Banks just misses out

3:12pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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ORPINGTON'S June Banks reached the final of the women's snooker world championships for the first time.

The 39-year-old former England international lost 5-2 to Reanne Evans, but was the only player to take a frame off the world number one at Cambridge Snooker Club.

Evans' bid to claim a record fourth straight title looked in doubt as Banks hammered in a long pink to lead 1-0.

And trailing 2-1, the world number two missed the chance to level by gifting 16 points under the foul and a miss rule.

"I didn't make the most of when I was in among the balls," she admitted.

"Against Reanne you can't do that. We do well to take frames off her.

"We're part-time; she plays every day. If we could do that maybe we could get a bit closer to her.

"I'm disappointed obviously not to win it, but very pleased because my form wasn't good coming in to it."

Banks, who pocketed £300, honed her skills during seven years in the valleys of south Wales under the wing of 1979 world champion Terry Griffiths.

She won all five round-robin matches, posting breaks of 44, 44 and 30, and added a 56 in a 4-0 quarter-final win against Tina Owen-Sevilton.

A fine 4-2 victory against Ronnie O'Sullivan's cousin Maria Catalano in the last four took Banks to the final.

Bickley's Katie Henrick saw her hopes of a first world championship title disappear in the quarter-finals with a 4-1 defeat by Catalano, the player she beat at the same stage last year.

"I started to fade towards the end," said the 27-year-old.

"She was potting a few balls and then snookering.

"It made it really hard to get in and score, which is what I've been concentrating on recently, to try and kill frames off a bit quicker."

Her only defeat in the round-robin group stages was against IBSF World Championship semi-finalist Jaique Ip Wan In from Hong Kong.