REANNE Evans returned to winning ways on the women’s snooker circuit after a hard-fought battle with Portsmouth’s Emma Bonney in the UK Championship final.

Two days after her 26th birthday, the seven-time world champion ground out a 3-2 victory from 2-1 down at Woking Snooker Centre.

Evans admitted she was forced to go “back to basics” to overcome six-time world billiards champion Bonney and claim her seventh straight UK title.

“I didn’t play very well at all,” she said. “It went really scrappy.

“Emma potted well. In the decider she went a bit negative and it left me a couple of chances.

“I couldn’t pot a ball so I went back to basics.”

And the world number one, whose record 90-match unbeaten run on the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association (WLBSA) circuit was ended last month by Maria Catalano, declared: “A win is a win!”

Bonney, 35, who had an opportunity at 2-1 to secure the match, defeated eight-time German national champion Natascha Niermann 3-1 in the last-four.

The second semi pitched Evans, no great lover of this season’s open-draw format, against Catalano.

But there was to be no repeat of the shock result at the Northern Championship between the friends from Dudley, West Midlands. Evans ran out a 3-0 winner. 

Evans, never in full flow all day, “didn’t know how” she recorded the top break of 80 against Gaye Jones (Melksham, Wilts) in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Maidstone’s Jenny Poulter won her second Seniors (over-40) title of the season. Former England international Marianne Williams (Smallfield, Surrey) collected the Plate trophy. And Vicky Carter (Hemel Hempstead) triumphed in the Shield (under-40).

World number four Katie Henrick (Bickley, Kent) and former world number six Suzie Opacic (Hampshire) both lost in the last-16 on their return to the circuit.

Making her WLBSA debut was Shaghayegh Sanei, known as Anna, an Iranian international studying at the University of Surrey. Sanei was knocked out in the preliminary round.

RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIM: Marianne Williams beat Shaghayegh Sanei 3-0, Martina Lumsden w/o Jodie Symes.

LAST-16: Natascha Niermann beat Williams 3-0, Jasmine Bolsover w/o Chris Sharpe, Jenny Poulter beat Naomi Clare 3-0, Emma Bonney    beat Katie Henrick 3-0, Reanne Evans beat Jan Hughes 3-0, Gaye Jones beat Maureen Rowland 3-0, Vicky Carter (36) beat Suzie Opacic (32) 3-0, Maria Catalano (30) beat Lumsden 3-1.

QUARTER-FINALS: Niermann beat Bolsover 3-1, Bonney (44) beat Poulter 3-0, Evans (80) beat Jones 3-0, Catalano (32) beat Carter 3-0.

SEMI-FINALS (£35): Bonney (59) beat Niermann 3-1, Evans beat Catalano 3-0.

FINAL (£105/£70): Evans beat Bonney 3-2.

SENIORS (40+)

FINAL: Jenny Poulter beat Maureen Rowland 2-0.

PLATE

QUARTER-FINALS: Jan Hughes beat Suzie Opacic 2-1, Shaghayegh Sanei beat Naomi Clare 2-0, Martina Lumsden beat Maureen Rowland 2-0, Marianne Williams bye.

SEMI-FINALS: Hughes beat Sanei 2-0, Williams beat Lumsden 2-1.

FINAL (£15/£10): Williams beat Hughes 2-0.

SHIELD (UNDER-40)

SEMI-FINALS: Vicky Carter beat Naomi Clare 1-0, Suzie Opacic beat Jasmine Bolsover 1-0.

FINAL: Carter beat Opacic 2-0.

2011 UK CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES

Reanne Evans (Dudley, West Mids)
Maria Catalano (Dudley, West Mids)
Emma Bonney (Portsmouth)
Katie Henrick (Bickley, Kent)
Jenny Poulter (Maidstone)
Suzie Opacic (Brambridge, Hampshire)
Marianne Williams (Smallfield, Surrey)
Gaye Jones (Melksham, Wilts)
Natascha Niermann (Cambridge)
Naomi Clare (Ripley, Derbys)
Maureen Rowland (Wallsend, Tyne & Wear)
Jan Hughes (St Neots, Cambs)
Vicky Carter (Hemel Hempstead)
Martina Lumsden (Eastbourne)
Jasmine Bolsover (Woking)
Shaghayegh (Anna) Sanei (Iran)

NEXT WLBSA TOURNAMENT

East Anglian Championship
(Sponsored by Pot Black Sports Bar)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Pot Black Sports Bar
Eastgate Street
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 1YQ
Tel: 01284 704231