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.
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!
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 County Pool teams have ended the 2022 season by dominating pool across the categories. They delivered their best ever outcomes in region 7 by winning five of the seven categories available, finishing runner up in one and third in the other. In total we played 2528 frames winning 1602 to 926, so winning 63% of all frames.
This means we will have 5 teams attending the national finals in March next year, a remarkable achievement. But we are definitely not finished yet is the message from myself and the committee. Since I became county manager 4 years ago I have been fully supported by the committee members, captains and players in delivering the success so far. I believe we can still get better and that our most successful season is ahead of us. In short We want to win every category.
So starting with the A team, runners up after beating Surrey for the second time this year, Surrey being champions. The Kent lads squeezed out Berkshire by one frame in the end so will go to the Nationals after last years runners up performance in confident mood. 26-18 final score against Surrey.
A team top performers this year were Josh Patel and Dave Fernandez.
Our B team are national and regional champions and when you look at their development you can see the formation of a solid unit. They finished off their campaign with a 29-15 win over Surrey with no other than Captain Andy Redsull signing off with 4/4. Top performers over the season were Ash Hind and Charlie Minta.
The C team have shown the strength and depth of Kent Pool by winning all of their matches and winning their final game 24-20 against Surrey.
Jamie Hughes and Scott Woods were the top performers with Jamie winning the region individuals in his first season. Congratulations.
Ladies are again champions and there has been evidence of the new players coming in when needed and winning frames to enhance their reputations. They signed off in style with a 27-17 win with World Champion Barbara Taylor winning 4/4. Jo Herrington also delivered 4/4 and has clearly improved her game across the season. Well done to all our ladies including season top performer Vanessa Ledger who also topped the region. Fantastic achievement Vanessa.
U23 top performers were Jasper Simmonds who also topped the region and Jake Lloyd as they took the title for the first time. Jake was also top performer in the juniors and we look forward to seeing how he progresses in the coming years.
Juniors dominated the division and ended the season with a 35-1 victory which evidences the improvement that has come in the team. There are other notable exceptions with Callum Britt joining Jake in joint first, also winning the individual region, with James Goldsmith coming a close second. Another team that can go well in the nationals in March.
The Seniors had a winner takes all match against Surrey to take the title but sadly for us it didn’t happen and the seniors lost 22-14 in the end. A consolation was that Martin Prime finished top of the region and will go ahead for England trials.
Congratulations to the following players who have earned their first county medal:
Finally I would like to thank Lee and his team for significantly enhancing the playing experience for the players. The staff have been excellent all year catering for our every need and there have been many compliments with regards the standard of the club.
We will now plan for next season with trials and selection knowing the Kent County team is in a good place.
The Kent Seniors won their game in hand 19-17 against London at Spots and Stripes to set up a winner takes all final match v Surrey at home in Chatham on November 6th.
The seniors won the first two sets 6-3 to take a 12-6 lead into the next set. London began to eat back into that lead and things got rather nervy but Graham Thrower potted the all important black to take the win.
Thanks to Gary Kingsnorth and Steve Jepson for stepping in, winning 6/8 between them.
What counts as success in Kent – 5 out of 7 of our teams already region winners with one match to go?
Kent teams made the journey to Hampshire dominant in the combined efforts of all teams – evidencing once again the strength in depth of our players: B team regional winners 9 wins 0 losses Ladies team regional winners 9 wins 0 losses Juniors regional winners 6 wins 0 losses Under 23’s Regional winners 5 wins 1 draw C team regional winners 9 wins 0 losses Kent A sitting second with one match to go and Kent Seniors, still with a chance of winning the region if they ended with 2 wins in their final 2 games.
As team manager it gives me great pride to be part of such a powerful squad but I feel there is still improvements to be made. Improvements in our development of younger players, enhancing opportunities for our improving players and rewarding consistency of performance. Our medals table will be produced this month and what is evident is the blend between youth and experience that creates the opportunity for succession planning with stability. I look forward to reflecting on more of the season following our final game at our Chatham home on the 6 November where we will welcome our Surrey opponents.
So Hampshire saw no games for either the Juniors or Under 23s so the Seniors took to the stage earliest. With 3 games to go the Seniors knew that only 3 wins would take them back to the nationals next year. Willie Anderson (me) led the way in a 24-12 win by winning 4/4 and by the end of the game thoughts had moved to other possibilities with the news that Sussex had beaten Surrey. A rearranged fixture in London on 16 October will determine what the Seniors will be playing for in their final start against Surrey.
The A team delivered a slightly disappointing 24-20 win, saying that because at one point were 19-10 in front so let slip some potentially crucial frames. The A team is equal on points with Berkshire with an 8 frame advantage, now knowing they have to beat champions Surrey for the second time this season next time out to stay second, Jasper and Adam both delivered 4/4.
The Ladies had their closest match of the season and at one point were 20-18 down. A shock was on the cards then but a five frame winning streak, Lauren Bolt, Barbara Taylor, Mel Clements, Jan Spinner and Vanessa the legend Ledger made it 23-21 and secured the victory. Well done ladies on your resilience.
The B team regained their title with a dominant 29-15 victory with Ben Morgan winning 4/4. Looking back across this season this team does have a history of players stepping up when needed and from across the board – 4 years regional winners gives you this resilience I am thinking.
The C team did what they do best – start well – perhaps some advice to the A team would help here. 6-0 up at the start they raced to 19-10 and ended up winning 27-17, Patrick Linyard took the honours with 4/4.
So in total that’s 56 matches we have played so far this season, 49 wins 2 draws and 5 defeats , I guess that’s progress. To finish this month I would like to wish all our Kent players the best of luck at the World Championships in Ireland in the next couple of weeks. That’s Dave Fernandez, Adam Bassoo, Barbara Taylor, Katie Martyn, Jasper Simmonds, Makhan Notay, Jake Lloyd, Aaron Bhat, Willie Anderson and England Under 23 Manager Jason Simmonds.
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:
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.
