Senior Billiards, first round to Wayne Doyle.
The first tournament of the Senior Billiards series was played at The Ivy Rooms Snooker Club, Carlow on Sunday, 14th of September 2014. Wayne Doyle (Dun Laoghaire), having been to every final last season, continued in this vein to establish himself at the top of the rankings by taking the event’s honours in an absorbing Final.
Early round eliminations were Robert McCrum (Celbridge), Aonghus McAnally (Portmarnock), Dick Brennan (Dun Laoghaire) and Cork trio of Timmy Murphy, Lloyd Myers and Derek O’Neill.
The semi finalists in the top half of the draw were Wayne Doyle (Dun Laoghaire) and Larry Drennan (Ivy Rooms), Wayne having had a solid 2-0 win in the quarter finals over Liam O’Brien (Borris-in-Ossory) while Larry had an equally impressive win over Enniscorthy player John Kehoe. The semi final was a high scoring game, both players scoring well when at the table, the game going to Wayne with a 2-0 victory in the end.
The semi finalists in the bottom half of the draw were Aidan Murray (Ivy Rooms) and Joe Doheny (Borris-in-Ossory). Joe came through a tough quarter final match against Brendan Devlin (Celbridge), coming from behind in both games to take a 2-0 win. Aidan, having had a bye through the preliminary round and having his quarter final conceded to him by Timmy Murphy who was still feeling the effects of ongoing medical treatment, had precious little table time when he met Joe in the semis. Added to this, he was also struggling to familiarise himself with playing for the first time in tournament play while using spectacles. Joe, however, was not hampered by any such circumstances and maintaining the form he showed in his earlier matches, had little difficulty in claiming his place in the final with a largely unopposed 2-0 win.
In a fast paced and high scoring final, Joe established a comfortable lead and with the scores standing at 132-59, looked likely to take the opening game. Wayne, needing 91 to take the first game, came in and made an 88 break under significant pressure, narrowly missing a long loser off red to finish off the first game. Somewhat rattled by the way that Wayne upped his game when it mattered, Joe had no real answer in the second game, while Wayne scored heavily in each visit, taking a well deserved win in the first tournament of the new season.
As consolation for his long journey from Cork, Lloyd Myers beat Aonghus McAnally in the final of the Plate.
The next Senior Billiards round of the season takes place at The Ivy Rooms Snooker Club, Carlow on Sunday, 5th October 2014. The format will be seeded draw 400up, 90 minute time limit. Entries will be accepted before 10.30am on the morning of the event.
As always, our thanks are due to Marian Leacy for the excellent playing facilities and to all at the Ivy Rooms Snooker Club for their help on the day.Full Results as follows:
Last 16:
Wayne Doyle 2 v 0 Robert McCrum
Derek O’Neill 1 v 2 Liam O’Brien
John Kehoe 2 v 0 Aonghus McAnally
Bye v Larry Drennan
Aidan Murray v Bye
Timmy Murphy v Bye
Dick Brennan 0 v 2 Brendan Devlin
Lloyd Myers 1 v 2 Joe Doheny
Quarter-Finals
Wayne Doyle 2 v 0 Liam O’Brien
John Kohoe 0 v 2 Larry Drennan
Aidan Murray 2 v 0 Timmy Murphy
Brendan Devlin 0 v 2 Joe Doheny
Semi-Finals:
Wayne Doyle 2 v 0 Larry Drennan
Aidan Murray 0 v 2 Joe Doheny
Final:
Wayne Doyle 2 v 0 Joe Doheny
Plate Final:
Lloyd Myers 2 v 0 Aonghus McAnally
