Pool players from Kent have scooped national titles at both senior and junior levels.

The sides finished as runners-up at the English Pool Association National Intercounty Championships Finals last year - but did one better this time around.

Kent A raced into a 4-0 lead against Bristol A in their Final this month and, despite a Bristol fightback, they won 23-18 to claim the title for the first time, leaving captain Adam Bassoo, an England player from Gravesend, to get the celebrations going.

Also at the event in Pakefield, the juniors beat last year’s winners Leicestershire 19-9 in their Semi-Final and earned a 19-11 success in the Final over Essex.

Team manager Willie Anderson said: “The men’s side had never won it before.

“I think it has been going since 1986. We’d had a few close calls but we’d never delivered that one before, so everyone knew that was the first time winning it for the men.

“We were both runners-up last year, funnily enough. We were runners-up to Leicester.

“But this year, the juniors were a year older.

"They’re allowed to play until their 18th birthday so they were a bit older and a bit stronger.

“I think they’ll be strong for the next couple of years to be fair, so it’s a great achievement for the kids as well.

“It’s so competitive. Remember, you have got eight regions in England and, from those regions, you have probably about 64 teams.

“It’s only the top two teams from the eight regions that go forward for the nationals. That’s your 16.

“Then to go through and win, it means you’re the best team in the whole of England. I guess that’s why it’s such a big success.”

Canterbury’s Aaron Bhat was also part of the men’s team.

Scot Anderson, now of Faversham, is certainly no stranger to national title triumphs.

“I’ve been in Faversham since 1994,” he said.

“This is my fourth national title which is the most anybody has got in Kent.

“I’m like the father of these guys.

"Although I play in the team, I’ve been developing them and growing them for the past five, six, seven, eight, nine or 10 years.

“For me, it’s a bit of a personal project and, to get to this point, it’s amazing.”

Winning nationally was a fine achievement for the Kent players - but even qualifying to get into the county side isn’t an easy task!

Anderson explained: “What you basically do to get into the Kent team is you have to go through trials every year.

“When you get through the trials, you come into the team if you like.

"We’re actually part of Region 7 so that’s Kent, Surrey, Sussex, London, Berkshire and Hampshire.

“When you play those games, depending on how many points you get throughout the year, that determines whether you are retained at the end of the year.

“So it’s a pretty challenging set-up to stay in the team, both for the men, ladies and juniors.

"We also have B teams and C teams, as well as a seniors team that I’m in.

“But unfortunately, we didn’t qualify for the Grand Finals.”

Over the same weekend, Jan Spinner, of Dover, qualified for the England team from the Kent ladies’ squad.

All of Kent’s teams got back to regional business with home matches against Hampshire on Sunday.

Kent’s men: Willie Anderson (Faversham), Adam Bassoo (Gravesend), Dave Fernandez (East Ham), Mitchell Standen (Rochester), Jasper Simmonds (Gillingham), Patrick Cunningham (Chatham), Sean Kirby (Ramsgate), Aaron Bhat (Canterbury), Josh Patel (Gillingham), Steve Mullins (Gillingham), Jamie Gamble (Chatham) and Harry Compton (Rainham).

Juniors: Alfie Rogers (Sheerness), Callum Britt (Gravesend), Charlie Jessup (Gillingham), Chase East (Sittingbourne), Erin Gannon (Gillingham), Finley O’Shaughnessy (Dartford), Frank Moss (Maidstone), Jake Lloyd (Sittingbourne), James Goldsmith (Sheerness), Joshua Wheeler and Michael Cairn (Sheerness).