Kent Teams achieve high levels of performance in London
There were 5 wins and a draw for Kent yesterday across all divisions with the Under 25s starting the day with a hard fought 10-10 draw. That’s the last match of the season for them in which they won their other 5 matches and the region title.
Kent A knew qualification for next years Inter County finals required 3 wins from their final 3 games. Captain Venner asked for a fast start and the A team duly delivered by winning their first set of the season. Six players delivered 3/4 frames to win 25-19!
Kent B took themselves to within a whisker of winning the region title for the 4th year in a row. They won 26-18 with Steve Ritchie winning 4/4 and Callum Brown stepping into the B team for the first time from the under 25s also winning 4/4 .
Our C team continued on their mauling of most teams this year with a comprehensive 28-16 victory. Jake Lloyd called up to the mens C team demonstrating his competence with his cue winning 4/4.
Our Ladies seem to be getting stronger as the season goes on winning 31-13 . The old guard of Barbara Taylor, Jan Spinner and Mel Clements delivering 12/12 for their team.
Our Juniors delivered a comprehensive 27-9 victory over their hosts with James Goldsmith, Josh Wheeler and Finlay O Shaughnessy all winning 4/4. Padraic has described his young team as having an abundance of skills which they are demonstrating on the table month on month with the regional title already secured.
So with all that the final score of the day was 147-85, a truly exceptional win over the day. As important to me as winning is the manner in which we are viewed as a squad. We have received feedback from London saying our team spirit and sense of fun was a pleasure to receive . So our reputation is demonstrable.
Thank you to all the captains and players for their commitment to our standards. Thank you to Nigel Smith and his team for hosting us so well.
Congratulations to the following players who have earned their next county medal:
If you are interested in playing in one of the most successful County teams in the country, please make a note of the dates for the teams trials. These are your opportunity to qualify for the team.
For the Men’s team there is a further preliminary trial in November. Similarly for the Ladies there’s a preliminary trial in December. For those categories you will need to be successful in the preliminary trials to qualify for the secondary trials in January. Please check each event (links below) for full details:
It’s a while off yet but as a reminder the play-offs for promotion and relegation will be played on 4th December at Chatham Pool and Snooker Club (the Interleague Singles KO is on the same day). The play-offs are determined as per the Interleague Rules:
5.3 Promotion and relegation will be decided as follows;
(a) The teams finishing top of Division 1 will be crowned as Kent Interleague Champions for that season
(b) Teams finishing top of all other Divisions will be promoted
(c) Teams finishing bottom Divisions 1, 2 and 3 will be relegated
(d) Teams finishing third and teams finishing second from bottom in the division above the thirdplaced team, will play each other on Interleague Play Off day. The winner of this ‘play-off’ will then play the team that finished second in the lower division of the two. The winner of this ‘Play off Final’ will then be rewarded with a position in the higher of the two relevant divisions for the following season, with the losing teams taking up a position in the lower of the two divisions in question.
(e) A player must have played, at least 20% of that season’s Interleague frames to qualify to play for that team, in the Interleague Play-Offs.
Berkshire were the visitors the day the County Team Manager and his squad said their final goodbyes to our team mate Carl Disney with a one minute round of applause to celebrate his life. RIP Carl.
The Juniors had no game and their match against Berkshire is rearranged for Sunday October 23 rd at 1.30 pm.
The Under 23s maintained their lead at the top with a thumping 17-3 win. Jake Lloyd and Callum Brown both attaining 4/4 .
Unfortunately the Seniors after their great start to the season are missing something and went down to their second defeat of the season 23:15. They can still qualify for the nationals but will need to win their remaining fixtures. The mens’ A team lost 24:20 but as a team find themselves in a similar position, knowing three wins will likely see them qualify.
No such problems were encountered for the rest of the teams with the Ladies winning 29:15, Jo Herrington, Katie Martyn and Jan Spinner capturing all of their frames. The B team pulled out a good overall team performance winning 24:20 and the C team winning their tightest match of the season 23:21 means they both sit as league leaders with 3 games to go.
Congratulations to our county vice-chairman, Andy Twigger, on earning his 400 frames medal during this month’s match.
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that one of our Kent senior players, Carl Disney, has passed away after his battle against illness. Carl played on the Seniors tour for many years and was an integral part of our county Seniors team and absolutely loved playing the game of pool. He finished the 2019 season as top player after playing to a high standard all year, he loved being number 1 and why not.
Carl messaged us in our WhatsApp group a couple of weeks ago with tremendous bravery telling us that his illness had progressed and that his time was limited and he wouldn’t be playing again. This was a huge shock to us all as he had been in regular contact with us telling us about his treatment and that he couldn’t wait to play with us again.
Carl was a big family man, so the Kent pool family would like to send our heart felt condolences to Carl’s wife Sharon and to all of his family . We are thinking of you all at this sad time. Carl said in his message to us that he wanted us to go on and win the Region 7 title for him and that he would be with us. Carl, we will do our very best to achieve what you ask and you will forever be a part of our team.
Before you read my match report I just wanted to say that some things are more important than a game of Pool. Sunday started with an emotional and heartfelt speech given by the Sussex Team manager, Jason Luxford, following the sad loss of a long-standing playing colleague and friend Tim Mashford – the Kent squad send their condolences to you all.
It has struck me as I get older that friendships are formed over a passion for something and pool is no different. The feeling I get when I go to county is one of friendships, camaraderie and it is such a great feeling to be involved in developing a project such as ours, something that has and will bring smiles and excitement as well as the odd disappointment along the way, that’s all part of the game.
I feel we are all in it together, united and with the support of many other such as Lee and his team at Chatham Pool and Snooker Club, making our venue the best in the region, looking after the players experiences on the County days. The committee that are buying in to the fact that Kent are and can continue to be a power-house of pool for many years to come, supporting financially recognising that we are pump priming our ambitions. To our captains and you the players for committing to the teams and delivering the energy into matches that make County days a great experience. Thanks to you all.
Match Report
Kent’s Coastal day out ends in opponents taking the heat
On a day when the Sussex coast was heating up nicely, there were also a number of hot performances being delivered by Kent’s finest pool players.
17 players in all delivered a full house of 4/4 for their teams in some big wins across the categories.
Jo Herrington (ladies) and Joshua Wheeler (juniors) attained their first ever 4/4 perfect stats for their teams which ended in their teams winning 36-8 (Ladies) and 31- 5 (Juniors).
They were ably supported in their categories by Barbara Taylor, Katie Martyn, Mel Clements Vanessa “the legend” Ledger again!! and Jan Spinner – well done ladies on continuing your march at the top of the Region and already planning for next years national finals with some of the new players gaining that valuable commodity of not knowing what its like to lose a match at this level.
On a day when Jake Lloyd (our top junior) actually lost a frame 😊, 4 other juniors being Alfie Rogers ably supported by his talented Dad Paul, Callum Britt, Chase East and James Goldsmith delivered top marks.
The A team stayed in touch at the top of the A section with a convincing 28-16 win, with our star man Dave Fernandez alongside our top performer Josh Patel both remaining undefeated for the day. In fact this is the 3rd month in a row our Josh has remained unbeaten so well done mate you’re delivering your potential 😊, we all love you.
The B team recovered from a 13-9 deficit at the half way stage to come back and lead 22-20 with two frames left. Unfortunately, those frames eluded them and the final score was 22-22 so still topping the group with everything in their own hands.
The C team delivered a dominant display with 2 players contributing 4/4, these being Captain Paul Cox, Phil Horley, Jamie Hughes and Scott Woods. Good conversation at the end of the day with a couple of players talking about progression opportunities for C team players, juniors, so I have taken that on board and we will scope the future possibilities and what it looks like as we move through the season.
Under 23s won 13-7 at the start of the day and this section at last is providing us with a bit of clout in the region. Charley McDowell chipped in with 4 winning frames – including potting the black off two rails into the middle pocket in his last frame – well done Charley you’re certainly proving that your development as a bright prospect is coming to fruition, keep going.
The Seniors match was a real tussle for the whole match as it ebbed and flowed, hardly 1 frame split the teams all the way through, such a difference from the first match where Kent had been dominant. It ended 18-18 so the Kent seniors have dropped 4 points in the last two games which sees them lose their place at the top of the table but still with the title in their own hands.
Next up is arguably our toughest set of matches with Berkshire being the visitors to Chatham pool and Snooker Club on August 14th. We look forward to their visit and we will be up for the challenge across the board.
Talking of new shirts there are discussions going on regarding sponsorship for our new Kent tops and I would think we will be asking for sizes etc in the next couple of months. I believe there are a couple of design proposals and when we know more we will share a view with you.
As team manager I can tell you the proposal for green and white stripes has been kicked out immediately and we will have no further conversations on the matter.
Regards, Wilbo
The Kent County spirit on full displaySussex v Kent 10/07/2022
Kent teams finish the first half of the season in strong positions across the board!!
Match 5 v Surrey – Kent Win 154-94!!
Kent A knew they needed to win this match to close the gap on leaders Surrey, who were unbeaten, until yesterday. With a 24-20 win they have now blown the A division wide open again and the way they performed as a team when needed was exceptional. Even managing to overcome “stopwatch gate” 😊. Top performers on the day were Jasper Simmonds and Josh Patel , both attaining top marks with 4/4.
Kent B also delivered a 24-20 score-line to extend their lead at the top. They did however have their usual slow start where they were 11-5 down at one stage, but this team is now quite used to coming through late on for the win. Any chance of a good start next month lads in your bid to regaining your Region 7 title?
Kent C just keep on ploughing through opponents on their way to retaining their region 7 title. Yesterday they won 28-16 with Captain Cox having a great day with 4/4 alongside Jamie Hughes, who tops the C stats. Paul Cox tells me his team are really playing for each other and this is complimenting the talent of the squad.
Kent Ladies, missing both Captain Jools and Hannah for the day due to an enforced holiday abroad 😊, also had a couple of star performers with Vanessa “the legend” Ledger winning 4/4 alongside Karen Darby (again 😊). Karen along with Amy Cook did great job stepping in to help. Well done ladies for your continual dominance in our region.
So, with the Juniors and Seniors left who will I discuss first- lets show off the talent of our youngsters before finishing off with the seniors.
No less than 5 players reached that full house score of 4/4 with the other 4 getting 3 out of 4, what a bunch of superstars we have here. So, I am going to name them all as we are going to hear about these players for many years to come. Probably good to get their autograph now so you can have it before they start winning world titles etc. So well done to the 4/4 crew: Jake Lloyd, Chase East, James Goldsmith, Frank Moss and Callum Britt. And to the 3/4 winners our talented girl, Erin Gannon, Josh Wheeler, Alfie Rogers and Finley O Shaughnessy. They ran out winners 32:4
Thanks to Junior Team Manager, Padraic, for his own comments on the Juniors’ match:
Proud of all the juniors today having not played since national finals the hunger was there to demonstrate how good they really are, cannot single out any individual that didn’t wanna give 200% and they all deserve a shout out, to Chase East with an incredible double to middle pocket from a total snooker and Frank Moss with incredible clearance to Erin, Callum, Josh, Finley, Alfie, James you guys were incredible. Jake with another flawless match 16/16. On course for regional champions👍🏻
So, the seniors would have loved to have bought some frames from our juniors as they had so many to spare. Our senior team lost their match 20-16 but the good news is they still finish the first half of the season as leaders on frame difference!! The team had decided that it was getting all too easy so decided the strategy would be to let the other teams get a little closer in order that we could go again next month- lets see if that all works out 😊. Seriously well played to Surrey who knew they had to win to stay in touch. The good news is that next month the seniors will have Twigger and Crow back, and I am sure normal business will be resumed.
Thank you to all the Captains and all those who make my job so easy to deliver.
Congratulations to two more players earning their next county medal:
So, onto the next match – that will be on 10th July away to Sussex, so a day out at the seaside in the summer for all our teams. Until then stay safe and keep sharp.
Yesterdays matches against Hampshire ended in a clean sweep and an overwhelming one at that.
There was no sign of any hangovers from the national exploits a week earlier as the seniors started the day with a 28:8 win. Congratulations to Lee Crowhurst, Andy Gee and Andy Twigger for full houses. There were no matches for juniors or under 23s.
In the ladies section we swept to a 25:19 victory with Katie Martyn and Mel Clements both winning 4/4. The A team returned to winning ways with an emphatic 28:19 win – Dave Fernandez, Nathan Venner and Josh Patel completing 4/4. The B team showed their national champion status and continued their winning run with a 25:19 win. Last but by no means least the C team won with a clinical victory 40:4 – yes that’s correct.
So we roll on to our next game away to Surrey, who themselves had a clean sweep over their Sussex rivals so we will likely be in for our toughest games so far. Get ready for some tough games. I’m confident our hunger for success still exists within the squad.
Let’s keep it all going. We need to qualify for the nationals again next year.
Congratulations to two of our England stars who have earned their next county medal:
These are just some of the words that describe an amazing weekend on and off the table, probably the best of my long career.
Started on Thursday for the 3 man seniors event that saw Kent Spitfires get to the quarter finals. The Friday saw the Seniors and Under 23s start and there was nothing spectacular in fairness that was going to set the trend of the weekend. Apart from aS comeback!! 14-8 down to Berkshire suddenly became 14-14 and Kent went into a 3 man play off, only to lose 2-1. So Berkshire went on to win the title instead of us!!
However, Friday and Saturday saw the As, Bs, ladies and Juniors enter their respective tournaments and from then on it was all the words described in my opening statement. All teams were there in the finals at the end in an atmosphere that was simply electric, given the comebacks that were evident in previous rounds.
Mens A – Intercounty Runners Up 2022
Kent A made the final with a 23-21 win against a strong Essex team in the quarters with a certain Willie Anderson taking the final frame with a break and clearance. They then went on to the semi to play the mighty Berkshire but we matched them all the way to a 22-22 draw. That’s when the loudest cheer I have ever heard in pool happened. With Jasper Simmonds and Dave Fernandez snookered and looking like Berkshire could take the win both our players got out of the snooker, potted their last ball and perfectly set themselves on the black …. This happened almost at the same time so the crescendo of noise was incredible. In case you’ve not seen the video on Facebook it’s posted below, have a look and you’ll get the point. In the Final however, it was not to be this time, as Kent A lost 23 -21 to a significantly more experienced Leicester side, but a massive learning experience for our youngsters in the team.
Play off v BerkshireMens B – Intercounty Champions 2022
The B team however had no such problems in their final as they marched to victory over Derbyshire, Ben Morgan potting the final black to start scenes of wild excitement in the room . But this was almost not the story as in the semi finals they delivered the comeback of all comebacks when they came through to win from being 19-11 down, astonishing fight back evidencing the team spirit of our all conquering B team. Congratulations you are all National Champions!!!!
Juniors – Intercounty Runners Up 2022
Our Juniors came through the group and having watched some of their match against Somerset I am confident that the future of Kent pool is in safe hands. They came through their semi final with a solid win against Bedfordshire before succumbing to what must be said a more experienced and definitely older Leicester team. Talking of Juniors, I’d like to restart coaching sessions for the Juniors and will be looking for A, B and Ladies team players willing to support these in order that our Juniors improve and take 1st prize next year .
Ladies – Intercounty Cup Champions 2022
Our Ladies lost in their quarter final to Lancashire 23-20 and it was a close affair with Kent pulling back until the last couple of frames. It should be noted that Lancashire were not tested as much in either their semi or final winning 23-14. So Kent Ladies moved into the cup competition and went on to record 23-17 in quarters, 23-14 in the semi and 23-9 victory in the final to become champions. Again massive congratulations to our Kent Ladies .
So from my perspective there are so many positives to come from this weekend and we achieved great success across the board. We took the opportunity to get all of our winners on the stage afterwards and I think this demonstrates the strength we had in all categories. We will continue to build and progress our teams in order that we can continue with our dominance over the next few years. My voice box may just about recover before Sunday when we go again with Hampshire our opponents at home.
