Wests Illawarra Women's Snooker a Huge Success

Congratulations to Jessica Woods on winning the Wests Illawarra Snooker Championship on the weekend, defeating Theresa Whitten 3-0. Jess was the standout all weekend, not dropping a frame through the entire event, and claiming the high break prize with a 40 break. Theresa was also in great form, winning all of her round robin games and progressing though the quarters and semis without losing a frame. Semi-finalists Di Merritt and Alice Wu deserve congratulations for their efforts, making their first semi of a national ranking event. More good things still to come for these ladies, I’m sure.

But this weekend wasn’t just about a tournament! Thanks to funding from NSW Government, as well as support from our venue & sponsor Wests Illawarra, this event was all about developing Women’s snooker.

Almost 2 years in the making and with last year’s plans dashed thanks to Covid, 16 women from around Australia finally arrived in Unanderra on Friday morning for a jam-packed weekend. And we couldn’t have asked for a better venue! Wests Illawarra have an exceptional snooker room with 6 tables, great food & drink and warm & friendly staff. A very big thank you to the Board, management & staff for their support and hospitality.

We began with a half day seminar consisting of a wonderful array of inspirational and educational sessions. ABSC President, Frank Dewens was our MC for the afternoon, getting things underway with a warm welcome. Coach Paul Thomerson shared his extensive knowledge, providing the ladies with plenty of helpful advice to hone their skills. The inspirational John Hudson shared his story with us, which was both moving and motivating. NSW Director of Referees, Gary Knight treated us to a very interesting history of snooker, explained the role of referees, and clarified some of the often misunderstood rules of the game. Performance Psychologist, Karen Haddad then provided us a stack of helpful tools to dispel negative thoughts, prepare for competition and debrief when it’s all over.

On Saturday we handed the reins to experienced Tournament Director, Steve Cowie ESM, who kept the tournament running like a well-oiled machine. Round robin games were completed on Saturday, then knock out games on Sunday, where we saw Jess & Theresa battle it out in the final, which was also live streamed thanks to Steve Fabian.

NSW Director of Coaching, Greg Jenkins and experienced Victorian coach George Spiteri were also on hand all day for individual coaching sessions for any ladies that had been knocked out of the main event. This proved very popular with many of the women making the most of the opportunity.

George Spiteri was also our official event photographer, capturing all of the action in his fantastic photos.

Many thanks to Gary Knight and his team of referees for their hard work all weekend. Thank you Gary, Frank, Gareth, Joe, Phil, Neil, Glen, Trevor, Dirk & Rhonda.

Special thanks also to the Wests Illawarra Snooker Club committee, for keeping the tables in great shape for us all weekend, and for their hospitality.

But most of all, thank you to all the women that participated and made it such a success. It was encouraging to see you all so engaged with the activities, and just embracing the whole event. A wonderful group of women supporting one another, old friends & new friends, making great memories - and having an absolute ball in the process! Great to see so many familiar faces, as well as new ones. Thank you all for being a part of it.

Snooker and Billiards NSW is extremely proud to have put such an extraordinary event together that will hopefully inspire all women in Australian snooker & billiards to stay involved and keep striving for bigger & better things.

Carlie Tait
Tournament Organiser