Buzzin Bs sting City Transport

‘ON-FIRE’ McIntyre was toasted with champagne when the Buzzin’ Bs brought the Southampton & District Bonanza trophy home to Chandler’s Ford SC.

Bonanza 2007 finalists Chandler’s Ford Buzzin’ Bs and City Transport, reps from Wessex Cancer Trust and the competition sponsor.

Left to right: Scott McGaw, Ollie Tydeman, Paul Tavender, Satpal Hans (City Transport reserve), Lee Ashbolt, Arron McIntyre, Dan Hildyard, Jane Carley, Alex Dunkley, Dave Hobbs, Tina Wellman-Hawke, Jim Everett.

In an inspired piece of captaincy, 17-year-old Ollie Tydeman elected to pitch Arron McIntyre against City Transport number one Lee Ashbolt in the first frame. McIntyre, 18, beat Ashbolt, 20, off scratch to set up a 3-1 final victory for the young guns.

Transport’s preparations for their crucial final group match were thrown into chaos after a team member chucked his cue into a hedge. Smarting after losing a money match against team captain Paul Tavender, 29, Dave Hobbs stormed home vowing never to play the game again.

But after a change of heart and a fruitless search, Hobbs was restored to the side armed with a new cue from eBay.

Bonanza sponsor Jim Everett presented all the entry fees and the proceeds of a golf day involving local cueists and Southampton Vets rugby players, totalling £600, to Wessex Cancer Trust representatives Jane Carley and Tina Wellman-Hawke.

EASB referee Everett, 40, said: “I only made one error marking the scores which the audience put me right on!”

And he was delighted with the competition’s 28th running.

“It’s the first year there’s not been prize money for the winners,” he said. “We had 24 entries, exactly the same as the year before. It was nice to see people playing snooker for the sake of winning a competition rather than just for money.”

Picture: Tracey Brown