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INTER-COUNTY FINALS 1999

Suffolk Men's A Team with their Trophies

1999 saw the Suffolk Men's A team reach the finals and after an
excellent performance, they eventually came runners-up to Devon.
The team from left to right Darren Mitchell, Phil Dyer, Kevin Byford,
Chris Day, Tony Holgate (captain), Steve Kane, Richard Kear,
Richard Sweny, Dave Pickess, Alan Mower and Sam Bemment.

Suffolk were desperately unlucky to not win the all England National Pool finals in Great Yarmouth. They qualified for Yarmouth after winning the regional league last season. Up against the best seven teams in the country, Suffolk managed to qualify for the grand final.

At the start of the weekend the eight teams were split into two groups.

Group 1: West Yorkshire v South Yorkshire / Devon v Suffolk
Group 2: Kent v Cambridgeshire / Staffordshire v Warwickshire.

Suffolk started with a defeat at the hands of Devon 23-18 and could not afford to lose another match. They then played the loser of the other group game (South Yorkshire) in a straight elimination match. The pressure was on, but Suffolk rose to the occasion and won 23-8.

Next on the agenda was West Yorkshire who had succumbed to Devon. The prize for the winners was a semi-final place.

The atmosphere was like a cauldron with the stakes high. For three hours the match went backwards and forwards with both teams holding, and losing the lead. Tony Holgate, Suffolk’s captain, was on one table with Kevin Byford at the other. With Holgate drawn into a tight tactical battle, up stepped Byford with a nerve-jangling finish to send the Suffolk contingent in to the semi-final against Staffordshire.

Suffolk were the big underdogs as Staffordshire boasted the strongest team in the country having won the national finals more times than any other team. However, Suffolk galloped into a shock lead before Staffordshire fought back to draw level at 17-17.

Suffolk then dug in to lead 22-18 which meant they only required one frame from the last four to pull off one of the biggest shocks in county pool history. Nerves started to show and chances came and went as Staffs brought it back to 22-21 and Byford was called upon once again. You could hear a pin drop as Byford hammered the final nail into Staffordshire’s coffin to seal a place in the 1999 grand final against unbeaten Devon.

Suffolk, having already lost to Devon in the opening match, knew it was going to be tough and needed a good start. That did not happen and with a combination of bad luck and Devon’s clinical finishing they were left trailing 8-3 after the first session. Both teams then began to pick up frames and Devon extended their lead to 22-13. Suffolk staged a late fightback, winning six in a row but it wasn’t enough as Devon, who were starting to feel the pressure, just got over the line winning 23-19.

This was a great achievement for a very young an relatively inexperienced Suffolk Team. Singled out for praise were Tony Holgate and Steve Kane who both won an incredible 16 out of 19 frames. Also Alan Mower with 11, Darren Mitchell with 10 and not forgetting Kevin Byford’s nerves of steel in securing two last frame victories.

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