Wilson claims first regional tournament win

HAVANT’S phenomenal young potter Jamie Wilson has won the first major snooker tournament of his career.

The 14-year-old said he was “so happy” after beating Oliver Sykes 2-0 in the final of the third leg of the EASB Regional Junior Tour South.

Wilson missed a straightforward penultimate red on 92 in the first frame as spectators at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club were anticipating a first ever century break.

And he cleared the colours to the black in the second after 11-year-old Sykes had gone in-off a thin green.

“I’m so happy that I won my first major event,” said the talented teenager, who is based at Waterlooville Sports Bar. “I’m delighted with it.”

Earlier, he won all three of his group-stage matches and overcame leg-two winner and rankings leader Bradley Cowdroy, from Bournemouth, 2-1 from 1-0 down.

Wilson chalked up a 71 break in the second frame and admitted: “It was a really tough match.”

He then beat Charlie Pringle 2-1 from 1-0 down in the last-four.

Pringle lost the second frame after three times failing to hit a colour from a horrendous position when there was a clear path in a straight line from the cue-ball to the black such that central, full ball, contact was available.

Wilson, who has been competing in the Saturday morning junior leagues at Chandlers Ford SC for six years, climbed to third place in the rankings at the halfway stage of the season on the feeder circuit for the national under-21 tour.

He made his Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour debut just before his eighth birthday but has never won a tournament despite a rapid rise to the Gold Tour. And he had never won a regional or national event before.

Meanwhile, Sykes climbed to fourth place after a second successive final appearance.

He beat Steven Hughes 2-0 in the last-eight and leg-one winner Alex Clenshaw 2-1 in the semis.

Clenshaw had knocked out Olly Gibbs 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

Picture by Tim Dunkley

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)