WPBSA International Round-Up | November 2020
Reviewing amateur snooker action from across the globe, this month’s edition of the WPBSA International Round-up takes us to Eastern Europe, Asia and Oceania…
New Zealand
Mark Canovan claimed his fourth New Zealand Snooker Championship following a 6-3 final victory over Bayden Jackson at the Papakura Club in Auckland.
Winner of the title previously in 2003, 2004 and 2014, Canovan qualified for the knockout portion of the event comfortably, dropping just two frames as he finished top of his group. In the last 16 he eliminated Steve Addison 4-0 before dispatching Rob Redgrove 5-1 and then Neil Cameron 5-0 in the quarter and semi-finals respectively. Cameron had dethroned defending champion Shannon Swain via a deciding frame in the last eight.
Jackson – victor in 2011 and 2017 – relinquished just seven frames in eight matches to reach another final, defeating Ian Muir 5-1 in the other last four tie. However, it was Canovan who started the best-of-11 final better, establishing a 3-2 advantage at the interval. On resumption he then compiled the highest break of the match with an 82 and would later secure his first head-to-head triumph over Jackson to lift the trophy once again and retain his number one spot in the national rankings.
The Canterbury cueist also collected the tournament’s highest break prize with an effort of 98.
Estonia
Andres Petrov continues to dominate the domestic snooker scene in Estonia as he won the national championship for an eighth consecutive year.
Held at Club 147 in the capital city of Tallinn, 24-year-old Petrov was seeded through to the knockout portion of the competition where he eliminated Heigo Harend 4-0 and Alexander Leitmäe 4-1 to progress to Finals Day.
There, he defeated recent Tallinn Snooker Cup finalist Mark Magi 5-1 in the semi-finals before a 6-3 victory over Denis Grabe 6-3 in the final. Grabe – who is a distinguished American Pool player on the international stage – got to the final again courtesy of a 5-0 win over Marko Jersov.
Former EBSA European Amateur Championship runner-up Petrov produced a series of breaks over 60 on the final day, including a 109 – the highest of the tournament – against Grabe.
Georgia
Nodar Bakradze triumphed at the Georgian Snooker Championship for a fourth year in succession, although he had to come from behind and survive a deciding frame in the final to retain the title.
Snooker in Georgia continues to grow in popularity and standard – a total of 35 players took part in this the fifth edition of the championship at the Star Snooker Academy in capital city Tbilisi, and a record-breaking number of breaks were recorded during it.
Bakradze enjoyed a straightforward passage to the final, not dropping a frame as he eliminated Erekle Khitalishvili, Giorgi Durglishvili and Alex Almasia all 3-0 before ending the hopes of Levan Rcheulishvili 4-0 in the semi-finals. It was the fourth time that Bakradze had defeated Rcheulishvili at the last four stage.
Making his way through to the final for the first time was Shavlego Chigogidze who had seen off Zurab Tsereteli in the other last four meeting. Despite going 2-0 down in the best-of-seven frames final, it looked like an upset was on the cards when Chigogidze strung together three in a row to move 3-2 up. However, Bakradze wasn’t to be denied as he finished strong to win 4-3.
Hong Kong
Three-time world women’s snooker champion Ng On Yee made a winning return to competitive action when she claimed the 2020 Hong Kong Women’s Open on home soil.
The current women’s world number two last took to the baize for a tournament back in February during the WWS Belgian Open which she won following a defeat of Reanne Evans in the final.
Held at the Legends Snooker Club in Cheung Sha Wan, On Yee made breaks of 66, 51 and 49 as she saw off Cheung Yee Ting 4-0 in the final.
So Man Yan compiled runs of 49 and 43 as she got the better of Jaique Ip Wan In 3-1 in the third/fourth place play-off.
Thank you to everyone that helped contribute to this month’s edition.
Article by Michael Day.
