First Championship Tour success for Oliver Sykes
OLIVER Sykes (pictured) has clinched his first tournament win on the Cuestars Championship Tour.
The talented left-hander from Chandler’s Ford pocketed £150 after defeating leg-one winner Mickey Joyce 3-0 in the final of the second event at Fareham Snooker Club.
Sadly, though, the 16-year-old was too young to toast his success with the wares of tournament sponsor Fuller’s Brewery.
Sykes dropped only two frames in all four of his matches. And they were both in a nail-biting quarter-final victory over Jason Pusser (Bournemouth).
In the fifth-frame decider, Pusser missed a difficult pink on a clearance and Sykes composed himself and stroked the tightly-angled ball into a corner pocket.
Meanwhile, Simon Dent (Shoreham-by-Sea) climbed to fourth in the rankings after reaching his first semi-final on the circuit. Marcos Dayao (Battersea Park), who also went out in the last-four, is in third place.
Austen Petty (Boyatt Wood) collected £20 after beating Andy Darken (Feltham) 2-0 in the Plate final.
Top Spot Snooker Club, Havant, hosts the third leg of seven on Sunday, February 6.
For more information about Fuller’s Brewery, go to www.fullersbrewery.co.uk.
RESULTS (BREAKS)
PRELIMS: Dan Sykes 3-2 James Hawes, James Leader 3-2 Andy Darken, Simon Dent 3-0 Jake Fowler, Steve Nevett 3-0 Austen Petty, Jamie Wilson (52, 50) 3-1 Aristos Pampouris.
LAST-16: Leader 3-2 D Sykes, Dent 3-2 Nevett, Wilson (57) 3-2 (61) Jack Dady, Mickey Joyce 3-0 Steve Read, Marcos Dayao 3-0 Liam O’Shea, Adam Stacey 3-0 Alex Greenham, Jason Pusser 3-1 Ronnie Blake, Oliver Sykes (55) 3-0 Daniel Hall.
QUARTER-FINALS: Dent 3-0 Leader, Joyce 3-0 Wilson, Dayao 3-1 Stacey, O Sykes 3-2 Pusser.
SEMI-FINALS (£30): Joyce (53) 3-0 Dent, O Sykes 3-0 Dayao.
FINAL (£150/£75): O Sykes 3-0 Joyce.
PLATE RESULTS (BREAKS)
PRELIM: Jack Dady 2-0 James Hawes.
QUARTER-FINALS: Aristos Pampouris 2-0 Dady, Austen Petty 2-0 Liam O’Shea, Alex Greenham 2-0 Daniel Hall, Andy Darken 2-1 Steve Read.
SEMI-FINALS: Petty 2-1 Pampouris, Darken 2-1 Greenham.
FINAL (£20/£10): Petty 2-0 Darken.