Cathy Small Claims Title

Cathy Small of Lake Macquarie is the 2016 NSW State Women’s “Minor” Snooker Champion, hosted over the weekend of 18th-19th June by long-time supporters, Club Toukley RSL.

Cathy has been a keen snooker player for several years now and her perseverance has finally paid off following her stand-out performance in the time-honoured State Minor Championship.

Cathy played very consistently throughout, displaying solid all round skills and was the only player to win every one of her games in the round robin stage. With a convincing 2-0 win in the quarter final against local Joy Perkins and another 2-0 win over newcomer Monica Brettle in the semi, it wasn’t until the final that Cathy even dropped a frame.

Cathy maintained her composure in the final and went on to record a 2-1 win over Lou Lou Siharath of Canberra, in what was a very entertaining match.

Lou Lou was also very deserving of her spot in the final, after qualifying first in her group in the round robin stage. With a 2-1 win in a tough quarter final against a very promising 18 year old Ashleigh Smith (also from Canberra), she then went on to defeat local Kerrie Spindler 2-0 in the semi-final. Overall, an outstanding performance, especially considering this was Lou Lou’s first experience in a ladies tournament.

Highest break of the tournament was shared by Cathy Small and newcomer Kuki Zhan, who both recorded breaks of 23.

Many thanks to Club Toukley RSL, with 2016 marking the 8th consecutive year that the Women’s ‘Minor’ Snooker has been hosted and sponsored by this club.  The club remains a great supporter of our sport at all levels. We are extremely appreciative of the ongoing support and hospitality of the Board of Directors, management, staff and members.

Our gratitude must also go to the Toukley RSL Billiards and Snooker club committee, who were incredibly supportive of all the ladies over the entire weekend.

The Women’s “Minor” Snooker Championship is a traditional stepping stone for women to become more involved in the game at a tournament level. With support and encouragement to try the ‘Minor’ format they soon see it can be a fun experience and not as daunting as first thought. That was certainly the case this year with all players really enjoying themselves, many already talking of coming back for more. The event was also very popular with spectators over the entire weekend, which gave the ladies much encouragement.

With the highest number of entrants seen in this particular event for many years, many of whom had never played in a ladies tournament before, the future of women’s snooker in NSW looks bright. With a dedicated sub-committee and the assistance of current players and supporters, it remains the aim of the BSA NSW to continually seek and encourage increased participation in women’s snooker.       

Carlie Tait

Tournament Organiser