World U-21 Snooker Championship Local snooker ace to take on the world
Tom Comack
Young Letterkenny snooker ace Gareth Boyle is gearing up to take on the world this week as he prepares to take part in the World as the World U-21 Snooker Championship comes to Letterkenny.
Twenty year-old Gareth (pictured), a student at N.U.I.G, is practicing up to six hours a day for the championship which gets under this Saturday July 31 and runs for 11 days finishing up with the final on Tuesday week August 10.
The championships are being being hosted by the North West Snooker Club and is being staged as the club's snooker rooms on the Port Road. Eight of the top snooker players from right around the world have been descending on Letterkenny in recent days and will be competing in the competition.
Gareth Boyle is the only Donegal competitor in the championship though there are a number of other emerging Irish players taking part including Vincent Muldoon, who is captain of the Irish team.
"I am really looking forward to the championship and competing against the best players in the world," Gareth told the Democrat.
"I have received a wild card into the competition because I have not competed at national level for the last two years due to my studies. But I am excited about playing again and taking on the top players in the world at my age group."
Gareth, who took the last two years away from the game to concentrate on his Leaving Certificate and his first year at College in Galway, has been making up for lost time over the last two months.
"It is all about putting in the practice and being on top of my game and in the best shape I can possibly be in. It is a great opportunity to take on the best players in the world in my home club."
He takes to the table on Sunday and plays a match a day every day for the following seven days. The opening series of games are played on a league basis with the starting 80 whittled down to 32 at which stage the championships turns to knock-out with the final on Tuesday August 10.
The staging of the championship in Ireland and Letterkenny is a huge boost for Irish Snooker and the game in the north west in particular. It also is major fillip for Bernard McGuinness and John Doherty and all members of the North West Snooker Club that they have a facility capable of staging a world championship.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Donegal
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
