Yee rules tables at Gisborne masters

Snooker Masters - Pang Yee

Pang Yee led a local clean-up on home tables in the Gisborne snooker masters tournament last weekend.

Yee won the championship section of the handicap singles event held on Gisborne Cosmopolitan Club’s pristine tables.

Playing off a 25 handicap, Yee defeated Tokoroa -1-handicapper Zeke Cowley 3-1 in the best-of-five-frames final.

Both finalists won their best-of-three-frames semifinals 2-0, Yee knocking out Petone’s Kevin Moore; Cowley eliminating Tauranga’s Con O’Leary.

Yee earlier finished second in his section with four wins and one loss.

He was joined in the championship section by fellow Gisborne players Rex Kennedy, Ian “Tiny” Thompson, Steve Wood, Bill Raggett, Barry Jones, Tony Murphy, Alex Nanai and TeRina Hawkins.

Wood, off a 5 handicap, was knocked out by Mount RSA’s Brian Shee 2-0 in the round of 32, but bounced back to win the flight. He beat Mount Maunganui’s Diane Clark (27 handicap) 2-0 in the final.

John Berry (13 handicap) continued the Gisborne success by defeating Tauranga’s Moni Martin (11) 2-0 in the plate final.

Mick Cleaver (19) made it four from four for Gisborne players with a 2-0 win against Whangamata’s Graham Collett (3) in the consolation final.

Former Gisborne man Tom Cook, now at Tauranga, posted a break of 48 in section play.

Gisborne Cossie Club snooker adjunct president Wood was delighted with the entry number — 48 plus reserves including players from Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Waikato and Auckland — and grateful to the eight sponsors.

The tables drew high praise from all players.

One of them told Wood: “I haven’t played on a table that good since . . . actually I haven’t played on a table that good.”

The Gisborne tournament is part of the New Zealand masters circuit.