Excellent Evans Completes Welsh Championship Hat-Trick

Elfed Evans completed a career hat-trick of national titles as he defeated Alfie Davies 8-4 in the final to win the 2023 Welsh Amateur Snooker Championship. 

The 54-year-old from Pwllheli first won this Championship in 1994, and his latest victory comes two decades after his second which arrived in 2003. 

The Welsh Amateur Snooker Championship is one of the sport’s oldest and most prestigious titles. First won in 1928, several players who went on to win major professional ranking events have claimed the title, including former world champions Ray Reardon and Terry Griffiths. 

Former European Amateur Masters finalist Evans won his opening two matches 4-0 (111 break against Sion Stuart in the last 32) but required a deciding frame to negotiate John Bevan 4-3 in the last 16. 

In the quarter-finals against regular world seniors snooker championship qualifier Philip Williams, Evans crafted a 128 break during a 5-3 win; Williams himself made a 115. 

The semi-finals and final were played across one weekend at the Cue Snooker Club in Aberaman. Evans booked his fifth appearance in the title match after a narrow 6-5 win against Tom Rees. 

Youngster Davies worked his way through the other side of the draw. En route to his first final, the 22-year-old dethroned defending champion Darren Morgan 5-2 in the last eight and current European under-18 champion Liam Davies 6-4 in the last four. 

Evans began the final well, establishing a 3-0 lead before Davies got a foothold by taking the fourth frame on the black and then constructing a 65 break as he also deposited the fifth. 

However, Evans always kept in front as he chalked up five of the next seven frames – highlighted with a run of 81 – to once again get his hands on the trophy.

Several other Welsh national championships have been won in recent weeks: 

• Under-14s: Ryan Davies 
• Under-16s: Riley Powell 
• Under-18s: Ollie Briffett Payne 
• Under-21s: Liam Davies 
• Seniors (Over 40): Lee Walker 
• Super Seniors (Over 55): David Brown 
• Billiards: Jason Goodwin