Close snooker title fight

Press, 17 July 1978, Page 6

Close snooker title fight

Who is Bob Brown? This was a popular question at last evening’s final of the Canterbury snooker championship and the answer nearly was the new Canterbury snooker champion. Just one false shot, on the pink in the ninth frame, prevented Brown, a complete outsider, from causing one of the biggest upsets ever in Canterbury billiards and snooker. If the pink had dropped instead of jawing and staying out Brown would almost certainly have beaten the defending champion, Dave Meredith, six frames to three. But Meredith got the pink and then the black to narrow the gap to 5-4. He then showed h.’s true class to take easily the next two frames and retain the title, 6-5. But as Meredith willingly conceded afterwards this was a game in which the best potter was beaten. His win was due largely to his superior tactical play. Not surprisingly for a man playing in his first tournament, I Brown spared hardly a thought

for tactics and his safety play was almost non-existent. He attempted shots that wiser heads

would have ignored but such brilliance was there in his potting that in many eases the attempt was justified.

In fact, there were times when Brown’s potting transcended the levels usually associated with such championships. His dean, crisp cueing must surely rank him as the most exciting newcomer the game in Canterbury has seen for many a day. Brown, aged 25, has plenty of time to bring the rest of his game up to a standard that will complement his remarkable eye for angles. He amazed onlookers afterwards when he confessed to playing the game seriously only for the last three months. Before that he was “just a basher" and it was since he had come under the guidance of the Canterbury and New Zealand billiards champion. Brian Kirkness. that he had discovered his skills Before the tournament began

a week earlier Kirkness was the only entrant who knew anything of Brown. He learnt mere when Brown beat him, 3-1, in a section game and it was at this stage that others began to sit up and take notice. Brown attracted even closer attention when he beat Barry Edliivs-1, in the semi-finals and as Edlin had defeated two former champions, the unrelated Bill and Lou Adams, he was obviously more than just a flashy potter. Yet it was still generally felt that the far more exoerienced Meredith would grind Brown down in a best-of-11-frames final. So it worked out but not before Brown had potted himself Into a winning position and then lost everything on one hesitant shot. Up until this point Meredith, to some extent because he was 'trying to eut-do Brown as well las trying to match him in potting. was struggling to survive. But in the last two frames it 'was, as many thought it would

be all along, the master dictating Ito the pupil. Meredith can also look back on another great recovery in the semi-finals, where he met Kirkness who was endeavouring to complete a clean sweep of Canterbury and South Island titles this year. Kirkness played brilliantly at first and went to a 4-1 lead. But then the pendulum swung Meredith’s way and he played just as ivell to take four staight frames and win. 5-4. Results: Quarter-finals.—R. Brown beat R. Ayson, 4-1; B. Edlin beat K. Giles. 4-0; B Kirkness beat R. franks. 4-1: D Meredith beat R. O’Callaghan. 4-0. Semi-finals. Brown beat Edlin, 5- Meredith beat Kirkness, 5-4. Final.—Meredith beat Brown, 6- (89-13 , 27-60 . 73-32 . 40-49 . 58-45. 32-58. .36-73. 80-63. 62-48. 76-9. 89 9 Meredith had the two best breaks of the final, a 44 and a 39. He also received the prize for the highest break of the tournament, a 68 made in the qualify* ing rounds.