You Can't Keep up with the Joneses
On a great day for Welsh Junior Snooker, Jak Jones beat namesake Duane to lift the 12-15 title at the Pontin's Junior Festival, while Michael White won the 16-20s.
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A superb week's snooker in the World Snooker Centre at Pontin's Holiday Centre, Prestatyn came to a conclusion with three excellent finals, all attended by packed and enthusiastic crowds.
The partitions that hem the professionals into their booths, were removed and with the barriers down every seat across four tables was taken as spectators, players, parents and officials crammed in to watch every final.
Wales was guaranteed a winner when Duane and Jak Jones came through their respective semi finals to line up in an all-Taff final. And what a close match it was.
There was never more than a frame between them in the best of five match and it looked inevitable it would go to a tense decider and it did.
Duane Jones was runner up in the same event last year, also runner up in the 2008 Junior Pot Black at the Crucible and the winner of the 2009 Welsh Junior Pot Black.
Duane's opponent, Jak, is full of confidence after his morale-boosting trip to Russia to represent Wales in the European Under 19 Championship, where he reached the quarter finals.
It might just have been that confidence that edged the match in Jak's favour, or maybe it was the hours of coaching he used to receive from Darren Morgan, but whatever it was, he showed nerves of steel to clinch the decider on the blue.
In the 8-11 age group, last year's winner Shane Castle was billed as the pre-event favourite, and the form book ran true as he cantered through the event, running out a 2-0 winner over Manchester's Paul Clynes in the final.
The grand finale was the 16-20 age group, best of seven final, featuring Ben Harrison and Michael White.
Harrison, 17, from Westbury near Bristol, has been making a name for himself in the Pontin's Businessland under 21 series, but it was Michael White, a world champion at the age of 14, who was the obvious favourite.
White is already assured of nomination back to the 2009-10 WSA Main Tour, as he is guaranteed to finish Number One on the Welsh Senior Rankings.
The first frame was characterised by some superb safety from both players. White repeatedly put Harrison in trouble and time after time Harrison pulled out crictical long pots to get himself out trouble.
"He put me in so much trouble, I had no other shot than to try and pot my way out of it and at the start of the match they all went in."
Harrison took the opener, but White stole the second on the colours to level.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going and from thereon White quickly ran up through the gears. He stroked in 78 to move ahead, dominated the next with a run of 40 and rounded off the match in style with a 62 break to clinch the title.
Such is White's reputation at Pontin's that he has now won titles in every age group there, and for good measure, won the 2006 World Grand Prix title and the 2007 European Under 19 Championship in Pontin's.
Presentations were made by Pontin's general manager Cliff Sandall, who is pictured helping six year old Lewis Ullah onto the table in the group photo.
Every year there is a special award for the Personality of the Week.
This year it was no contest, Lewis won it hands down, and with the panache of a six year old, took it all in his stride, amidst rapturous cheers from the packed house.
The never-ending Pontin's Road Show rolls on with a Businessland Under 21s over the weekend, the final PIOS event starts on 5 May and the "Big One", the great Spring Festival starts its 35th year on 8 May.
