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THERE was an early birthday present for Leicester-based potter Kieran Phillips.
Two days before he turned 16, Phillips took over top spot on the EASB (English Association of Billiards & Snooker) Regional Junior Tour Midlands rankings after claiming his second tournament win of the season.
Leg-one winner Phillips pocketed £80 after defeating an under-the-weather Richard Haney (Sedgley), winner of the previous two events, 2-0 in the final at the Golden Cue Snooker Club, Bilston.
Although beaten 2-1 by Riley Parsons (Cannock) in the round-robin group stages, Phillips qualified in second place and didn’t drop a frame in the knockout.
“I played really well in the group stages,” he explained. “I was knocking in a lot of long pots and was clinical in frames but after the group stages I struggled a little bit when I was in the balls and missing silly balls.
“From the quarters to the final I had to keep it tight and try and win it with my B game which I thankfully did.”
The teenager reckons his game would need tightening up if he won promotion to the Premier Junior Tour, for the country’s top-40 under-21 players.
“If I did manage to qualify, I know I would have to play a lot better and cut out silly shots because I know I would get punished,” he said.
Beaten semi-finalist Don Cooney (Huntingdon) collected the £15 high-break prize for a 65 in the group stages.
Nathan James (Beccles, Suffolk) was praised by organisers for his “exemplary attitude around the table”. His long-pot success rate helped him edge Parsons 2-1 in the last-eight but he was unable to contain Haney in the semi-finals.
The fifth leg of eight is at the North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre, Clay Cross, on Sunday, March 9.
Tim Dunkley
EASB Media Officer South and World Snooker coach
The English Association of Snooker & Billiards is the national governing body for the amateur game in this country. For more information about competitions, rankings lists and results, see www.easb.co.uk.
Two days before he turned 16, Phillips took over top spot on the EASB (English Association of Billiards & Snooker) Regional Junior Tour Midlands rankings after claiming his second tournament win of the season.
Leg-one winner Phillips pocketed £80 after defeating an under-the-weather Richard Haney (Sedgley), winner of the previous two events, 2-0 in the final at the Golden Cue Snooker Club, Bilston.
Although beaten 2-1 by Riley Parsons (Cannock) in the round-robin group stages, Phillips qualified in second place and didn’t drop a frame in the knockout.
“I played really well in the group stages,” he explained. “I was knocking in a lot of long pots and was clinical in frames but after the group stages I struggled a little bit when I was in the balls and missing silly balls.
“From the quarters to the final I had to keep it tight and try and win it with my B game which I thankfully did.”
The teenager reckons his game would need tightening up if he won promotion to the Premier Junior Tour, for the country’s top-40 under-21 players.
“If I did manage to qualify, I know I would have to play a lot better and cut out silly shots because I know I would get punished,” he said.
Beaten semi-finalist Don Cooney (Huntingdon) collected the £15 high-break prize for a 65 in the group stages.
Nathan James (Beccles, Suffolk) was praised by organisers for his “exemplary attitude around the table”. His long-pot success rate helped him edge Parsons 2-1 in the last-eight but he was unable to contain Haney in the semi-finals.
The fifth leg of eight is at the North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre, Clay Cross, on Sunday, March 9.
Tim Dunkley
EASB Media Officer South and World Snooker coach
The English Association of Snooker & Billiards is the national governing body for the amateur game in this country. For more information about competitions, rankings lists and results, see www.easb.co.uk.