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Oceania Snooker Championship 2012

Postby roy142857

So, confirmed that the winner of this will be offered a Pro Tour place for the next 2 seasons.

As a curtain-raiser, there has also been a Six Red Championship, congratulations to the winner of that, Ben Judge.

The group stages are now underway with six groups of 6 players, 2 groups of 7 players (groups B and C).

Players Australian unless otherwise noted!

Steve Donohoe and Charlie Chafe lead Group A, with 3 wins and no losses, both having beaten Joe Minici.

Steve Mifsud with 3 wins and Sumit Kapoor with 2 wins are undefeated in Group B, Les Higgins lost a close one 2-3 to Mifsud but won his other 2 matches.

James Mifsud has 4 wins and no losses in Group C, Luke Hough has 3 wins and a loss, but the loss came against Henry Lau, whose only loss was against Mifsud.

Glen Wilkinson is undefeated with 3 wins in Group D, Mattthew Bolton and Ryan Thomerson had 2 wins and a loss, but Thomerson's loss was a 0-3 defeat to Bolton.

In Group E, Aaron Mahoney and Hassan Kerde are both undefeated with 3 wins.

Shawn Budd tops Group F, having beaten both of his likely closest rivals Josh Gorski and Paul Thomerson, both 3-1.

Hooray! In Group G we get to mention a non-Aussie, as New Zealand's Daniell Haenga tops the group, undefeated like Aussie Johl Younger but having dropped one frame less.

Not many matches played in Group H, but Ben Judge has won both of his matches. Grant Meadley has only played one match, but it could be significant as he beat Robby Foldvari 3-2.

Re: Oceania Snooker Championship 2012

Postby roy142857

So the groups have now finished, quite a lot of players through to the knockout stages (32 - 4 from each group).

Group A winner was Charlie Chafe with 5 wins from 5, followed by Steve Donohoe, Joe Minici and Ben Nunan.

In Group B, Steve Mifsud was unbeaten with 6 wins, Les Higgins only defeat his 3-2 loss to Mifsud, and they're joined in the last 32 by Sumit Kapoor and Robin Beggs.

In Group C James Mifsud matched Steve with a 6-0 record, and Henry Lau's only loss was 3-1 to Mifsud. Luke Hough and David Collins also go through.

And Glen Wilkinson won Group D, but a close fought battle with group runner-up Matthew Bolton, which he won 3-2. Ryan Thomerson and Paul Bason (New Zealand) join them in the knock-out stages. Bolton had a break of 142 in his match with Thomerson.

Aaron Mahoney only dropped 1 frame on his way to winning Group E. But Cale Barrett, the only person to take a frame off him, goes out. The remaining places going to Hassan Kerde, Djorne Fong (Papua New Guinea) and Adrian Hung.

Shawn Budd stayed undefeated in Group F, but only just, as he had a close one with Brett Watson. Josh Gorski, Watson and Paul Thomerson join him in the last 32.

Johl Younger beat New Zealand's Daniell Haenga 3-1 to stay undefeated in Group G, relegating Haenga to the runner-up spot. Adrian Ridley and Keenan Cigler join them in the knock-out competition.

Robby Foldvari recovered from his early defeat to Grant Meadley to beat Ben Judge 3-2 in Group H, leaving Judge still topping the group, but only on frame difference as all 3 had 4-1 records. And Craig Turner managed to claim the final spot in the last 32.

Re: Oceania Snooker Championship 2012

Postby roy142857

Lots of knock out action today, a bit disappointing to see the first knock-out round being best of 5 given the value of the main prize (i.e. a Pro Tour place), and one or two surprise departures from the competition and that stage (notably Steve Mifsud was unbeaten after 6 matches but lost 3-1 to Ben Nunan who had a losing record in Group A). Defending champion Joe Minici went out at the last 16 stage. Biggest surprise may be the performance of actor/snooker player Adrian Ridley - only a 3-2 record in his group and now in the semi-finals - he had a 120 break in his 4-3 win over Glen Wilkinson - can he make the Pro Tour?

An aside - not quite sure why, but current Australian Open Champion Rudy Sulaeman is another absentee from this competition, and neither New Zealand No. 1 Chris Maltby or New Zealand Champion (and current No.2) Bayden Jackson entered (Bason is the 7th ranked player, Haenga unranked as he lives and plays in Queensland, Australia these days I believe).

Results

Aaron Mahoney 3 - 0 Paul Thomerson
Joe Minici 3 - 2 Matthew Bolton
Les Higgins 3 - 0 Luke Hough
Ben Judge 3 - 1 Keenan Cigler
Johl Younger 3 - 1 Craig Turner
Ryan Thomerson 3 - 2 Steve Donohoe
Sumit Kapoor 3 - 1 Henry Lau
Shawn Budd 3 - 0 Adrian Hung
James Mifsud 3 - 0 Paul Bason (New Zealand)
Daniell Haenga (New Zealand) 3 - 0 Djorne Fong (Papua New Guinea)
Josh Gorski 3 - 2 Grant Meadley
Ben Nunan 3 - 1 Steve Mifsud
Charlie Chafe 3 - 0 David Collins
Hassan Kerde 3 - 0 Brett Watson
Adrian Ridley 3 - 1 Robby Foldvari
Glen Wilkinson 3 - 1 Robin Beggs

Aaron Mahoney 4 - 1 Joe Minici
Ben Judge 4 - 2 Les Higgins
Johl Younger 4 - 0 Ryan Thomerson
Shawn Budd 4 - 2 Sumit Kapoor
James Mifsud 4 - 1 Daniell Haenga (New Zealand)
Ben Nunan 4 - 0 Josh Gorski
Charlie Chafe 4 - 1 Hassan Kerde
Adrian Ridley 4 - 3 Glen Wilkinson

Ben Judge 4 - 2 Aaron Mahoney
Shawn Budd 4 - 0 Johl Younger
James Mifsud 4 - 1 Ben Nunan
Adrian Ridley 4 - 1 Charlie Chafe

So the semi finalists:

Ben Judge. 12th ranked in Australia. Just won the Oceania Six Red Championship. Reached round 3 of one of last years Q School competitions. Born 1983, Australian under 18 champion 2001, Western Australian champion 2005.

Shawn Budd. Currently 6th ranked in Australia. The 2010 Oceania Snooker Champion. Runner-Up to Steve Mifsud at the Queensland Open last November. Born 1974. Australian Champion 1997, 1998 and 1999. Won the Valley National Open 8-ball Pool tournament in Las Vegas in 1994, the 1994 Asian Pacific under 21 Championship, the 1999 8-ball and 9-ball pool Australian Championships, and the 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2009 Australian Opens.

James Mifsud - Current Australian number 1 having recently won the Fred Osbourne Memorial, the South Pacific Open and Pot Black Open. 2002 IBSF World Under 21 Champion. Born 1981

Adrian Ridley (aka Riddler147) - 9th ranked in Australia. Victoria under 18 Champion in 2000, had a brief spell on the Challenge Tour (2003?), won the City of Melbourne Snooker Championship in 2006, as an actor has played lead roles in productions of 'Black Rock' and 'Willy Wonka'.

Re: Oceania Snooker Championship 2012

Postby roy142857

Women's Semi-Finals:

Ramona Belmont (New Zealand) 4 - 0 Geua John (Papua New Guinea)

Nita Clarkson (New Zealand) 4 - o Lyndal Ellement

... so an all-New Zealand final for the Women's Championship


Men's Semi Finals:

Ben Judge 5 - 1 Shawn Budd

James Mifsud 5 - 4 Adrian Ridley

Re: Oceania Snooker Championship 2012

Postby roy142857

Congratulations to Ben Judge and Ramona Belmont, respectively Oceania Men's and Women's Champions for 2012.

:win:
:party:

Results of the finals:

Ben Judge 6 - 2 James Mifsud

Ramona Belmont 4 - 0 Nita Clarkson

High breaks were Belmont with a 73 in the Women's, Matthew Bolton with a 142 in the Men's. Bolton also won the Oceania Billiards Championship.

I'd presume that Judge will accept being nominated to World Snooker for a Pro Tour place, as he tried last year through Q School.