Shane shines in Swindon

SWINDON teenager Shane Kearns is convinced he can compete on a regional junior snooker circuit after landing his first winner’s trophy for nearly two years.

The quiet man of the Cuestars Under-21 Silver Tour allowed his cue to do the talking in the third leg on home tables at Jesters Snooker Club

Kearns defeated Portsmouth potter Samuel Laxton 2-0 in the final of the event sponsored by Nice Clean Ltd and Don Rogers Sports.

The 17-year-old earned promotion from the Bronze Tour at the end of the 2016/17 campaign but was knocked out in the groups stages in seven of the eight tournaments he entered last season.

But he stuck at it and picked up the runner-up trophy in the first leg in Salisbury two months ago.

Reflecting on his historic day, Kearns said: “I knew it was going to be tough but I managed to keep it together and I played well.

“Winning the final has given me the confidence to know I can do well on the Silver Tour.”

Kearns added that he was forced to claw back deficits in most of his frames.

He topped his four-man round-robin group, despite losing 2-1 to leg-two winner and rankings leader Louie Leighton (Basildon), and didn’t drop a frame in the knockout.

He beat nine-year-old O’Shay Scott (Eastleigh) and Kaine Petty (Fordingbridge) by 2-0 scorelines to reach the final.

Now second in the rankings and 15 points adrift of Leighton, Kearns last collected a winner’s trophy on the Bronze Tour in Coulsdon in December, 2016.

Laxton, last season’s Bronze Tour Championship play-off winner, edged Leighton 2-1 in the last-four to reach his first Silver final.

The fourth leg of ten is at Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon, on Sunday, December 2.

For more information about the event sponsors, visit www.nicecleanltd.co.uk and www.donrogerssports.co.uk.

BREAKS

Richard Hillgrove: 40.
Keegan Reed: 37.
O’Shay Scott: 35.

SILVER RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Shane Kearns (Jesters SC, Swindon); 2nd, Louie Leighton (Basildon SC); 3rd, Zak Truscott (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 4th, Oliver Cooper (Frames, Coulsdon).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Samuel Laxton (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 2nd, Callum White (Waterlooville Sports Bar); 3rd, Riley Ellis (147 SC, Swindon); 4th, Will Forster (Mayfair, Gosport).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Richard Hillgrove (Basildon SC); 2nd, Kaine Petty (Salisbury SC); 3rd, O’Shay Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Keegan Reed (Salisbury SC).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Kearns 2-0 Scott, Petty 2-0 White, Laxton 2-0 Truscott, Leighton 2-0 Hillgrove.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Kearns 2-0 Petty, Laxton 2-1 Leighton.

FINAL (25/18 points): Kearns 2-0 Laxton.

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Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)