Ave Maria

MARIA Catalano was crowned British Open Ladies champion at Rushden SC to prove that three weeks on the US pool circuit has not dulled her snooker skills.

Maria Catalano

After a hard-fought 3-2 victory over two-time world billiard champion Emma Bonney, Catalano admitted there was a touch of revenge about the result.

“I owed her one,” she laughed. “She knocked me out of the world championships last year.”

 

A fourth women’s title and a first since the Connie Gough in March this year took the 25-year-old from Dudley, West Midlands, to fourth in the WLBSA rankings.

 

“It’s been a while,” she said. “I was due one. I was 2-1 up and playing alright. She pulled it back to 2-2 and it started to go a little bit tight, but I managed to pull through in the end. I’m just happy to have won.”

 

Catalano, who pocketed £250, did not drop a frame until the final and scored the highest break of 90 against Chelmsford’s Chris Sharpe in the semis.

 

World number one Reanne Evans was competing in the IBSF Championships in Thailand.

 

Marianne Williams beat Maureen Logan in the Plate final and Eva Palmius took the seniors trophy.

 

Results

 

Preliminary round:

 

Maureen Logan (Wallsend) bt Pam Wood (Newcastle) 3-0

Katie Henrick (Bickley, Kent) bt Mary Hawkes (Eaton Bray, Beds) 3-0

Emma Bonney (Portsmouth) bt Eva Palmius (Royston, Herts) 3-0

Jenny Poulter (Maidstone) bt Marianne Williams (Smallfield, Surrey) 3-0

Joanne Davies (Derby) bt Georgina Holloway (Ashbourne, Derbyshire) 3-0

 

Last 16:

 

June Banks (Orpington, Kent) (48) bt Logan 3-0

Julia Betteridge (Derby) bt Jan Hughes (St Neots, Cambs) 3-1

Henrick (43) bt Tina Owen-Sevilton (Taunton) 3-0

Bonney bt Vicky Ashby (Hemel Hempstead) 3-0

Poulter by Charlotte Holloway (Ashbourne, Derbyshire) 3-0

Chris Sharpe (Chelmsford) by Julie Kightley (Derby) 3-0

Suzie Opacic (Brambridge, Hants) bt Martina Lumsden (Eastbourne) 3-0

Maria Catalano (Dudley, West Midlands) (54) bt Davies 3-0

 

Quarter-finals:

 

Banks (52) bt Betteridge 3-0

Bonney bt Henrick 3-0

Sharpe bt Poulter 3-2

Catalano bt Opacic 3-0

 

Semi-finals

 

Catalano (90) bt Sharpe 3-0

Bonney bt Banks 3-2 

 

Final

 

Catalano £250 bt Bonney £150 3-2

 

Plate prelims

 

Kightley bt Palmius 2-0

Ashby bt Owen-Sevilton 2-1

Williams bt Davies 2-0

Hughes bt Hawkes 2-0

Lumsden bt Charlotte Holloway 2-0

 

Plate quarter-final

 

Georgina Holloway by Kightley 2-1

Williams 2-0 Ashby

Lumsden bt Hughes 2-0

Logan by Wood 2-1

 

Plate semi-finals

 

Williams bt Lumsden 2-1

Logan bt Holloway 2-0

 

Plate final

 

Williams bt Logan 2-0

 

Seniors final

 

Palmius bt Hughes 2-0

 

Picture: Kevin Legg