The Wanderers Snooker Club was a hive of activity over the winter as ten enthusiastic players took part in the preliminary rounds of the Ken Coates Winter Tournament.
The eventual finalists were Martyn Maughan and Ashley Tunstall playing for the Plate, with David Dye and Colling Morris playing for the Ken Coates Trophy.
The match for the Plate opened strongly with Martyn in flying form, showing some skillful potting.
However, just as he looked to take control, Ashley turned up the heat with some well-placed safety shots, forcing errors from his opponent, and taking the lead. Martyn fought back, held his nerve and took the frame with the final black.
The second and third frames were mostly controlled by Ashley, again employing tactical safety play, causing Martyn to make mistakes and allowing Ashley to win the match and take the Plate.
The first frame of the final for the Ken Coates Trophy was off to a slow start and with the pink and black covering both the top corner pockets, the play seemed to be heading towards stalemate.
After a bout of delicate safety exchanges, the players were given three shots each by the referee to resolve the situation.
In the end a re-rack wasn’t required as, unluckily, David fouled on the pink. Despite this, he went on to win the frame and also the following one.
Colling picked up some form in the third frame and took the lead with a well-constructed 33-break, an advantage which secured him the frame. Colling levelled the match by winning the fourth frame.
With two wins each, the fifth and final frame was closely contested all the way through. After a tense battle over the remaining two colours, David finally potted the pink to take the last frame and so win the match to be the trophy winner for 2024/2025.
Peter Nomanton
