New Institute trio make Snooker impact in Europe

By Laura Walsh

New Institute Snooker Club has every reason to be proud after three of its members produced outstanding performances on the international stage at the European Amateur Snooker Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Mark Walsh & Brendan O’Donoghue competed in the Senior (over-40) event, while Paudie Kelly represented Ireland in the Super Seniors (over-55) category. Between them, the New Institute trio produced a remarkable series of performances, with Brendan & Paudie both returning home with European Championship bronze medals.

Mark Walsh made an exceptional start to his seniors’ campaign, winning all nine frames available to him in the group stages. He opened with a convincing 3-0 victory over Jean-Marc Beauchamp of France before defeating Finland’s Tero Nappari by the same scoreline. Mark produced some excellent snooker in that match, compiling breaks of 55 and 85. He then completed a perfect group campaign with another 3-0 victory, this time over Sails Pajarskas of Lithuania, adding a break of 74.

The three victories meant that Walsh was one of only two players to win all nine frames from nine in the group stage. His outstanding record saw him finish as the number 2 seed going into the knockout stage and a place in the last 16.

Here, Walsh continued his impressive run with a 4-1 victory over Tom Zimmerman of Switzerland, booking his place in the quarter-finals. There he faced Malta’s Philip Ciantar in a tough encounter. Walsh's excellent run eventually came to an end with a 4-1 defeat, but reaching the quarter-finals of the European Seniors Championship was an outstanding achievement.

Brendan O’Donoghue was equally impressive throughout the Seniors competition, going all the way to the semi-finals.

He topped his qualifying group following victories over Tim Van Goubergen of Belgium, 3-1, Radu Vilau of Romania, 3-0, and Gunter Kulle of Austria, also 3-0. There were some excellent breaks along the way, including 54 & 44 against Vilau and 40 & 56 in his match against Kulle. His three group victories saw Brendan finish top of his group and earn the number 4 seed for the knockout stages.

His last-32 match produced an interesting all-Ireland clash, up against Shane Gorman. O’Donoghue came through the encounter in convincing fashion, recording a 3-0 victory, including a break of 59. The last 16 saw Brendan take on Finland’s Jani Kananen, where he continued his fine form with another emphatic performance, winning 4-0 and recording a break of 63.

In the quarter-final, Brendan faced France’s Jean-Marc Beauchamp and produced another superb performance, winning 4-0 with breaks of 43 & 57 to book his place in the last four. The semi-final proved to be a tough battle against Belgium’s Kevin Hanssens. Brendan fought hard but eventually lost the match 4-1. Hanssens went on to win the event.

There was, however, plenty of consolation as Brendan's run to the semi-final earned him a European Championship bronze medal.

Paudie Kelly’s achievement was particularly significant, as this was his first-ever European Championships representing Ireland. Paudie was also competing in a new category in European Championship history, with Sofia hosting the first-ever Super Seniors competition for players aged over 55.

Kelly began his campaign by defeating Peter Winkler of Hungary 3-0 before recording another 3-0 victory over Bulgaria’s Boris Lazarkov. He ended the group stage with a narrow 3-2 defeat to Rene Hemelsoet of Belgium. Those results were enough to see Paudie progress to the knockout stages as the number 12 seed.

His last-16 encounter against England’s Nick Pearce was a dramatic affair. Kelly showed great determination to come through a close contest 4-3, recording a break of 50 in the process. He followed that with another excellent performance in the quarter-final, defeating England’s Chris Cooke 4-1 to secure his place in the semi-finals.

Standing between Paudie and a place in the final was one of the most recognisable names in the sport, Wales’s Darren Morgan. Kelly battled hard against the highly experienced Welshman and produced a break of 57 in the match but Morgan eventually prevailed 4-2. Morgan subsequently went on to win the Super Seniors title. It was a particularly significant victory for the Welshman, who claimed his 28th title.

Despite the semi-final defeat, Paudie can look back on a hugely successful championship. His run to the last four of the inaugural Super Seniors event earned him a bronze medal in his first appearance representing Ireland at a European Championship.

The performances of Walsh, O’Donoghue and Kelly represent a remarkable achievement for New Institute Snooker Club. To have three members of one club competing at a European Championship is an achievement in itself. For all three to progress deep into their respective competitions is something the club can be immensely proud of.

Brendan and Paudie both returning to Nenagh with European bronze medals, while Mark also reached the last eight of the Seniors competition, highlights the quality of players coming from the New Institute. Their performances in Sofia have put the club firmly on the European snooker map and provide a great reward for the dedication, hard work and commitment that goes into competing at this level.

There is little time for the trio to rest on their individual achievements, with the European Team Championships having commenced and run through to September 16th.

Mark Walsh & Brendan O’Donoghue will join forces and compete together as a team in the Seniors competition, while Paudie Kelly will line out alongside Brendan Thomas of Roadstone Snooker Club, Dublin in the Super Seniors team event.

After such impressive individual campaigns, there will be plenty of interest back home in Nenagh as the three New Institute players turn their attention to the team championships this week, and look to add further success to what has already been a memorable European Championship campaign for the club.