Finn: a mere shadow of his former self

After his 4-2 victory over Billy Castle at Bitterne Conservative Club, Finn revealed a fitness regime has resulted in a loss of 21lbs.

“I feel good for it,” he said. “I can concentrate for longer.

“It paid off tonight because I kept my head. Nine times out of ten I lose my head if things go wrong. But I didn’t. I pounced when he made a wrong decision or he left a ball up. I potted them and I’ve made half-centuries.”

Finn chalked up four 50-plus breaks and Castle made the first century ever scored in a Town final. The six frames were over in just 77 minutes.

Watching was Jeff James, the 1988 champion, who described the Churchills pair as “tremendous young players”. And he added: “The standard was just amazing tonight, especially Billy’s 115 clearance.”

Castle’s break came at 3-1 down after the mid-session interval.

Finn said: “When Billy’s got his back against the wall, I knew exactly what was going to happen because I practise with him so much.”

And he added: “Snooker’s progressed around here. In ten years time, it’s going to be ridiculous. You’ve got 14 and 15-year-olds doing all sorts of stuff on the table.”

Meanwhile, 13-time Town Champion Chris Holland was celebrating winning the poker individual title.

“I’ve played poker ever since I played snooker,” said the 70-year-old. “I used to be very lucky.”

“They’ve always called me a lucky snooker player because I always get flukes. If they go round the table far enough they find a pocket.”

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here