Sky’s The Limit For Sykes
Up-and-coming amateur Oliver Sykes won a match in a pro tournament for the first time with an superb 6-1 victory over experienced Alife Burden in the first qualifying round of the MrQ UK Championship.
Currently ranked number one on the English Junior Tour, 17-year-old Sykes is tipped as a star of the future, and he showed his potential today as he beat Burden with top breaks of 54, 56 and 57. He goes through to face Jamie Clarke in the second round and needs three more wins to reach the final stages in York.
“To beat a player as good as Alfie in a big tournament is incredible,” said Sykes, from Hampshire. “I stayed composed throughout the whole match and enjoyed the experience. Getting on to the tour is my main ambition and there are a lot of big amateur tournaments like the WSF Championships coming up. I’m giving 100 per cent to every event.”
Three other amateurs scored impressive wins as Robbie McGuigan saw off Fergal O’Brien 6-2 with a top break of 103, Ryan Davies beat Anton Kazakov 6-1 and Duane Jones knocked out Muhammad Asif 6-1.
Stan Moody top scored with 103 in a 6-3 win over Filips Kalnins, while China’s Jiang Jun made a 139 as he beat Rebecca Kenna 6-0. Ryan Thomerson made a 108 as he edged out Reanne Evans 6-5, taking a 48-minute deciding frame on the colours.
In a match which finished just after 1am, Sean O’Sullivan beat Baipat Siripaporn 6-5.