WPBSA International Summer Round-Up
The latest WPBSA round-up takes a look at seven national snooker championships which have taken place in recent months across the world.
Wales
Alfie Davies defeated David John 8-1 to win the Welsh Amateur Championship for the first time at the Penygraig Labour Club in Tonypandy.
The 24-year-old hit a top break of 94 in the title match to join a prestigious roll of honour that includes former world champions Ray Reardon and Terry Griffiths.
A total of 58 cueists contested the national championship and Davies, who is the son of former professional Anthony Davies, overcame John Breeze, Zac Cosker, Joel Bullen, Sion Stuart and Carl Bennett to reach the final.
Two-time national champion John was the opponent in the concluding contest, but it was Davies who was in dominant form as he secured the title with an 8-1 victory.
Scotland
Gary Thomson beat Jack Borwick 7-4 at the Locarno Snooker Club in Edinburgh to win the Scottish Amateur Championship.
The success saw Thomson incredibly win the national title for the first time since 2001 – six years before his title match opponent Borwick was born.
Eighty players embarked on the Scottish capital for the prestigious annual competition.
Victories David McCloy, Garry Hendry, Marc Davis and Ayaan Iqbal saw Thomson book his place in the final against 18-year-old Borwick.
The teenager made a strong start to the final, moving into a 3-1 lead, before Thomson hit back to take five frames in a row before ultimately getting over the line as a 7-4 winner.
Northern Ireland
Patrick Wallace won the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship title for the ninth time in his career by overcoming Raymond Fry 10-7 at the Antrim Sports Club.
The 2001 World Championship quarter-finalist lifted the national title for the first time since 2016 by coming through a field of cueists.
The 55-year, who first won the tournament in 2000 and for five consecutive years between 2012 and 2016, beat Danny Boyle 6-2 in the last four to set up a title match meeting with Fry.
The final was closely contested but Wallace was able to remain in the ascendency throughout as a top break of 87 helped him to victory.
Republic of Ireland
Photo: SBI Ireland
David Morris defeated Brendan O’Donoghue 7-1 to win the Irish Amateur Championship for the fifth time.
The former professional came through a field of 69 cueists at the SBI HQ in Carlow.
A quarter-final victory over fellow former professional Rodney Goggins was followed by a 6-1 win against Ross Bulman earned Morris a place in the title match for the first time since 2021.
O’Donoghue had come through a dramatic deciding frame against Ryan Cronin in the semi-finals to reach the final where he was aiming to secure the national title for a fifth consecutive year.
Morris was in impressive form as he raced into a 4-0 lead with breaks of 60 and 61 before securing the title by a 7-1 winning margin.
USA
Photo: SnookerUSA
Renat Denkha overcame Ajeya Prabhakar 5-3 to win the United States National Championship at the Champion Snooker Club in Concord, California.
Denkha successfully defended the national championship title that he won for the first time in his career 12 months ago.
Knockout stage victories over Cheang Cling Yoo, Sargon Isaac and Andy McCloskey saw the defending champion set up a final meeting with Prabhakar.
The first six frames of the final were shared before Denkha pulled away to complete a 5-3 win.
Sweden
Suleman Kukka Salam beat Belan Sharif 6-4 to win the Swedish National Championship title.
A total of 57 players contested the event at the Snookerhallen in Stockholm and Salam last defeated Watcharawut Khaengkhan 5-0 in the semi finals to reach the title match.
His opponent was Sharif, who had eliminated him last year, and this once again a hard-fought match as the first eight frames of the final were shared between the two players.
From there Salam, who had a top break of 73 in the final, took the next two frames to get over the line and take home the title.
Bulgaria
Viktor Iliev defeated Velian Dimitrov 5-2 in Sofia to win the Bulgarian National Championship.
Twenty-four players headed to the Bulgarian capital to contest the national championship and Iliev swept aside Bratislav Krastev, Jan Laushman and Georgi Velichkov to book a final spot.
The best-of-nine frame final saw Iliev earn a 5-2 victory over Dimitrov to lift the title.
