Teenager wins £400 – but a few days later is all ‘snookered out’ after tiring international schedule

JAMIE Wilson pocketed £400 prize money in Brighton the day after returning from an international event in Malta.
Jamie WilsonJamie Wilson
Jamie Wilson

The 16-year-old from Havant overcame Londoner Lennard Cripps 4-3 from 2-0 down in the final of an under-21 tournament at the Castle Snooker & Sports Bar.

Wilson collected £350 - plus an extra £50 for the competition’s highest break of 87 in his 3-1 last-four victory over Dan Sykes.

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Earlier, he beat England pool player Jake Paas 3-1, 11-year-old O’Shay Scott 3-0 and women’s world number eight Emma Parker 3-0.

Jake Sharp compiled a new personal best 31 breakJake Sharp compiled a new personal best 31 break
Jake Sharp compiled a new personal best 31 break

Having landed at Gatwick Airport the previous afternoon after a ‘brilliant’ week in the Mediterranean, Wilson was keen to get straight back on the green baize.

He had been unbeaten in his five-man group in the World Snooker Federation Junior Open for under-18s in Malta.

After overcoming Latvian Žižins Artemijs 3-2 - from 2-0 down - in his opening match, Wilson defeated Sweden’s Viktor Mared 3-0, travelling companion and practice partner Oliver Sykes 3-2, and Northern Ireland teenager Robbie McGuigan 3-0.

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And he led India’s Kreishh Gurbaxani 2-0 in the last-32 before going down 3-2.

A total of 54 players from 20 countries competed in the event which was split between the Malta Snooker Academy in Hamrun and the live-streaming table in the San Antonio Hotel in Saint Paul’s Bay in the north of the island.

Sykes, from Chandler’s Ford, and Wilson made the trip thanks to a sponsorship deal with Cuestars and Attic Life.

The day after Brighton, Wilson made the short journey to Fareham SC for the Fuller’s brewery-sponsored fifth leg of the Frames Sports Bar Championship Tour.

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He remains second in the Cuestars rankings after a 3-1 quarter-final defeat by Aldershot’s Ryan Mears.

But the hectic ten days was beginning to take its toll

‘I was a bit snookered out after all that,’ admitted Wilson.

Jake Sharp passed the major milestone of a first 30+ break in the Wednesday Junior Snooker League at Waterlooville Sports Bar.

The 13-year-old compiled a 31 against runaway Division 1 leader Samuel Laxton – but, as is usual in these cases, he lost the frame.

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Five straight wins helped Laxton extend his lead over Owen Jenkins to 11 points.

But Jenkins, 11, stretched his lead over Jamie Wilson at the top of the Monday Junior Snooker League to four points after an undefeated run this week.

Second-group winner Ryan Kneller climbed to third.

Rhys Pearce returned to winning ways in the Junior Pool League.

The two-time champion won the round-robin group for the first time in three weeks.

His only defeat in 11 frames was to second-placed Harrison Heath.