Gavin Lomax Secures National Amateur Championship

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Leicestershire A Team’s leading player Gavin Lomax continued his outstanding run of form at the weekend to be crowned EPA National Amateur Champion 2011 at Great Yarmouth.

Lomax has enjoyed much success so far this year including qualifying to play in the British Lions tour of Australia later in October, and sits atop the EPA rankings having dropped just four frames at County this season.

The first two rounds went according to plan with wins over Robert Titchener (6-3) and Gary Goodman (6-1), however the next match against Matthew Hyden was a sterner test as Hyden soared into a 5-1 lead.

“I’d not really practiced much at all for this competition but think sometimes a break does you good as I felt really fresh! But at 5-1 down I feared the worst and thought I was out. The guy missed a pretty simple finish though and I stepped in to get it back to 5 all and finished it off with a break and dish!

After that match I felt as though this year was my turn, like an omen, and knew after I had reached the semis last year that I could do it!”

Lomax went on to win his last 32 match 6-1 (Perry Roberts), last 16 6-4 (Scott Jordan) and quarter final 7-4 (Sefton Payne).

“I felt a bit nervy in the semi against Shane Balding and there were a few balls missed by both of us but I managed to hold my nerve on the final clearance to win 7-6. It was two long days of playing pool and I was a bit mentally exhausted going into the final at 10pm. I just thought of what you always hear commentators say on tv, you’ve got to take the bull by the horns and the last few frames let’s just say I took several! To finish off the match and win such a prestigious title in English Pool felt amazing!”

Gavin closed out the victory 8-6 against a galant opponent Giuseppe D’Imperio to become Leicester’s first champion in this event.

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John Bowkett Lands First National Win

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Top Leicestershire junior John Bowkett has finally got his hands on the trophy he has been striving for.

The 17-year-old has suffered a couple of high-profile defeats in the past, but he put all that behind him when he was crowned National Grand Prix Under-21 champion at the weekend.

County junior team captain Bowkett, who is in his second year of A-levels at Leicester Grammar School, made home advantage count when the Grand Prix was held at Leicester’s Club 147.

He came through a group of eight to qualify for the knock-out stages before going all the way to the final in which he beat Northampton’s Callum Singleton 7-3.

“I am buzzing at the moment, I’m over the moon to have won my first title,” said Bowkett, who is also an England youth-team player.

“I’ve reached the quarter-finals of the junior World Championship and the final of the World Masters before and, although they are bigger tournaments than the Grand Prix, this is the first time I’ve gone on to win one.

“I had a tough group to get out of, so I took it game by game, not trying to think about matches that I’d lost before.”

Bowkett, who is sponsored by Club 147 and Mint Promotion, added: “It’s a massive boost for my confidence. Instead of going into events worrying about losing finals and quarter-finals, now I’ll go into them knowing I can win.

“Confidence plays a huge part in my game. If it is low, you don’t take as many risks but, when it is high, you know you have the game to win.

“To have won in the under-21 bracket was also special because, from next year, I will have to join that age-group, whereas at the moment I can still enter under-18 tournaments.

“To beat players older than me with more experience is a huge boost.”

Harry Irwin reached the quarter-finals of the under-21 event, while Joe O’Connor and Louis Heathcote were semi-finalists in the under-16 Grand Prix.

O’Connor, who won the under-16 title in 2009, lost 6-1 to Manchester’s Aaron Davies, while Heathcote, the English Under-14 snooker champion, lost 6-4 to eventual winner Josh Riddaway, from Bedford.

Article & Photo courtesy of Leicester Mercury

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2012 UK Amateur Pool Tour

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The English Pool Association are pleased to announce the new UK Pool Tour for 2012.

£107,000 Prize Fund!

The 2012 UK Pool Tour is open to amateur players only with an entry fee of £600.

There will be 5 tour weekends; all held at 4-star Barceló group hotels. Supreme pool tables,
Aramith balls and Strachan fabric will be used.
Players on the tour are entitled to play in the main tour plus the Challenge event. Players will
also have the opportunity to play at the 2012 World Masters with a £20,000 prize fund (additional £40 entry fee will apply).

For full details and to apply, download the entry form now!

Closing date for entries is October 31st 2011

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