This year’s Cumbria County Snooker Singles Championship saw 33 players play for four semi-final places at Carlisle’s Porland Snooker Club this week, with Whitehaven’s Rob Sim, Barrow’s Matty Hill, Workington’s Kevin Basnett and Carlisle’s Giles Finnegan all qualifying.

The first round delivered some fine performances and none more than Hill’s win over fellow Barrow cueist Graeme Edwards. Breaks of 61 and a qualifying day’s best of 93 saw Hill in superb form as he moved through into the last 16 with a 4-3 win.

Carlisle’s Mally Lancaster was the round’s other top break-maker as he produced contributions of 51 and 78 to defeat last year’s finalist Richard McCarthy, from Egremont, 4-2.

Round Two saw five-time champion Sim come into his own as a break of 80 enabled the Whitehaven cueist to win 4-0 over Barrow’s Alan Eaton. This, however, wasn’t the round’s most impressive performance as Carlisle’s Lancaster took out the six-time and current champion 4-3 in the form of Penrith’s John Airey with a break of 82 to boot.

The quarter-final stage proved to be one game too far for Carlisle’s Lancaster as two gruelling matches took its toll in a 4-1 defeat by two-time champion Basnett (68 break).

Whitehaven’s Sim maintained his form from the previous round as a break of 81 enabled him to defeat Barrow’s Martin McDonald 4-1.

Hill came up an inspired Paul Mostyn in the last eight and, even though the Maryport cueist put up a spirited fight, it was Hill who moved through to the last four with a 4-1 victory.

In the last of the qualifying matches, Carlisle’s Finnegan moved quietly through to the semis on the back of a 4-3 win over Barrow’s Tony Mason.

Results

Preliminary Round

G Finnegan (Carlisle) 4-3 S Ayre (Workington)

First Round

G Finnegan (Carlisle) 4-3 D McDonald (Barrow-in-Furness)

M Lancaster (Carlisle) 4-2 R McCarthy (Egremont)

P Mostyn (Maryport) 4-2 M Park (Maryport)

J Airey (Penrith) 4-0 S Garroway (Workington)

M Tunstall 4-1 A Cook (Barrow-in-Furness)

R Woods (Carlisle) 4-0 A Stoton (Barrow-in-Furness)

T Mason (Barrow-in-Furness) 4-2 M Dawson (Workington)

R Sim (Whitehaven) 4-1 S O’Hagan (Workington)

K Kirkham (Flimby) 4-3 P Wright (Carlisle)

K Basnett (Workington) 4-1 T Millington (Barrow-in-Furness)

M McDonald (Barrow-in-Furness) 4-2 M Tatton (Workington)

M Hill (Barrow-in-Furness) 4-3 G Edwards (Barrow-in-Furness)

A Eaton (Barrow-in-Furness) 4-2 R Postlethwaite (Barrow-in-Furness)

P O’Hagan (Workington) 4-1 R Ismay (Maryport)

G Southern (Carlisle) 4-3 C Stuart (Maryport)

R Barker (Maryport) 4-1 I Cleminson (Carlisle)

Second Round

Mason 4-1 Tunstall

M McDonald 4-2 P O’Hagan

Lancaster 4-3 Airey

Sim 4-0 Barker

Mostyn 4-1 Kirkham

Finnegan 4-3 Woods

Basnett 4-0 Eaton

Hill 4-2 Southern

Quarter-Final

Sim 4-1 M McDonald

Hill 4-1 Mostyn

Basnett 4-1 Lancaster

Finnegan 4-3 Mason

Semi-Final Qualifers

Sim (Whitehaven), Hill (Barrow-in-Furness), Basnett (Workington) & Finnegan (Carlisle)