Buderim’s successful billiards side was recognised at the club’s annual dinner for its wonderful achievement of reaching the final of the Brisbane competition. The team of Graham Baker, David Armstrong, Peter Warwick and Peter Gilks, which has been supported by Bunnings, had a month of late nights in November as they completed the round-robin stages of the tournament before embarking on a gruelling finals campaign.
After finishing fourth in the regular rounds, the players won two semi-finals in a week against more highly-fancied outfits to set up the grand final date. They were unable to continue their successful form in the decider, but there was no shame in losing to a team including Danik Lucas, the Oceania champion.
The four players were applauded for their achievement during the Buderim Billiards and Snooker Club’s annual dinner at the Mooloolaba Bowls Club on Monday (Nov 26), which also involved handing out a year’s worth of trophies. Warwick was the A-grade champion in snooker while Baker was successful in the individual billiards tournament.
It has been a busy year for the club and the members were also able to celebrate receiving an early Christmas present of $10,900 from the Queensland Government’s Gambling Commission Community Benefit Fund. The grant allowed the club to completely restore its two tables, which are 100 years old, and the players are preparing to get a lot of use out of them in the new year.
“We thank the Queensland Government for its contribution to the club as it continues to grow,” club president Brian Bowser said. “The tables are in excellent shape and we welcome new and old members to come and play on them.”