2012 NEWPORT POOL OPEN
For immediate release
Wednesday, September 19th, 2012
HEATHCOTE CLINCHES QUARTER-FINAL CLASH WITH POUNTNEY
NEWPORT (Shropshire): Former Newport Pool Open champion Antony Heathcote’s reward for beating friend and team-mate Jason Taphouse in a five-frame quarter-final thriller in the singles competition was a tie against Telford’s snooker and golf sensation Darren Pountney.
Heathcote lost the first frame to Taphouse and eventually went 1-2 down to his Legion teammate, before winning rack four and clinching the tiebreak frame after a marathon encounter.
Charlie Hayward arranged for his match against Newport’s Stu Morrey to be played at Wrockwardine Wood Football Club and the Aqueduct-based player prevailed in four frames against the Tavern league player to reach the quarterfinals and a match against Graham Tigwell.
Stafford’s Neil Dale and Brendan Ruttledge scraped through a marathon safety clash in the Shakespeare Newport Doubles Open, with victory over Andy Miles and Neil Perkins at the Railway Tavern. Dale snatched the opening 30 minute encounter from the Newport duo’s clutches and a useful double in the second frame by the Stafford cue made it 2-0 to the visiting players.
Safety again dominated the third frame but, when Miles was unable to get out of a tight situation, Ruttledge stepped up to deliver the coup de grace. However, the former Newport Open Champion ran the black along the cushion and jawed it in the pocket, leaving Perkins no option but to take on a daunting long pot to set up a clearance. Somehow he nailed the pot and cleared the table to take the match into a fourth frame.
Newport had the upper hand throughout the rack, despite several slack safety shots by both home players. Ruttledge eventually dislodged a blocking Newport red ball and the advantage swung to and fro for several minutes until Miles went for a simple pot in the corner pocket and had to watch agonizingly as the cue ball careered down the table and knocked a Stafford yellow into the pocket. Dale was calmness personified and duly held his nerve with the two shots to seal the Stafford duo’s place in the semi-final and a tie against Goodchild and Tigwell.
The King’s Head duo were taken to a tie-break frame by league colleagues, Irene Whittington and Phil Emery, and avenged last year’s semi-final defeat by clinching the all-important fifth frame to book their match with the Stafford duo. Market Drayton’s George Allen and Mick Manning face the winners of the Mike and Luke Jones versus Ian Roberts and Steve Morrey clash in the second semi-final.
Lauren Heathcote and Whittington prevailed in their Railway Tavern Newport Ladies Open semi-finals to set up a repeat of last year’s final. Heathcote was taken all the way to a tiebreak frame by friend and team-mate Kim Rigby at the Shakespeare in a match that Heathcote admitted could have gone either way.
Whittington dropped just one frame against Lorna Phee on her to way to a third final in three years. The game was much closer than the score suggests, with Phee potting very well throughout the match. Whittington went into a 2-0 lead and the defending champion potted most of her balls in rack three before snookering herself.
Phee left herself in a good position and claimed another two shots and the frame when Whittington failed to get out of a snooke, but Irene was on top again in rack four and held on to roll the final black along the cushion and into the pocket.
2012 Newport Pool Open
3rd round results
Antony Heathcote (NRBL) beat Jason Taphouse (Tavern), 3-2
Charlie Hayward (WWFC) beat Stu Morrey (Tavern), 3-1
Quarter-final draw
Ian Perry (King’s Head) v Andy Miles (Tavern)
Neil Dale (Tavern) v Greg Quinn (Tavern)
Darren Pountney (NRBL) v Antony Heathcote (NRBL)
Graham Tigwell (King’s Head) v Charlie Hayward (WWFC)
2012 Shakespeare Newport Doubles Open
Quarter-final results
Neil Dale/Brendan Ruttledge beat Andy Miles/Neil Perkins, 3-1
Irene Whittington/Phil Emery lost to Ross Goodchild/Graham Tigwell, 2-3
Semi-final draw
Luke Jones/Mike Jones or Ian Roberts/Steve Morrey v Mick Manning/George Allen
Ross Goodchild/Graham Tigwell v Neil Dale/Brendan Ruttledge
2012 Railway Tavern Newport Women’s Open
Semi-final results
Kim Rigby lost to Lauren Heathcote, 2-3
Irene Whittington beat Lorna Phee, 3-1
Ends
For further information:
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www.ndp-publicity.com
Facebook group: 2011-2012 Newport Pool League and 2012 Newport Pool Open
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