The Amateur Tour 5 – Gerry Stokes Cup took centre stage in Carlow this past weekend, where 44 players gathered for what proved to be one of the most competitive ranking events of the season on the SBI calendar.
From the opening rounds, the standard of snooker was exceptional, but one man in particular looked unstoppable. Brendan O’Donoghue produced a flawless run to the final, not dropping a single frame along the way. The Nenagh cueist stamped his authority on the knockout stages with two emphatic 4–0 victories in both his quarter-final and semi-final, dispatching Mark Tuite and Davy Morris respectively. With that level of dominance, it looked as though another title was destined for the seven-time Irish champion.
On the opposite side of the draw, Philly Browne was carving out an impressive pathway of his own. Browne overcame Aaron Goldrick of Cavan in a hard-fought 4–2 battle before edging past Cork stalwart Ryan Cronin in a dramatic 4–3 decider. Those victories booked Browne’s place in his fourth ranking final and set up a mouth-watering showdown.
The final began as many expected, with O’Donoghue continuing the rich vein of form that had carried him through the weekend. However, in the second frame, Browne broke the mould — becoming the first player all weekend to take a frame off the Nenagh man. That moment shifted the tone of the contest entirely.
From there, the match turned into a gripping tactical battle, with momentum swinging and neither player willing to yield. As Browne’s confidence grew, so too did the quality of his snooker. He began producing some of the finest play seen across the entire weekend, matching the decorated champion shot for shot.
Leading 3–2 in the best-of-seven final, Browne sensed his opportunity. With immense pressure on his shoulders — fully aware of the stature of the opponent standing across from him — the Dublin man held his nerve. Showing composure beyond measure, he got over the line in style to claim a memorable victory and secure his first ranking event title.
True to his character, O’Donoghue was gracious in defeat, quick to congratulate Browne on a superb performance.
With that triumph, another distinguished name is etched onto the Gerry Stokes Cup, and Philly Browne joins the growing list of ranking event winners in what was a truly outstanding weekend of snooker in Carlow.
SBI would also like to further congratulate Steven Foster on passing his class 1 exam at the Gerry Stokes tournament last weekend. The exam consisted of Steven having to referee a best of 5 match followed by questions with referee examiners Shane Mason and Neil Shanahan. Both examiners were very happy with Steven and his knowledge of the rules and look forward to seeing Steven at further events in the future.
SBI would like to thank all players who took part and our social media officer David Lynch for all his work over the weekend. We also thank TD Shane Mason and his team of referees Steven Foster, Declan Cummins and Neil Shanahan in helping to run a very successful event and look forward to seeing everyone at the next event.
