Hurley clinches first snooker title

RAYLEIGH teenager William Hurley has claimed his first major snooker title.

The 13-year-old ended his rookie Cuestars season in style by winning the Under-21 Bronze Tour Championship in Swindon.

Hurley overcame rankings winner Donnie Gola (Islington) 2-0 in the final at Jesters Snooker Club.

Remarkably, the newly-crowned champion was not completely happy with his game during the day.

He said: “I made a couple of breaks but I didn’t play as well as a could have.

“But it’s good to win!”

Looking forward to his first season on the Silver Tour, Hurley added: “It’ll be a good step up.”

It rounds off a good season for the young cueist. He reached the semi-finals of the southern half of the PowerGlide English Under-14 Championship and finished third in the Cuestars Bronze rankings having won the tournaments in Swindon last December and Woking in February.

Meanwhile, Channel Islander Archie Greier recorded a new high break of 26 in his quarter-final victory over Chester Chan (Reading). The nine-year-old from Jersey was then knocked out 2-1 by Hurley in his first semi-final on the junior circuit.

In the other last-four clash, Gola ended the consistent Tyler Beer’s hopes of a first final of the season. Ten-year-old Beer (Fair Oak) has reached the knockout stage in nine of his ten tournaments during this campaign.

Seven-year-old Fabian Bernal (Tunbridge Wells) won his first game at a Cuestars tournament. He made his debut at the age of six and has played in seven ranking events this season.

The season finale was sponsored by Jesters SC and the trophies were presented by Cuestars ambassador Joe Perry.

For more information about Jesters SC, go to www.jesterssnooker.co.uk.

BREAKS

William Hurley: 33, 22, 20.
Adam Abbas: 32, 30.
Donnie Gola: 27, 24.
Archie Greier: 26, 23.
Ellise Scott: 24.
Christopher Woodward: 22.
Tyler Beer: 20.

BRONZE RESULTS

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP A: 1st, Donnie Gola (Mildmay Club, Islington); 2nd, Archie Greier (First Tower SC, Jersey); 3rd, Dylan Denieffe (London Snooker Tooting); 4th, Cameron Flood (Jesters, Swindon).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP B: 1st, Christopher Woodward (Chandlers Ford SC); 2nd, Noah Gartell (Chandlers Ford SC); 3rd, Oliver Donnelly (Surrey Snooker Academy); 4th, Rayan El Qmache (Hurricane Room, Kings Cross).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP C: 1st, William Hurley (Lanes Sports Bar, Rayleigh); 2nd, Casey Turner (Castle SC, Brighton); 3rd, Chester Chan (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Charlie Ings (Salisbury SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP D: 1st, Lennon Savage (Southampton); 2nd, Jamie Hogg (Frank’s, Hatfield); 3rd, Fabian Bernal (Paddock Wood Social Club); 4th, Harry Stone (Chandlers Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP E: 1st, Yousuf Matib (Hurricane Room, Kings Cross); 2nd, Lee Clayden (Hurricane Room, Kings Cross); 3rd, Ellise Scott (Chandlers Ford SC); 4th, Josh Zebedee (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Archie Light (Chandlers Ford SC).

ROUND-ROBIN GROUP F: 1st, Tyler Beer (Fair Oak); 2nd, Adam Abbas (Castle SC, Brighton); 3rd, Jack Miller (Salisbury SC); 4th, David Kaparuk (Jesters, Swindon); 5th, Oliver Li (Castle SC, Brighton).

LAST-16: Gola 1-0 Miller, Gartell 1-0 Hogg, Beer 1-0 Turner, Matib 1-0 Denieffe, Hurley 1-0 Scott, Abbas 1-0 Savage, Greier 1-0 Clayden, Chan 1-0 Woodward.

QUARTER-FINALS: Gola 2-0 Gartell, Beer 2-0 Matib, Hurley 2-1 Abbas, Greier 2-0 Chan.

SEMI-FINALS: Gola 2-0 Beer, Hurley 2-1 Greier.

FINAL: Hurley 2-0 Gola.