Report – Favourites England win Four Nations home tournament; Austria Scores 13 Points

The Austrian national Billiards team, consisting of team captain Patrick Stegmeier, Thomas Janzso, Christian Pleschko, Martin Schmidt, Carl Walter Steiner and Josef Elias Wimmer secured 13 points at the Landywood Snooker Club near Birmingham.

N. Mann, M. Hirst, C. Taylor, R. Hall, D. Kell, C. Mitchell, D, Manders, T. Azor;
© EABA/chrisachilles

England, led by team captain and vice world champion Rob Hall, celebrated another solid victory at the traditional Four Nations Billiards International, scoring 55 points on home soil. Northern Ireland (40 points) secured second place with strong results in the final session of the second day, while Ireland came in third with 36 points.

J. Wimmer, C. Pleschko, CW Steiner, P. Stegmeier, M. Schmidt, T. Janzso;
© yvonnebernöcker

Detailed results for the Austrian national team:

Session 1:
Thomas Janzso – Chris Taylor (ENG) 0:2
Christian Pleschko – Rob Hall (ENG) 0:2
Patrick Stegmeier – John Kehoe (IRL) 1:1
Martin Schmidt – Anthony O’Flaherty (IRL) 0:2
Carl Walter Steiner – Terry Azor (ENG) 0:2
Josef Elias Wimmer – Larry Drennan (IRL) 0:2

Session 2:
Thomas Janzso – Dom Halligan (NIR) 2:0
Patrick Stegmeier – Christian Kirk (NIR) 0:2
Martin Schmidt – Alistair McDonald (NIR) 0:2

Session 3:
Christian Pleschko – Chris Johnston (NIR) 1:1
Carl Walter Steiner – Kenny Campbell (NIR) 0:2
Josef Elias Wimmer – Paul Lindsay (NIR) 0:2

Session 4:
Thomas Janzso – Lloyd Meyers (IRL) 0:2
Christian Pleschko – Jason Dowling (IRL) 0:2
Patrick Stegmeier – Nathan Mann (ENG) 0:2
Martin Schmidt – Mark Hirst (ENG) 0:2
Carl Walter Steiner – Aiden Murray (IRL) 0:2
Josef Elias Wimmer – Dean Manders (ENG) 0:2

Session 5:
Thomas Janzso – Jason Dowling (IRL) 0:2
Christian Pleschko – John Kehoe (IRL) 1:1
Patrick Stegmeier – Chris Mitchell (ENG) 1:1
Martin Schmidt – Dean Manders (ENG) 2:0
Carl Walter Steiner – Anthony O’Flaherty (IRL) 0:2
Josef Elias Wimmer – Terry Azor (ENG) 1:1

Session 6:
Christian Pleschko – Kenny Campbell (NIR) 0:2
Martin Schmidt – Chris Johnston (NIR) 2:0
Josef Elias Wimmer – Alistair McDonald (NIR) 0:2

Session 7:
Thomas Janzso – Paul Lindsay (NIR) 0:2
Patrick Stegmeier – Dom Halligan (NIR) 0:2
Carl Walter Steiner – Christian Kirk (NIR) 0:2

Session 8:
Thomas Janzso – Nathan Mann (ENG) 0:2
Christian Pleschko – Chris Taylor (ENG) 0:2
Patrick Stegmeier – Lloyd Myers (IRL) 0:2
Martin Schmidt – Larry Drennan (IRL) 1:1
Carl Walter Steiner – Darren Kell (ENG) 1:1
Josef Elias Wimmer – Aiden Murray (IRL) 0:2

The outstanding organization and hospitality of the English Amateur Billiards Association (EABA), represented by its president Gary Norman, deserve special mention, along with the excellent playing conditions at the Landywood Snooker Club. Special thanks go to Paul Lloyd and his friendly team, who ensured that players from all nations felt warmly welcomed throughout the event.

The tournament, in its 25th edition, was once again directed by the legendary English tournament director Clive Scott, who, at the age of 82, ensured smooth proceedings. He was honored by EABA President Gary Norman for his many years of dedicated service.