Match Report

Kent v Surrey – National Qualification still possible for all 8 Kent teams

Seniors

Kent Seniors kicked off the day knowing that a fifth consecutive win might be enough to see them go to the top of the table with two games left. No matches are easy in this section, with all teams having good and experienced players within their ranks. The first set was nip and tuck, with the Surrey team taking the early exchange 6:5. They also took the second set to maintain a 12:10 lead at the halfway point. With little things going against the team, including a rather lucky snooker by Robert McGowan on Barry Johnson with the last yellow hanging, it’s safe to say this team last year might have folded.

However, winning games breeds confidence and resilience, and the Kent team have discovered both this year. Kent won the third set 8:3 to move into an 18:15 lead and maintained that momentum into the final set. Dean Coppen nailed a long black to put the team on the brink, and a brilliant black from team captain Willie Anderson sealed the win, with Kent eventually winning 25:19. With Berkshire beating Sussex, this result puts Kent top of the league and within reach of national qualification if they win one of their last two games.

Top performers on the day with 3/4 were Steve Jepson, Graham Thrower, Gary Kingsnorth and Martin Prime.

Under 23s

Jake Lloyd has led his team to national qualification with two matches to spare, giving them the opportunity to retain the title they won last year. A 12:8 win secured this.

The team started a little slowly, losing the first set 3:2. Kent recovered this deficit by the end of the second set before stepping on the gas in the third set to take a 9:6 lead. Kent won the final set 3:2 for the 12:8 victory. Jake Lloyd, James Goldsmith and Finlay O’Shaughnessy delivered 3/4 on the day.

Juniors

Our juniors also secured national qualification with a comprehensive 23:13 win over their Surrey rivals. The opening exchanges were pretty even in the first set (5:4), with the Kent juniors stretching their lead significantly in the second set (8:1) to lead 13:5. The Surrey juniors stayed resilient, winning the third set 5:4, but the Kent team finished the game off in fine style with a 6:3 final set win.

Some great performances on the day that manager Lee Crowhurst was very happy to observe – Olly Mitchell winning 4/4, ably supported by Jack Harding, Kieron Bruce, Finlay O’Shaughnessy and Mason Coles with contributions of 3/4. Clinching the match was Jack Harding.

Over 60s

The Over 60s team, including Andy Redsull fresh from his World Championship win with England, set about enhancing their reputation in the first year of the Over 60s as a division. Andy Gee started with a win and went on to get 4/4 on the day. The team won the first set 2:1, repeated that in the second set to take a 4:2 lead before Surrey hit back with their own 2:1 win. However, a 3:0 final set win to Kent secured the victory 8:4 to put Kent in second place, again in a good position to make national finals qualification.

Kent Ladies

Kent Ladies needed to win against their Surrey opponents to maintain second place in the table and with it the opportunity to get back to national qualification. Things didn’t start the way captain Fane would have hoped, as they lost their first four frames to go 4:0 down. However, they turned this around significantly by the end of the set, taking a 7:4 lead by winning seven in a row. They continued to battle and took the second set 6:5 for a 13:9 halfway lead. Both the third and fourth sets also went the way of the Kent Ladies with 7:4 wins, ending the match with a 27:17 win. Hannah Bevan took the winning frame for the ladies’ team.

Jan Spinner won 4/4, whilst Jo Miles, Jo Herrington, Erin Gannon, Karen Riches, Barbara Taylor and Mel Clements all won 3/4.

A Team

This was meant to be the day that the Kent A team stepped forward to national qualification following a very up-and-down season. Kent started the day in second place, three points in front of their Surrey rivals, so the win would have taken them almost out of reach. However, Surrey had other ideas. Kent flew out of the traps and took an 8:3 lead in the first set. All was looking well until a few missed pots presented Surrey some opportunities, from which they were clinical. Surrey took the second set 8:3 to even things up, and there was definitely a feeling of shell shock in the Kent ranks. Indeed, in the 33 frames that followed the first set, Kent would only take 10 of them, meaning the Surrey team took the match 26:18.

After such a bad day at the office, it seemed sensible that team captain Jasper Simmonds kept the team back to have a conversation to establish what had gone wrong. However, although the day was bad, Kent still remain in second place, now only on frame difference. That still means national qualification is in the hands of the Kent team if they win their last two games.

Charley McDowell, back from his serious thumb injury, delivered 3/4 alongside Dave Fernandez and Jack Galloway.

B Team

The Bs maintained their charge for national qualification and, more importantly, the Region 7 title with a 25:19 win over Surrey. With Aaron Bhat replacing the injured Steve Mullins, who recently underwent successful elbow surgery, the squad still had his support as he turned up to cheer on his teammates, showing the bond within the team.

The Bs have all but qualified for the nationals next year, and Sunday started emphatically with 8:3 and 16:8 leads. However, a slight cause for concern was the near capitulation from such a dominant position, allowing Surrey back into the game and pulling within a frame at 20:19. Kent were reminded in the captain’s debrief that these moments in games will need to be managed better going forwards.

Fortunately, the last five frames all went Kent’s way, allowing for a well-earned victory, albeit with a few moments of trepidation.

Notable mentions:

• James Goldsmith 4/4 – the team were pleased for James finally finding his feet and putting in a dominant performance (he even cracked a smile).
• A host of 3/4s from the team, with special notes for Ritchie Bell (looking more like his old self after recent struggles) and World Champion Andy Redsull, who continued his fine form from Ireland.

The Bs now look to next month, with a crunch game against Sussex likely to decide the Region 7 title.

C Team

The Kent C team took a significant step towards securing the title by beating their Surrey opponents 24:20 in a hard-fought win. The C team started slowly, losing the first set 7:4, but recovered by winning the next set 6:5. At 12:10 down at the halfway point, the Kent side stepped up a notch to take the third set 7:4 and move ahead 17:16. In the fourth set, the opportunity came for Ben Morgan to win the match, and he did just that, with the rest of the team following in his footsteps to take the last four frames. This put Kent top of the table with two games to go.

Summary

The total frame score today was 161:107, evidencing the gap between the squads. Seven out of eight matches were won, the only blemish being the A team’s loss.

The next match takes us to Sussex on October 12th, where many of the season’s twists and turns will be finalised. Having the opportunity to get all eight teams to national qualification is very pleasing and demonstrates the ability within the squad.

Finally, from both ends of the age scale, I must mention Andy Redsull – part of the Over 60s World Championship winning team with England – and Jake Lloyd, leading player in the Under 23 section at the World Championships. Never too old to win a world title for the first time, never too young to start winning big titles.

Stay safe until next time.

Best wishes,
Wilbo

Final Scores

u23s	12:8 WIN
Over 50s	25:19 WIN
Juniors	23:13 WIN
Ladies	27:17 WIN
A	18:26 LOSS
B	25:19 WIN
C	24:20 WIN
Over 60s	8:4 WIN