JOEL Connolly won a battle of the generations in the final of the Drumaness Masters to claim his first-ever NIBSA ranking tournament.
The 17-year-old from Belfast beat eight-times Northern Ireland champion Patrick Wallace 5-2, with the 55-year-old from Dungannon the only player to win more than a frame off him over the course of the tournament.
Wallace was also the fourth Northern Ireland champion, past or present, to find Connolly – who fired in breaks of 61, 78, 57 and 84 – too hot to handle in the third ranking event of the season in the Co Down village.
Wins over Joe Meara (3-0) and Declan Lavery (3-1) had helped him book a semi-final spot against current Northern Ireland title-holder Darren Dornan, who plays out of the host club.
It was expected to be a tight battle, but Connolly maintained the level of form which had seen him beat Meara and Lavery, and also current NIBSA number three Raymond Fry
(3-0), scorching to a 5-1 win with the aid of breaks of 68 and 70.
Dornan, meanwhile, does have the consolation of usurping Wallace at the top of the rankings, reaching that milestone for the first time in his career.
‘‘It feels like a huge moment for me,’’ admitted Connolly, who practises at the Antrim Sports Club with, among others, Mark Allen, Jordan Brown and Robbie McGuigan.
‘‘These tournaments are not easy to win and I’ve been trying for a while. But I knew I was good enough to win one and my game has improved recently. I hope that will continue.
‘‘I did struggle a bit in my first match against Joe but from there on I don’t think I missed any more than two easy balls for the rest of the tournament. I was scoring very heavily but I was just as happy with my safety and how I held my own in that department.’’
Long-term, Connolly has his sights set on the professional Main Tour and he has already banked valuable experience competing at Q School and in major underage tournaments all over the world.
He also has three appearances under his belt at the Northern Ireland Open and has been a prolific winner on the local underage scene.
‘‘I guess it’s all about building experience for me now. I know what is required to make it and I have the dedication and the right people around me to have a good shot at it.
‘‘My game has improved loads for practising with the best players in Antrim like Mark, Jordan and Robbie. I can feed off them because they have so much experience of competing and winning and they are good for advice. It’s the perfect environment really.’’
Next stop is Morocco at the end of January for the World U19 Championships, with a trip to Turkey beyond that for the Europeans and another crack at Q School in the spring.
Wallace had beaten number four ranked Fergal Quinn from Coalisland 5-2 in an all-Tyrone semi-final.
Quinn, winner of the second ranking event at Blackstaff in Belfast last month, had stayed with his opponent in the early stages, going to the mid-session interval at 2-2, but Wallace stepped on the gas from there, winning frame five with a 103 before stealing the next with a 49 clearance and controlling the next to get home 5-2.
Connolly not only went home with the Jimmy McGivern Memorial Trophy, but also pocketed £800 and some valuable bonus ranking points, with this event the first in the Triple Crown Series. He will be in line for a bonus if he can add the European Qualifiers, which take place in January, and the season-ending Northern Ireland Championship.
Quinn, meanwhile, had the consolation of winning the £100 high-break prize for a 141 total clearance in the earlier rounds.
