Eastwood Open victory for Wayne Martin
Eastwood Open 1
Everyone who played in the inaugural Eastwood Open held at Phoenix Cue Sports on Saturday 1 March 2008 said they had a terrific day of snooker. The tournament was well run by Stephen Lally and the round robin format provided excellent value for money. The club has seven lovely tables that are well maintained by the staff.
Numbers were lower than expected due to some entrants not turning up on the day for various reasons, however that benefited the ten competitors on the day because it enabled two groups of five to be formed, guaranteeing everyone at least four matches.
Group Stage
Group 1 proved to be very tight. Marc Harman (Kingston-upon-Thames) won the group with his only defeat coming against Lenton’s Adam Shaw. Shaw, one of the pre-tournament favourites, surprisingly lost three of his four matches, finishing next to bottom. Ultimately, the second semi-final place was to be decided in the very last match of the group, where Farnsfield’s Matt Ellis played Awsworth’s Ash Goring. Ellis, whose three previous matches all went to deciding frames, seemed to run out of steam and it was Goring who sealed his semi-final place.
Ex-professional Wayne Martin (Bulwell) was the runaway winner of group 2 as he only dropped one frame on the way to winning all four of his matches. Steve Butler lost to Martin 2-0 in his first match but he managed to recover, winning his next three matches to take second place in the group.
| GROUP 1 | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
| Mark Harmon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| Ash Goring | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| Matt Ellis | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Adam Shaw | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Ross Wilkin | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| GROUP 2 | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
| Wayne Martin | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Steve Butler | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Mark Jeffries | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Mark Doyle | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| Stephen Lally | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| GROUP 1 RESULTS | |||
| Mark Harmon | 2 | 1 | Matt Ellis |
| Ross Wilkin | 0 | 2 | Ash Goring |
| Mark Harmon | 2 | 0 | Ross Wilkin |
| Ash Goring | 2 | 1 | Adam Shaw |
| Mark Harmon | 2 | 0 | Ash Goring |
| Adam Shaw | 1 | 2 | Matt Ellis |
| Mark Harmon | 0 | 2 | Adam Shaw |
| Ross Wilkin | 1 | 2 | Matt Ellis |
| Ross Wilkin | 2 | 0 | Adam Shaw |
| Matt Ellis | 0 | 2 | Ash Goring |
| GROUP 2 RESULTS | |||
| Wayne Martin | 2 | 0 | Steve Butler |
| Mark Doyle | 2 | 0 | Stephen Lally |
| Wayne Martin | 2 | 0 | Mark Doyle |
| Stephen Lally | 0 | 2 | Mark Jeffries |
| Wayne Martin | 2 | 1 | Stephen Lally |
| Mark Jeffries | 0 | 2 | Steve Butler |
| Wayne Martin | 2 | 0 | Mark Jeffries |
| Mark Doyle | 1 | 2 | Steve Butler |
| Steve Butler | 2 | 1 | Stephen Lally |
| Mark Doyle | 1 | 2 | Mark Jeffries |
Semi-Finals
Marc Harman, helped by a break of 37 and some solid play, beat Steve Butler 2-0. Wayne Martin went 1-0 down against Ash Goring and he looked to be heading home as he found himself requiring three snookers. Amazingly, Martin not only managed to get the required snookers but he also cleared the table to pinch the frame. That seemed to spur him on and despite a determined fight by Goring it was Martin who secured a place in the final.
Final
The final proved to be a very one sided affair as Martin played some terrific snooker, including a 40 break, to win the match 3-0 in less than an hour. Harman had very few chances as Martin produced some excellent safety play.
Prize Money
Wayne Martin £50 plus £5 for the highest break (53)
Marc Harman £25
Steve Butler £10
Ash Goring £10
£2 from each players entry fee was given to the Nazareth House Snooker League who will ensure that the money goes to a worthy cause.
High Breaks
Wayne Martin 53,40,37,32,31
Mark Doyle 47,31
Marc Harman 37
Steve Butler 33