AMATEUR BILLIARDS CIRCUIT

The Reardon, Stoke (Sunday 7th April 2002)

“The Reardon”, Stoke-on-Trent staged the closing ABC ranking event
of the 2002 season. The whole weekend rounding off another
successfully completed EABA calendar.

With it already known that both Lee Lagan and David Nichols were
about to join the professional ranks, it meant that the ranking points
battle had become a race for the top 10 and not the usual scramble for
a top 8 place to ensure international competition the following season.
Effectively, the majority of places in the “elite” had already been sealed
following the English Amateur but the last place appeared to be between
John Hartley, Paul Dunning and David Burgess.

In Round 1, Lee Lagan signalled his intentions for the day with a break
of 195 during his 442-87 win over ABC stalwart Jock McGregor. Paul
Dunning and John Hartley both fell at the second fence, the draw being
kind to neither. After comfortable victories in the 1st round, Dunning
went out to Lagan and Hartley ran into Jim McCann in the kind of form
he has displayed all season, Jim recording breaks of 132 & 91 during
another impressive display. This left a clear passage for David Burgess
who rubber-stamped his top 10 place with a 320-103 victory over
Martin Phillips. Other highlights of the round were victory for “host”
Peter Shelley over fellow international Phil Welham, a win for Alf
Nolan over Ron Whitten in a North-East derby and an extremely narrow
squeak for Steve Crosland with a three point margin over Phil Davis.
Big breaks were the order of the day in Round 3. Lee Lagan enjoyed
visits of 203,111 & 78 against Brian Cousen, “mine host” Shelley 183
against David Peaker and Darren Kell made his 2nd century of the day
with 111 during a fine match with Dick Watts. Closest tie of the round
was fought out by Dave Burgess and Mark Hatton, Dave prevailing by
a mere four points.

The quarter-finals saw an exceptionally polished performance from
Lee Lagan incorporating breaks of 237, 137 & 72 during his 610-184
success over Peter Shelley. Darren Kell progressed at the expense of
David Burgess as did Michael White over David Nichols. Jim McCann
led Steve Crosland by over 100 points before a magnificent visit of 188
enabled Steve to turn the game around.

During a one-sided semi-final, it was amusing to hear Darren Kell turn
round and whisper “I won’t be sorry to see the back of him next
season”! The “him” to whom he was referring was of course Lee Lagan
who progressed to the final with the aid of two centuries and three 60+
breaks. Darren was one of the players who actually managed to defeat
Lee in an ABC this season and it was no doubt with this in mind that
Lee approached this game with such determination. The other semifinal
was an altogether closer affair and in fact a very good match
between the ever consistent Steve Crosland and one of the rapidly
improving players on the circuit, Michael White. Good judges such as
Brian Harvey have been saying for some time that he rates Michael as
one of the best top of the table exponents in the amateur game. Breaks
of 125 & 80 swung this game in Michael’s favour but only by a closing
margin of 24 points.

The fact that Lee had to step up a gear at the mid-point of the final was
tribute to the consistent play demonstrated by Michael all day. The
fact that he is capable of such a step up in performance is tribute to
how good an exponent of our beautiful game Lee has become. Exactly
when required, Lee produced breaks of 114 & 92 to seal his third ABC
triumph of the season to go along with the title of English Amateur
Champion.

Lee now turns professional with good wishes from the EABA. Many
of us know just how capable he is of making an impact within the
professional ranks and if he maintains his improvement of the last
eighteen months surely the minimum of a top eight place awaits.
However, many amateurs will be looking forward to the “post-Lagan”
era and perhaps the 11am draws at ABCs will no longer be a question
of fingers crossed that he is not in your part of the draw! Roll on
September.

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