Evans Claims Third British Open Ladies Snooker Title

Reanne Evans put aside her disappointment at not being in India to defend her IBSF women’s world snooker title by claiming her third British Open trophy at Newmarket Snooker & Bowl (on November 14).

A hard-fought 3-1 victory over Kent’s Katie Henrick in a late-night final extended Evans’ unbeaten run on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association (WLBSA) circuit to 49 matches.

Henrick, 29, took the first frame and was unlucky not to force a decider. Evans clinched a 20th WLBSA title on the pink. She also won the British Open in 2004 and 2006.

Earlier, Evans compiled four half-centuries in four frames.

A break of 77 wrapped up a 3-0 quarter-final victory over Hampshire’s Suzie Opacic and she added runs of 70, 62 and 51 against Maria Catalano in the semi-finals.

Evans, the 24-year-old undisputed world number one from Dudley, West Midlands, failed to find a sponsor for the IBSF World Championships in Hyderabad (which started today, November 15).

She won the title in 2004, 2007 and 2008.

“I couldn’t get a sponsor so I couldn’t go,” she said. “It’s difficult. You want to go and defend your title but if you can’t afford it you can’t go. You’d rather be there and lose your title rather than not be there to defend it.”

And Evans vowed to continue her bid to win all seven tournaments in this season’s WLBSA calendar.

“That’s what I’ll focus on now, doing the clean sweep,” she insisted.

The British Open was the third ranking event on the WLBSA circuit. The Wytech Masters was a non-ranking tournament.

Defending champion Emma Bonney was knocked out in the last four by Henrick.

World No 15 Vicky Ashby, from Hemel Hempstead, posted a personal best break of 41 in a 3-1 first-round defeat by Marianne Williams despite suffering from badly bruised ribs after her car plunged down a six-foot bank two weeks ago.

Eva Palmius, from Isleham, Cambs, claimed the Seniors’ and the Plate titles. The 50-year-old world number five also won last month’s Seniors’ title at the East Anglian Championships.

Derby schoolgirl Hannah Jones collected her third junior title of the season. The 13-year-old, who arrived in Newmarket at 2am after being presented with the University of Derby Junior Sportswoman of the Year award the previous evening, compiled a 30 break in a 2-0 victory over Swindon’s Jodie Symes, 15, in the final.

RESULTS (breaks):

PRELIM: Jodie Symes beat Gaye Jones 3-2.

FIRST ROUND: Natascha Niermann beat Symes 3-1, Naomi Clare beat Joanne Davies 3-0, Martina Lumsden beat Hannah Jones 3-0, Marianne Williams beat Vicky Ashby (41) 3-1.

SECOND ROUND: Niermann beat Chris Sharpe 3-1, Jenny Poulter beat Clare 3-0, Lumsden beat Eva Palmius 3-2, Suzie Opacic beat Williams 3-2.

QUARTER-FINALS: Emma Bonney beat Niermann 3-1, Katie Henrick beat Poulter 3-0, Maria Catalano (61, 49) beat Martina Lumsden 3-0, Reanne Evans (77, 45) beat Suzie Opacic 3-0.

SEMI-FINALS: Henrick beat Bonney 3-1, Evans (70, 62, 51) beat Catalano 3-0.

FINAL (£200/£100): Evans (41) beat Henrick 3-1.

PLATE

QUARTER-FINALS: Hannah Jones beat Vicky Ashby 2-0, Naomi Clare beat Joanne Davies 2-1, Jodie Symes beat Marianne Williams 2-0.

SEMI-FINAL: Eva Palmius beat Symes 2-0, Jones beat Clare 2-0.

FINAL: Palmius beat Jones 2-0.

JUNIORS

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

FINAL: Jones (30) beat Symes 2-0.

SENIORS

SEMI-FINALS: Eva Palmius beat Martina Lumsden 1-0, Marianne Williams beat Jenny Poulter 1-0.

FINAL: Palmius beat Williams 1-0.