Perkins clinches Bronze title

A NEW Milton teenager has claimed his first title on a junior snooker circuit.

Sam Perkins was crowned rankings champion on the Cuestars Under-21 Bronze Tour after collecting his fourth winner’s trophy of the season in Bournemouth.

But the 13-year-old was forced to survive a minor scare in the round-robin group stages in the tenth and final leg at Greenbaize Snooker Club.

Needing to qualify for the knockout to guarantee winning the title, Perkins overcame Chester Chan (Reading) but lost to Charlie Ings (Salisbury). This meant he had to beat Toby Walker (Hove) in his final group match.

Perkins said: “It feels really good.

“I came here today 14 points in the lead and I had to get out of my group. I just about did that. It was quite tight. I was nervous in the (last) frame that I had to win.”

Perkins then went on to defeat his Chandlers Ford clubmate Ben Taylor-Jenkins 2-1 on the pink in the final.

In the nine legs he has entered during this campaign, he reaching six finals and won in Salisbury, Swindon, Coulsdon and Bournemouth. And he never failed to qualify for a knockout.

Perkins joined the Saturday morning junior leagues at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club in February last year. His highest competitive break is 33.

Marshal Denieffe (London) was runner-up in the rankings. Alex Scotney (Sutton) was third. Joint fifth-placed Aariz Tariq (Welling) and eighth-placed Toby Waters (Kings Somborne) lost in the semi-finals in Bournemouth.

The event was sponsored by Greenbaize SC (www.greenbaizesnooker.com) and club member Shaun Hayman.

Next up is the Cuestars Under-21 Gold, Silver and Bronze Championships at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon, on Sunday, May 25.

BREAKS

Ben Taylor-Jenkins: 23, 20.
Sam Perkins: 21, 20.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Charlie Ings (Salisbury SC); 2nd, Sam Perkins (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Chester Chan (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Toby Walker (Castle SC, Brighton).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Jack Miller (Crucible, Newbury); 2nd, Marshall Denieffe (Hurricane Room, Kings Cross); 3rd, Isaac Church (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Lewis Thomson (Chandlers Ford SC); 5th, Jesse Goncalves (Liss RBL).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, Alex Scotney (Surrey Snooker Academy); 2nd, Aariz Tariq (Welling SC); 3rd, Beibei Ji (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Harry Merwood (Salisbury SC); 5th, Alfie Wyatt (Waterlooville Sports Bar).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Ben Taylor-Jenkins (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Toby Waters (Salisbury SC); 3rd, Vincent Callender (Woking SC); 4th, Tyler Heard (Shots, Watford); 5th, Stanley Sims (Woking SC).

QUARTER-FINALS (12 points): Tariq 2-0 Ings, Taylor-Jenkins 2-0 Denieffe, Waters 2-0 Miller, Perkins 2-1 Scotney.

SEMI-FINALS (15 points): Taylor-Jenkins 2-1 Tariq, Perkins 2-1 Waters.

FINAL (25/18 points): Perkins 2-1 Taylor-Jenkins.