CARDIFF & DISTRICT SNOOKER ASSOCIATION

Malcolm Keenor Trophy Match 4 Report

Group A
The Cons 2 v 3 Canton Libs
Rumney British Legion 3 v 2 Caerphilly Cons
Mackintosh Snooker v Bye

Group B
Fairwater Cons 3 v 2 RBL Warriors
Fairwater Cons Mack 4 v 1 Taff’s Well
Roath Cons v Bye

Breaks

Jason Hewett 38 (Fairwater Cons Mack)

Rumney British Legion are the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Malcolm Keenor Trophy after they beat Caerphilly Cons 3-2 to finish the group stages with a 100% record. Rumney captain Graeme Prance got them off to a good start after he defeated Ieuan Simms, but Ciaran Paul levelled the match after beating Tony Parkin. Andy Magill restored the home side’s lead with his victory over Mike Pardoe, before Dan Bridle once again restored parity after winning against Paul Chichester. However, Alex Ellis clinched the winning frame after beating Dai Berkinshaw to guarantee top spot in Group A for Rumney.

The other semi-final place is wide open though after Canton Libs won 3-2 at The Cons to give themselves a chance going into the final match in a few weeks, but Mackintosh maintain the upper hand despite having a bye week. James Facey won a high-scoring opening frame for Canton against Dan Wardle, and Ed Topham made it 2-0 after comfortably beating Ryan Bowgen. Martyn Evans kept his side in it after winning a close frame against Luke Haines, but Rory Wigmore sealed the victory after he defeated Dave Standage, before Darren Gill won a potentially crucial consolation frame versus James Wigmore.

Group B is much closer as we head into the final round of matches, with four teams still able to qualify for the semi-finals, although Fairwater Cons Mack have the upper hand after their 4-1 home victory against group leaders Taff’s Well. A 38 break from Jason Hewett was enough to defeat Jimmy Llewellyn, but Rob Hayes levelled things with victory over Alan Hurley. Khurram Khan won a close frame against Rhys Carpenter to put the Mack ahead, and Ronnie Allen sealed the win after beating Ian Purnell. With every frame making a big difference to the table, Brian Rees managed to overcome Glyn Jones to put his side in the driving seat for the semis.

In the other match in the group, Fairwater Cons bounced back from defeat in the previous round of matches to beat RBL Warriors 3-2, meaning they have qualification in their own hands going into their final match of the group against Taff’s Well. The match featured lots of very close frames with Steve Flanagan winning the first versus Chris Johnson, before Nural Khan’s win on the black against Terry Garland made it 1-1. Rob McKenna’s close win over Simon Takata and Shaun O’Connell’s defeat of Dave Richards gave Fairwater the victory, but the permutations for qualification were complicated by Jason Veal’s consolation frame win over Steffan Davies to give his side a chance of a semi spot in their final match.