Safety conscious Asten takes early Silver lead
ASTEN Sahota (pictured) rolled out a safety game to complement his undoubted break-building skills and excellent technique to win the opening leg of the Cuestars Under-21 Silver Tour.
The ten-year-old Southampton lad recorded a fine 2-0 victory over hardened match player Samuel Laxton (Portsmouth) in the final at Salisbury Snooker Club.
Sahota said: “I played some good safety shots. He’s a very hard player to beat.”
Talking about the re-vamped Silver Tour packed full of new names, he added: “There’s loads of rivalry in Silver now. It’s probably going to be one of the best Silver Tours we’ve ever had.”
Sahota had beaten London-based Zain Jeraj, last season’s Bronze rankings champion, 2-0 in the last-four.
Laxton, 17, who won the end-of-season Silver Tour Championship in Swindon in June, overcame Mason Wilson (Basingstoke) 2-0 in the second semi.
Sahota is in the Cuestars records book for becoming the youngest ever Bronze Tour rankings champion when he claimed the title at the age of nine in the 2020/21 season.
Seven of the 12 players were promoted from Bronze at the end of last season.
Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon, hosts the second leg of ten on Sunday, October 2.
For more information about Salisbury Snooker Club, go to salisburysnookerclub.co.uk.
BREAKS
Harry Wyatt: 44, 32, 32.
Asten Sahota: 38, 31.
Mason Wilson: 34, 33.
William Thomson: 31, 31.
SILVER RESULTS
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Mason Wilson (Crucible, Newbury); 2nd, Dylan Beer (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, William Thomson (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Thomas McEvoy (Salisbury SC).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Zain Jeraj (London Snooker, Tooting); 2nd, Harry Wyatt (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 3rd, Daniel Walter (Mayfair, Gosport); 4th, Ayan Roy (Frames, Coulsdon).
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Asten Sahota (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Ryan Spratt (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Caden Read (Chandlers Ford SC).
QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Wilson 2-1 Spratt, Laxton 2-1 Wyatt, Jeraj 2-1 Thomson, Sahota 2-1 Beer.
SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Laxton 2-0 Wilson, Sahota 2-0 Jeraj.
FINAL (25/18 points): Sahota 2-0 Jeraj.