Darren Kell regains Yorkshire Billiards crown in thrilling final.

Middlesbrough’s Darren Kell defeated reigning champion Jonathan Marwood by just 5 points in yesterday’s Yorkshire Billiards final at the Northern Snooker Centre.

The day had started badly for Marwood, as he lost his first group match 203-258 to Michael Donnelly. However, he managed to fight back with two comfortable wins to top his group on points difference. He was joined in the quarter-finals by group winners Kell, Mark Hirst, Paul Roberts, Ron Bickerdike, Kyle Cunningham, Simon Snee, plus best runner-up Peter Atkinson.

In the quarters, Kell defeated Hirst 248-222, Snee beat Roberts 333-200, Bickerdike overcame Cunningham 218-163, and Marwood beat Atkinson 387-120.

The semis saw Kell victorious over Snee 243-197, while Marwood saw off Bickerdike 285-204.

The 90-minute final was nip and tuck until a 102 break from Marwood on the hour mark saw him take command with an 80-point lead.

With 18 minutes left on the clock, Marwood was still 68 in front but Kell then had a piece of good fortune, fluking a cannon when trying for an in off the red. Kell took full advantage by going on to make a break of 87 which gave him a slender lead with just minutes left. That lead was cut to just 11 with just over a minute left, and with Marwood at the table, the buzzer went with just 5 points separating the players, with the final score being 317-312.

So Kell regained the title he won in 2024, and also took the break prize with an earlier run of 111unf.

Other breaks included-Hirst 50,50, Kell 53, Roberts 55,62,60,Bickerdike 54, Cunningham 56,54,50,51,71, Marwood 97,65, 50,60,70, Chris Appleton 70,92.

Thanks to referees Steve Harrison and Bob Slee, and of course to our sponsors, the Northern Snooker Centre.

Paul Marlow
General Secretary & Tournament Director

Ref Steve Harrison (Left) with Winner Darren Kell

2026 Yorkshire Billiards Champion Darren Kell

Ref Steve Harrison with John Marwood & Darren Kell Ref Bob Slee

John Marwood is the 2025 Yorkshire Billiards Champion

From a field of 29, John Marwood defeated last year’s champion Darren Kell, 344(68,49,48) -248 (53,79) to regain the title he won for the first time in 2017.
With 15 minutes of the final left Marwood was 160 clear. Kell then threatened a dramatic comeback but broke down on 79 and in the end Marwood finished a comfortable winner by almost a hundred points.

Thanks to Steve Harrison for officiating Bob Slee for assisting and of course our sponsors the Northern Snooker Centre.

The Group Stages finished as follows

Group 1
Lee Connor P3 W2 +457
Tom Middleton P3 W2 +68
Kyle Cunningham P3 W2 -118
Simon Coyne P3 W0

Group 2
John Marwood P3 W3
Peter Atkinson P3 W2
Terry Singleton P3 W1
John Bedford P3 W0

Group 3
Ron Bickerdike P2 W1 +58
Chris Jarvis P2 W1 +4
Tony Brown P2 W1 -62

Group 4
Mark Hirst P3 W3
Simon Kippax P3 W2
Steve Nicholson P3 W0 D1 -284
Paul Shore P3 W0 D1 -323

Group 5
Simon Snee P3 W3
Bob Patterson P3 W2
Andy Blamire P3 W1
Robert Ledger P3 W0

Group 6
Johnathan Snee P2 W2
Stephen Kershaw P2 W1
James Waterfall P2 W0

Group 7
Darren Kell P2 W2
Tom Halliday P2 W1
Gerry Garland P2 W0

Group 8
Adam Clarke P3 W3
Richard Bowes P3 W2
Brian Barnett P3 W1
Phil Stocks P3 W0

Breaks
Kyle Cunningham 53
Lee Connor 52,50,63,56,59
Peter Atkinson 83,76,74
John Marwood 60,80,58,85u
Chris Jarvis 64
Mark Hirst 63,64,122,63,
Simon Snee 89,87
Johnathan Snee 52,91,65
Darren Kell 113,50,50
Terry Singleton 56

Quarter Finals
Lee Connor 160 v 279 John Marwood
Ron Bickerdike 102 v 323 Mark Hirst (60,122)
Simon Snee 170 v 334 Johnathan Snee
Darren Kell 235 v 225 Adam Clarke

Semi-Finals
John Marwood 389 v 135 Mark Hirst
Johnathan Snee 238 v 270(57) Darren Kell

Paul Marlow
General Secretary & Tournament Director

Darren Kell (Left) Ref Steve Harrison with John Marwood (Right)

Semi-Final Darren Kell vs Jonathan Snee

Semi-Final Mark Hirst vs John Marwood

Middlesbrough’s Darren Kell triumphs as Billiards returns to YBSA calendar.

A field of 24 players took part in the Yorkshire Billiards Championship which made a return yesterday after a gap of a few years. The field was bolstered by a strong contingent from the Middlesbrough area, a hotbed for Billiards, which until 1996 was classed as “Cleveland” but is now officially part of the “ceremonial” county of North Yorkshire.

Kell sailed through the initial group stage, his 3 victories ending in an impressive plus 938 points tally, including breaks of 51, 104u, 51,99, and the days highest of 122. He was joined in the quarter-finals by group winners Kyle Cunningham (78), Brian Barnett, Mark Hirst (51), Jonathan Marwood (60,76, 57,68) Craig Fitzpatrick (53,63) and best runners-up, Chris Jarvis and Paul Roberts.

The quarter-final results were as follows-

Kyle Cunningham 266 v 199 Brian Barnett
Mark Hirst 330 (54) v 163 Paul Roberts
Darren Kell 282 (84) v 167 Jonathan Marwood
Craig Fitzpatrick 249 v 239 Chris Jarvis

Semi-Finals-

Kyle Cunningham 90 v 376 (79,58,53) Mark Hirst
Craig Fitzpatrick 210 (86) v 239 Darren Kell

So the final was between Darren Kell and the last winner of this event Bradford’s Mark Hirst. Common consensus amongst those watching was that it was too close to call and after Hirst took an early lead the match was fairly even at the halfway stage. With no big breaks it was Kell who gradually pulled clear in the second half of the match and at the “buzzer” he held a 317-239 lead and the title was his.

Many thanks to Steve Harrison for his help with the officiating and general organisation and of course to our sponsors the Northern Snooker Centre.

Paul Marlow
General Secretary & Tournament Director

Finalist M. Hirst (Ref: Harrison) D. Kell

Darren Kell

Mark Hirst

Harrogate Billiards League Jolly boys outing

Kell & Fitzpatrick Semi-Finals

Cunningham & Hirst Semi-Finals

Yorkshire Billiards Championship Update

We have an encouraging 24 entries for this year’s resurrected Yorkshire Billiards Championship which runs alongside the final stages of this year’s Snooker Championship on Sunday 21st April at the Northern Snooker Centre.

The field will be split into 6 groups of 4, with the group winners joining the 2 best-performing runners-up to form the quarter-finalists. Group matches will be 60 minutes, the QF’s and SF’s 75 minutes and the final 90 minutes.

The anticipated timings are as follows-

Doors Open at 09:00. Players are to register by 9:45

10:00-11:00 1st round of group matches.
11:15 -12:15 2nd round of group matches.
12:30-13:30 3rd round of group matches.

13:30-14:30 Break.

14:30-15:45. Quarter Finals.

16:00-17:15 . Semi-Finals

17:30-19:00 Final.

The make-up of the groups is as follows-

Group 1. Tony Brown. Jimmy Gratton. John Bedford. Kyle Cunningham.
Group 2. Brian Barnett. Bob Ledger. Chris Jarvis. Simon Kippax.
Group 3. Mark Hirst. Ron Bickerdike. Andrew Harris. Tom Middleton.
Group 4. Darren Kell. Phil Stocks. Keerath Bhandaal. James Waterfall.
Group 5. Mark Graham. Michael Readman. Richard Bowes. Jonathan Marwood.
Group 6. Paul Shore. Craig Fitzpatrick. Gerard Garland. Paul Roberts.

Groups will be decided on the following criteria.
1. Number of wins
2. Points difference
3. Points scored.

Quarter Finals will be

Winner G1 V Winner G2
Winner G3 V Runner Up qualifier
Winner G4 V Winner G5
Winner G6 V Runner Up qualifier

A reminder that dress code applies. No Jeans, trainers or collarless T-shirts please.

Paul Marlow
General Secretary & Tournament Director

Matthew Peaker Stars as Billiards returns to YBSA.

Players from Leeds, Huddersfield, Bradford, Brighouse, Wakefield and Tadcaster competed in the first YBSA Billiards competition since the pandemic, with Huddersfield’s Matthew Peaker taking the first prize, defeating his father David in the final.

The consolation plate final was won by Bradford’s Chris Jarvis, who beat clubmate John Bedford.

With a number of players competing in a World Billiards event in Carlisle over the weekend, the competition was re-named the “Yorkshire Billiards Challenge”, with a view to arranging a Yorkshire Billiards “Championship” sometime in the new year.

Results-

Gary Rogers 200 v 187 John Bedford
Malcolm Collinson 200 v 175 James Stevenson
Matthew Peaker 200 v 56 Simon Coyne

Quarter-Finals

Gary Rogers 200 v 95 Malcolm Collinson
Matthew Peaker 200 v 33 Robert Collinson
David Peaker 200 v 163 Chris Jarvis
Allan Bottomley 200 v 103 Scott Sigsworth

Semi-Finals

Matthew Peaker 200 v 117 Gary Rogers
David Peaker 200 v 103 Allan Bottomley

Final

Matthew Peaker 200 v 141 David Peaker

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