Three players unbeaten in A grade billiards

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32301, 20 May 1970, Page 15

Three players unbeaten in A grade billiards

(By

K. J. McMENAMIN)

IVITH six rounds of the ’’ Canterbury Billiards Association’s A grade interclub competition completed, only three players are still unbeaten. They are L. Rolleston (Kaiapoi W.M.C.), D. Collie (R.S.A.) and K. Murphy (Woolston W.M.C. No. 2).

Rolleston and Collie both play at No. 3 for their teams and Murphy fills the No. 2 berth. Foui- players have suffered one loss and they include E. Simons (Post Office) and B. D. Kirkness (Spreydon), who will be Canterbury’s main hopes of the billiards title being won by the host centre when Christchurch stages the 1970 national billiards and snooker championships in September. Simons, the current New Zealand billiards champion, was beaten in the fifth round by Kirkness, who thus repeated the win he had over Simons in the final of last year’s Canterbury championships. Kirkness’s defeat was at the hands of the Shirley No. 1, M. Maffey. The two other players with five wins are G. Foster, the Spreydon No. 2, and R. O'Callaghan, who fills a similar berth for R.S.A. With two losses credited against them are R. Dowler (Hornby No. 1), C. Barnett (Christchurch No. 3), L. Saunders (Spreydon No. 3) and C. Kelly (R.S.A. No. 1). Kelly, however, did not play in the first round.

With the competition almost a quarter completed it seems likely that the leading contenders for top honours will be Spreydon and last season’s joint champions, R.S.A. At present they share the lead in the points ladder with 14 each. However, the deadlock, will certainly be broken next week when they meet. Perhaps the most encouraging form of the early

rounds has come from Rolleston, a young player who has generally been considered a better snooker than billiards exponent. Rolleston has also won laurels in another sport this winter. He is a member of the Kaiapoi senior Rugby league team and made more than a useful contribution to the side’s upset win over Marist-Westem Suburbs last Saturday. His brother, A. S. Rolleston (Wellington), last

year won selection for the New Zealand Rugby league team to play against Australia.

Murphy, who is a former national snooker champion, but has yet to produce his true worth at a New Zealand billiards championships is making a comeback to competitive play this season after a break of three years. His play, in the main, has been steady rather than brilliant and it is a little unfortunate that he should be playing a No. 2 as it could only be against No. is that he would meet opponents of his calibre. Even so, he can do no more than win and if he can build-up to top form for the Canterbury championships in July he will be a force to be reckoned with in both the billiards and snooker events. Collie is an experienced player who has fashioned a fine record over the years. However, with Kelly and O'Callaghan ahead of him in the R.S.A. team, he seldom meets opponents of his standard playing at No. 3. Kirkness, who last season made the highest break in Christchurch inter-club billiards for many years when he compiled an unfinished 125, had his best return this season when he scored 96 last week. He made the first 40 with losing hazards and then a dropped cannon took him to the top of the table where he was able to play the game he likes best and carry on to 95. Kirkness was unaware of his score and had he known it he would probably have reached three figures. A cannon took his score to 198 and he failed in a difficult attempt to bring his cue ball off the cushion and go in off the red. Had he not played the cannon he might comfortably have potted the red ball and with a repeat of this shot would have moved past 100. Simons also had his best break of the season last week when he compiled an unfinished 85. He has been scoring consistently well since the first round and, as he did last year, will be aiming to hit top form at the time of the New Zealand championships. Both Kirkness and Simons were trailing their respective opponents when they made their big breaks last week and it typifies their superiority over most other players in Christchurch in that they were able to score heavily when the need was urgent Kirkness was 40 behind R. Franks when he began his break of 96 and Simons was trailing Kelly, 115-159, when he made his last visit to the table. O’Callaghan, who along with Simons, Kirkness and Murphy, will spearhead Canterbury’s bid for the national billiards title this year, has also been playing steadily this season, his lone defeat being to R. Henzel (Woolston W.M.C. No. 2). Foster suffered his first loss for the season last week when he met Murphy. Foster was right off his game and went down 200-263. For the national snooker title, Canterbury leading hopes will probably be Kirkness, Murphy, Franks, T. Mintrom and possibly Rolleston.