuffle to the pack with senior Lee Crowhurst stepping in to help. The team dominated the first 3 sections with 8-3, 8-3 and 9-2 wins which eventually turned into a 29-15 win. 

Three players won all four of their frames, Jamie Fenech (said in a Scottish accent), Louie Wilson and Phil Horley – well done lads – a good emphatic win following your draw last time out. Let’s hope you can dominate again like previous seasons. 

Ladies 

Well the ladies suffered their first loss for many a year yesterday losing 24-20 to a strong Hampshire team. However more importantly for the Kent Ladies, things took an unexpected turn during the last set when Barbara Taylor became unwell and needed assistance before being taken to hospital.  I have spoken to Barbara this morning and she thanks everyone for their kind words and well wishes. 

Barbara wants to let people know she had IV fluids overnight and is having some scans today and hopes after that to be discharged home later today. 

Barbara wanted to thank in particular Aimee Firkins, from Hampshire ladies team, for holding her hand and reassuring Barbara throughout the time waiting for the ambulance yesterday, Karen Darby for communicating with the ambulance service and updating them on her condition and me for responding to the call when she was poorly in the room. 

As a final note congratulations to the following players having earned their next county medal:

600 frames – Wille Anderson
100 frames – Jo Herrington
100 frames – Ash Hind

Moving on our next match is at home to London on 16^th April. Keep practising and see you all there.

Regards, Wilbo  

Final Scores

u23s	no match
Seniors	22-14 WIN
Juniors	no match
Ladies	20-24 LOSS
A	24:20 WIN
B	31:13 WIN
C	29:15 WIN

Hi All,

I am pleased to announce that our new Kent A team captain is Adam Bassoo and his vice captain will be Dave Fernandez.

Adam approached me a couple of days ago to enquire about the role and its responsibilities. After discussion with Adam and senior players within the county we are delighted to offer him the role.

We feel that having someone of Adam’s playing stature at the top of our county will evidence long term planning with a view to create the best performance from the team. I would like to wish Adam the best of luck in getting this team to finally lift the silverware it deserves.

Adam will be picking his first team this afternoon and will post it later today.

Regards, Wilbo

So the 2023 season gets underway this Sunday 12th February and the Kent squads will travel the short trip to the seaside to play our good friends Sussex.

Following last year’s success we have, I believe, enhanced the mens squad significantly and with the type of player that will thrive with the new international rule set. Some of our most talented juniors and under 23s are now eligible for the mens squad and it will be enjoyable watching them demonstrate their abilities on the mens stage.

Our trials saw some old hands coming back into the fold as well as some exciting new talent and when you add that to existing winning teams we are set for another great year of 8 ball county pool.

Our ladies will start overwhelming favourites and new additions in the squad plus existing talented players will make them the team to beat. Our under 23s are looking even stronger and I have no doubts they will go on to greater success.

Despite losing a couple of youth players we are still looking at our youth team to defend the title they won last year. They do play exciting pool and I look forward to monitoring their progress throughout the year.

Our seniors team as been somewhat refreshed even at the very last minute but with youngsters (49 years of age) coming into the squad this is the way seniors teams will be progressing moving forward.

So good luck to all our teams. Safe travels and we will see you all in Brighton on Sunday to start the next chapter!

All the best,

Wilbo

We have just over a week to go until the first county match of the season. After such a successful 2022 it’s a difficult act to follow but the KCPA committee are sure that in 2023 we will be even more dominant.

Thanks to all of the players that have provided photos and a few words for our new team page. This is a great reminder of the breadth and depth of experience that we have in our squad.

Good luck everyone and let’s hope we can add some more titles and achievements to those player biographies this year.

Kent Team 2023