Bonney Looks to Defend British Open Crown

NEWMARKET plays host to the world’s finest women snooker stars on Saturday.

Emma Bonney travels up from Portsmouth to defend her British Open title, the third ranking event on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association (WLBSA) circuit.

World number three Bonney, 33, the four-time WLBSA world billiards champion, defeated Kent’s June Banks 3-0 in last year’s final.

She returns to the Newmarket Snooker & Bowl bidding for a third WLBSA snooker title.

“I like the club and enjoyed it last year,” said Bonney. “I hope that I play well again this time. It would be nice to defend the title.”

Reanne Evans, the undisputed world number one from Dudley, West Midlands, won last month’s East Anglian Championship in Cambridge. She hopes to extend her remarkable 46-match unbeaten run on the WLBSA circuit. Victory in Newmarket would be the 24-year-old’s 20th WLBSA title. She won the British Open in 2004 and 2006.

Evans will not travel to India for the IBSF World Championships that starts on Sunday. The three-time, and defending, champion failed to find a sponsor.

She said: “At least I’ll be able to play in Newmarket. I’m looking forward to going and trying to keep my good run going.”

Bonney added: “It’s a shame that no one’s going to represent England in the IBSF but, having said that, it is good to be competing against all the top players in Newmarket.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s 27-year-old cousin Maria Catalano, Kent’s Katie Henrick and Bonney are seen as Evans’ main rivals for the title.