Hornsby RSL Club, 4 High Street, Hornsby, NSW 2077
Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd April 2017
Deep in the northern reaches of Sydney's suburbs, the Hornsby RSL Club proudly hosted the inaugural
Sydney Open Billiards Championship which proved to be a thrilling spectacle for locals and visitors alike and
on the whole, a marvellous advertisement for the game of billiards. Endowed with the dual status of being an
Australian National Ranking event and a Level 4 World Ranking event, the tournament was played over 3
days and managed to attract many of the best players from all over Australia as well as some top quality
international entrants, a steady field of fanatical local die-hards, and one bloke from Ireland.
The preliminary round robin stage consisted of 12 groups of 4 contestants with every match played over 60
minutes - the tantalising timed format which brings its own pressures made no less arduous by the
inexorable din of tournament director Steve Cowie's mind-numbing alarm (both digital and vocal) which
rattled the Hornsby hall at the conclusion of each round. The event kicked off on the Friday afternoon with a
number of early group matches contested prior to the 4:30 pm opening ceremony, a generous and thoughtful
gesture from the NSW branch of the Billiards Australia committee, who were keen to extend a traditional
Hornsby welcome. By the fall of evening, the tournament had taken on a life of its own as a giddy Friday
night crowd were hushed and mesmerized by a delightful display of competitive billiards as the huffing and
puffing proved just as enthralling as the sparkling tricks of the trade.
The ever consistent Todd Hayward comfortably topped Group A and was joined in the knockout stage by
Charlie Chafe. Both players recorded impressive breaks on their path to qualification, which included a 108
and 90 from Hayward and a 75 from Chafe.
Flamboyant local hero and current New South Wales State champion Joe Minici was victorious in each of his
three Group B matches and produced some steady breaks along the way, including a 96, 67, and 52. In their
final group game, Don Richter and Andy De Haan played off for a ticket to the knockouts. Having already
smashed in a 79 break against Raymond Farage, Richter was a hot favourite to take second place. However,
he had to withstand a spirited late surge from De Haan before narrowly sealing his place in the next round.
Local snooker star Hassan Kerde demonstrated his 3-ball capabilities with aplomb by pipping Wayne “The
Butcher” Carey for top spot in Group C. The 8 times New Zealand national champion always had a trick up
his sleeve and some steady open billiards throughout gave him breaks of 48, 49, and 50.
Another snooker-cum-billiards prodigy, Ben Judge, sailed to victory in Group D with breaks of 59 and 99. He
was followed into the knockout stage by George Chamas, a player of proven quality who looked particularly
dangerous in his match with John Burns when he produced nice breaks of 43, 48, and 51.
Recently crowned New South Wales State Minor Billiards champion, Shannon Dixon, narrowly missed out on
pole position in Group E but nonetheless qualified for the next round. He finally met his match in Australian
No. 6 Jason Colebrook who won the group decider by the skin of his teeth, 197-187.
ACT's Raj Das took no prisoners in Group F as he comfortably dismissed all of his challengers with his solid
brand of open billiards and some excellent potting to boot. David Pitt delightfully exhibited his methodical
style of play via carefully crafted breaks of 75 and 79. Despite a heavy loss to Das, Pitt cleverly outfoxed
Irishman David Walsh in his third match to confirm his position as group runner-up.
Graeme Wright, a rapidly improving player, proved his worth by advancing from a tough Group G which
included Glenn Yeo of Singapore and Mick Boyne of Shellharbour. In a dramatic play-off for first place,
Wright defeated Yeo by the slightest of margins, 190-187.
There always seems to be a group of death at every tournament and this would be putting it lightly for Group
H. The pride of Newcastle, Grant Schubert, produced the shock of the tournament in his heart-stopping
defeat of Danik Lucas who is ranked No. 4 in Australia. In the end, a slender margin of 6 points (223-217)
separated the two. Bizarrely, despite his initial heroics, Schubert narrowly lost his remaining two games – by
3 points to Mark Taylor of New Zealand (190-187), and by just 2 points to Peter Tankard of Turramurra (143-
141) in a scrappy and nerve-jangling qualification decider. All in all, the two players who produced notable
breaks (Lucas showed his class with a 53, 79, 100, and 172 while Tankard compiled a 61) progressed to the
knockout stage despite the helter-skelter results and general pandemonium that erupted in this group.
Similarly, Group I was as tight as a caveman's budget, but proved to be less of a frenzy and more of a
dogfight. Australian No. 2 David Collins had to dig deep in his opening game against Maylasian sensation
Adwin Teh and produced a timely 51 break to win by just 17 points. Adrian Hinks comfortably dismissed
Patrick Davies and then produced a stunning performance to defeat Collins by a mere 10 points with a
wonderful break of 82 to top it all off and leave the group wide open. Meanwhile, Teh compiled a fine 64
break to beat Davies and set up a fascinating qualification play-off with Hinks which Teh narrowly won to
cement his status as a dangerous tournament player who nobody should take for granted. Collins eventually
hit top gear in his final round robin match against Davies, knocking in a silky top-of-the-table century (106)
and ultimately finishing first in the group.
All the way from WA, Australia's No. 1 billiards player Matthew Bolton set the scene ablaze as he tore into his
Group J opposition with customary ruthlessness and a degree of ferocity that would cause La Nina to turn
back. He amassed 5 century breaks plus a resounding 207 to seal first place in the group with ludicrous
ease. In the play-off for the runner-up spot, NSW's virtuoso Vit Sacco survived a close tussle with local
cannon specialist Dirk Hellenbroich (227-210) to progress to the knockouts.
World No. 1 Peter Gilchrist found a similar path to supremacy in Group K, albeit with a little less snap but a
bit more pop. His Hornsby fans, both existing and soon-to-be-smitten, were served a mouth-watering entrée
of deftly laid drop cannons, magical massé shots, lightning fast centuries (110, 121, 190, 289) and multiple
cushion escapes that would make MacGyver think twice about his day job. When the dust had settled, John
Machen emerged from the rubble and arose shakily to his feet as group runner-up.
Group L was rocked with the unfortunate last-minute news that Sushrut Pandia would be unable to attend
the event due to delays at the airport. However, Mr. Pandia, though sorely missed, was fittingly replaced by
the very entertaining Richard Evans who was keen to impress with his quickfire brand of open billiards and
devil-may-care trickshot stunts. But it was Australian No. 3 Michael Pearson who ruled the roost with a
clinical top-of-the-table expo which yielded steady breaks of 110, 96, and 67 (to mention a few). In a close
contest for second place in the group, Michael Newman prevailed against Evans to reach the next round.
The first and second qualifying rounds were played on the Saturday night as the final 24 players battled it out
for a place in the quarter-finals. Each of these matches lasted 75 minutes. The top 8 performers in the group
stage received automatic qualification for the last 16 and sat brooding in the shadows awaiting their would-be
challengers from the opening knockout round.
In Round 1, Wayne Carey maintained his steady run of form with victory over David Pitt. Despite an edgy
start, Jason Colebrook eventually found his rhytm and knocked in a nice 69 to defeat Vit Sacco. Peter
Tankard's tactical tricks weren't enough to quell the attacking menace of David Collins who fired in breaks of
92 and 69. Michael Newman was dispatched comfortably by the masterful George Chamas. Shannon Dixon
overcame Glenn Yeo in a close and fascinating contest. Queensland maestro Danik Lucas finally found his
tune in making the highest break of the tournament (318) and an unfinished 186 to beat Charlie Chafe by a
whopping 775 to 125 points. Hassan Kerde continued his good form with a win against John Machen, while
Don Richter progressed to the next round at the expense of Maylasia's rising star, Adwin Teh.
In the last 16, Peter Gilchrist made minced meat of Wayne Carey and carved out a crafty break of 222 for
extra measure. Jason Colebrook's match with Graeme Wright was a classic case of master versus
apprentice. And it was the apprentice who grabbed the bragging rights in clinically disposing of his master by
146 points. Joe Minici upped the ante with spirited breaks of 53, 78, 93, 65, and 52 to overcome his Victorian
counterpart David Collins. Todd Hayward rolled into the quarter-finals with a convincing win against George
Chamas. Michael Pearson was too strong for Shannon Dixon and added a further century (106) to his
impressive break-building résumé. Danik Lucas comfortably saw off Raj Das with several 50+ breaks as well
as a splendid 142 to seal his place in the quarters. Hassan Kerde narrowly got up by a mere 21 points
against his fellow dual star of the green baize Ben Judge. Finally, despite a wonderful break of 97, Don
Richter was made to sit in his chair for long stretches against Matthew Bolton who cruised into the quarterfinals
with tremendous breaks of 201 and 212.
On Sunday morning the crème de la crème descended the steps from the mezzanine sports lounge to the
comical carpet of this most quaint of billiards halls to contest the hotly-anticipated 90-minute quarter-finals.
Peter Gilchrist got off to a flyer against Graeme Wright while Joe Minici produced a fine performance to
overpower Todd Hayward. Micheal Pearson narrowly overcame Danik Lucas in what proved to be a war of
attrition as both players struggled to find their usual fluency and top-of-the-table prowess. Hassan Kerde
finally succumbed to Matthew Bolton who amassed a sizeable tally of 857 points which included breaks of
170 and 235.
Neither semi-final offered a contrast of styles as the creative brilliance of Joe Minici wrestled with that of
Peter Gilchrist, while the refined precision of Michael Pearson was put to the test against Mathew Bolton. An
extra 30 minutes was added to the clock and both matches were played on adjacent tables. At times, it was
rather like watching a tennis match as the gaze of the audience from the glazed gantry of the sports bar
would shift from one table to the other!
Gilchrist was quickest out of the traps and accumulated an unassailable points total by the hour mark with
fantastic breaks of 193, 101, and 2 breaks of 99. The second hour offered even more entertainment as
Minici, in his premature acceptance of defeat, opted for “exhibition mode” and wowed his local supporters
with some mind-bending recovery shots, audacious near misses, and devilish attempts to develop optimum
nursery canon scenarios. The other semi-final was a nervy affair and looked like going down to the wire until
Bolton found an extra gear in the final half hour. Despite Pearson's plucky resistance throughout, Bolton's
intuition and incredible tenacity proved too much as breaks of 114, 92, and 84 sealed his place in the final.
Clearly, Gilchrist and Bolton were head and shoulders above the posse and it was only fitting that they
should contest the 2-hour final - a re-run of the 2017 South Australian Open final in February. A charged
Hornsby atmosphere was added to further by the presence of Cueism TV as anchorman Peter Tankard was
joined in commentary by the not-so-whispering Andy De Haan and the Victorian duo of David Pitt and Neil
McLaughlin. Unlike their match in Adelaide, Bolton failed to shut Gilchrist out in the opening exchanges.
Indeed, The Sultan of Singapore and Emperor of Top was in scintillating form and his bridge-hand barely left
the cloth as he jived about the red spot to knock in a flurry of spellbinding breaks (150, 96, 96, 295, 122, 150,
137, 99) while referee Frank Galanos scurried about to retrieve his cueball and bowl with feverish haste and
accuracy. Bolton did manage to find some form towards the end and compiled a well-executed 152 but it was
too little too late. This was a Gilchrist masterclass and what a heavenly thing it was to behold.
The event concluded with a prize giving ceremony as dinner and drinks were served and the usual
pleasantries exchanged. Peter Gilchrist and Matthew Bolton, among numerous others, graciously accepted
their respective honours. Everyone wished Matthew the very best of luck following his recent acceptance of
an invitation to join the world professional snooker tour. But it was semi-finalist Michael Pearson who stole
the show by marvellously capturing the joy and gratitude felt by the Hornsby hosts in an impassioned
impromptu speech wherein he thanked his international and interstate colleagues for making the journey and
looked forward to a similarly successful event in Sydney in 2018. Hear hear mate.
David Walsh
Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd April 2017
Deep in the northern reaches of Sydney's suburbs, the Hornsby RSL Club proudly hosted the inaugural
Sydney Open Billiards Championship which proved to be a thrilling spectacle for locals and visitors alike and
on the whole, a marvellous advertisement for the game of billiards. Endowed with the dual status of being an
Australian National Ranking event and a Level 4 World Ranking event, the tournament was played over 3
days and managed to attract many of the best players from all over Australia as well as some top quality
international entrants, a steady field of fanatical local die-hards, and one bloke from Ireland.
The preliminary round robin stage consisted of 12 groups of 4 contestants with every match played over 60
minutes - the tantalising timed format which brings its own pressures made no less arduous by the
inexorable din of tournament director Steve Cowie's mind-numbing alarm (both digital and vocal) which
rattled the Hornsby hall at the conclusion of each round. The event kicked off on the Friday afternoon with a
number of early group matches contested prior to the 4:30 pm opening ceremony, a generous and thoughtful
gesture from the NSW branch of the Billiards Australia committee, who were keen to extend a traditional
Hornsby welcome. By the fall of evening, the tournament had taken on a life of its own as a giddy Friday
night crowd were hushed and mesmerized by a delightful display of competitive billiards as the huffing and
puffing proved just as enthralling as the sparkling tricks of the trade.
The ever consistent Todd Hayward comfortably topped Group A and was joined in the knockout stage by
Charlie Chafe. Both players recorded impressive breaks on their path to qualification, which included a 108
and 90 from Hayward and a 75 from Chafe.
Flamboyant local hero and current New South Wales State champion Joe Minici was victorious in each of his
three Group B matches and produced some steady breaks along the way, including a 96, 67, and 52. In their
final group game, Don Richter and Andy De Haan played off for a ticket to the knockouts. Having already
smashed in a 79 break against Raymond Farage, Richter was a hot favourite to take second place. However,
he had to withstand a spirited late surge from De Haan before narrowly sealing his place in the next round.
Local snooker star Hassan Kerde demonstrated his 3-ball capabilities with aplomb by pipping Wayne “The
Butcher” Carey for top spot in Group C. The 8 times New Zealand national champion always had a trick up
his sleeve and some steady open billiards throughout gave him breaks of 48, 49, and 50.
Another snooker-cum-billiards prodigy, Ben Judge, sailed to victory in Group D with breaks of 59 and 99. He
was followed into the knockout stage by George Chamas, a player of proven quality who looked particularly
dangerous in his match with John Burns when he produced nice breaks of 43, 48, and 51.
Recently crowned New South Wales State Minor Billiards champion, Shannon Dixon, narrowly missed out on
pole position in Group E but nonetheless qualified for the next round. He finally met his match in Australian
No. 6 Jason Colebrook who won the group decider by the skin of his teeth, 197-187.
ACT's Raj Das took no prisoners in Group F as he comfortably dismissed all of his challengers with his solid
brand of open billiards and some excellent potting to boot. David Pitt delightfully exhibited his methodical
style of play via carefully crafted breaks of 75 and 79. Despite a heavy loss to Das, Pitt cleverly outfoxed
Irishman David Walsh in his third match to confirm his position as group runner-up.
Graeme Wright, a rapidly improving player, proved his worth by advancing from a tough Group G which
included Glenn Yeo of Singapore and Mick Boyne of Shellharbour. In a dramatic play-off for first place,
Wright defeated Yeo by the slightest of margins, 190-187.
There always seems to be a group of death at every tournament and this would be putting it lightly for Group
H. The pride of Newcastle, Grant Schubert, produced the shock of the tournament in his heart-stopping
defeat of Danik Lucas who is ranked No. 4 in Australia. In the end, a slender margin of 6 points (223-217)
separated the two. Bizarrely, despite his initial heroics, Schubert narrowly lost his remaining two games – by
3 points to Mark Taylor of New Zealand (190-187), and by just 2 points to Peter Tankard of Turramurra (143-
141) in a scrappy and nerve-jangling qualification decider. All in all, the two players who produced notable
breaks (Lucas showed his class with a 53, 79, 100, and 172 while Tankard compiled a 61) progressed to the
knockout stage despite the helter-skelter results and general pandemonium that erupted in this group.
Similarly, Group I was as tight as a caveman's budget, but proved to be less of a frenzy and more of a
dogfight. Australian No. 2 David Collins had to dig deep in his opening game against Maylasian sensation
Adwin Teh and produced a timely 51 break to win by just 17 points. Adrian Hinks comfortably dismissed
Patrick Davies and then produced a stunning performance to defeat Collins by a mere 10 points with a
wonderful break of 82 to top it all off and leave the group wide open. Meanwhile, Teh compiled a fine 64
break to beat Davies and set up a fascinating qualification play-off with Hinks which Teh narrowly won to
cement his status as a dangerous tournament player who nobody should take for granted. Collins eventually
hit top gear in his final round robin match against Davies, knocking in a silky top-of-the-table century (106)
and ultimately finishing first in the group.
All the way from WA, Australia's No. 1 billiards player Matthew Bolton set the scene ablaze as he tore into his
Group J opposition with customary ruthlessness and a degree of ferocity that would cause La Nina to turn
back. He amassed 5 century breaks plus a resounding 207 to seal first place in the group with ludicrous
ease. In the play-off for the runner-up spot, NSW's virtuoso Vit Sacco survived a close tussle with local
cannon specialist Dirk Hellenbroich (227-210) to progress to the knockouts.
World No. 1 Peter Gilchrist found a similar path to supremacy in Group K, albeit with a little less snap but a
bit more pop. His Hornsby fans, both existing and soon-to-be-smitten, were served a mouth-watering entrée
of deftly laid drop cannons, magical massé shots, lightning fast centuries (110, 121, 190, 289) and multiple
cushion escapes that would make MacGyver think twice about his day job. When the dust had settled, John
Machen emerged from the rubble and arose shakily to his feet as group runner-up.
Group L was rocked with the unfortunate last-minute news that Sushrut Pandia would be unable to attend
the event due to delays at the airport. However, Mr. Pandia, though sorely missed, was fittingly replaced by
the very entertaining Richard Evans who was keen to impress with his quickfire brand of open billiards and
devil-may-care trickshot stunts. But it was Australian No. 3 Michael Pearson who ruled the roost with a
clinical top-of-the-table expo which yielded steady breaks of 110, 96, and 67 (to mention a few). In a close
contest for second place in the group, Michael Newman prevailed against Evans to reach the next round.
The first and second qualifying rounds were played on the Saturday night as the final 24 players battled it out
for a place in the quarter-finals. Each of these matches lasted 75 minutes. The top 8 performers in the group
stage received automatic qualification for the last 16 and sat brooding in the shadows awaiting their would-be
challengers from the opening knockout round.
In Round 1, Wayne Carey maintained his steady run of form with victory over David Pitt. Despite an edgy
start, Jason Colebrook eventually found his rhytm and knocked in a nice 69 to defeat Vit Sacco. Peter
Tankard's tactical tricks weren't enough to quell the attacking menace of David Collins who fired in breaks of
92 and 69. Michael Newman was dispatched comfortably by the masterful George Chamas. Shannon Dixon
overcame Glenn Yeo in a close and fascinating contest. Queensland maestro Danik Lucas finally found his
tune in making the highest break of the tournament (318) and an unfinished 186 to beat Charlie Chafe by a
whopping 775 to 125 points. Hassan Kerde continued his good form with a win against John Machen, while
Don Richter progressed to the next round at the expense of Maylasia's rising star, Adwin Teh.
In the last 16, Peter Gilchrist made minced meat of Wayne Carey and carved out a crafty break of 222 for
extra measure. Jason Colebrook's match with Graeme Wright was a classic case of master versus
apprentice. And it was the apprentice who grabbed the bragging rights in clinically disposing of his master by
146 points. Joe Minici upped the ante with spirited breaks of 53, 78, 93, 65, and 52 to overcome his Victorian
counterpart David Collins. Todd Hayward rolled into the quarter-finals with a convincing win against George
Chamas. Michael Pearson was too strong for Shannon Dixon and added a further century (106) to his
impressive break-building résumé. Danik Lucas comfortably saw off Raj Das with several 50+ breaks as well
as a splendid 142 to seal his place in the quarters. Hassan Kerde narrowly got up by a mere 21 points
against his fellow dual star of the green baize Ben Judge. Finally, despite a wonderful break of 97, Don
Richter was made to sit in his chair for long stretches against Matthew Bolton who cruised into the quarterfinals
with tremendous breaks of 201 and 212.
On Sunday morning the crème de la crème descended the steps from the mezzanine sports lounge to the
comical carpet of this most quaint of billiards halls to contest the hotly-anticipated 90-minute quarter-finals.
Peter Gilchrist got off to a flyer against Graeme Wright while Joe Minici produced a fine performance to
overpower Todd Hayward. Micheal Pearson narrowly overcame Danik Lucas in what proved to be a war of
attrition as both players struggled to find their usual fluency and top-of-the-table prowess. Hassan Kerde
finally succumbed to Matthew Bolton who amassed a sizeable tally of 857 points which included breaks of
170 and 235.
Neither semi-final offered a contrast of styles as the creative brilliance of Joe Minici wrestled with that of
Peter Gilchrist, while the refined precision of Michael Pearson was put to the test against Mathew Bolton. An
extra 30 minutes was added to the clock and both matches were played on adjacent tables. At times, it was
rather like watching a tennis match as the gaze of the audience from the glazed gantry of the sports bar
would shift from one table to the other!
Gilchrist was quickest out of the traps and accumulated an unassailable points total by the hour mark with
fantastic breaks of 193, 101, and 2 breaks of 99. The second hour offered even more entertainment as
Minici, in his premature acceptance of defeat, opted for “exhibition mode” and wowed his local supporters
with some mind-bending recovery shots, audacious near misses, and devilish attempts to develop optimum
nursery canon scenarios. The other semi-final was a nervy affair and looked like going down to the wire until
Bolton found an extra gear in the final half hour. Despite Pearson's plucky resistance throughout, Bolton's
intuition and incredible tenacity proved too much as breaks of 114, 92, and 84 sealed his place in the final.
Clearly, Gilchrist and Bolton were head and shoulders above the posse and it was only fitting that they
should contest the 2-hour final - a re-run of the 2017 South Australian Open final in February. A charged
Hornsby atmosphere was added to further by the presence of Cueism TV as anchorman Peter Tankard was
joined in commentary by the not-so-whispering Andy De Haan and the Victorian duo of David Pitt and Neil
McLaughlin. Unlike their match in Adelaide, Bolton failed to shut Gilchrist out in the opening exchanges.
Indeed, The Sultan of Singapore and Emperor of Top was in scintillating form and his bridge-hand barely left
the cloth as he jived about the red spot to knock in a flurry of spellbinding breaks (150, 96, 96, 295, 122, 150,
137, 99) while referee Frank Galanos scurried about to retrieve his cueball and bowl with feverish haste and
accuracy. Bolton did manage to find some form towards the end and compiled a well-executed 152 but it was
too little too late. This was a Gilchrist masterclass and what a heavenly thing it was to behold.
The event concluded with a prize giving ceremony as dinner and drinks were served and the usual
pleasantries exchanged. Peter Gilchrist and Matthew Bolton, among numerous others, graciously accepted
their respective honours. Everyone wished Matthew the very best of luck following his recent acceptance of
an invitation to join the world professional snooker tour. But it was semi-finalist Michael Pearson who stole
the show by marvellously capturing the joy and gratitude felt by the Hornsby hosts in an impassioned
impromptu speech wherein he thanked his international and interstate colleagues for making the journey and
looked forward to a similarly successful event in Sydney in 2018. Hear hear mate.
David Walsh