SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 20 hrs 55 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Teenager Jamie Wilson shows youth is thriving despite Ronnie O'Sullivan concerns

:Headline: Teenager Jamie Wilson shows youth is thriving despite Ronnie O'Sullivan concerns: ID:409807: from db_amp
Wilson won a two-year place on the professional tour via the sport's qualification format, Q School.

Less than three miles from the Crucible where Ronnie O'Sullivan delivered his latest damning verdict on the state of snooker's next generation, 16-year-old Jamie Wilson was in the process of realising his lifelong dream.

With O'Sullivan doubtless tucked up in bed after dispatching Ding Junhui to reach the World Championship quarter-finals on Sunday night, Wilson was battling into the early hours and through three consecutive final frame deciders to win a two-year place on the professional tour via the sport's qualification format, Q School.

With 14-year-old Ukrainian Iulian Boiko already confirmed to compete on the tour next season, Wilson is far from the youngest member of a group indirectly dismissed by O'Sullivan, who described the general standard of young players as "so bad", adding: "You look at them and think, 'I would have to lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50'."

Jamie Wilson has qualified for the professional tour at the age of 16 (Matt Huart/WPBSA)

Those involved in the sport's youth programmes see it differently. Wilson's coach Tim Dunkley, who works with him at the Waterlooville Sports Bar, says the standard among players in junior competitions has never been higher.

"I have never seen a higher standard of young players in my area," Dunkley told the PA news agency. "Every generation we get through the club, we think it's the 'golden generation', then another comes through that is even better.

"Young kids are knocking in century breaks. Jamie got his first century when he was 14, and we've got an eight-year-old whose highest break is 36. If this is also happening in other areas of the country, then the sport is alive and well."

Fourteen-year-old Iulian Boiko will make his tour debut next year (Matt Huart/WPBSA)

Wilson had travelled to Q School more out of hope than any realistic expectation of earning a coveted tour card. He saved the mandatory £1,000 entry fee through his prize money from local competitions, and saw it as a means to measure his game.

His stunning series of wins means he is now guaranteed a two-year shot at qualifying for all the major tournaments, but must sufficiently improve his ranking in the process to avoid having to return to Q School and potentially face relegation back to the amateur circuit in 2022.

Nigel Bond, a former world finalist who now is a respected coach at the new Ding Junhui Academy in Sheffield, believes many young players have suffered through a structure which leaves them ill-equipped to capitalise on the rare opportunities that come their way.

Former world finalist Nigel Bond says young players need to toughen up (Nigel French/PA)

The likes of Bond, who played in this year's qualifiers at the age of 54, and O'Sullivan and Mark Williams, who were due to begin their last-eight clash on Monday in their mid-forties, honed their skills on the tough Pro-Am circuit in snooker halls the length and breadth of the country.

Bond, who lost to Stephen Hendry in the 1995 final, told the PA news agency: "I understand what Ronnie is saying but I think there are some good players out there.

"For the likes of myself and Ronnie back in the day, we learnt our trade playing in the Pro-Ams. That was in the 1980s when snooker was booming, and that scene has now gone.

Rory McLeod has returned to the tour at the age of 49 (Anna Gowthorpe/PA)

"Amateur players these days only learn once they get on the tour, and if they keep getting bad draws against top-16 players they are going to get some serious beatings.

"The Pro-Ams toughened you up. You might start at 10 o'clock in the morning and have to win six or seven matches into the early hours. I would play in Ilford one night then drive up to Boston the next. If you won anything in those tournaments you knew you'd earned it."

Also at Q School on Monday, 49-year-old Rory McLeod won the matches required to seal his return to the professional tour after a one-year absence.

With the old guard still in the ascendancy, Wilson faces a major task to prove O'Sullivan's comments are ill-founded.

amp_article__409807 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-08-10 13:10:32:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 13:11:06 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ronnie O'Sullivan

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .