What a week!

A FAREHAM teenager capped a momentous week in his snooker career by collecting a first winner’s trophy on the Cuestars circuit and beating a top-16 professional in an exhibition frame.

James Budd (pictured left) admitted he was “shaking like a leaf” when he faced Joe Perry (right) at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.

The 19-year-old, sponsored by BAF Entertainment, was the only one of 16 players to record a victory over the 2015 Players Championship winner during the Cuestars finals day.

“I can’t believe I just beat the world number nine,” said Budd, who compiled breaks of 48 and 25. “I got every single shot right.

“I knew I was in front but I was shaking like a leaf, I really was.”

A few hours later, the classy left-hander clinched the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour Championship with a 3-2 victory over his EASB Regional Junior Tour South rival Ronnie Blake.

Londoner Blake may consider himself slightly unfortunate after clawing back a deficit to level on the colours in the decider and laying a snooker on the yellow.

But it was the last shot he played.

Budd came off the side cushion, hit the yellow, fluked it into a corner pocket and cleared to the black.

“What a day!” he declared.

It came eight days after he compiled his highest matchplay break of 86 en route to reaching his fourth final of the season on the EASB Regional Junior Tour South which virtually confirms promotion to the EASB Premier Junior Tour.

Budd, who made his Cuestars debut just over three years ago but had never previously won a tournament, accounted for Gold Tour rankings winner Brad Chappell (Poole) 3-0 in the last-four.

BREAKS

Brad Chappell: 53, 52.

RESULTS

LAST-16: Brad Chappell (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) 3 Daniel Knox (Ascot) 1, Jamie Wilson (Copnor SC, Portsmouth) 3 Austen Petty (Chandler’s Ford SC) 2, Callum Browne (Player’s, Westbury) 3 Bradley Cowdroy (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) 0, James Budd (Fareham SC) 3 Stewart Ball (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) 2, Anthony Rice (Salisbury SC) 3 Dan Sykes (Chandler’s Ford SC) 1, Mark Wells (Greenbaize, Bournemouth) 3 Mickey Joyce (Chandler’s Ford SC) 0, Jonny Mutch (Cambridge SC) 3 Nathan Farmer (Stoke SC, Gosport) 1, Ronnie Blake (Frames, Coulsdon) 3 Mark Lloyd (Stoke SC, Gosport) 2.

QUARTER-FINALS: Chappell 3 Wilson 0, Budd 3 Browne 1, Rice 3 Wells 2, Blake 3 Mutch 1.

SEMI-FINALS (£10): Budd 3 Chappell 0, Blake 3 Rice 2.

FINAL (£40/£20): Budd 3 Blake 2.

Report and picture by Tim Dunkley