Shane Miles came back from 0-2 behind to defeat Selina Dean 3-2 in an entertaining final held at Gotham Match Room on Wednesday evening. Selina was appearing in her second consecutive Junior Handicap final, having narrowly lost out to Mick Garratt the last time the tournament was held in 2018/19. Shane is relatively new to Nottingham Snooker competition and this was his first final.

(Shane received 7 points start per frame)

Frame 1
Selina started the match strongly and she soon found herself seventeen points ahead, but breaks of 14 and 12 from Shane saw him go nine points up. However, Selina finished the frame well, potting the blue and then clearing the pink and black to win by nine points and go 1-0 up.

Frame 2
Shane made a large number of low scoring visits but 11 and 12 breaks by Selina moved her thirteen points in front. Going into the colours Shane had cut Selina’s lead to just five points and he potted yellow, green, brown and blue to lead by nine. Yet again Selina cleared the pink and black to win by four points and take a 2-0 lead.

Frame 3
Selina potted the final red, followed by a pink and a terrific long yellow to lead by five points and put herself within touching distance of the title. However she just couldn’t get over the winning line and Shane potted green, brown, blue and pink to win the frame and make it 2-1.

Frame 4
Shane started the frame well but Selina also made a large number of scoring visits, including a run of 15 and she only trailed by nine points with blue, pink and black remaining. But it was Shane who potted blue and pink to take the frame and set up a decider.

The deciding frame
Shane saved his best until last, scoring really consistently, including breaks of 12 and 11, the latter sealing the frame and match. It was a terrific 3-2 victory for Shane who had come within a whisker of a 0-3 defeat.

The match was played in great spirits and it was a pleasure to host and referee. I have no doubt that both of these players will enjoy plenty of success in the coming seasons.

Frame Scores (Shane first)
40-49, 56-60, 52-39, 56-36, 66-28

Watch the Match

Prize Money & Trophies

Winner: £50 + Trophy
Runner-up: £25 + Trophy
Losing semi-finalists: £10

Results from earlier rounds

Semi-Finals

1. Rocco Amalou 1-3 Shane Miles
   Shane received 7 points start per frame
2. Richard Amalou 0-2 Selina Dean
   Selina received 14 points start per frame

Quarter-Finals

1. James Baillie 1-2 Richard Amalou
   James received 14 points start per frame
2. Selina Dean 3-2 Tangent Siu
   Selina received 7 points start per frame
3. Rocco Amalou 3-2 Kevin Henson
   Rocco received 7 points start per frame
4. Shane Miles w/o – scr Dean North