Summer break is Evans sent

WORLD number one Reanne Evans believes a summer break helped her to dominate the first two tournaments on the women’s snooker circuit.

Picture by Monique Limbos: Wytech Masters champion Reanne Evans, with Paul Stanynought (Wytech) left and Mark Jones (Wytech) right.

Evans, 23, eased past England team-mate Maria Catalano in the finals of the £1,100 Wytech Masters and the UK Championships, the first ranking event of the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association (WLBSA) 2009/10 season.

Both matches finished 3-0. In fact, Evans dropped just one frame out of 19 in the double-header at the North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre, Clay Cross.

“I had a month off,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable so I had a long break.”

It was the five-time world champion’s fifth straight UK Championship and an 18th WLBSA ranking title. She collected £660 prize money - £400 for winning the Wytech Masters plus £60 for a high-break of 53, and £200 for the UK Championship.

Mother-of-one Evans and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s cousin Catalano, 27, both from Dudley, West Midlands, last week powered England Ladies to victory in the Home Internationals at Pontin’s, Prestatyn.

Evans insists she still has the hunger to produce a clean sweep on the circuit this season even at the expense of her good friend.

“Although we’re friends you have to put that aside,” she said. “We have a laugh and a joke on the table but at the end of the day we still take it seriously. There’s no point entering if you don’t want to win.”

Evans will again compete this season on the EASB Pro-Ticket Tour in a bid to become the first woman to qualify for the professional circuit.

Former England international Marianne Williams, from Smallfield, Surrey, triumphed in both the UK Championship Plate and Seniors events.

Derby schoolgirl and two-time World Ladies Junior Champion Hannah Jones, 13, won the UK Championship junior final.

Nottinghamshire pool stars Kerry Griffiths, Deb Burchell and Rachel Tucker made their snooker debuts in the Wytech Masters.

For the first time on the WLBSA circuit, the six-red format was trialed up to the quarter-finals of the Wytech Masters.

The Wytech Masters was played on Saturday, September 12, and streamed live on Cuesport TV. The UK Championships was played on Sunday, September 13, and streamed live on ustream.tv.

The WLBSA is hosting six ranking events this season culminating in the World Championships in April.

Wytech Masters results (breaks) prize money:

FIRST ROUND (six reds) £10: Jenny Poulter (35) 3-0 Vicky Ashby, Eva Palmius 3-0 Maureen Logan, Deb Burchell 3-0 Naomi Clare, Kerry Griffiths 3-1 Jodie Symes, Marianne Williams 3-0 Mary Hawkes, Rachel Tucker 3-0 Joanne Davies, Suzie Opacic 3-1 Gaye Jones, Chris Sharpe 3-2 Hannah Jones.

SECOND ROUND (six reds) £10: Williams 3-1 Griffiths, Poulter 3-1 Sharpe, Tucker 3-2 Palmius, Opacic 3-1 Burchell.

QUARTER-FINALS (15 reds) £50: Maria Catalano (31, 32) 3-1 Opacic, Reanne Evans (53) 3-0 Marianne Williams, Emma Bonney (35) 3-0 Rachel Tucker, Katie Henrick (30) 3-0 Jenny Poulter.

SEMI-FINALS (15 reds) £90: Catalano (47) 3-1 Bonney, Evans (46) 3-1 Henrick.

FINAL (15 reds) £400/£210: Evans (44, 30) 3-0 Catalano (42).

UK Championship results (breaks):

PRELIM: Gaye Jones 3-0 Maureen Logan.

LAST 16: Reanne Evans 3-0 G Jones, Chris Sharpe 3-0 Mary Hawkes, Eva Palmius 3-0 Marianne Williams, Katie Henrick 3-0 Naomi Clare, Emma Bonney (35, 33) 3-0 Jodie Symes, Jenny Poulter 3-0 Hannah Jones, Suzie Opacic bye, Maria Catalano 3-0 Vicky Ashby.

 

QUARTER-FINALS: Evans (41, 43) 3-0 Sharpe, Henrick 3-0 Palmius, Bonney 3-2 Poulter, Catalano (73) 3-2 Opacic.

 

SEMI-FINALS: Evans (61) 3-0 Henrick, Catalano (49) 3-0 Bonney.

 

FINAL: Evans (32, 56, 43) 3-0 Catalano (31).

 

UK Championship Plate

 

QUARTER-FINALS: Jodie Symes 2-0 Hannah Jones, Vicky Ashby 2-0 Naomi Clare, Marianne Williams 2-0 Mary Hawkes, Gaye Jones 2-0 Maureen Logan.

 

SEMI-FINALS: Ashby 2-0 Symes, Williams 2-0 G Jones.

 

FINAL: Williams 2-0 Ashby.

 

UK Junior Championship

ROUND-ROBIN: Hannah Jones 1-0 Naomi Clare, Jodie Symes 1-0 Clare.

 

FINAL: Jones 2-0 Symes.

 

UK Senior Championship

 

QUARTER-FINALS: Marianne Williams 1-0 Chris Sharpe, Eva Palmius bye, Maureen Logan bye, Jenny Poulter 1-0 Mary Hawkes.

 

SEMI-FINALS: Williams 1-0 Palmius, Poulter 1-0 Logan.

FINAL: Williams 1-0 Poulter.