Havant snooker starlet Jamie Wilson suffers first round English Open exit

Wilson, 16, went down 4-0 against Matthew Selt in the first round of the English Open in Milton Keynes this week.

But he is a definite star of the future after becoming the youngest English player to ever qualify for the professional tour through Q School.

Wilson has been learning under the auspices of five-time ranking event-winner Lee at his facility in the Wiltshire town of Melksham - and says the former world No.5’s insight is revolutionising his development.

‘I’ve learned quite a lot from him - he cues the ball really nicely and he shows you how to do it,’ said the 16-year-old.

‘Stephen plays every now and then and pushes us to our best, which is a challenge. He gives us positive tips and supports us.

“I’ve only played about three (professional) events so it’s only the start and I’ve got plenty more time yet - hopefully I can do better in the future.

‘It wasn’t that great (against Selt) - I messed up my safety shots but it is what it is.

‘I’ve been playing alright in practice but I don’t know what happened there.

‘The table wasn’t the best - it was fairly slow, (that’s) not really an excuse as we both have to play on it.

‘I’d just like to get a few wins under my belt and get off to a decent start.’

Other players who compete at the academy include Connor Benzey, Jamie O’Neill and Peter Devlin, who are also competing at the maiden Home Nations Series tournament of the season this week.

Wilson could only muster 55 points across his four frames against Selt but learned valuable lessons against the world No.27, who made steady breaks of 65 and 61 to dash hopes of an upset.

Wilson recently competed at the European Masters but slipped to a 5-1 defeat against German No.1 Simon Lichtenberg.

He's yet to pick up a major scalp but is relishing the experience of facing some of the game’s biggest names.

‘It’s great and I’ve really enjoyed seeing all the top pros,’ he added.

‘It’s a dream come true seeing them all stood opposite you.

‘It’s exactly how I imagined it really, playing with all the professionals is a great experience.’

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Watch the English Open live on Eurosport, the Eurosport app and on Quest.