02/09/2026
LONG POST WARNING – but this one deserves it!
Now that we’ve had a couple of days to rest, recover and reflect on what was an absolutely massive four days, it’s finally time for the WBSN $20,000 Women’s Snooker Tournament wrap-up.
And what a tournament it was!
To say it was a success would be an understatement. The feedback we have received from players, officials, spectators and supporters has been overwhelmingly positive, and we couldn’t be prouder of what was achieved.
Of course, there was some fantastic snooker played, but what stood out just as much was the atmosphere throughout the entire event. The camaraderie, sportsmanship, laughter and genuine support for one another made it something very special.
There were fierce battles on the tables, plenty of laughs away from them, new friendships made and old friendships strengthened.
It was everything we hoped this tournament could be.
Congratulations to Jessica Woods, our inaugural champion, who produced a convincing performance in the Grand Final to defeat Caroline RaCity Zappia and take home the $10,000 first prize.
Caroline certainly earned her place in that final. Her quarter-final against Margaret Gorski was an absolute epic – 5½ hours of snooker that went right down to the final ball. It was one of those matches where neither player deserved to lose. Caroline then backed it up with another terrific performance against an in-form Carlie Tait, winning their semi-final 3–1.
In the other half of the draw, Julie Watson faced New Zealand potting machine Kimberley Cullen in the quarter-final. Knowing that a potting contest probably wasn't the smartest option, Julie drew on her billiards experience and turned it into a tactical battle, coming away with a 3–1 win.
That set up a semi-final against Jessica Woods. Julie took the opening frame and came very close to going 2–0 ahead, but Jessica did what great players do – she knuckled down, found another gear and fought her way back to take the match 3–1 before going on to become our champion.
It was also fantastic to see every one of our New Zealand players make it through to the Last 16. They added enormously to the tournament, both on and off the table, and we absolutely loved having them here.
One of the results we are perhaps most proud of came from the Plate Event.
Three of the top players in the Plate were members of the WBSN National Women’s Snooker Academy.
For a program designed to give women opportunities to learn, improve and become more involved in competitive snooker, seeing our Academy players performing so well in an event of this calibre was incredibly rewarding.
The Plate was eventually won by Trina Hill, defeating Marie Brown in a black-ball shootout to finish a fantastic battle. Congratulations to both ladies.
A huge thank you also goes to Jim Bonner, whose very generous donation allowed us to give five $100 lucky prizes to players who didn't qualify for the main knockout stages. Jim has been an incredible supporter of what we are trying to achieve, and gestures like this meant that there were opportunities to win something even for those whose tournament didn't quite go according to plan.
Now to the people behind the scenes.
Paul Cosgriff – what can we say?
Paul was the ultimate professional as Tournament Director.
Running an event of this size, across four days, with multiple tables, timed matches, knockout stages, officials, players and the inevitable things that crop up along the way is no small undertaking.
Paul Cosgriff was calm, organised, fair and completely in control from beginning to end. His experience showed every step of the way. Players knew where they needed to be, matches kept moving and decisions were made professionally and consistently.
We could not have asked for a better Tournament Director and WBSN was incredibly fortunate to have someone of Paul's calibre running our tournament.
Alongside him was Bill Horner, who travelled all the way from Queensland to be part of our organising committee and take on the role of Director of Referees.
That is an extraordinary commitment in itself. Bill worked tirelessly throughout the tournament coordinating our referees and helping ensure the event operated at the professional standard we wanted from the beginning.
And then there was Sue Jensen.
As our Welfare Officer, Sue barely stopped for four days. She seemed to be everywhere at once – making sure players and officials were looked after, everyone was fed and watered, results were updated and a hundred little things were taken care of before most people even realised they needed doing.
These are the people who make events work.
A very special thank you must also go to The Brunswick Club for hosting us.
Not only did they provide a fantastic venue for the tournament, they provided food and drinks for our officials free of charge throughout the event. That level of generosity is extraordinary and made an enormous difference to us. We could not have been made to feel more welcome.
Another huge part of this tournament was bringing technology into the event.
Gameplan Connect provided our live scoring and event management system, and it was fantastic working with them throughout the lead-up and the tournament itself. Like any new system, there were things to work through, and it was great being able to work together, iron out the bugs and see the system develop as the tournament progressed.
We are really excited about where Gameplan Connect is heading. The vision of creating a genuine one-stop shop for sporting event management has enormous potential, and after seeing what it was capable of during our tournament, we can't wait to see where the product goes from here.
And then there was the live stream.
A massive thank you to Sam Malcolm for the incredible job he did bringing the tournament to everyone who couldn't be at The Brunswick Club.
The quality of the live streaming gave this tournament another level of professionalism and allowed people from around Australia, New Zealand and beyond to be part of what was happening. Sam put an enormous amount into making sure the action was showcased properly, and we are extremely grateful.
Of course, none of this happens without referees, volunteers, sponsors, supporters, spectators and, most importantly, the players who took a chance on a new tournament and supported what WBSN is trying to achieve.
And judging by the feedback we have received, people want to see more.
Four days of competition. Players from Australia and New Zealand. Incredible matches. New friendships. Old friendships renewed. Laughter, sportsmanship, some very long days and plenty of memories.
Most importantly, women playing snooker in an environment where their event was treated as something important.
That was always the goal.
To every single person who played a part in making the inaugural WBSN $20,000 Women’s Snooker Tournament what it became – thank you.
We made a little bit of history together.
And I have a feeling this is only the beginning.
