CARDIFF & DISTRICT SNOOKER ASSOCIATION

Cardiff Handicap Singles Final

Luke Haines 2 v 4 Nural Khan

Congratulations to RBL Warriors’ Nural Khan after he defeated Canton Libs’ Luke Haines 4-2 to win the Cardiff Handicap Singles title in a high-quality match at Taff’s Well Ex-Serviceman’s Club.

The opening frame was a scrappy affair as both players looked to establish some rhythm early on, but it went to the colours with Haines seven points ahead on the green. Khan potted green and brown to level the scores, before Haines had the chance at a long blue but jawed it and Khan took advantage to move 1-0 ahead.

The second frame featured some excellent long-range safety play, with both players leaving each other in trouble on the baulk cushion. Khan held a lead for most of the frame and was ten points ahead on the brown, but a very good brown was followed by the blue from Haines, before a superb positional shot on the pink to black gave him the chance to roll the black along the top cushion to level the match at 1-1.

Haines started strongly in the next frame and built a healthy lead as it reached the halfway stage, before some excellent safety play saw the frame head towards the conclusion. Both players had opportunities to take the upper hand but strong potting from Haines gave him the chance to finish the frame off before the colours and take a 2-1 lead.

The momentum looked to have swung towards Haines as Khan went in-off an early colour in the fourth frame, but he soon made amends as some outstanding positional play saw Khan quickly build a sizeable break in and around the black. The frame was soon won as he continued to pot red and colour, and the final red left him

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Cardiff Open Plate Final

Albert Columbo 0 v 3 Rhys Carpenter

Congratulations to Taff’s Well’s Rhys Carpenter as he won the inaugural Cardiff Open Plate title after a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Rumney British Legion’s Albert Columbo. The match was a closely-fought contest with all three frames being settled on the colours, with Carpenter winning the opening frame after establishing an early lead and leaving Columbo needing a snooker on the yellow.

The second frame was a pivotal one as Columbo built an early lead with some good potting and solid safety play, before Carpenter managed to edge back into it and take it to the colours with the scores level. Further safety play on the yellow eventually saw Carpenter take his chance and pot yellow, green and brown before an excellent blue down the side cushion moved him a snooker ahead on the pink, and despite some good attempts by Columbo, Carpenter moved into a 2-0 lead.

The third frame went the same way as the previous two and was littered with excellent safety play, and in a match where Columbo laid some excellent snookers against his opponent, Carpenter once again pulled off two or three very good escapes, which along with strong long potting ensured he had a healthy lead heading into the final stages of the frame. Columbo managed to reduce the deficit on the last handful of reds, but Carpenter still had a lead as the frame reached the colours. An in-off from Columbo on the brown looked decisive and although Carpenter wasn’t able to take advantage, he quickly made amends as he potted blue to move snookers ahead, followed by the pink to seal the match.

The CDSA would like to pass on our congratulations to Rob McKenna after the Fairwater Cons player recently registered a superb 147 maximum break. Playing fellow CDSA member Nural Khan at Fairwater Conservative Club in a packed snooker room, the 57 year-old former World Pool champion held his nerve to achieve the outstanding feat for the first time.

Malcolm Keenor Trophy Final result

Fairwater Cons Mack 2 v 3 Taff’s Well

CDSA Plate Final result

RBL Warriors 3 v 1 Fairwater Cons

Taff’s Well are the 2023-24 Malcolm Keenor Trophy winners after a pulsating 3-2 comeback win over reigning champions Fairwater Cons Mack in an entertaining night at a packed Taff’s Well Ex-Serviceman’s Club.

The first frame saw Jimmy Llewellyn build on his handicap to obtain a sizeable early lead against Brian Rees, but a closely-fought encounter went to the colours with Llewellyn 15 point ahead. A difficult green was missed and Rees held his nerve for a flawless clearance to win an excellent opener on the black. Jacob Boyle built on this momentum for Fairwater as he maintained a lead over Ian Purnell, eventually winning on the blue to put his side 2-0 ahead and one frame from victory.

Taff’s Well needed a way back into the match and they got a captain’s performance from Kevin Brown whose solid matchplay and excellent potting saw him overcome Alan Hurley on the colours, before Rhys Carpenter produced the performance of the night to dominate his frame against Player of the Year Jason Hewett and level the match at 2-2 to send it to a decider. Rob Hayes knew the momentum was in his favour as he faced Cardiff Open finalist Khurram Khan, and a tense frame saw Hayes build a 30-point lead with one red remaining on the table. However, a fluke from Khan gave him a chance and following an outstanding green down the side cushion, which flicked out the pink, he looked favourite but a missed blue kept the frame alive and Hayes made the most of his opportunity shortly after to move snookers ahead, with a double pink sealing the victory and capping off a remarkable

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Malcolm Keenor Trophy Semi-Final second leg results

Rumney British Legion 0 v 2 Fairwater Cons Mack
(Fairwater Cons Mack win 6-1 on aggregate)

Taff’s Well 4 v 1 Mackintosh Snooker
(Taff’s Well win 6-4 on aggregate)

CDSA Plate Semi-Final second leg results

The Cons 0 v 2 RBL Warriors
(RBL Warriors win 6-1 on aggregate)

Fairwater Cons 3 v 2 Caerphilly Cons
(Fairwater Cons win 6-5 on aggregate)

Breaks

Twm Sion Jones 51 (Fairwater Cons)
Rob McKenna 40, 37 (Fairwater Cons)

Fairwater Cons Mack are through to the Malcolm Keenor Trophy final after two frames was enough to beat Rumney British Legion 6-1 on aggregate. They had a 4-1 lead from the first leg, and Alan Hurley’s win on the pink against Paul Chichester left them one frame from victory, with Brian Rees finishing off the match after a close win over Alex Ellis. The final will give Ronnie Allen’s side the chance to defend the trophy they won last season and with it the opportunity to win a second successive league and cup double.

Their opponents in the final are Taff’s Well after a tense match saw them defeat Mackintosh Snooker 4-1 and overturn a first leg deficit to win 6-4. Ian Purnell won the opener against Billy Connors after a clearance following a fluked brown, and another final ball decider saw Jimmy Llewellyn beat Nathan Dunne to make it 2-0. A very good performance from Mike Nessbert kept his side in the match with victory over Rhys Carpenter, but some solid potting from Rob Hayes put Taff’s Well 5-4 ahead on aggregate after defeating Stephen Connors. With the prospect of a playoff frame to decide the match if the scores were level, Glyn Jones and Eassa Din played out an edgy frame that went to the colours, but

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