Both players have met in previous rounds over the years, but in this instance it was a case of Race setting out his stall early as he stopped former Jersey champion Ryall in his tracks ‘It was a very close contest,’ said Race.
‘I was helped by winning the toss, which meant that Nigel was the guy under pressure, but as in any final, it’s always a question of 50/50 to begin with.
As easily as I won, I could just as easily have lost.’ Before the final the competition had seen six former winners lose in either the first or second rounds, with Jersey’s Graham Bisson, the UK’s Keith Sheard and Peter Farrelly all going out in the early part of the competition.
The main surprise of the tournament, however, was defending champion Jim Millward’s dismissal before play was cut to the final 16.
As the numbers dwindled over the weekend, 12 UK players were left in the final 16 alongside three Jersey players and one from Guernsey.
Of these, there were four previous champions plus outsider Nigel Ryall, a runner-up from two years ago.
Meanwhile, Michelle Baden from Littlehampton represented the women’s right to be there, but neither she, nor Ryall, was able to stop Race from taking the title.
‘Once he got to the table Terry put Nigel under pressure,’ said organiser Nigel Bisson, while Race himself, a finalist three years in a row, said: ‘Concentration and playing the right kind of game won it for me.
At this level, you have to know exactly what you’re doing.’ Experience told, and the longer Race stayed at the table, the more it was evident he was going to make it a hat-trick of wins.
For Ryall, who had to sit out most of the match watching his opponent score, there was little he could do other than admire the potting ability of his adversary.
Two years ago he had to endure the same fate at the hands of the Englishman in a world final, although at some stage in the future he would like to see his name on the trophy.
Both men, however, can be grateful that along the way they had seen six former world champions go out as well as pre-match favourite Kevin Tunstall, who pressed hard before his elimination on the way to the championship decider.
The tournament attracted 256 players, with people coming from as far afield as Greece and Spain to take part.
Having won the toss in the final, Race took complete control early on when he put the Jerseyman in.
Ryall’s opening break of 1,700 was never enough to halt the Brighton player’s domination as he eased himself into the competition with a faultless 9,000 break in reply.
Meanwhile, there had been many surprises.
In round one out went former winners Graham Bisson of Jersey and Keith Sheard of Oxford.
They were joined on the sidelines by England representive players Paul Wing, Peter Farrelly, Steve Mariner and Paul Yeo.
Round two saw the departures of three ex-champions in the form of Jersey’s Dennis Helleur and Steve Ahier and Trevor Gallienne of Guernsey.
By the close of play on the first day, it was becoming obvious that the visiting players were surviving better than their Channel Islands counterparts.
Play resumed on Sunday morning and it soon became apparent that the favourites were starting to get a grip on the proceedings.
The last 16 left in the competition may have included only three Jersey players and one from Guernsey but it also included four previous winners, a liberal sprinkling of County and England stars and Baden of Littlehampton, who was enjoying a tremendous run of form.
In the top half of the draw Terry Race got past Les Green, a former Kent county player who had travelled over from his new home in Greece to take part.
He then beat fellow Brighton player Dave Reeves to book a semi-final spot against the England number one Kevin Tunstall of Wallingford, who had accounted for Guernsey’s last survivor, Bob Chapple.
In the event, that semi-final did not really live up to its billing and Race eased into his third consecutive final with plenty to spare.
The bottom half of the draw saw Ryall defeat ex-winner Terry Oakley of Redhill and then take on former champion Bernie McCluskey of Reading.
A close match saw Ryall home by 8,600 points to 6,520 and a quick look across the hall told the local player that he had booked a return clash with the man who had denied him the title two years earlier.
Race’s victory means that, as well as winning three championship titles he has also made five final appearances, a testament to his tenacity as well as his undoubted ability.
After being presented with the Championship Trophy by Jersey league president Nigel Bisson, the softly-spoken pub landlord paid a warm tribute to the local organisers for their efforts in running the tournament and thanked his fellow Brighton players for their support and encouragement.
