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Evans clinches record fourth world title
Wednesday,
7 May, 2008
REANNE Evans has written a new chapter in the annals of women’s snooker by claiming a record fourth straight WLBSA World Championship title.
Shrugging off a bout of flu, the 22-year-old mother-of-one from Dudley beat first time finalist June Banks 5-2 at Cambridge SC (on Wednesday, 7 May).
“In some ways it’s as good as the first,” she said. “I felt no pressure, just play my game and hope for the best. Coming up to this tournament, I hardly picked my cue up because I haven’t been very well.”
Evans, partner of NI professional and world No 16 Mark Allen, eased through to the final winning 23 successive frames and chalking up the highest break of the tournament, 102 in the group stages.
But former England international Banks ended the run by taking the first frame of the final with a long pink.
Evans responded with a 52 to win the second. Banks fell foul of the miss rule when trailing 2-1 and the 16 penalty points cost her the chance to level.
Although the 39-year-old from Orpington did pull a second frame back in the sixth, Evans dominated the next.
The two-time IBSF World Ladies Champion, who defends her European title in Poland next month, has again ruled out joining seven-time champion Allison Fisher and five-time champion Kelly Fisher on the lucrative US pool circuit, for the foreseeable future.
But neither of the two great queens of the green baize lifted the title four years running.
“People might say it’s because Kelly or Allison or whoever are not here, but it’s their choice to go to America,” insisted Evans. “It’s up to them at the end of the day and I’m happy with what I’ve done.”
Maria Catalano’s dream of a first world title ended less than 24 hours after her cousin Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed his third, in a 4-2 semi-final defeat by Banks.
Evans beat Portsmouth’s Emma Bonney 4-0 in the second semi but had to survive a black-ball game in the second frame and a re-spot in the third.
EMMA Bonney clinched a third World Ladies Billiards title with a 216-119 victory over shock finalist Eva Palmius.
But the 31-year-old from Portsmouth was forced to dig deep in the last seconds of her semi-final clash with Tina Owen-Sevilton, from Taunton.
Bonney, champion in 2000 and 2002 but runner-up in 2006 and 2007, trailed throughout the one-hour match but was gifted a chance with a minute left.
“I thought, ‘right, I’ve got to make about 15 and I’ve got about a minute to do it’,” she said.
Making a first appearance in a final, former Swedish pool star Palmius ended Indian star Chitra Magimairaj’s hopes of a hat-trick of titles in the second semi.
DERBY schoolgirl and England international Hannah Jones, 11, won the World Ladies Junior snooker title. Chris Sharpe clinched a first Seniors title and Pam Wood repeated her 2007 doubles success, this time partnering Jaique Ip Wan In.
SNOOKER ROUND ROBIN RESULTS:
GROUP A: Reanne Evans bt Chris Sharpe 3-0, Evans bt Martina Lumsden 3-0, Evans by Marianne Williams 3-0, Evans bt Joanne Davies 3-0, Evans bt Tina Owen-Sevilton 3-0, Sharpe bt Williams 2-1, Sharpe bt Davies 3-0, Lumsden bt Sharpe 2-1, Lumsden bt Davies 2-1, Williams bt Davies 3-0, Williams bt Lumsden 2-1, Owen-Sevilton bt Sharpe 2-1, Owen-Sevilton bt Lumsden 2-1, Owen-Sevilton bt Williams 2-1, Owen-Sevilton bt Davies 3-0.
GROUP B: June Banks bt Gaye Jones 3-0, Banks bt Chitra Magimairaj 3-0, Banks bt Malgorzata Sikorska 2-1, Banks bt Pam Woods 3-0, Banks bt Hannah Jones 3-0, Magimairaj bt G Jones 2-1, Magimairaj bt Sikorska 3-0, Magimairaj bt Wood 3-0, Magimairaj bt H Jones 3-0, Sikorska bt G Jones 3-0, Sikorska bt Wood 2-1, Sikorska bt H Jones 2-1, Wood bt G Jones 3-0, H Jones bt G Jones 2-1, H Jones bt Wood 2-1.
GROUP C: Emma Bonney bt Maria Catalano 2-1, Bonney bt Eva Palmius 2-1, Bonney bt Laura Alves 3-0, Bonney bt Vicky Ashby 2-1, Bonney bt Georgina Holloway 3-0, Catalano bt Palmius 3-0, Catalano bt Alves 3-0, Catalano bt Ashby 3-0, Catalano bt Holloway 3-0, Palmius bt Alves 3-0, Palmius bt Ashby 2-1, Palmius bt Holloway 3-0, Ashby bt Alves 3-0, Ashby bt Holloway 3-0, Alves bt Holloway 2-1.
GROUP D: Katie Henrick bt Jenny Poulter 3-0, Henrick bt Maureen Logan 3-0, Henrick bt Jan Hughes 3-0, Henrick bt Michelle Marinova 2-1, Henrick bt Suzie Opacic 2-1, Jaique Ip Wan In bt Henrick 2-1, Ip Wan In bt Poulter 2-1, Ip-Wan In bt Logan 2-1, Ip Wan In bt Hughes 3-0, Ip Wan In bt Marinova 3-0, Hughes by Logan 3-0, Marinova bt Poulter 2-1, Marinova bt Logan 3-0, Marinova bt Hughes 2-1, Opacic bt Poulter 2-1, Opacic bt Logan 3-0, Opacic bt Hughes 2-1, Opacic bt Ip Wan In 2-1, Opacic bt Marinova 2-1, Poulter bt Logan 3-0, Poulter bt Hughes 3-0.
Group stage breaks:
Reanne Evans: 102, 91, 68, 67, 41
Maria Catalano: 98, 60, 52
Emma Bonney: 73
Katie Henrick: 63, 53, 44
Jaique Ip-Wan In: 53
Chitra Magimairaj: 46
June Banks: 44, 44, 30
Michelle Marinova: 43
Eva Palmius: 41
KNOCKOUT RESULTS:
QUARTER-FINALS (£100) (breaks in brackets): Reanne Evans (61,52) bt Chitra Magimairaj 4-0, Emma Bonney bt Jaique Ip-Wan In 4-3, Maria Catalano by Katie Henrick 4-1, June Banks (56) bt Tina Owen-Sevilton 4-0.
SEMI-FINALS (£150): Evans bt Bonney 4-0, Banks bt Catalano (43) 4-2.
FINAL (£700/£300): Evans (52) bt Banks 5-2.
The trophies were sponsored by Tablecare Ltd
PLATE RESULTS:
LAST 16: Eva Palmius bt Chris Sharpe 2-1, Michelle Marinova bt Gaye Jones 2-1, Pam Wood bt Maureen Logan 2-0, Jenny Poulter bt Laura Alves 2-0, Martina Lumsden bt Marianne Williams 2-0, Hannah Jones bt Jan Hughes 2-0, Suzie Opacic bt Joanne Davies 2-0, Malgorzata Sikorska bt Vicky Ashby 2-1.
QUARTER-FINALS: Marinova bt Palmius 2-0, Wood bt Poulter 2-1, H Jones bt Lumsden 2-1, Sikorska bt Opacic 2-1.
SEMI-FINALS: Marinova bt Wood 2-0, Sikorska bt H Jones 2-0.
FINAL: Sikorska bt Marinova 2-1.
JUNIOR RESULTS:
SEMI-FINALS: Joanne Davies bt Charlotte Holloway 2-0, Hannah Jones bt Georgina Holloway 2-0.
FINAL: Jones bt Davies 2-0.
BILLIARDS RESULTS (breaks in brackets):
LAST 16: Chris Sharpe bt Jan Hughes 125-71, Malgorzata Sikorska bt Maureen Logan 124-78.
QUARTER-FINALS: Chitra Magimairaj bt Sharpe 206-74, Eva Palmius (39) bt Gaye Jones 165-75, Tina Owen-Sevilton bt Pam Wood 256-88, Emma Bonney (31, 30, 33, 42) bt Sikorska 372-79.
SEMI-FINALS: Palmius by Magimairaj (32) 162-135, Bonney bt Owen-Sevilton 187-178.
FINAL (£200/£100): Bonney bt Palmius 216-119.
SENIORS RESULTS (breaks in brackets):
QUARTER-FINALS: Malgorzata Sikorska bt Martina Lumsden 3-2, Gaye Jones bt Maureen Logan 3-2, Jenny Poulter bt Eva Palmius 3-2, Chris Sharpe (33) bt Laura Alves 3-0.
SEMI-FINALS: Sikorska bt Jones 3-1, Sharpe bt Poulter 3-1.
FINAL (£100/£50): Sharpe bt Sikorska 3-1.
DOUBLES RESULTS:
SEMI-FINALS: Jaique Ip Wan In and Pam Wood bt Malgorzata Sikorska and Marianne Williams 2-0, Chris Sharpe and Laura Alves bt Tina Owen-Sevilton and Maureen Logan 2-0.
FINAL £100/£50): Ip Wan In and Wood bt Sharpe and Alves 2-1.
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