The Paddy Murray Memorial handicap billiards tournament took place at Edenderry Snooker Club on Sunday, 29th of October 2023. After a day’s play, which saw many interesting games and several surprise results, the trophy went to Annette Newman (Carlow), a fitting reward for the consistently high standard of play she showed throughout the day.
Play started at 11.00am, all rounds being 1 hour, handicapped. Eliminations in the opening preliminary round were local players Liam Byrne, Willy Murrin and Mark Nolan, together with visiting players Aidan Murray (Wicklow), Gavin Farrell (Dun Laoghaire), John Kehoe (Enniscorthy), Brendan Devlin (Celbridge) and Portmarnock’s Aonghus McAnally.
The semi finalists in the top half of the draw were last year’s winner Joe Doheny (Borris-in-Ossory) and local player Stephen Dunne, Stephen, having taken a closely contested quarter final win over fellow clubman Paul McLoughlin, while Joe took an equally closely contested win in his quarter final against Dun Laoghaire’s Ross Doyle. The semi final was nip and tuck all the way, both players scoring freely when at the table, Joe claiming his place in the final by the slender margin of 6 points.
The semi finalists in the bottom half of the draw were current double billiards national champion Wayne Doyle from Dun Laoghaire and Annette Newman (Carlow), representing a very welcome participation by a lady on the national billiards scene. Wayne took his place in the semi final with a good win in a high scoring quarter final against Kilkenny veteran Larry Drennan, both players registering 50-plus breaks in their game, while Annette progressed to the semi final with a solid win in her quarter final over local player Jamie Kelly. The semi final was an enthralling game where Wayne needed to score heavily if he was to overcome the significant deficit in handicap points. Despite his efforts, which included a break of 96 together with several useful scoring visits which made inroads into the deficit, Annette, with impressive bouts of in-off play and effective potting, managed to hold on to her lead, taking the semi final with a margin of 10 points when time was called.
The Final was yet again an enthralling game, further interest being added by the fact that we had a lady who is relatively new to the billiards scene versus a well established national player. Initially it was a matter of whether Joe would overcome the handicap difference or could Annette score well enough to keep ahead. Try as he might, Joe found himself struggling to reduce the deficit by anything like the amount needed. Each time he got to the table with a good scoring opportunity, something seemed to go awry bringing a premature end to his break. On the other hand, by making fewer mistakes, and showing her skills at the standard half ball shots, Annette was able to keep Joe at bay, finishing the match 39 points clear when time ran out. Many congratulations to Annette on a great day’s performance in claiming the Paddy Murray Memorial Title and commiserations to Joe who gave a great performance not only to get to the final but in the final itself.
Our congratulations must also go to the Edenderry Club for the excellent playing conditions and to the tournament sponsors Croi Laighean Credit Union for their support and for the beautifully crafted event trophy. It stands as testament to the high regard they held for Paddy Murray and we look forward to contesting it on an annual basis.
The committee of Edenderry snooker club would like to thank Brendan Devlin for all his help from performing the draw, sorting handicaps, which is always a difficult job, taking on the job of TD on the day and refereeing the final.
It was a great pleasure to have Paddy’s brother Declan at the event where he made the presentation to the winner in memory of his late brother Paddy.
Results:
Preliminary and Pre-Quarters (one hour)
Aidan Murray (Brk: 79) 267 – 270 Ross Doyle
Joe Doheny 214 – 211 Gavin Farrell
John Kehoe 192 – 336 Stephen Dunne
Brendan Devlin 260 – 335 Paul McLoughlin
Wayne Doyle 323 – 241 Liam Byrne
Willy Murrin 180 – 380 Larry Drennan (Brk: 54, 55, 67)
Aonghus McAnally 254 – 295 Jamie Kelly
Mark Nolan 275 – 334 Annette Newman
Quarters (one hour)
Ross Doyle 266 – 298 Joe Doheny
Stephen Dunne 199 – 143 Paul McLoughlin
Wayne Doyle (Brk: 99) 284 – 259 Larry Drennan (Brk: 79)
Jamie Kelly 311 – 354 Annette Newman
Semi-Finals (one hour)
Joe Doheny 350 – 242 Stephen Dunne
Wayne Doyle (Brk: 57, 96) 377 – 387 Annette Newman
Final (one hour)
Joe Doheny 289 – 328 Annette Newman
