Annette Newman recently received the Carlow Sports Star Award by the Carlow Nationalist Newspaper and sponsored by Carlow Sports Partnership in recognition of her success and dedication to both snooker and billiards over 40 years.
Annette Newman receives the Billiards award from Davy Fitzgerald and sponsor Deborah Foley (Carlow Sports Partnership)
Annette has become the outstanding Irish woman in the sports of snooker and billiards. She started playing pool in the 1970’s and moved to snooker in the early 80’s. The first National snooker Championship under the Republic of Ireland Ladies Snooker Association (RILSA) in 1986 after it was formed, Annette reached the final and was unlucky not to win on that occasion, just losing out on a black ball in the final frame to Martina Wendell.
During the 1980’s and 90,’ she reached many semi finals on the ladies snooker tour but her first win was the East Coast Ladies Classic Ranking event at the Westbury Club Malahide in Dublin, since then she has won a total of 25 ranking events and reached many finals.
She won her first National Snooker Championship title in 2015 and again in 2019. During the 2019-2020 season Annette won all the major championship snooker and billiard events in the one season.
The National Snooker rankings over the past 9 seasons, she has been number 1 on 7 occasions and only dropped to number 2 on two occasions. On the National Billiards Tour, she has remained number 1 since its inauguration in 2015, an amazing achievement for the Carlow woman.
She has set the record for Irish Number 1 in Ireland for six consecutive seasons in a row
On the International Tour, Annette reached the final of the 2017 International Irish Snooker Open Championship and again in 2019 reached the final, she also went on to beat Laura Alves from Brazil in the final of the International Irish Open Billiards Championship in 2019
In Billiards, Annette won the Inaugural National Amateur Billiards Championship in 2015 and has retained this title ever since. On the National Billiards Ranking Tour, Annette has won 36 out of the 39 events played to date. Annette has won 3 out of the 4 National Billiards 100 Up Championships and won the Inaugural National Billiards League in 2021 and retained the title in 2022
On the World Women’s Billiards Tour, Annette reached the final of the Irish Women’s Billiards Open in 2021 just to lose out to the 2019 World Champion, Anna Lynch from Australia and again reached the final of the Irish Billiards Masters that year to again play the former World Champion Anna Lynch, this time Annette was ahead in the final 10 minutes on the clock but Anna got in a made a small break to just pip Annette on the alarm.
She reached the semi finals of the European Open Billiards in Leeds UK in 2022 finishing off the season on tour as World number 3 ranked player, this is the highest ever ranking for a female Irish cue sports player.
Annette is now Ireland’s most successful cue sports player. She also became the first female to become a National Snooker Coach back in 2005 and has just recently achieved her grade 3 refereeing certificate in both snooker and billiards and is the current RILSA President.
It’s only fitting that Annette is receiving this award after 40+ years of dedication to female cue sports as we celebrate 60 years of female cue sports here in Ireland
Thanks to Ger McNally of the Carlow Nationalist Newspaper for all his support and Carlow Sports Partnership for kindly sponsoring Annette for this prestigious award.
Annette wishes to thank all the ladies on both the snooker and billiards tour for their support and participation over the many years and to Dan and Aidan our coaches for their help and support. Thanks to everyone who supported her on the night of the awards
