Cardiff Open Singles, 2013/14

FINAL (best of 7, 1st May)

HUW CARPENTER (Mack Thurs) 3

RYAN ROWLANDS (Savoy) 4

The Cardiff Open reached a thrilling conclusion at Taff’s Well, ultimately seeing Ryan Rowlands crowned the new champion after the closest of finishes against Huw Carpenter.

Huw made a good start to the 7 frame clash, with a run of 25, and when Ryan responded with 24, the omens looked very promising for a very well balanced match. Huw edged the opening frame on the pink, looking the slightly better player, but then had to watch as Ryan’s scoring power showed. Three frames in quite quick succession went his way, with runs of 42 and 59.

Huw had the presence of mind to see that his area of strength was in the safety play, and from 1-3 down, he noted also that his potting was not as strong as he might have liked,so took a more careful approach. Tougher frames, with fewer heavy scores, followed, and at 3-3, Huw looked to have ridden out the storm, expecially when he built a good lead in the final frame. A snooker laid by Ryan behind a spotted pink, with 2 reds remaining, was called miss, but, in the good spirit in which the whole event was played, Ryan opted to go for the clearance. It went sweetly until he was slightly the wrong side of the brown. The blue was then dispatched, trickily, to a corner pocket, and the pink off its spot with the rest, leaving the white on the top cushion, behind the black, a slow roll to the middle the only real potting option. The clearance of 35 made the younger player the new Cardiff Open champion.

Home players are drawn first

Highest break: Ryan Rowlands 67

1st round (best of 3, by Jan 5)	2nd round (best of 3, by Feb 2)	Quarter-finals (best of 3, by March 2)	Semi-finals (best of 5, by April 6)
Huw Carpenter (Mack Thurs) 2	Huw Carpenter (Mack Thurs)	Huw Carpenter (Mack Thurs) 2	Huw Carpenter (Mack Thurs) 3
Ray Sullivan (Canton Libs) 0
Sam Thomas (Savoy) scr	BYE
Rhys Carpenter (Mack Thurs) scr
Spencer Symmons (Mack) 2	Spencer Symmons (Mack)	Spencer Symmons (Mack) 0
James Facey (Park Club) 0
Ronnie Allen (Mack)	Kishan Hirani (Penarth Rd B)
Kishan Hirani (Penarth Rd B) 2
Dan Bridle (Trecenydd) 0	Steve Flanagan (Penarth Rd A) 2	Steve Flanagan (Penarth Rd) scratched	Terry Garland (Penarth Rd B) 0
Steve Flanagan (Penarth Rd A) 2
Renato Ridolini (Mack) w/o	Renato Ridolini (Mack) 0
Steve Rees (Taffs Well)
Leon Giles (Cuesaders) 2	Leon Giles (Cuesaders) 0	Terry Garland (Penarth Rd B) w/o
Graham Bailey (Savoy) 0
Andrew West (Trecenydd) 0	Terry Garland (Penarth Rd B) 2
Terry Garland (Penarth Rd B) 2
Ryan Rowlands (Savoy) 2	Ryan Rowlands (Savoy) 2	Ryan Rowlands (Savoy) 2	Ryan Rowlands (Savoy) 3 (67 break)
Glyn Jones (Penarth Rd A) 0
Ben Bridle (Trecenydd) 0	Andrew Bridle (Trecenydd) 0
Andrew Bridle (Trecenydd) 2
Tom Cross (County) 2	Tom Cross (County) 0	Kevin Jones (Taffs Well) 1
Luke Pittman (Penarth Rd B) 1
Rory Wigmore (Canton Libs) 1	Kevin Jones (Taffs Well) 2
Kevin Jones (Taffs Well) 2
Tom Davie (Penarth Rd A) 2	Tom Davie (Penarth Rd A) 2	Tom Davie (Penarth Rd A) 2	Tom Davie (Penarth Rd A) 2 (44 break)
Steve Wellbeloved (Mack) 1
Chris Richards (Park) 2	Chris Richards (Park) 1
Rob Baker (Cuesaders) 1
BYE	Alan Cook (Penarth Rd A) 2	Alan Cook (Penarth Rd A)
Alan Cook (Penarth Rd A)
BYE	James Wigmore (Canton Libs)
James Wigmore (Canton Libs)