2003 Home Internationals NEWS

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SCOTLAND TAKE THE TITLE

A thumping 9-3 win over England in their final match ensured that the Prince of Wales Shield returns to Scotland thirteen years after their last victory.

Scottish snooker has been through myriad internal political problems over the past seven or eight years and the real victims have been the players, but in Pontins on Thursday night the Scottish players and officials put all that behind them to give Scottish snooker a real boost as their "new-look" committee strive to take the game forward again.

The Scots also benefited from enthusiastic and vociferous support from a travelling band of fans and the squad gelled as a team and played consistently well to a man and their victory was thoroughly deserved and acclaimed by everyone present.

Team manager Stephen Baillie paid tribute to the team and reserved special praise for the work of Linda Smith from the Craigpark Masters club in Glasgow, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the Scottish squad to Pontins and ensured that they also earned the "best-dressed" players' accolade. Resplendent in their Scottish waistcoats, with blue bow-ties, they looked like a team, played like a team and won as a team. And you couldn't miss the Scottish referees either. Dazzling blue blazers were their uniform, but you'd have known they were there anyway. If you could hear gales of laughter sweeping the referees room then you knew a Scottish ref wasn't far away!

Baillie went on to exhort the Scottish Juniors to return and emulate their elders. Still a very young team, they are gaining valuable experience and with the spirit pervading Scottish snooker they will be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

The presentation ceremony provided the perfect stage for Scottish "funny man" Craig MacGillivray. Bursting with delight as their win, MacGillivray had the 250 strong audience in hysterics as he donned false teeth, gyrated around the room pulling all manner of "faces" and then did a dramatic "splits" to bring the house down.

There was one note of "controversy" on the final day. Not only were England losing their titles, it appeared they'd also lost the ability to count to eight. Countries are permitted to bring a squad of eight players, with six playing each match. A count back revealed that somehow England had fielded nine players (no wonder they've won so often!), so the results earned by the ninth player, who was deemed to be Ben Hancorn, were awarded to the opponents. However this did not affect the final outcome, although it pushed England down the table and moved Northern Ireland up to runners-up spot.

Scotland Senior Team: James McBain, Gary Thomson, Richy McDonald, Robert Stephen, Craig MacGillivray, Bobby Cruickshanks, Michael Philbin, Jason Hood. Team Manager: Stephen Baillie. Organiser: Linda Smith.

WELSH DRAGONS WIN THE JUNIORS

The Welsh Junior team earned a dramatic victory on frame difference from England to take the Junior title for the first time since 1996.

From the very start the Welsh fancied their chances. They lost by two frames to England in a summer "friendly" international and fielding an experienced international squad who'd already won the Junior Nations Cup and the Celtic Challenge in the past twelve months they were overdue a Home Internationals title.

The title could have been resolved as England and Wales went head to head, but for the second time the match finished in a draw and all of a sudden Wales became huge fans of the Scottish Junior Team. As long as the Scots could take a couple of frames in their final match against England, then the title would belong to Wales.

At 4-0 to England, Welsh nerves were jangling, but Michael Collumb, Ross Vallance and Steven Kirkpatrick all wrested frames from the English and Welsh victory was ensured.

Welsh Junior snooker has been on the "up and up" since Terry Griffiths formed the Welsh Junior Snooker Academy in 1998. A solid structure, large participation base and the tireless work of the Welsh coaches and officials has ensured that the Welsh production line is in full flow.

The whole team performed magnificently throughout and the support was amazing. An army of Welsh parents and supporters packed the arena for every match and as team manager John Dobson said "deserved as much praise as the players". In an eloquent speech Dobson declared that it was the proudest night of his snooker life. Having won the senior title as a player in 1996, Dobson declared that "nothing compares with the pride I feel tonight".

Welsh Junior Team: Ricky Jones, Jamie Jones, Michael White, Stephen Ellis, Craig Davis, Stephen Bailey. Team Manager: John Dobson.

ENGLAND RETAIN THEIR LADIES TITLE - BUT ONLY JUST

The Scottish Ladies blew their chance of an historic first win in the Home Internationals Ladies event. Needing to beating Republic of Ireland 3-3 to force a play off with England, they could only manage a 2-2 draw and the grateful English ladies, Kelly fisher (left) and Lisa Ingall (right) held on to their crown by a one frame margin.

Michelle Sherwin was the heroine for Ireland, winning both her frames against Val Finnie.

England juniors beat Northern Ireland 9-3 and the Welsh juniors beat Republic of Ireland 9-3, so the title rests on England's last match against Scotland.

The mathematical permutations require England to win 11-1 to force a play off. 12-0 would keep the title in English hands, but anything worse than a 10-2 English victory would take the title back to Wales for the first time since 1987.

France did nothing to improve entente cordiale with the Welsh as they shocked the Welsh senior team, earning a 6-6 draw.

Yannick Poulain compiled breaks of 55 and 90 in his 1-1 draw with Andrew Pagett, but the real French heroes were Laurent Carcel, who beat Jonny Vaughan 2-0 and Jean Francois Henkin who beat Welsh champion Elfed Evans 2-0. Only Gareth Coppack saved the Welsh blushes with an 86 break and a 2-0 win over Johan Lorek.

TARTAN ARMY ON THE MARCH

The Scottish senior team headed into the final day of play with an unbeaten record, as they attempt to lift the Prince of Wales Shield for the first time since 1992.

In the Junior event it has become a head to head between England and Wales, who face each other in a crunch "high-noon" shoot out for the title.

England Ladies have been subjected to a bit of a buffeting from their opponents. For the first time in the history of the event, the real possibility looms that the mighty English ladies might be beaten. Despite their poor showing, Wales did Scotland a huge favour as Sharon Dickson beat Lisa Ingall 2-0, and that moved Scotland ahead on frame difference.

Scotland burst the Welsh bubble with an 8-4 win in the Seniors. Craig MacGillivray (left) contributed two points and breaks of 37 and 48 against Andrew Pagett. Gary Thomson beat Tim English and Jason Hood beat Mark Tucker. Gavin Pantall redeemed some Welsh honours with runs of 38 and 42 in a 2-0 win over Scottish champion James McBain.

Scotland then upset the Republic of Ireland's hope with another 8-4 win. The highlight of the match was a run of 118 from Irish champion Brendan O'Donoghue, but despite that he could only draw 1-1 with Richy McDonald. Gary Thomson, Jason Hood and Robert Stephen won two frames each for the Scot and Martin McCrudden ran in a break of 54 as he salvaged two points for the Irish against Craig MacGillivray.

Northern Ireland held England to a 6-6 draw, with Mark Allen beating Jamie O'Neill 2-0 with a high run of 65. Ben Woollaston won 2-0 for the English and all the remaining matches were drawn.

Finland beat France 7-5 in the International Challenge. There were 2-0 wins for Jussi Tyrkko, Juha Erkinmikko and Sami Karttunen, while Laurent Carcel and Yannick Poulain won 2-0 for the French.

France's ladies team beat Wales 3-1. Severine Titaux earned a 2-0 win over Hilary Isitt, and Fabienne Martin drew with World No. 6 Sharon Dickson.

It's proved to be a frantic schedule for players, officials, spectators and table fitters alike. Ron Reardon from Reardon's Snooker Services has helped keep the schedule running smoothly, tables are brushed and ironed in the twinkle of an eye as session runs into session. The ever friendly Ron Reardon, a former Midlands champion, assures us that he's getting "younger and fitter every year!" He certainly manages to set a table up in double quick time.

Every session of play has attracted packed audiences and despite the new table set up the traditional Home Internationals spirit and atmosphere prevails throughout Pontins.

WALES BEAT ENGLAND TO THROW HOME INTERNATIONALS WIDE OPEN

Welsh No. 1 Tim English set Wales on the way to a dramatic 8-4 win over England in the Prince of Wales Cup. Break of 66 and 67 gave English a 2-0 win over Wayne Cooper. Andrew Pagett boosted the lead to 4-0 beating Alex Davies and all the other matches finished 1-1.

The packed crowd was boosted by the Dutch squad who came to cheer on Wales. It turned out that the Welsh win had also thrown open the table for the International Challenge, giving the Dutch renewed hope.

And they furthered their chances with a 10-2 win over Isle of Man. Gerrit bij de Leij, Rene van Rijsbergen, Stefan Mazrocis and Karan Chand all achieved 2-0 wins.

Finland recorded their first victory in the International Challenge, beating Isle of Man 7-5. Jussi Tyrkko stroked in a run of 63 in a 2-0 win over Sean Corkish and Juha Erkinmikko compiled 45 as he beat Corkish senior, Robbie, 2-. Damien Evans responded with two frames for the Isle of Man and the other matches were drawn.

England's juniors continued on their merry way with a 9-3 win over Northern Ireland, but new boy on the NI team Jordan Brown made a name for himself, taking a frame off the near invincible Judd Trump and compiling a break of 36.

World Champion Kelly fisher stroked in the best ladies' break with a run of 60 while beating Finland's Aino Pehkonen 2-0 and Lisa Ingall also won 2-0 as England kept their 100% record.

Close on their heels are the Scottish ladies. Lynette Horsburgh beat Hilary Isitt 2-0 and Val Finnie drew with Sharon Dickson to earn a 3-1 win over Wales.

Scotland's team were on good form against France. During their 9-3 win Gary Thomson hit a break of 74, James McBain 84 and Jason Hood 56.

Poland prevailed in a fierce struggled against Finland, winning 7-5. Marek Zubrzycki made a break of 2-0 as he beat Jaakko Granroth. Marcin Nitschke contributed another two frames for the Pole, but Jussi Tyrkko kept Finnish hopes alive, with a 2-0 win over Walter Jacek.

ENGLAND OVERPOWER HOLLAND

Holland's winning run came to an end as the ever mighty English senior team trounced them 9-3. The new look England team contains several of last year's Juniors who've made the jump up to senior status and leading the way is Alex Davies (left), the youngest ever England Amateur champion, who has maintained a 100% record from his matches so far, adding a 2-0 win over Roy Stolk.

New boy for England Ben Hancorn (right) added a 2-0 win over Karan Chand and the English were further bolstered by Wayne Cooper who beat Stefan Mazrocis 2-0, despite a break of 44 from Mazrocis.

Republic of Ireland were bang on form against HI new boys Finland, sailing to a 10-2 win. A break of 81 was the best Irish effort, for Rodney Goggins, while team mates Brendan O'Donoghue and Garry Hardiman chipped in with 64 and 53 respectively.

Northern Ireland record a similar result for Poland, but despite their loss Poland's Krzystof Wrobel could be proud of taking a 1-0 lead over NI Champion Mark Allen, who smacked in a break of 60 to earn a draw, and Marcin Nitschke took the opener against Colin Bingham, who responded with a run of 79 to draw the match.

The Welsh ladies racked up their second 2-2 draw, against Republic of Ireland and France and Finland also drew. The Scottish ladies, led by breaks of 40 and 31 from Lynette Horsburgh, beat Poland 4-0.

A titanic junior match between England and Wales finished 6-6. The English swept into a 4-0 lead thanks to wins from Judd Trump (right) and Michael Georgiou, but Michael White snatched a point from Thomas Ainsworth-Smith and James Rhodes and Stephen Bailey ended all square to put England 6-2 ahead and needing just one frame for victory.

But back came the Welsh again. Ricky Jones again turned in a vital performance for his team, this time beating Plymouth's Scott Bullied 2-0 and on the adjoining table Craig Davis beat Lee Page 2-0 to earn the draw.

England's seniors added their second win of the day with an 8-4 win over Poland. Hero for Poland was Marcin Jewtuch, who beat Gary Wilson 2-0, while Sebastian Slugacz earned a draw with Martin Finnegan and Marek Lubrzycki drew with James Croxton.

A crunch Prince of Wales match ended 7-5 for Wales against Northern Ireland. Mark Allen and Tim English drew, with English making breaks of 47 and 48 and Allen 78. Kieran McMahon lost 2-0 to Gareth Coppack, despite a break of 57, Coppack sneaked the frame on the black. Joe Meara chipped in with runs of 30 and 38 to draw with Andrew Pagett, the European Championship runner-up and Welsh Captain Elfed Evans drew with Paul Sweeney, helped by a run of 43.

WELSH JUNIORS ON SONG

The Welsh Junior team romped to their second resounding win with a 10-2 win over Northern Ireland. Stars of the show for Wales were Michael White who hit breaks of 36 and 40 for his 2-0 win against Jordan Brown; Stephen Ellis, the lanky 6 foot three Welsh 'baby', who stroked in a break of 56, as he restricted John Dickson to just 15 points in two frames; and Ricky Jones (pictured left) chipped in with contributions of 41, 48 and 31 to beat Connor Byrne 2-0.

The Welsh seniors weren't as lucky. They came up against the Orange Army, who powered to an 8-4 win. Welsh No. 1 Tim English hit a break of 67 in a 1-1 draw with Karan Chand, but highlight of the match was a 91 from Stefan Mazrocis, in a 1-1 draw with Mark Tucker. Lennon Starkey and Rene van Rijsbergen both scored 2-0 wins to ensure Dutch victory.

A strong looking Scotland senior took to the tables and returned a 12-0 win against Isle of Man.

And the new look England senior team opened their campaign with a 9-3 win over Finland. Finland No. 1 Jussi Tyrkko (left) hit a run of 57 to earn himself a draw against European Under 19 champion Jamie O'Neill, while England's Wayne Cooper compiled a run of 61 to beat Pasi Jantti 2-0 and Gary Wilson smacked in a break of 75, but still only draw with Jaakko Granroth.

Northern Ireland romped to a 10-2 win over France in the International Cup helped by a break of 90 from Kieran McMahon (right) and runs of 47, 54 and 42 from Mark Allen. Yannick Poulain salvaged a draw against Joe Meara and Jean Francois Henkin drew with Robert McCullough.

The English Juniors beat Republic of Ireland 8-4, but not without a fight. Ireland's Davis Morris beat debutant Stephen Craigie 2-0 and Vincent Muldoon and Paul McGrane both drew, McGrane running in a break of 38, but Matt Redding, Michael Georgiou and Lee Page all recorded 2-0 wins for England.

HOLLAND UPSET IRELAND ON THE OPENING NIGHT

The Dutch team scored a shock 7-5 win over Republic of Ireland as the Home Internationals got under way late on Monday night in Pontins new snooker facility.

The highest break of the match came from Irish champion Brendan O'Donoghue who compiled a superb 97 in a 2-0 win over Bas Jansen, but a 2-0 win from Gerrit bij de Leij (pictured left) against Joe Delaney and a black ball frame win from Roy Stolk to earn a draw against main tour rookie Garry Hardiman helped the Dutch to a 6-4 lead going into the final match. Rodney Goggins took the opening frame to keep Ireland in the with the sniff of a draw, but the vastly experienced Stefan Mazrocis held off the Goggins fight back to take the second frame and secure a Dutch victory.

Northern Ireland had no such problems, as they strolled to a 12-0 thrashing of the Isle of Man. Mark Allen chipped in with a break of 52 and Kieran McMahon stroked in a run of 51.

Highlight of the night was the first century of the event, 102, which flowed from the cue of Welshman Gavin Pantall and the Llanelli man helped his team to an 11-1 win over debutants Finland, whose only frame came from Juha Erkinmikko against Welsh team captain Elfed Evans.

It was a much closer affair between Poland and France and a keenly contested match was edged 7-5 by the French.

The Juniors also took to the tables, watched by a packed arena and Wales got off to a good start with a solid 8-4 win over the Scottish lads. Highlights of the match were a break of 54 from Ricky Jones and 51 from Stephen Ellis, both of whom play their snooker at the Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli. Ross Vallance notched a shock 2-0 win over Welsh star Jamie Jones, but Wales' youngest player, 12 year old Michael White (pictured right) returned the favour, beating Paul Murphy 2-0 and found he had a fan club as Finland's lady players watched in admiration.

And the Finnish ladies (pictured left) were quite happy with their first appearance in the Home Internationals, earning a 2-2 draw against the Welsh Ladies.

Scotland's ladies proved too strong for France, as Lynette Horsburgh and Val Finnie both rattled up 2-0 wins.

2003 HOME INTERNATIONALS PREVIEW

If it's September then all roads lead to Pontins, Prestatyn, where not only the Annual HIBSF Home Internationals are taking place, but also the WSA Main Tour Qualifiers, the WSA Challenge Tour and of course the Pontins Autumn Snooker Festival.

The Pontins Festival features the main pro-am event and the Star of the Future, Seniors (Over 40s). the Super Sixties for the Over 60s, and the usual array of night flyers, the plate event as well as all the usual Pontins facilities and entertainment.

The Home Internationals grow in size and prestige every year. It's come a long way since the inaugural event in 1969, between Wales and England, which was part of the celebrations of the investiture of the Prince of Wales. And still the Mens teams compete for the Prince of Wales shield.

Defending Champions England (pictured left) have a new look team, with several former juniors promoted to the senior team and on paper don't look quite as strong as in previous years. Although no doubt Captain Colin Morton and team manager Malcolm Thorne will fire their troops up to defend their title to the last ball.

Scotland bring a powerful squad to the event, lead by newly promoted Main Tour player Gary Thomson and Scottish champion James McBain. Also boosting the team are experienced professionals Richy McDonald, Craig MacGillivray and Bobby Cruickshanks. Add to that the former European Under 19 champion Robert Shanks and experience international campaigners Michael Philbin and Jason Hood and The Tartan Army will be a force to be reckoned with.

Republic of Ireland (pictured right), who reluctantly relinquished their title to England last year are back with a vastly experienced squad. Full of pride and passion you can never quite tell if the Irish will deliver the goods but their squad looks a match for anyone, as does the Welsh team.

Wales were the runners-up in 2002 and field a virtually unchanged team, who'll be looking to bring the title home to Wales.

Northern Ireland and Isle of Man complete the teams competing for the Prince of Wales Shield. Isle of Man bring an experienced team, who'll battle for every match and with Robbie Corkish in their team, they'll no doubt provides a few laughs along the way as well.

Northern Ireland are led by their youngest ever senior champion Mark Allen and a host of experienced international players. They'll be hoping to reverse some disappointing performance in previous years.

The Challenge series sees Finland make their Home International debut, while Poland (pictured left), Holland and France are back again. There is a growing queue of European countries wishing to participate and the keenly contested Challenge series could grow again next year. Holland, as usual, bring an experienced squad, who've enjoyed success in the past, giving home country teams a nasty shock. Poland and France both have teams packed full of Home Internationals experience, but new boys Finland are something on an unknown quantity. Led by Challenge Tour player Jussi Tyrkko, they'll be out to produce the sort of form that has seen their team take runners-up spot in the Continental Team Cup in the past and dominate the Baltic Cup.

Five teams line up for the Junior event and as usual the reigning champions England look hard to beat. But earlier in the summer they were run very close by Wales in a friendly international and with some debutants on the England team, the experienced Welsh squad will fancy their chances.

England send World champion Kelly Fisher and Lisa Ingall for the ladies event. The pair have proved unbeatable recently, and only Scotland and Wales look to have any chance of causing an upset. Scotland's team is the vastly experience Lynette Horsburgh and Val Finnie, semi finalist in the European Championships, while Wales are led by World No. 6 Sharon Dickson, twice a world semi finalist.

 © Janie Watkins 2005

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