Carefree champion reveals caring side

HIS carefree attitude with a cue in  his hands is in stark contrast to his compassion for  others. Six-time world champion Steve Davis  could have had Mickey Joyce (pictured) in mind when he famously said: “If  you can play as if it means nothing when it means everything, then you are hard  to beat.

Just under two weeks after his tenth  birthday, Joyce slammed in a long brown in his trademark cavalier style to  clinch the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour  Championship. But despite his devil-may-care  attitude on the table (which frustrates his coach immensely), the spikey-haired  Basingstoke potter immediately switched his thoughts to  others. Clutching his trophy outside Jesters  Snooker Hall, Swindon, he said: “I dedicate this to my grandad Johnny because  he’s not been very well.” Joyce, who is based at Chandler’s Ford  Snooker Club, defeated Thomas Holton (Woking SC) 2-0 in the  final.

In the semi-finals, he edged his  11-year-old club mate Luke Beebe 2-1. But there was no  bragging. Joyce – who says he gets his supreme  confidence from his dad, Eamon – said: “My hardest match was against Luke Beebe  because I was 1-0 down and I came back and won 2-1. When I won, I felt really  sorry because he’s from my club.”

As a reward, the youngster – with more  raw, natural talent than you can shake a stick at – spent the following day at  Thorpe Park.

RESULTS  (BREAKS)

LAST-16: Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC)  beat Joe Kitchen (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2-1, Callum McDonald (Salisbury SC) beat  Ben Hatch (Eastleigh) 2-1, Thomas Holton (Woking SC) beat Daniel Compton (Copnor  SC, Portsmouth) 2-1, Luke Beebe (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Ally Pollard  (Salisbury SC) 2-0, Matt Gillon (Stoke SC, Gosport) beat Canberk Benning (147  SC, Swindon) 2-1, Edward James (Woking SC) beat Ben Tillison (Copnor SC,  Portsmouth) 2-0, Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC) beat Jordan Lee (Woking SC)  2-0. Bye: Conor Flanagan (Jesters, Swindon)

QUARTER-FINALS: Flanagan beat Petty  2-1, Holton beat McDonald 2-1, Beebe beat Gillon 2-0, Joyce beat James  2-1.

SEMI-FINALS: Joyce beat Beebe 2-1,  Holton beat Flanagan 2-1.

FINAL: Joyce beat Holton  2-0.