28 January, 2017
Ellen Ryan from New South Wales in Australia, and a member of the prestigious Cabramatta club in Sydney, claimed the WBT World Under25 singles title at Potters tonight. The accomplished 19 year old, the only female in the Championship, has already an enviable CV, having secured Youth Commonmweath Games gold and silver medals from Samoa, won the World Outdoor Under 25 singles and mixed pairs at Broadbead on the Queensland Gold Coast last year and is also an Australian Open singles champion.
After her 10-1, 4-7, 2-1 semi-final victory against full Scottish International Jason Banks from the Garioch Club in Inverurie in the North of Scotland she went head to head with Weymouth’s Martin Puckett from the Moonfleet 2000 club, with the Doreset player also a full international cap for England.
Earlier in the day he had taken the scalp of defending champion Joe Mower, a Welsh international who now lives in the East Lothian hamlet of Haddington, 9-4, 6-5.
In the title decider Ryan and Puckett traded blows over the first nine of the eleven end set, with Puckett taking a narrow 7-6 lead but she produced a grandstand finish of a treble and singles to take first blood 10-7.
The second set continued in a similar pattern with Ryan scoring on five of the opening seven ends to lead 6-3. However this time it was Puckett who hit a purple patch as he reeled off a 2, 1, 3 and 1 to wrap up the set 10-6 and force a best of three end tie break. Puckett took the opening end but Ryan remained steadfast as she took the next two for the title.
Afterwards Ryan said, ” It was a great match and I had to play some difficult shots but I just loved it out there. Not sure how I am going to get the trophy home because it weighs so much but I am just over the moon to have won the event and title”.
Ryan was supported at Potters by Aussie legend Karen Murphy, who retained the quadrennial world outdoor singles title in Christchurch last month. Murphy was in the ‘Just.’ Women’s world matchplay championships at the same Potters venue but was pipped 2-1 in a tie break in the quarter finals. Previously she held that title in 2012.