Cork Snooker: Youghal CYMS land Munster title after brilliant showing

YOUGHAL CYMS snooker club are the Munster Snooker Club Champions following a magnificent performance at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney.

The opposition in the final for the Youghal CYMS was the Crucible Club from Cork, who were many people's favourites, for outright glory.

It was always going to be a tight affair as both teams had shown brilliant form in the group stages. 

Youghal announced themselves as leading players for outright glory as they turned over defending champions the New Institute Club from Nenagh in the group stages.

The Youghal team was built around Ross Bulman, who's number one in the Irish Amateur Snooker Rankings, along with Adam Fitzgerald and Aaron Tobin, both of whom have a fantastic CV with plenty of great success at underage level. 

Adam Bulman and Conor Kennedy made up the 5-man team and both enjoyed great weekends.

Ryan Cronin, one of the most talented snooker players in the country, got the Crucible off to a flying start after he beat Adam Bulman by three frames to nil. 

Youghal man Adam Fitzgerald impressed after he beat Noel Landers by three frames to one. Daniel O'Regan took the opening frame against Aaron Tobin, but the Youghal star showed his class when reeling in three straight frames.

At this stage, Youghal just needed one more winning match and when David Cassidy came from behind to beat Youghal man Conor Kennedy by three frames to two, the game was very much in the balance.

On the number one table, Ross Bulman led the Crucible's Greg Casey by two frames to one, but Casey showed his class in the fourth frame to make it all square.

The deciding frame was nip and tuck for most of the way, but Bulman got on top late on. It was the classy pot on the brown that meant Casey needed snookers. 

INCREDIBLE

Youghal won the Munster's for the first and only time back in 2000, so this was a fairy-tale success 23 years on.

Speaking after the win, Youghal Captain Ross Bulman said: "I want to start by thanking the Crucible for a great match, they have five fantastic players. 

"I also want to thank the club, the atmosphere down there the last few weeks has been incredible. We came down with a new team this year, a superb bunch of lads and they have been unreal all weekend, solid out. 

"Our support from Youghal all weekend was fantastic. Up the Youghal boys."

The Youghal side were perfect in the tournament winning all their group games, then a semi-final win over Hawks Nest and a fantastic final victory over a great Crucible side.

In the Munster B Championships, Crucible B went one place better than last year by winning in great style. 

They started as leading favourites for outright glory and they certainly didn't disappoint. 

Crucible snooker player Sean Walsh was a young player that caught the eye over the course of the weekend. 

A previous winner of the U18 European 8-ball pool Championships, Walsh delivered some fantastic performances over the weekend. 

In the singles tournament on Thursday night, he reached the semi-finals before losing to another Crucible man in the shape of Ryan Cronin. 

Cronin himself was in top form throughout the weekend and he was unlucky to lose in the final of the singles decider by three frames to two by Nenagh man Brendan O'Donoghue.