Wanganui East dominates hometown pool championships

Wanganui Pool Association finals day at the RSA on Sunday produced some deft shots on the 8 ball tables.

Wanganui East Club dominated the finals of the division one pool championships at the RSA on Sunday.

The morning session of the Wanganui Pool Association finals day featured the Top 16 Singles Shootout competition played between the 16 best performed players over the first round of competition, involving all 9 teams.

Two rounds of knockout play, best of 5 frames, left Dallas Rodgers (Castlecliff) and Wati Tahana (Commercial) to contest one semi-final and Wanganui East Red's Neville Edwards and Mike Healey to contest the other.

Rodgers won the first, 3 frames to 2, while Healey beat Edwards 3-0 in the other. In the final, Healey 3 beat Rodgers 1.

After lunch, team finals, in both divisions 1 and 2, were played.

In division 1, Wanganui East Gold were ahead of Wanganui East Red 8 matches to 4 at the conclusion of singles play. The Red team came back strongly in the pairs however, to win 8-1 and claim the title by 12 to 9 overall.

In division 2, Marton held a comfortable 9-3 lead over Castlecliff after singles play, then took out the pairs 5-4 to win 14-7.

The association's prizegiving followed, with trophy winners: most improved woman — Tracey Holdaway (Bulls), most Improved man — Mike Watson (Wanganui East Gold), sportsmanship woman — Tina Simpson (Castlecliff), sportsmanship men — Dave Nicholls (St Johns), ladies singles — Tina Simpson (Castlecliff), men's singles — Steve Matthews (Wanganui East Gold), Top 16 Shootout — winner Mike Healey (Wanganui East Red), runner-up Dallas Rodgers (Castlecliff), open pairs — Dallas Rodgers and Tina Simpson (Castlecliff), 1st division championship team — Wanganui East Red, 2nd division championship team — Marton.

The Wanganui representative team to contest this Sunday's 3-way competition against teams from Manawatu and Horowhenua-Kapiti in Levin was then announced.

The team, who will be defending the title they won last year, is to be captained by Neville Edwards (WE Red) and includes; Graeme Couper (Commercial), Paul Gudsell (WE Red), Mike Healey (WE Red), Aran Lilley (WE Gold), Steve Matthews (WE Gold), Gary McNeill (Commercial), Harry Parslow (WE Red), Dallas Rodgers (Castlecliff), Wati Tahana (Commercial), Mike Watson (WE Gold), Matiu Williams (St Johns), Karen Andrews (Castlecliff), Tina Downs-Johnston (Cosmopolitan), Carole Hunt (Bulls), Tina Simpson (Castlecliff).

Reserves; men — Allan Pond (Marton), Dave Nicholls (St Johns), Ritchie Hall (WE Gold), Chris Burney (Cosmopolitan), Jess Trethewey (Bulls), Cindy Malton (Bulls).