By Elliott West
Introduction
The National Senior Snooker Championship is the only one to evade a Cork cue-man. Two players in its history have come close, Stanley Murphy who was runner-up to Joe Canny in 1999, and ten years previously, Anthony O’Connor was runner-up to Ken Doherty. This is an honour that Cork wants to cross off their list of victory goals and are desperate for one of their talented players to join this roll of honour.
The Tournament’s History
The first Republic of Ireland National Senior Snooker final was played in 1927 and was won by T H Farey and ever since then, the tournament had got bigger every year with the National Senior Champion now being offered a place in the IBSF World Amateur Championship. It is an event all players want their name on the prestigious trophy to follow all the previous champions that have held this trophy aloft.
In the early years of this tournament, only a few players dominated this championship. The most dominant being Seamus Feening who won it six times in 1933, 1935, 1939, 1949, 1954 and 1955, losing in three additional finals. W. Browne also won the tournament in 1952, 1956 and in 1961. PJ O’Connor also won it three times in 1937, 1942 and 1951 and Jack Rogers won it in 1963, 1964 and lost two finals in 1966 and 1967.
In the modern era of the event, only two players have won it four times with Michael McCrudden winning it in 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2014 and Davy Morris winning it in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2019. Five other players have won if three times like Dessie Sheehan in 1969, 1970 and 1980, Jason Watson in 1991, 1992 and 2002, Vincent Muldoon in 2007, 2008 and 2012, Brendan O’Donoghue in 2003, 2015 and 2017 and TJ Dowling in 1997, 1998 and 2016.
There have also been a number of players who have won it twice, such as Pascal Burke in 1974 and 1976, Eugene Hughes in 1978 and 1979, Gay Burns in 1985 and 1986, Ken Doherty in 1987 and 1989 and Joe Canny in 1996 and 1999.
Kilkenny’s David Morris is the only player in the championship’s history to win it in three consecutive years, winning in 2004, 2005 and 2006. A feat that was rewarded by being presented with the old perpetual cup. Time will tell in the near future whether Aaron Hill can enter this event and lift this elusive title, finally put this chased dream to bed.
