Sue wins snooker singles crown close to her heart

Sue Hart with the Burnie Hart Memorial Snooker Shield that honours her uncle. Burnie looked after the Cossie Club snooker tables for many years and was a keen angler. On the front of the shield is a picture of Burnie’s boat motoring across Lake Waikaremoana. Burnie died in 2002 and the first memorial tournament was held in 2003. Sue won the 20th anniversary edition. Picture supplied

Uncle would have been proud.

Sue Hart made the trip from Tauranga  to Gisborne for the 20th anniversary Burnie Hart Memorial handicap singles a fittingly winning one on Sunday.

Hart, the niece of the late Burnie Hart, won all her matches on the impeccable Cossie Club tables her uncle used to diligently look after.

Playing off a 14-handicap, Hart defeated Hastings player Eddie Leswick (7 handicap) 2-1 in the best-of-three-frames final.

Hart went through the tournament unbeaten.

She won all three of her section play games to make the main draw (top 16) including a 2-1 defeat of home-table player Wayne Tautau (-21), the lowest handicapped player in the tournament.

She beat local player Bill Raggett (7) 2-1 in the first round of the main draw, another local Mick Cleaver (21) in the quarterfinals and Hawke’s Bay’s Sam Martin (-7) 2-1 in the semifinals.

Leswick, who also won all three of his section matches, knocked out Gisborne’s Phil Thompson 2-1 in the semis.

Gisborne players were involved in all other finals but came away empty-handed.

Hawke’s Bay’s Sean Grant defeated Te Rina Hawkins in the flight (first-round losers in the main draw).

Hamilton’s Paul Phillips beat Alex Nanai in the plate final.

Another Hawke’s Bay player, Carl Schmitt, beat Kasi Lelea in the consolation plate final.

The Burnie Hart Memorial has become a popular event competitively and socially.

Long-time Gisborne Cossie snooker player Steve Wood,  who lost to Leswick in the first round, posted on the Masters Snooker Facebook page: “Great final played in the right spirit. Well done. Gotta be one of the most casual, friendly tournaments out there. Thank you to everyone who supported us.”

In response, Sue Hart said: “Totally agree Steve. The atmosphere over the whole weekend was topnotch

. . . will definitely be back again next year.”