Sarnian double whammy

THE Guernsey Ladies' Pool Team are celebrating a double championship success after becoming inter-insular and Channel Island International champions. Captain Denise Corbet led the team that also comprised Rachel Chandler, Diane Gaudion, Sabrina Marsh and Ruth Vaudin.

The achievement was more impressive after the side had got off to such a rocky start with a first-match defeat against Taunton in the Channel Island International tournament.

However, they hit back after that 8-4 loss to trounce Jersey B 8-1 and the South West team 8-2.

The latter had the former England team member Sue Ramsbottom in their ranks.

After these two wins, the Sarnians needed a victory in their last group match against the Jersey A team to secure a place in the final against Taunton.

It was certainly a more closely fought contest against the Jersey A side but a spirited start by Guernsey ensured a 4-1 lead from which Jersey never recovered and it was left to Marsh to clinch the winning frame and an 8-5 win.

Guernsey carried their form into the final and dug deep to play some of the best-quality pool of the tournament.

It had been a long day but the Sarnians determinedly came out with all guns blazing after their earlier defeat and it was Vaudin who secured the winning frame and a hat-trick for a finals victory, 8-6.

The Guernsey team then coupled their tournament success with a best-of-25-frames victory in the inter-insular.

Guernsey led throughout the encounter and as Jersey started to make a comeback, the Sarnians won an important couple of scrappy frames to lead 12-10, before Chandler sunk a long black to clinch the match and the inter-insular, 13-10.

Unfortunately the Guernsey men could not replicate the efforts of the women, but it was not for the lack of trying, with the Channel Islands A team falling at the final hurdle.

The side which comprised of captain Ady Bougourd, Chris Alexander, Tristan Ozanne, Adrian Lihou, Chris Melville and Martyn Desperques played out a classic final against the South-West Select but failed to clinch the eighth and decisive frame after leading 7-4.

The South-West hit back to claim these three frames and take the match into a shoot-out.

Desperques was nominated by the CI and the legendary Keith Brewer by the South-West.

Desperques broke and couldn't believe his luck that nothing went down, allowing Brewer to come to the table to clear.

In doing so, it gave the South-West their third tournament victory in five years.

Brewer was the man to beat in the men's singles as well.

He faced his teammate Mick Dagastino in the semi-finals and again he had to pull out all the stops to take the decisive frame at 6-6.

In the final, he came up against Alexander, who had destroyed India's Jusha Singh in his semi 7-2.

The final was a different matter, however, as Brewer kept Alexander away from the table and even when he did allow him a shot, he never left anything.

This went on for six frames as Brewer, the most-experienced eight-ball player ever to grace a table, led 6-0, but Alexander had not got to the final without ability and he showed fighting spirit to claw back the next four frames, including two total clearances.

But it wasn't to be for Alexander, as it was Brewer to break next and he did what he does best, a total clearance, to win the trophy for the third time.