The Republic of Ireland Billiards & Snooker Association (RIBSA) held their first Irish Re-Open event for Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th of September in the Ivy Rooms SC in Carlow.
The 32 players entered were looking for qualify spot for the knock out stages which will be played on Saturday 12th of September and there were a number of dramatic matches.
Excellent Performances
In Group A, David Morris needed 2 snookers against the upcoming junior 14-year-old player Aaron Smith who potted match ball brown to win only to see the cue ball go in off, but the defending National Senior Champion from Kilkenny cleared up to win the group. Unlucky Aaron but well played as the standard was excellent.
Another great match was in Group B with Sean King’s epic battle against Rodney Goggins but the Wexford man finally got on top against fast improving Sean King to win the group.
In Group C, it was Leone Crowley and Philip Browne who played a great match with the young Corkman from the Crucible coming out just on top to win his group in style.
In Group D it came down to the Frank Sarsfield and Robert Kenna and it was a great battle of potting and safety but in the end it was Robert Kenna who won it on the final black, Robert also earlier beat Ryan McGuirk to win his group in superb style.
On Day 2 the other four groups played their matches and In Group E, Mark Gleeson played excellent in all his matches today to win his group in style with three wins and in Group F, Jonathan Williams also stayed unbeaten with three wins in a row to win his group as well.
In Group G, Noel Landers dominated the group with three superb wins to the group while In Group H, Stephen Bateman – Brian McPhee – Ivor Fitzpatrick all fought hard but it was the young kilkenny man who topped the group with 3 good wins.
Well done to all the players who entered and it is good to have events back up and running. RIBSA would like to thank the Ivy Rooms SC in Carlow for hosting the event and Referee Conor Doyle. Finally RIBSA wish all the qualifiers good luck in the event on the 12th of September.
The 8 Qualifiers were: David Morris, Rodney Goggins, Leone Crowley, Robert Kenna, Jonathan Williams, Mark Gleeson, Noel Landers and Stephen Bateman.
Knock Out Draw
RIBSA will make the knock out draw at 10am on the 12th of September in front of the players. The Guaranteed prize fund is: Winner €400.00, Runner Up €200.00, Semi – Finalists €100.00 each and Q-finalist will receive €50.00 each.
High Breaks: Aaron Smith had the highest break so far in the event with a 78 Break, Leone Crowley, 64 Mark Gleeson and 50 Noel Landers.
New addition to the On Line Streaming
All the matches in the event were streamed live via our RIBSA streaming service on www.ribsa.ie and can be watched soon on the RIBSA YouTube channel.
A new addition was added to our system for the new season, when a foul and a miss situation happens. the players can now see the ball position before the shot was played on the monitors. This will ensure the balls can be replaced like you see at the professional matches on TV.
Planned Test Event
RIBSA had planned this test event after the COVID-19 Crisis put a halt to our sport in March. This event was played within the strict RIBSA COVID-19 protocols. All the players had their temperture taken when they arrived at the venue. Only 8 players were allowed in the venue plus the TD and a roaming Referee. Two nominated tables were used for each group. Four groups were played on the Saturday and four groups played on the Sunday. No Supporters or family were allowed in the venue. Each player had their own equipment on a designated side of the table. The Equipment was sterilised after each session.
Message for Members
Members should be aware that these restrictions are not going to last forever, but they must live within them and be patient while they are in place
The entire event was hailed a big success and RIBSA would like to thank the Ivy Rooms SC in Carlow for hosting the event and RIBSA wish all the 8 qualifiers good luck in the event on the 12th of September. The dress code will be black pants, dark colour polo shirt and shoes.
CLICK GROUPS & FULL RESULTS
Full Event Protocols:
- The RIBSA COVID-19 protocols will be in place and have to be observed at the event
- Format: 8 Groups of 4 players
- Groups: All Group Matches best of 3 frames:
- Knock Outs: Q-Final & S-Final Best of 5
- The Final: Best of 7 frames
- Draw: Open draw for the 8 groups places
- The event will be restricted to the first 32 players who have entered online
- Venue: Ivy Rooms Snooker Club in Carlow
- Sessions: Two Sessions daily
- Morning: 10am, 11.30am and 1pm
- Afternoon: 2.30pm, 4.00pm and 5.30pm
- Streaming: All matches Streamed via ribsa.ie
- Dress: Polo Shirt and Black Pants and Shoes
- Qualifier: One player to qualify from each of the 8 groups for knock out stage
- Matches Won – 2. Head to Head to decide Qualifier
- Finals: Knock out’s played on Saturday the 12th August
- Entry Fees: €31.00 for over 21yrs & €16.00 for under 21yrs
