Shane and Dave – the end (From Daily Echo)

Shane and Dave – the end

6:00am Saturday 16th July 2011

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I WAS there the first day Shane Castle walked into Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club.

And I was privileged to witness the first meeting between the phenomenal youngster from the Waterside and former Daily Echo champion Dave Mumford.

Dave was guest-of-honour at an Under-21 Roll-Up presentation on November 12, 2005.

Shane was seven-and-a-half - going on 16.

The pair had a couple of frames on Table 2. I saw Dave miss a shot and I heard Shane helpfully point out: “You’re hitting the ball too hard.”

Dave was captivated. This week he recalled: “In any sport you’ve got to have not only a big heart, ability and technique, but you’ve got to have a little bit of something about you.

“You’ve got to have an air of cockiness - if you like - a confidence, an inner self belief.

“At seven-years-old, he had that.”

Dave agreed to coach and mentor the Marchwood wonderkid.

The rest is history. Literally. They split up in April.

I was there at Pontin’s – as was Dave – when Shane lost 2-1 to Adam Bobat in the 2008 under-12 final.

I was there – as was Dave – the following year when Shane won the title.

And we both shared the agony and the ecstasy of the quarter-final match down in the dungeon against Rob Jones.

Pinned against the wall near the table with nowhere to go, Dave was a bag of nerves. And he stood there helpless as the lads got confused with the scoreboard and then again as Shane left the final black ball hanging over the corner pocket. Imagine his emotions as Rob sunk the black, the cue-ball stopped for a second and then followed the black down the hole.

Shane signed his first sponsorship deal on his ninth birthday, has appeared on TV twice, made 12 tournament tons, played for England, won the Pontin’s Under-12 title twice, became the youngest player ever to qualify for the EASB Premier Junior Tour and last year was crowned national champion at under-14 level.

His future is now in the hands of Gloucester-based player management company On Q Promotions.

I know that, over the years, many others have tried to get a piece of the action.

I know that Dave has worked tirelessly to ensure that any proposed sponsorship deal is right for Shane.

He believes Paul Mount’s On Q Promotions is right for Shane and he wishes him nothing but good luck.

Let a new chapter begin.

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