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HIS opponents in the final stages of two national snooker competitions this weekend sincerely hope that Staffordshire teenager Riley Parsons will be in rude good health.
Because if the 13-year-old plays like he did while feeling poorly in the sixth leg of the Midlands section of the EASB (English Association of Snooker & Billiards) Regional Junior Tour, there could be carnage in Leeds.
Parsons - who nearly pulled out of the event at the Atack Snooker Club, Nuneaton, after being ill throughout the previous night - struggled early on but got progressively better to notch up his first tournament win on the under-20 circuit.
Attending gave him “something to focus on”, he said.
The plucky young potter won all three round-robin group matches and recorded breaks of 41, 47 and 68.
He added a 58 in a quarter-final victory over Jack Harris (Walsall), accounted for Hamim Hussain (Birmingham) in the last-four and saw off new rankings leader Callum Costello in the final - all with 2-0 scorelines.
Parsons, who pocketed £80 plus the high-break prize of £15, climbed three places to third in the rankings behind Leicester lads Costello and beaten semi-finalist Kieran Phillips.
Hussain established himself as a future contender by winning his group in great style.
Group-stage casualty Connor Rollo (Kirby-in-Ashfield) dropped from first to fourth.
Now in his second season on the feeder circuit for the elite EASB Premier Junior Tour, which consists of the country’s top-48 under-21 players, Parsons says his main goal is promotion this year.
He now faces a long weekend in Leeds competing in the last-16 of the English Under-14 and Under-16 Championships. In May, he defends his Staffordshire & West Midlands Under-14 title.
The penultimate leg is at Barratts Snooker Club & Bar, Northampton, on Sunday, April 20.
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.
Because if the 13-year-old plays like he did while feeling poorly in the sixth leg of the Midlands section of the EASB (English Association of Snooker & Billiards) Regional Junior Tour, there could be carnage in Leeds.
Parsons - who nearly pulled out of the event at the Atack Snooker Club, Nuneaton, after being ill throughout the previous night - struggled early on but got progressively better to notch up his first tournament win on the under-20 circuit.
Attending gave him “something to focus on”, he said.
The plucky young potter won all three round-robin group matches and recorded breaks of 41, 47 and 68.
He added a 58 in a quarter-final victory over Jack Harris (Walsall), accounted for Hamim Hussain (Birmingham) in the last-four and saw off new rankings leader Callum Costello in the final - all with 2-0 scorelines.
Parsons, who pocketed £80 plus the high-break prize of £15, climbed three places to third in the rankings behind Leicester lads Costello and beaten semi-finalist Kieran Phillips.
Hussain established himself as a future contender by winning his group in great style.
Group-stage casualty Connor Rollo (Kirby-in-Ashfield) dropped from first to fourth.
Now in his second season on the feeder circuit for the elite EASB Premier Junior Tour, which consists of the country’s top-48 under-21 players, Parsons says his main goal is promotion this year.
He now faces a long weekend in Leeds competing in the last-16 of the English Under-14 and Under-16 Championships. In May, he defends his Staffordshire & West Midlands Under-14 title.
The penultimate leg is at Barratts Snooker Club & Bar, Northampton, on Sunday, April 20.
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.