Cuestars reveal new calendar

CUESTARS director John Hunter has announced a massive 52-tournament programme for the 2008/09 season.

Across the South of England, 15 affiliated clubs will host competitions in six categories from October through to the end of May, 2009.

A packed calendar includes: Open, Under-21, Under-15 and Under-12 events as well as a Team Challenge series all using the unique Cuestars handicapping system. There will also be a scratch Under-21 Premier Series.

The tour visits Cardiff and Gloucester in the west, Trowbridge, Swindon, Reading, High Wycombe, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Winchester and south-coast venues in Bournemouth, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh and Gosport.

The competition structure caters for beginners through to national champions. All tournaments, which have a Plate competition for those who lose their first matches, are played on Sundays with the draw taking place at 10.30am. Players can enroll on the day.

And for the first time, Cuestars is launching a scratch Inter-League Challenge. Three-man teams will compete on a round-robin basis for a top prize of £150 and a trophy at Salisbury SC on November 2.

Review of the 2007/08 season

DREW Farminer (The Academy, Eastleigh) is the defending champion in the Senior rankings. After a first-round exit at Swindon in the final event of last season, Farminer received a phone call from Paul Rose at 8.30pm that evening saying that second-placed Phillip Wildman (Harpston SC) has lost in the quarter-finals.

Cuestars Senior champion Drew Farminer

EASB Premier Junior Tour player Dan Hildyard (Chandler’s Ford SC) romped to victory in the Under-21 Premier Series. The 17-year-old reached the final in all six of the seven events he entered.

In the Under-21 Open, Liam O’Shea (Jesters SC, Swindon) finished 20 points ahead of Daniel Tallentire (Trowbridge SC).

Gloucester-based Will McMullin (Rileys SuzieQ) won the Under-15 title ahead of joint runners-up Ben Tanner (The Academy, Eastleigh) and Bradley Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth).

Just three points separated champion Samuel Streames (Rileys, Yate) from Thomas Hilborne (Trowbridge) in the Under-12 rankings.

Swindon Jesters A were crowned Cuestars Section champions. They wrapped up the title on home soil with one event to play.

Trowbridge edged out rivals Jesters to clinch the club rankings.  

Picture: Kevin Legg