The Circus Casino in Newcastle saw increased numbers from last season as nearly 160 players prepared themselves for a shot at six National Final places and a share of £1000.

It turned out to be a fantastic day as all involved were in great spirits throughout as we got down to a final table of eight. Matthew Graham from the Wheatsheaf in Darlington would start as the chip leader with 148,000 in chips, closely followed by Andrew Stevenson from the Fox Cover in Ashington with 119,000. The story of the weekend almost belonged to David Ridley from the Crows Nest in Seaham after he lost a big pot that left him with only a small blind. Just as everyone thought all hope was lost, David made a miraculous recovery to make the heads-up match against Ian Hetherington from the New Delavel Newsham WMC in Newsham. Unfortunately for David, the victory was a step too far as he found himself dominated as the chips went into the middle. David’s A6 was up against Ian’s AK as the board only further improved Ian’s advantage as David was drawing dead with a K turn after the flop came TT8. The meaningless river was a J as Ian took the North East Regional Final title.

National Final & Cash Prize Winners
1st Ian Hetherington – New Delavel Newsham WMC, Newsham
2nd David Ridley – Crows Nest, Seaham
3rd Matthew Graham – Wheatsheaf, Darlington
4th Andrew Stevenson – Fox Cover, Ashington
5th Ron Booth – New Derby, Sunderland
6th Bryan Snowball – Times Inn, Seaham

Other Cash Prize Winners
7th Ian McKay – New Crown, South Shields
8th Kevin Stuart – Joiners Arms, Blyth