WAGGA mother Jayne Taylor has created sporting history by sharing a major snooker triumph in the city.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Taylor and playing partner Terry Storch teamed for Saints to beat brothers Coby and Dayne Cranmer (Allstars) in the Wagga snooker pennant grand final at Wagga RSL Club on Tuesday night.
In a cliffhanger decider, Taylor and Storch toppled the Cranmer siblings three matches to two to etch their names in Wagga snooker folklore.
Wagga snooker supremo Jerry Pearce yesterday described Taylor’s victory as a rare, if not, unique occurrence.
“I can’t remember in the 40 years I’ve been associated with Wagga snooker that a woman has even been in a grand final,” Pearce said yesterday.
“It’s a great achievement.”
Given the glowing endorsement from Pearce, Taylor yesterday was thrilled to have eclipsed the coveted title in tandem with Storch.
“It was so good,” she laughed.
“I played really well.
“I got beaten in my first game, but came back to win my second game.
“My partner (Storch) and I than won the doubles.”
For Taylor, playing snooker and pool was in the blood.
“My father played competition snooker and my two brothers played,” she recalled yesterday.
“I started playing when I was 17.
“My father and I used to play.
“I played pool for a long time before I got into snooker.”
Taylor said snooker was a “great sport” which was often not considered my females.
“I wish more women played,” she said.
“I think my daughter is the only other woman (playing in Wagga).”
Recalling Tuesday night’s finale, Taylor said the pressure had been on Storch in the fourth match to keep alive the chances of their team.
“He (Storch) won it (fourth match) on a double black,” she said.
“It was a great match.”
In a grandstand finish, the Cranmer boys won the first two matches before Saints rebounded to capture the last three matches in the best-of-five series.
In the fourth match, Storch was 18 points ahead before Coby Cranmer potted the blue, pink and black balls – the last three on the table – to tie the result.
With the score levels, the black ball was re-spotted to decide the outcome.
Amid the tension, Cranmer had a shot at victory, but Storch nailed the black ball to square at two matches apiece.
Playing for the title in the fifth match, Taylor and Storch ousted the Cranmers 58-38.
