Hull’s Home Comforts
Professional player Robin Hull returned home and won the 2018 Finnish National Snooker Championship in Helsinki last weekend.
A total of 83 entries began the event and the former Snooker Shoot Out champion made his way through the opening rounds that were contested earlier in the month in Turku. Hull dropped only two frames on his way to the last four – both to Esa Oikarinen in the last 16.
The final four cueists qualified for Finals Day held at the Kulttuuritalo in the Finnish capital, a venue where famous musicians Jimi Hendrix and Led Zepplin have performed. The snooker discipline was part of the Finnish Billiard Federation’s (SBIL) national finals that also featured 9-ball pool, pyramids and kaisa (Finnish billiards).
Hull defeated Jani Savolainen 4-1 in the semi-finals and then Antti Tolvanen by the same scoreline in the final. Tolvanen had earlier ousted defending champion Patrik Tiihonen via a deciding frame in the other semi-final.
Despite having missed this competition in the last few years, it is the 11th time that Hull has won the title. The first of those triumphs came in 1991.
Thank you to @leijeri on Twitter for their help in producing this article and allowing us to use the above images?
Article written and published by Michael Day on the 27th May 2018.
