First RJT win celebrated in Northern Ireland

HIS first snooker tournament win on the EASB Regional Junior Tour was celebrated more than 450 miles away by the entire England pool team.

Connor Benzey (pictured) pocketed £70 after defeating his Chandler’s Ford clubmate Dan Sykes 2-1 in the final of the second leg at the South West Snooker Academy, Gloucester.

It was yet another major milestone in a remarkable year for the 14-year-old from Eastleigh.

His dad Mark, who heard the news while competing in the EBA Nations Cup in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, said: “I was so proud of him for believing in himself and fighting for every point.”

The former Town Champion revealed he was using the text message results from wife Sam as “inspiration to get the best out of my own game” during the men’s singles event.

“Everybody was rooting for Connor to go all the way,” he added.

Benzey junior – who earlier this year won the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Silver Tour, chalked up a first century break and signed a sponsorship deal with Pitman Training Winchester – topped his six-man group.

He beat Dan Sykes, Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford) – helped by a 54 break – Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge), Ryan Hughes (Chandler’s Ford) and Aaron Cook (Gloucester) all by 2-1 scorelines on the professional standard tables.

And he reached his first final, which ended at 11pm, by overcoming Olly Gibbs (Gosport) 2-1.

In fact, Chandler’s Ford SC members occupied all four semi-final slots.

Steven Hughes topped “the toughest group I have ever played in” to reach the last-four for the first time.

The 15-year-old beat Gibbs 3-0, Lewis Parnham (Gloucester) 2-1, Bradley Cowdroy (Bournemouth) 2-1 and lost 2-1 to Callum Browne (Trowbridge) before going out 2-1 to Dan Sykes, who also lost in the leg-one final.

Sykes, 17, now tops the rankings and is in pole position for automatic promotion to the EASB Premier Junior Tour for the best 40 under-21s in the country.

Picture by Tim Dunkley.

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