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SEVEN young snooker players from the Midlands booked places in the last-16 of the English Under-21 Championship via a qualifier at Golden Cue, Bilston.
Connor Rollo (Kirkby-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield), Brandon Sargeant (Stoke), Rob Jones (Birmingham), Jack Harris (Walsall), Kieran Phillips (Leicester), Josh Baddeley (Stoke) and Richie Haney (Sedgley) will travel to Leeds next year.
High-scoring Baddeley compiled breaks of 62, 78 and 64 in a 4-2 victory over Callum Costello (Leicester)
However, the best was saved until last. Sargeant, trailing 3-0 to Thomas Goldstein (Sleaford, Lincs), was sparked into life following confusion about the scores in the third frame. Breaks of 83 and 57 helped forced a seventh-frame decider.
Goldstein, needing a snooker on the colours in the final frame, laid a delightful shot behind the black but Sargeant played an equally delightful escape and ran out a 4-3 winner.
The last-16 play down to two finalists at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, on Saturday, March 7.
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.
Connor Rollo (Kirkby-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield), Brandon Sargeant (Stoke), Rob Jones (Birmingham), Jack Harris (Walsall), Kieran Phillips (Leicester), Josh Baddeley (Stoke) and Richie Haney (Sedgley) will travel to Leeds next year.
High-scoring Baddeley compiled breaks of 62, 78 and 64 in a 4-2 victory over Callum Costello (Leicester)
However, the best was saved until last. Sargeant, trailing 3-0 to Thomas Goldstein (Sleaford, Lincs), was sparked into life following confusion about the scores in the third frame. Breaks of 83 and 57 helped forced a seventh-frame decider.
Goldstein, needing a snooker on the colours in the final frame, laid a delightful shot behind the black but Sargeant played an equally delightful escape and ran out a 4-3 winner.
The last-16 play down to two finalists at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds, on Saturday, March 7.
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.