World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association
Hat-trick for Catalano - Connie Gough National Championship
WOMEN’S snooker star Maria Catalano clawed back a two-frame deficit against world number one Reanne Evans to clinch a hat-trick of Connie Gough National Championships in Luton on Saturday.
Forced to dig deep as mother-of-one Evans fired in a 51 to take a 2-0 lead in the final, 26-year-old Catalano, from Dudley, levelled with a 47 and eased through the decider to claim a fifth WLBSA title.
“It’s the only hat-trick I’m going to score!” she said. “To be fair, I won it quite comfortably in the end.
“She’s a great player and to do it against the world champion, you can’t wish for anything better.
“Against players like Reanne you can’t afford to take too many on in a best-of-five. You just have to dig deep and give it your best, and I did.”
Catalano survived a scare in the last 16 to beat former England international Marianne Williams 3-2. She saw off Jenny Poulter, from Maidstone, 3-1 with breaks of 31, 32 and 36 and knocked in a 60 in a 3-2 semi-final victory over world number three June Banks.
Three-time world champion Evans won £74 for a pound-a-point high-break prize donated by Connie Gough’s daughter Julie Hemingway.
“I love winning this tournament,” said Catalano, who is Ronnie O’Sullivan’s cousin. “Especially as it’s a memorial tournament for Julie’s mum. It’s a little bit more special than all the others, apart from the World Championships.”
But the 2007 British Open Champion, who is due to return to work at her dad Angelo’s ice-cream business in April, revealed that she is a major doubt for this year’s championships that have been moved to May.
Catalano jets back to America next month for the San Diego Classic 9-ball pool tournament and is hoping for even more time off to compete in Cambridge.
“If not, I’m probably going to be sick for about a month,” she laughed.
RESULTS (breaks in brackets):
LAST 32: Marianne Williams (Smallfield, Surrey) bt Joanne Davies (Derby) 3-0, Tina Owen-Sevilton (Taunton) bt Mary Hawkes (Eaton Bray, Beds) 3-0, Charlotte Holloway (Ashbourne, Derbyshire) bt Georgina Holloway (Ashbourne, Derbyshire) 3-2, Vicky Ashby (Hemel Hempstead) bt Gaye Jones (Melksham, Wilts) 3-1, Martina Lumsden (45) (Eastbourne) bt Pam Wood (Newcastle) 3-1.
LAST 16: Maria Catalano (Dudley) bt Williams 3-2, Jenny Poulter (Maidstone) bt Owen-Sevilton 3-2, June Banks (Orpington) bt C Holloway 3-0, Katie Henrick (Bickley, Kent) bt Ashby 3-0, Chris Sharpe (Chelmsford) bt Maureen Logan (Wallsend) 3-0, Hannah Jones (Derby) bt Eva Palmius (Isleham, Ely) 3-2, Reanne Evans (Dudley) bt Lumsden 3-1, Emma Bonney (Portsmouth) w/o Suzie Opacic (Brambridge, Hants).
QUARTER-FINALS: Catalano (31, 32, 36) bt Poulter 3-1, Banks bt Bonney 3-2, Henrick bt Sharpe 3-2, Evans (74) bt H Jones 3-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Catalano (60) bt Banks 3-2, Evans bt Henrick 3-0.
FINAL (£240/£120): Catalano (47) bt Evans (51) 3-2.
PLATE RESULTS:
LAST-16: Palmius bt G Jones 2-1, Owen-Sevilton bt Lumsden 2-1, Wood bt Hawkes 2-0, Davies bt Logan 2-1.
QUARTER-FINALS: Williams bt G Holloway 2-0, Ashby bt C Holloway 2-0, Palmius bt Owen-Sevilton 2-0, Wood bt Davies 2-1.
SEMI-FINALS: Palmius bt Wood 2-1, Ashby bt Williams 2-0.
FINAL: Palmius bt Ashby 2-1.
SENIORS FINAL: Sharpe bt G Jones 1-0.
List of 21 entries (Suzie Opacic withdrew the previous day after the draw was made):
Reanne Evans |
Dudley, West Midlands |
Katie Henrick |
Bickley, Kent |
June Banks |
Orpington, Kent |
Jenny Poulter |
Maidstone, Kent |
Maria Catalano |
Dudley, West Midlands |
Suzie Opacic |
Brambridge, Hants |
Eva Palmius |
Isleham, Ely |
Chris Sharpe |
Chelmsford, Essex |
Emma Bonney |
Portsmouth, Hants |
Martina Lumsden |
Eastbourne, East Sussex |
Pam Wood |
Newcastle |
Hannah Jones |
Derby |
Joanne Davies |
Derby |
Vicky Ashby |
Hemel Hempstead, Herts |
Marianne Williams |
Smallfield, Surrey |
Mary Hawkes |
Eaton Bray, Beds |
Charlotte Holloway |
Ashbourne, Derbyshire |
Gaye Jones |
Melksham, Wilts |
Georgina Holloway |
Ashbourne, Derbyshire |
Maureen Logan |
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear |
Tina Owen-Sevilton |
Taunton, Somerset |
World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association 2007/08 provisional rankings |
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1 |
Reanne |
Evans |
Gornal, West Midlands |
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2 |
Katie |
Henrick |
Bickley, Kent |
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3 |
June |
Banks |
Orpington, Kent |
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4 |
Maria |
Catalano |
Dudley, West Midlands |
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5 |
Jenny |
Poulter |
Maidstone, Kent |
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6 |
Emma |
Bonney |
Portsmouth, Hants |
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7 |
Suzie |
Opacic |
Brambridge, Hants |
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8 |
Chris |
Sharpe |
Chelmsford, Essex |
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9 |
Gaye |
Jones |
Melksham, Wilts |
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10 |
Eva |
Palmius |
Royston, Herts |
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11 |
Martina |
Lumsden |
Eastbourne, East Sussex |
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12 |
Joanne |
Davies |
Derby |
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13 |
Vicky |
Ashby |
Hemel Hempstead, Herts |
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14 |
Pam |
Wood |
Newcastle |
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15 |
Jan |
Hughes |
St Neots, Cambs |
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16 |
Hannah |
Jones |
Derby |
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17 |
Marianne |
Williams |
Smallfield, Surrey |
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18 |
Mary |
Hawkes |
Eaton Bray, Beds |
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19 |
Laura |
Alves |
Dublin |
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20 |
Maureen |
Logan |
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear |
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21 |
Rita |
Holmes |
Minehead, Somerset |
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22 |
Charlotte |
Holloway |
Ashbourne, Derbyshire |
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23 |
Georgina |
Holloway |
Ashbourne, Derbyshire |
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24 |
Julia |
Betteridge |
Derby |
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25 |
Sarah |
Smith |
Sheffield |
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26 |
Tina |
Owen-Sevilton |
Taunton, Somerset |
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27 |
Julie |
Kightley |
Derby |
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28 |
Julie |
Billings |
Peterborough, Cambs |
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29 |
Sue |
Selby |
Haywards Heath |
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30 |
Jane |
O'Neill |
Spain |
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31 |
Maureen |
Twomey |
Plymton, Devon |
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Next event:
2008 World Championship
Please note new date: 3 May – 8 May 2008
Cambridge Snooker Centre
Coldhams Road
Cambridge
CB1 3EW
Tel: 01223 249 661
World Ladies Snooker Championship
World Mixed Pairs Snooker
World Mixed Pairs Billiards
World Ladies Billiards Championship
World Ladies Seniors (40 & over)
World Ladies Doubles
World Ladies Plate Competition
More details and pictures by Kevin Legg of most of the girls available from:
Tim Dunkley (WLBSA press office)
88 Lionheart Way
Bursledon Green
Southampton
SO31 8HN
Tel home: 02380 562647
Tel work: 01329 853513
E-Mail: timdunkleysnookerdad@hotmail.com |
