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Review of the 2019 Club Marconi Sydney Open Billiards
Club Marconi, 121 Prairie Vale Rd, Bossley Park NSW 2176
Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th March 2019
By David Walsh, Billiards Australia Biographer
The World Billiards juggernaut crash-landed in the noble and welcoming abode of Club Marconi in Sydney's
west for the second year running as local, interstate and international cueists battled it out for the Sydney
Open Championship and its ultimate prize - the inaugural Murt O'Donoghue trophy.
From a neutral perspective, this tournament in particular will live long in the memory for its exciting and
unpredictable nature. One round robin group after another was besieged with chaos and a general sense of
consternation from the word go as the bunnies stepped up and the script was thrown into the furnace.
Group A, however, did have more of a routine feel to it. World No. 1 Peter Gilchrist was in cruise control and
totted up an astounding 3396 points in his opening 4 matches. He scored 2 breaks just short of 300 against
group runner-up and Marconi's Grand Maestor Vic Cravino, one of which produced arguably the shot of the
tournament. Peter was on a 198 but was smothered, desperately out of position and had not crossed the
baulk line. A mesmerising 4 cushion escape solved the infamous crossing equation and produced the deftest
of cannons to keep the break going. Euclid of Alexandria would have been impressed. Vic of Marconi was
over the moon.
Despite a surprise loss to the much improved Andrew Stoermer, Marconi legend Vit Sacco progressed from
Group B but played second fiddle to the romping prowess of the recently crowned Oceania Snooker
Champion Steve Mifsud, who has faithfully accepted an invitation to join the pro tour. Not surprisingly, Steve
took no prisoners and finished the group with a riveting 276.5 average points difference.
Joe Minici had Group C wrapped up after 3 matches which might explain his shock defeat at the hands of
Zac Guja in his last round robin match. Zac, a former NSW Minor champion and a true gentleman of the
game, can nonetheless boast merrily of a famous victory on his return to the Kiwi tribe. Despite his heroics,
Mick Boyne showed better overall form and scraped through to join Joe in the knockouts.
Group D was about as mad as a bag of spiders in a washing machine. Perennial outsider Steve Fabian
nicked two knife-edge wins which sent everything into a tailspin. Despite losing to the up-and-coming Brice
Hilliard, Karthik Ramaswamy of Singapore was coolness personified as he reached the latter stages with a
thumping win against the villainous Fabian. Even Jason Colebrook, who usually coasts through the round
robin stage, could not escape the anarchy. A tie-break visit of 2 was enough to get “The Boss” over the line in
a drawn match with the luckless Dirk Hellenbroich who inexplicably missed the opening re-spot shot. Our
charming Chairman did eventually succeed in shaking off the remaining stubborn challengers to top the
group.
Group E can be best summed up as the tale of something fast with short arms and someone slow with long
legs. Billiards giant David Walsh was running 5 minutes late for his opening game with the newly adorned
NSW Minor (timed) Champion, and arch nemesis Peter Tankard. To his dismay, the Irishman discovered that
the tournament master clock was on the one hand a staple feature of Club Marconi's proud heritage but on
the other hand an archaic wall-hung piece that was 5 minutes fast! Alas, a 150 point victory was awarded to
the sheepish and sympathetic Turramurran. Ultimately it was Roger Farebrother who breezed through to the
knockouts with 4 straightforward wins and incredibly, the runner-up spot was seized by Mr. Tankard courtesy
of David Walsh's resounding defeat of Simon Fortune.
As we all know, the world of billiards is not immune to conspiracy theories. A vicious rumour involving Mr.
Tankard, a step ladder and a late Thursday night phone call to Vic Cravino began to do the rounds. When
quizzed on the matter in a post-"match" interview, Peter wryly remarked: "no comment."
Passions ran high in Group F with the tenacious trio of George Chamas, Adwin Teh and Gene Crossingham
locked in combat and vying voraciously for first and second place. Regrettably for Gene, it was the Syrian
supremo and the Malaysian menace who lived to fight another day.
There's an old saying in sport: prior practice prevents poor performance. Kudos to referee Warren Ackery for
chancing his arm in a dual capacity but he may have to brush up on his 5 P's after finishing rock bottom of
Group G. In the end, a spirited display from Andy De Haan was not enough to upset the odds and prevent
group favourites Don Richter and Ben Judge from advancing to the next stage.
There's always a group of death and this year it was Group H. But what an unforgettable experience for the
14 year old local pocket dynamo Jackson Rishworth who had the pleasure of competing with such seasoned
campaigners as group winner Frank Humphreys, runner-up David Pitt, the silky Brad Williams and South
Australia's international man of mystery - James Giannaros.
No amount of enthusiasm can trump sheer class. To borrow his favourite word, Peter Tankard was poleaxed
by Peter Gilchrist in his last 16 knockout match. A ferocious scoreline of 711-194 failed to diminish and, if
anything, magnified his boyish love for the game. The Godfather of NSW billiards wasted no time in releasing
the following post-match statement to the press: "Because I am not any kind of threat to Peter and because
he loves to entertain the crowd he went into full exhibition mode with runs of nursery cannons, 5 cushion
shots, piqués, massés, swerves and outrageous side spins. Much applause from the large and
knowledgeable crowd......He is the champion the game needs." Wow.
Further first round knockout games saw Ben Judge and Jason Colebrook book their tickets to the
quarterfinals at the respective expense of George Chammas and the below par Vit Sacco. Don Richter put
the skids on Vic Cravino while Steve Mifsud had too much for David Pitt. The charming assassin Roger
Farebrother defeated Singapore's Karthik Ramaswamy by over 300 points and added a dashing visit of 148
to his commanding tally of tournament breaks.
After three near misses against Joe Minici last season, Burwood's finest, Adwin Teh, was relishing another
crack at glory. And he started like one of those high-speed oriental trains with a rollicking run of 94 (baulk line
crossed). However, Joe's incalculable powers of recovery again came to the fore as quick-fire breaks of 97,
72 and 70 vanquished his determined Malaysian foe. But rest assured, this is not the last we've seen of the
Teh Express.
Controversy erupted on Table 7 when a mix-up in the scoreline halted proceedings during a tense tussle
between Frank Humphreys and Mick Boyne. Tournament Director Steve Cowie intervened and a decision
was made to add 100 points to Frank's score. But it was the Pearl of Shellharbour who came through
unscathed by a mere 4 points.
The Sunday morning quarterfinals produced a mouth-watering tie between Steve Mifsud and Joe Minici, a
repeat of the Illawarra Open final back in September. Like so many duels between the two in years gone by,
nails were bitten to the quick as a titanic struggle ensued. With just a few minutes on the clock, Steve had
the upper hand and led by 69 points. But Joe ran out with an extraordinary unfinished break of 72 to clinch
the tie by just 3 points. The Harry Houdini of billiards strikes again!
Roger Farebrother edged out a low-scoring affair with Don Richter, while Jason Colebrook ended Mick
Boyne's Cinderella story with a reasonably comfortable win. The intrepid Ben Judge had no answers for a
rampant Peter Gilchrist and was duly put to the sword with guileful runs of 161, 114 and 99.
Both semifinals were one-sided encounters but weren't shy of entertainment. NSW's Joe Minici, sensing
danger in the form of local rival Roger Farebrother, hit top gear and never took his foot off the pedal. An orgy
of 50 odd breaks kept Roger bolted to his chair and no doubt contemplating his next flutter with Sacco.
Further visits of 89 and 103 sealed a convincing win for Joe and a deserved place in the final.
The poise, the elegance and the brilliance of Peter Gilchrist's swashbuckling style was on full display in the
other semi. And Jason Colebrook had the best seat in the house. A pulsating break of 489, the tournament's
highest, dashed Victorian dreams of a final berth. The remaining half hour was bizarre as Peter practiced his
multi-cushion cannons while Jason heartily nibbled upon whatever crumb was tossed his way. It was almost
as if Peter had been informed before the match that the digital scoreboard was programmed to display 3
characters only and would explode if he crossed the 1000 mark!
Minions and zealots of all walks of life greeted Gilchrist and Minici with warm applause as the balls got rolling
for the 2 hour final. There was a heightened sense of colour and romance about this one with Joe splendidly
sporting his Azzurri blue shirt and Peter donning his customary tournament vest - a majestic blend of gold,
silver and bronze. And to further the intrigue, the steely cueist, tireless referee and director of
cinematography, Neville Moore, was given the honour of officiating the final.
Table 2 did not seem conducive to free-flowing billiards as both finalists struggled with the humid conditions.
An early run of 112 broke the deadlock and gave Peter a crucial lead. However, it was never plain sailing for
the 3-time world champion. The verve and audacity of Joe's streetwise jinks, which included an admirable
visit of 123 in the latter half, might well have won the day. But the Teesside trickster had other ideas. A series
of double baulks and carefully crafted 50+ breaks were enough to keep Joe at bay in a contest that was
more about getting the job done as opposed to the merciless turkey shoot that some had predicted.
As the seconds faded Steve Cowie's trademark "time gentlemen!" reached fever pitch and the scores read 600-429.
Singapore's smiling star had landed the championship for the third year running.
Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th March 2019
By David Walsh, Billiards Australia Biographer
The World Billiards juggernaut crash-landed in the noble and welcoming abode of Club Marconi in Sydney's
west for the second year running as local, interstate and international cueists battled it out for the Sydney
Open Championship and its ultimate prize - the inaugural Murt O'Donoghue trophy.
From a neutral perspective, this tournament in particular will live long in the memory for its exciting and
unpredictable nature. One round robin group after another was besieged with chaos and a general sense of
consternation from the word go as the bunnies stepped up and the script was thrown into the furnace.
Group A, however, did have more of a routine feel to it. World No. 1 Peter Gilchrist was in cruise control and
totted up an astounding 3396 points in his opening 4 matches. He scored 2 breaks just short of 300 against
group runner-up and Marconi's Grand Maestor Vic Cravino, one of which produced arguably the shot of the
tournament. Peter was on a 198 but was smothered, desperately out of position and had not crossed the
baulk line. A mesmerising 4 cushion escape solved the infamous crossing equation and produced the deftest
of cannons to keep the break going. Euclid of Alexandria would have been impressed. Vic of Marconi was
over the moon.
Despite a surprise loss to the much improved Andrew Stoermer, Marconi legend Vit Sacco progressed from
Group B but played second fiddle to the romping prowess of the recently crowned Oceania Snooker
Champion Steve Mifsud, who has faithfully accepted an invitation to join the pro tour. Not surprisingly, Steve
took no prisoners and finished the group with a riveting 276.5 average points difference.
Joe Minici had Group C wrapped up after 3 matches which might explain his shock defeat at the hands of
Zac Guja in his last round robin match. Zac, a former NSW Minor champion and a true gentleman of the
game, can nonetheless boast merrily of a famous victory on his return to the Kiwi tribe. Despite his heroics,
Mick Boyne showed better overall form and scraped through to join Joe in the knockouts.
Group D was about as mad as a bag of spiders in a washing machine. Perennial outsider Steve Fabian
nicked two knife-edge wins which sent everything into a tailspin. Despite losing to the up-and-coming Brice
Hilliard, Karthik Ramaswamy of Singapore was coolness personified as he reached the latter stages with a
thumping win against the villainous Fabian. Even Jason Colebrook, who usually coasts through the round
robin stage, could not escape the anarchy. A tie-break visit of 2 was enough to get “The Boss” over the line in
a drawn match with the luckless Dirk Hellenbroich who inexplicably missed the opening re-spot shot. Our
charming Chairman did eventually succeed in shaking off the remaining stubborn challengers to top the
group.
Group E can be best summed up as the tale of something fast with short arms and someone slow with long
legs. Billiards giant David Walsh was running 5 minutes late for his opening game with the newly adorned
NSW Minor (timed) Champion, and arch nemesis Peter Tankard. To his dismay, the Irishman discovered that
the tournament master clock was on the one hand a staple feature of Club Marconi's proud heritage but on
the other hand an archaic wall-hung piece that was 5 minutes fast! Alas, a 150 point victory was awarded to
the sheepish and sympathetic Turramurran. Ultimately it was Roger Farebrother who breezed through to the
knockouts with 4 straightforward wins and incredibly, the runner-up spot was seized by Mr. Tankard courtesy
of David Walsh's resounding defeat of Simon Fortune.
As we all know, the world of billiards is not immune to conspiracy theories. A vicious rumour involving Mr.
Tankard, a step ladder and a late Thursday night phone call to Vic Cravino began to do the rounds. When
quizzed on the matter in a post-"match" interview, Peter wryly remarked: "no comment."
Passions ran high in Group F with the tenacious trio of George Chamas, Adwin Teh and Gene Crossingham
locked in combat and vying voraciously for first and second place. Regrettably for Gene, it was the Syrian
supremo and the Malaysian menace who lived to fight another day.
There's an old saying in sport: prior practice prevents poor performance. Kudos to referee Warren Ackery for
chancing his arm in a dual capacity but he may have to brush up on his 5 P's after finishing rock bottom of
Group G. In the end, a spirited display from Andy De Haan was not enough to upset the odds and prevent
group favourites Don Richter and Ben Judge from advancing to the next stage.
There's always a group of death and this year it was Group H. But what an unforgettable experience for the
14 year old local pocket dynamo Jackson Rishworth who had the pleasure of competing with such seasoned
campaigners as group winner Frank Humphreys, runner-up David Pitt, the silky Brad Williams and South
Australia's international man of mystery - James Giannaros.
No amount of enthusiasm can trump sheer class. To borrow his favourite word, Peter Tankard was poleaxed
by Peter Gilchrist in his last 16 knockout match. A ferocious scoreline of 711-194 failed to diminish and, if
anything, magnified his boyish love for the game. The Godfather of NSW billiards wasted no time in releasing
the following post-match statement to the press: "Because I am not any kind of threat to Peter and because
he loves to entertain the crowd he went into full exhibition mode with runs of nursery cannons, 5 cushion
shots, piqués, massés, swerves and outrageous side spins. Much applause from the large and
knowledgeable crowd......He is the champion the game needs." Wow.
Further first round knockout games saw Ben Judge and Jason Colebrook book their tickets to the
quarterfinals at the respective expense of George Chammas and the below par Vit Sacco. Don Richter put
the skids on Vic Cravino while Steve Mifsud had too much for David Pitt. The charming assassin Roger
Farebrother defeated Singapore's Karthik Ramaswamy by over 300 points and added a dashing visit of 148
to his commanding tally of tournament breaks.
After three near misses against Joe Minici last season, Burwood's finest, Adwin Teh, was relishing another
crack at glory. And he started like one of those high-speed oriental trains with a rollicking run of 94 (baulk line
crossed). However, Joe's incalculable powers of recovery again came to the fore as quick-fire breaks of 97,
72 and 70 vanquished his determined Malaysian foe. But rest assured, this is not the last we've seen of the
Teh Express.
Controversy erupted on Table 7 when a mix-up in the scoreline halted proceedings during a tense tussle
between Frank Humphreys and Mick Boyne. Tournament Director Steve Cowie intervened and a decision
was made to add 100 points to Frank's score. But it was the Pearl of Shellharbour who came through
unscathed by a mere 4 points.
The Sunday morning quarterfinals produced a mouth-watering tie between Steve Mifsud and Joe Minici, a
repeat of the Illawarra Open final back in September. Like so many duels between the two in years gone by,
nails were bitten to the quick as a titanic struggle ensued. With just a few minutes on the clock, Steve had
the upper hand and led by 69 points. But Joe ran out with an extraordinary unfinished break of 72 to clinch
the tie by just 3 points. The Harry Houdini of billiards strikes again!
Roger Farebrother edged out a low-scoring affair with Don Richter, while Jason Colebrook ended Mick
Boyne's Cinderella story with a reasonably comfortable win. The intrepid Ben Judge had no answers for a
rampant Peter Gilchrist and was duly put to the sword with guileful runs of 161, 114 and 99.
Both semifinals were one-sided encounters but weren't shy of entertainment. NSW's Joe Minici, sensing
danger in the form of local rival Roger Farebrother, hit top gear and never took his foot off the pedal. An orgy
of 50 odd breaks kept Roger bolted to his chair and no doubt contemplating his next flutter with Sacco.
Further visits of 89 and 103 sealed a convincing win for Joe and a deserved place in the final.
The poise, the elegance and the brilliance of Peter Gilchrist's swashbuckling style was on full display in the
other semi. And Jason Colebrook had the best seat in the house. A pulsating break of 489, the tournament's
highest, dashed Victorian dreams of a final berth. The remaining half hour was bizarre as Peter practiced his
multi-cushion cannons while Jason heartily nibbled upon whatever crumb was tossed his way. It was almost
as if Peter had been informed before the match that the digital scoreboard was programmed to display 3
characters only and would explode if he crossed the 1000 mark!
Minions and zealots of all walks of life greeted Gilchrist and Minici with warm applause as the balls got rolling
for the 2 hour final. There was a heightened sense of colour and romance about this one with Joe splendidly
sporting his Azzurri blue shirt and Peter donning his customary tournament vest - a majestic blend of gold,
silver and bronze. And to further the intrigue, the steely cueist, tireless referee and director of
cinematography, Neville Moore, was given the honour of officiating the final.
Table 2 did not seem conducive to free-flowing billiards as both finalists struggled with the humid conditions.
An early run of 112 broke the deadlock and gave Peter a crucial lead. However, it was never plain sailing for
the 3-time world champion. The verve and audacity of Joe's streetwise jinks, which included an admirable
visit of 123 in the latter half, might well have won the day. But the Teesside trickster had other ideas. A series
of double baulks and carefully crafted 50+ breaks were enough to keep Joe at bay in a contest that was
more about getting the job done as opposed to the merciless turkey shoot that some had predicted.
As the seconds faded Steve Cowie's trademark "time gentlemen!" reached fever pitch and the scores read 600-429.
Singapore's smiling star had landed the championship for the third year running.
