James Mifsud Pots The Black Again

James Mifsud from Victoria has continued his incredible form for 2011 by taking out the title for the 2011 Pot Black Open after a convincing win over local player Roger Farebrother. 

The Pot Black Open Snooker was played over the weekend of the 24th and 25th of September at Blacktown Workers Club, NSW.

James has had an incredible year to date after winning 4 of the last 5 national ranking snooker events. These have included the Fred Osbourne, City of Melbourne, South Pacific and now the Pot Black. James is now positioned very strong to win the Australian Open Snooker in October at Mounties. 

On his way to winning this years title, James defeated Brett Watson, Alex Render, Ben Judge, Joe Minici and Roger Farebrother. The final match was enjoyed by numerous spectators at the Blacktown Workers Club. Although the final was fast paced and usual high standard, it was evident that both players were getting tired after a long day of Snooker. Roger Farebrother commented after the final that he simply had run out of puff and James was just too good for him. 

The semi finalists were Joe Minici (NSW) and Rudy Sulaeman (VIC). The match between Joe and James was very close and could have gone either way in the last frame. Both players had a number of chances but it was James that scraped through in the end. The highest break of the tournament was 101 which went to Steve Mifsud.

There were several upsets in the main draw of the tournament! The first to note was Terry Emmett's excellent win over Victorian Aaron Mahoney. Terry won that match 3-2 earning him a spot in the last 16. The other notable performance was by Hassan Kerde who defeated Frank Karaberas 3-1 and then Steve Mifsud 3-2 after trailing 2-0. Hassan was defeated in the quarter finals by Joe Minici.

A consolation plate was also held on the Sunday. 9 players contested and the winner was Chris Calabrese who defeated Steven Donohue from Victoria. The highest break of 95 went to Alan McCarthy. 

On behalf of the ABSC and the NSW Billiards and Snooker Association, I would like to thank the major sponsor Pot Black and the venue sponsor Blacktown Workers. The financial contribution that these two organisations make is what makes these kinds of events possible. The Pot Black Open has been hosted at Blacktown for 2 years in a row now. With the original plans for this event, it is likely that the tournament will go to another State in 2012.

I would also like to thank David Battensby and his Snooker Club members who helped out all weekend. And to Stuart Tait and all other official referees and volunteer referees who assisted throughout the weekend. 

Alex Render
BSA NSW Vice President
& Tournament Director

Final - James Mifsud 4 def Roger Farebrother 2

Semi - James Mifsud 3 def Joe Minici 2
Semi - Roger Farebrother 3 def Rudy Sulaeman 0

Quarter - Rudy Sulaeman 3 def Vinnie Calabrese 0
Quarter - Roger Farebrother 3 def Paul Thomerson 0
Quarter - James Mifsud 3 def Ben Judge 0
Quarter - Joe Minici 3 def Hassan Kerde 0

Last 16 - Vinnie Calabrese 3 def Michael Sharp 1
Last 16 - Rudy Sulaeman 3 def Paul Balzer 0
Last 16 - Roger Farebrother 3 def Terry Emmett 0
Last 16 - Paul Thomerson 3 def Glen Wilkinson 0
Last 16 - James Mifsud 3 def Alex Render 0
Last 16 - Ben Judge 3 def Shawn Budd 2
Last 16 - Joe Minici 3 def Robby Foldvari 1
Last 16 - Hassan Kerde 3 def Steve Mifsud 2

High Breaks

Steve Mifsud - 101, 53, 50
Hassan Kerde - 98, 60, 51, 49
Roger Farebrother - 96, 78, 71, 59, 58, 48, 47
Aaron Mahoney - 94
Rudy Sulaeman - 91, 60, 55, 46, 45
James Mifsud - 84, 74, 50, 50, 48, 47
Ben Judge - 84
Vinnie Calabrese - 75, 59, 41, 40
Joe Minici - 62, 56
Nick Vasic - 56, 48
Brett Watson - 51
Glen Wilkinson - 46
Shawn Budd - 45
Luke Hough - 42
Craig Turner - 40