First Championship Tour win for O’Shay

O’SHAY Scott took one of the biggest scalps on the south of England’s amateur snooker circuit to claim his first tournament win on the Cuestars Championship Tour.

The 15-year-old from Eastleigh pocketed £150 in prize money after beating former World Masters champion Dharminder Singh Lilly (Fareham) 3-2 in the final of the sixth leg at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Smart matchplay helped the much-improved teenager over the line.

Earlier, Scott wrapped up a 3-2 last-four victory over Jack Dady (Basingstoke) with a 74 clearance.

It came a week after he returned from the World Snooker Federation Junior Championship in Albania. Next month, he heads to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the European Under-16 and Under-18 Championships.

Meanwhile, his 12-year-old sister, Ellise, mixed incredible long potting with numerous 20-plus breaks to record a fantastic 3-1 last-16 victory over the experienced Ray Grall (Staines).

Organisers now think the title race will go to the final leg at Waterlooville Sports Bar in May.

Former professional Billy Castle (Reading) knocked out rankings leader Wayne Townsend (Northolt) in the first round and a run to the semis took the 31-year-old to top spot – by one point.

Mark Lloyd (Gosport) and Peter Devlin (London) are 16 points further back in joint third place. Fifth-placed Lilly is only 24 points adrift of Castle.

Ronnie Sullivan (Chipstead) beat James Budd (Gosport) 2-0 in the Plate final.

Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth, hosts the seventh leg of nine on Sunday, March 17.

For more information about the event sponsor, Salisbury Snooker Club, go to salisburysnookerclub.co.uk.

RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIMS: Ronnie Blake 3-1 Kevin Palmer, Howard McKenzie 3-0 Alex Greenham, Billy Castle 3-1 (65) Wayne Townsend, Frank Gumbrell 3-1 Riley Ellis, Mark Lloyd (51) 3-2 Jake Baker.

LAST-16: Blake 0-3 McKenzie, Castle 3-1 Gumbrell, Lloyd (73, 56) 3-0 Rikki Moore, Dharminder Singh Lilly 3-0 Neil Herd, Jack Dady (52) 3-2 James Budd, Jimmy Johnson 3-2 Ronnie Sullivan, O’Shay Scott 3-2 Dave Stockwell, Ellise Scott 3-1 Ray Grall.

QUARTER-FINALS: McKenzie 0-3 Castle, Lloyd 2-3 Lilly, Dady 3-1 Johnson, O Scott 3-0 E Scott.

SEMI-FINALS (£30): Castle 1-3 (51) Lilly, Dady 2-3 (74) O Scott.

FINAL (£150/£75): O Scott 3-2 Lilly.

PLATE RESULTS (BREAKS)

PRELIMS: Grall 2-0 Herd, Budd 2-0 Moore.

QUARTER-FINALS: Herd 2-0 Ellis, Sullivan 2-0 Baker, Townsend (66) 2-1 Palmer, Budd 2-0 Stockwell.

SEMI-FINALS: Sullivan 2-0 Herd, Budd 2-1 Townsend.

FINAL (£20/£10): Sullivan 2-0 Budd.

By Tim Dunkley and John Hunter