£1,000 sponsorship for 14-year-old

A CALL centre in Portsmouth has given a ringing endorsement to the progress a 14-year-old snooker player has made over the past year.

Lead Generation Services will sponsor Waterlooville potter Zak Truscott to the tune of £1,000.

The financial backing covers a year’s practice time at Waterlooville Sports Bar and 40 hours of tuition with World Snooker coach Tim Dunkley.

Truscott, who has only been playing the game seriously since December, 2016, said: “It’s great to be sponsored.

“It makes me proud to be given something amazing like that. It gives me more belief in myself.”

As well as competing in the twice-weekly junior leagues at Waterlooville Sports Bar, the teenager, whose highest break in competition is 28, is currently sixth on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Bronze Tour.

He also turns out for the Hampshire youth pool team.

Lead Generation Services is a specialist outsourcing marketing company that has a staff of 14 at its offices in Victory Business Centre, Fratton.

Managing director Craig Mason founded the company two years ago.

Apart from a spell at KFC while at college, his entire career has been spent in sales and marketing.

A keen snooker fan but not a great player himself, the 31-year-old is delighted to be helping to nurture the career of one of the new generation of talented youngsters at Waterlooville Sports Bar.

“I think it’s brilliant,” he said. “You don’t see a lot of it anymore. It’s good to see young kids hungry to progress in something.

“I like snooker very much so it was a good opportunity to sponsor someone and help progress the game at a grass-roots level.”

Dunkley said: “Zak has come a long way in just over a year.

“Craig has given him a fantastic opportunity to really push his game on.”

For more information about Lead Generation Services, visit www.lgsltd.co.uk.

Picture by Tim Dunkley

Craig Mason (left) and Zak Truscott

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)