The Gordon Lewis Memorial Scratch Billiards Championship 2016-17
Finalists Daniel Zagaroli and Terry Azor. Played at Chandlers Ford Central Thursday 18 May 2017
Final
Zagaroli makes it a family evening to remember!
Chandlers Ford Central’s Daniel Zagaroli retained his Southampton Billiards League Gordon Lewis Memorial Billiards Championship title in emphatic style, as he beat his fellow teammate Terry Azor in the final played at Chandlers Ford Central. And it was made all the more memorable as he had members of his family there to spur him on against his long-time friend.
In the two by one hour format match, Zagaroli cued-off in style as he made breaks of 49 (missing a relatively easy pot red off the top spot) and a 37 to lead by 119 to 38. Azor hit back with a 47 break to narrow the gap, but Zagaroli nudged ahead by 153 to 89. Azor then made runs of 28 and 30 to trail by only 28 points.
However Zagaroli showed why he was the form player of the 2016-2017 league season, as he made breaks of 28 and a fine 58 – only to have a ‘kick’ on his cue-ball as he played an in-off red off the top spot, to lead by 269 to 154 at the hour buzzer.
Azor rallied in the second hour by making breaks of 25 and 23, but Zagaroli constructed a sublime 79 break, filled with unnervingly accurate positional play from pot reds off the top spot, to the middle spot, and back to the top spot, mixed with some fine in-offs, to lead by 400 to 190.
A 27 break, a 50, 21, 26 and 22 pushed Zagaroli to 548 to 248 with 15 minutes to go for an unassailable lead. Azor constructed a textbook 27 at the top-of-the-table, but the two-hour buzzer sounded to give Zagaroli the title by 641 points to 292.
Daniel Zagaroli 331 v Terry Azor 263
SDBSA Chairman Peter Green congratulates Daniel Zagaroli
Paul Adams shows his own appreciation to our worthy champion!
Daniel's teammate Trevor Thorn (on the right) refereed the final impeccably
Spectators were treated to a fine display of all round play from both finalists. The only thing missing was a century or two!
Semi Finals
Daniel Zagaroli beats John Mullane and Terry Azor overcomes Mick Kunzi
Reigning Southampton Senior Billiards Champion Daniel Zagaroli (Chandlers Ford Central) made it to another finals evening, as he made a wonderful 101 break that helped beat multiple winner and teammate John Mullane, in the two by three quarters of an hour match, played at Totton Rec.
At the halfway buzzer, the scores were beautifully balanced at 193-193 with both players only making one 30 break each – but with Zagaroli on a break of 19. He developed this into a masterful 101 – his sixth century of a remarkably consistent season, to lead by 294 to 193. At the 20 minutes to go mark, he led by only 355 to 314, thanks to Mullane's 47 break and three in the teens. In the last 10 minutes Zagaroli made a 24, 23 and an unfinished 17 to pip the English Amateur semi-finalist by 464 to 399.
In the other semi, Chandlers Ford Central's Terry Azor was paired against Totton's Mick Kunzi. Initially both players struggled to find the fluency of the other players on table one. But Azor made a fine 65 and a 26, and Kunzi kept in touch with three in the teens, only to see Azor pull away at the halfway point to lead by 165 to 75.
At the resumption, Azor made a 43 break to lead by 208 to 73, but Kunzi found his aim and made runs of 18 and 37 to trail by 277 to 201 with 10 minutes to go. Azor then made an 18 break to eventually win by 319 to 229.
Quarter-final preliminary result
Paul Lawrence 220 V Terry Azor 300
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