Ally in Devon heaven

SILVER Tour player Ally Pollard (pictured) has been seeking a first 30 break in competition for some while.

He has just found one in Devon.

The 17-year-old from Alderholt, near Fordingbridge, said compiling a 37 in The Manor House Open was a “huge weight off my shoulders”.

At the beginning of last month, the Salisbury Snooker Club-based teenager made a 50 in a friendly.

But passing the major milestone of a first 30 in tournament play is a massive step in any snooker player’s career.

Pollard was on holiday at The Manor House Hotel – a sport and activities complex near Okehampton, which boasts 13 snooker tables – and finished second out of 16 in the residents-only tournament.

“I’ve been practising every day,” he told  cuestars.co.uk.

“It’s been a long time coming but now that I’ve made a 30 in a match, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders.

“I just tried to keep it simple and not to think too far ahead because I knew if I did that then I’d probably miss.”

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley.