England won the Nations Billiards Championship last weekend in Vienna and the event was hailed a great success featuring teams from Ireland, England and Northern Ireland and Host country Austria.
The full Tournaments points were England 60pts, Republic Of Ireland 35pts, Northern Ireland 32pts and Austria with 17pts.
This year’s event was played in the newly opened Austrian Snooker Academy and RIBSA had a experienced Team representing Ireland and finishing in second place was a great performance from Aidan Murray, Larry Drennan, Joe Doheny, Timmy Murphy, Aonghus McAnally, Robert McCrum, John Kehoe and team Manager was Brendan Devlin.
Full Results
- Team Austria
- Team Northern Ireland
- Team England
The annual Billiards International Trophy Tournament took place at the Heeressport Centre of Excellence, Vienna, on Saturday and Sunday, 16th and 17th November last. This year it was Austria’s turn to be the host nation and they certainly put on a spectacularly organised and exceedingly well run event. Everyone who travelled with the visiting teams were extremely impressed and enjoyed the marvellous atmosphere generated throughout the weekend.
The format of the tournament was that each contesting nation, Austria, England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland put forward a six-man team to contest against each other in two segments, a 90 minute timed game, which counted 2 points per game and two sets of 150 up, with 1 point awarded for each set.
Action got under way at 9.00am on Saturday in the 150 up format. England made a great start in their match against Northern Ireland, taking the session by 11-1. Austria and the Republic of Ireland made a more balanced start, sharing the available points 6-6. Austria then met Northern Ireland in the timed format, Northern Ireland making up for their heavy first round loss by scoring 10 of the available points against Austria’s 2. In their timed game against the Republic of Ireland, England continued their good play, taking the session 10-2. In the last session of Saturday’s play, in the 150 up format, England versus Austria finished 10-2 in favour of England while the Republic of Ireland shared their final Saturday session against Northern Ireland 6-6.
Action continued on Sunday with the first of two timed format matches. The Republic of Ireland eased back into contention for the runner-up spot by taking their session against Northern Ireland 8-4. England, by taking their fourth tournament session against Austria 10-2, assured themselves of yet another Four Nations win for 2013, while still having two sessions to play. We then had the final 150 up format session of the tournament, Northern Ireland taking a 9-3 victory over Austria, while England had a similar result over the Republic of Ireland. With England secure winners, attention switched to the runner-up position, which, with Austria on a total score of 15 points, was clearly a contest between Northern Ireland on 30 points and the Republic of Ireland on 25. In the last session of the tournament, in timed format, Northern Ireland gained 2 points in their match against England while the Republic of Ireland scored 10 against Austria, thus gaining the vital points needed to relegate Northern Ireland into third place.
Tournament results:
| Segment | Format | Aus | Eng | N I | RoI |
| Saturday 09.00 | 2 x 150 up (6 x 1 point per game) | 6 | 11 | 1 | 6 |
| Saturday 12.15 and 14.00 | 90 minute timed (6 x 2 points) | 2 | 10 | 10 | 2 |
| Saturday 15.45 | 2 x 150 up (6 x 1 point per game) | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Sunday 09.00 and 10.45 | 90 minute timed (6 x 2 points) | 2 | 10 | 4 | 8 |
| Sunday 12.30 | 2 x 150 up (6 x 1 point per game) | 3 | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Sunday 15.45 and 17.30 | 90 minute timed (6 x 2 points) | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| Final scores | 17 | 60 | 32 | 35 | |
Results, of course, tell only half the story. What they cannot convey is the buzzing atmosphere of the occasion and the excellent standard of play. The tournament also produced its quota of high breaks, with more than forty half centuries, a century and a double century, the most notable being a 191 and a 261, both by Rob Hall of England. Congratulations to Rob on a splendid performance and to all the participants who contributed to a most successful event.
Our thanks are due to the Referees, both the Austrian referees and the those who travelled from England, all of whom gave unstintingly of their time with referee and scorekeeping duties throughout the weekend. A special word of thanks is also due to Clive Scott, whose experience in tournament direction ensured an efficient and smoothly run event.
The Heeressport Centre of Excellence are to be congratulated for their preparations for the event and for the excellent playing conditions they provided.
It was a great pleasure to see so many skilled exponents of the beautiful game of Billiards in simultaneous action and our congratulations must go to the England team on their convincing victory. The format of the event presents an excellent opportunity to renew friendships and enjoy the atmosphere of the occasion. With a hog-roast on Friday night and the tournament dinner on Saturday, the weekend this year in Vienna was no exception.
