Right on Cue

The Bradford Snooker Championship is wide open after defending champion Gareth Green crashed out in the second round to John Wellham in a repeat of last season’s final.

Wellham (Allerton Cons) was beaten comfortably in the 2013 showpiece event but admits nerves got the better of him on the night.

He becomes the first player to defeat Green in the competition since 2008, a period which has seen the Harold Club player dominate the field and earn four consecutive Bradford titles.

With the competition largely dominated by Green and nine-time champion Wayne Cooper over the last 15 years or so, Wellham’s victory provides the chance to go one step better than last year – and opens up the event for any of the quarter-finalists to claim the crown.

Wayne Downey (Undercliffe Cricket Club) will be in the draw after his 4-0 defeat of Paul Jackson (Lilycroft) and he is joined by Anthony Green (Harold Club), Mark Slater (Clayton Libs), Kevin Firth (Undercliffe Cricket), Lewis Walsh (Eccleshill Vics), Howard Mawson (Eccleshill Vics) and either Chris Tolson (Cue Gardens) or Richard Hagerty.

The draw will be made at Undercliffe Cricket Club on Sunday at 6pm for anyone to watch, prior to the Bradford No 1 team travelling to Harrogate for their Yorkshire Inter-District League match.

Bradford No 2 have a top-of-the-table Division Two clash as they travel to face Huddersfield, also on Sunday, while the billiards side travel to Huddersfield as well but the previous day.

Bradford’s involvement in the Yorkshire Snooker Championships ground to a halt with players crashing out in the qualifying stages at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.

Howard Mawson fared best from the district, beating Mike Wilby 3-1 and Martin Lawrence 3-0 before losing 3-1 to Sheffield opponent Will Lemons, who had knocked out defending champion Oliver Lines in the first round.

Gareth Green, the 2010 champion, won his first match 3-2 against James Pearson but fell by the same score in the next to Gavin Godfree.

Anthony Green suffered a similar fate as he won 3-1 against Craig Longbottom before losing to Daniel Womersley 3-0, a score by which the Castleford player had beaten Tony Devanney in round one.

Josh Green lost out in his first match 3-1 to Daniel Bagley. Qualifiers from the day were Jonathon Bagley (Leeds), David Birley (Sheffield), Brett Miller (Barnsley) and Daniel Womersley (Castleford).