Wicheard joins Main Tour
FOUR years after a ruptured tumour was discovered on his spinal cord, former Cuestars member Adam Wicheard has fulfilled his dream of earning a place on the professional circuit.
Adam was nominated for a place on the Main Tour after finished first on the EASB Pro-Ticket Tour.
A win in event three in Woking last December helped the 24-year-old from Trowbridge secure second place in the Southern section.
Stage two combined the top-16 from the North and South in three more tournaments.
A last-16 exit in the first was followed by a semi-final and then victory in the third event, again in Woking. And that, coupled with 143 points for reaching the last-16 of the English Amateur Championship, was enough to take the coveted top spot ahead of former professional Stephen Craigie.
And astonishingly that means the England international will next season be competing in qualifying events for the TV stages of professional tournaments alongside six-time world champion Steve Davis and fellow Trowbridge cueman Stephen Lee.
At the age of 11, Adam entered and won his first Cuestars tournament in Gosport. Two years later he chalked up his first century.
When disaster struck in May, 2006, Adam was one of England’s top juniors. He didn’t play another competition for 18 months.
The fact that he ever picked up a cue again was a minor miracle. But in an exclusive interview with cuestars.uk.com, Adam insisted he was always sure he would return to the green baize.
However, he is under no illusion about the task ahead.
“Anyone who joins the tour has just got to try and stay on it in the first year, which isn’t easy to do,” he said. “Anything else is a bonus.
“It’s nice to have the chance to see what I can do at that level.”
And Adam, who has a top break of 142 in competition and 147 in practice, had a message for all Cuestars players with ambitions of following in his footsteps.
“Keep practising and play in as many tournaments as you can,” he said.