A great BUCS year for Pool and Snooker Club

Will 2009/10 be the club's big break?

Written by Michael Walsh and Mungo Pay

In their first event of the term, three teams traveled from York to Great Yarmouth for the BUCS-UPC 8-Ball Championships. The major disappointment of the year came when the 1st team failed to qualify for the latter stages of the championships, following defeats to Cambridge and Lancaster 1sts. However, Luke Fleet managed to put in yet another strong run in the individual championships, getting to the quarter finals of a nearly 400 strong field consisting of players from all over Britain.

Despite a tough draw, York 3rds produced an outstanding performance in the group stages, topping their group thanks to victory Queens Belfast 1sts, the eventual championship winners, as well as recording wins over East Anglia 1sts and Reading 2nds in the process. This gave them a quarter final spot in the trophy where a cruel draw saw them up against their own out of sort’s first team. In a very close match they managed to prevail 6-4, leading to a semi-final against Ulster 2nds. Unfortunately this was to be a game too far and ended the 3rd's fantastic run.

The second team, expertly led by captain Tom Birch, were a force to be reckoned with throughout the tournament, topping their group and managing a draw against reigning champions Ulster 1sts, as well as victories against St Andrews 1sts, Warwick 2nds and Kent 2nds. They then went on to sweep aside Edge Hill 1sts and Cambridge 2nds on their way to the trophy final. Unfortunately and incredibly tight and tense game against Ulster 2nds didn’t quite go York’s way, with Ulster winning a play off to secure victory.

A few weeks later York’s three snooker teams were in Leeds competing in the BUCS Snooker Championship and Trophy, part of the wider BUCS championships that were taking place that weekend. A very confident York 1st team qualified comfortably from their group, setting up a tough tie against a very strong Southampton 1st team in the quarter finals. However, a dominant display saw York book a semi final match up against pre tournament favorites Warwick, courtesy of a 6-2 victory. Another excellent performance took the match all the way, with the eventual champions Warwick edging it 6-4.

An extremely tough draw meant York 3rds had a tough task of maintaining their trophy status, following promotion from the shield last year. However, thanks to a superb win against Leeds 1sts they managed to earn themselves a quarter final position in the trophy. The second team also qualified from their group before losing out to Imperial 1sts in the quarter finals.

Despite being 2-0 down, the 3rds managed to turn their quarter final tie around against Ulster 1sts and book themselves a semi final spot against the conquerors of the second team, Imperial 1sts, thanks to a 6-2 win. In a closely fought contest the 3rds managed to win in the penultimate frame on a re-spotted black. This led to a final against Warwick 2nds who took control of the match early on. Despite a late fight back the 3rds had to settle for second place, a fantastic effort.

In the championship individuals, 1sts captain and current England Universities snooker captain Michael Walsh played his way into the final, before losing out to a talented player from Sheffield Hallam. In the trophy individuals Nick Vanner and third team captain George Hogg reached the quarter finals whilst second team star Tom Wilson went one better before losing in the semi finals.

Despite the inevitable disappointment of losing out in two team finals and two team semi finals, as well as an individual final and semi final, the University Pool and Snooker Club has still enjoyed a hugely successful year, displaying remarkable consistency and strength as a squad. Competing with teams from all over Britain and regularly reaching the semi finals or better is a superb achievement for the club, and certainly a fantastic platform from which they can push on and go one step further next year. The club now confidently turns its attention to Roses, whilst also looking forward to the latter stages of the University Snooker and Pool Championships next term.

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