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White cruises past Boyle, becomes youngest winner of IBSF World crown

Geet Sethi


  • White is the youngest winner of the World championship
  • Champion wants to reach the top 16 in the future

    Prestatyn: Wales's Michael White romped home to an emphatic 10-5 victory over Scotland's Mark Boyle in the final of the IBSF World snooker Grand Prix. The event, which concluded on Thursday evening at the Pontins resort, established White as the youngest winner of the IBSF World championship at the age of 14 years and 8 months.

    In a sport, which has thrown up geniuses like Jimmy White, who won this event whilst just short of his 18th birthday, the latest White seems to have redefined the concept of `early achievers'. At 14, he still has baby fat on him and smiles with the innocence, which is the trademark of someone who has yet to experience the world. But on the table, he is mature enough to trouble the best in both potting and tactical play.

    Sublime

    He raced to a comforting 3-0 lead with a contribution of 55 and then later constructed a 80 to go 6-2 ahead of an opponent who like all of White's opponents seemed disconcerted and unwilling to believe that someone so young could play with such sublime focus and conviction.

    The winner of the 2005 Welsh under 21 and this years runner-up in the Welsh Nationals is already in the Guinness Book of records as the youngest cueist to have made a century in competition at age nine.

    Boyle responded with two fluent efforts of 73 and 47 to reduce the deficit to 4-6 but failed to contain White who retaliated with a 102 and then clinched 12th frame on a repotted black to go 8-4 ahead requiring only two frames for the title with seven to play. He went on to lose the 13th on the black but made amends by winning the next two with a run of 72 in the fifteenth for the title. It was a remarkable display of talent honed so well at such an early age.

    Record-breaking feat

    White who had complained of some tiredness after eliminating India's Alok Kumar 8-5 was on top of the world and understandably excited after his record-breaking feat.

    With his eyes set on joining the World professional circuit after 16 months, the latest sensation of the snooker world said he would be happy to reach the top 16 in the next few years.

    Final result:

    Best of 19 frames: Michael White (Wales) bt Mark Boyle (Scotland) 10-5 (60-58, 66(55)-18, 63-51, 67-81, 49-71(65), 81-34, 80(80)-0, 82-16, 0-74(73), 8-66, 102(102)-0, 69-62, 50-56, 88-25, 79(72)-1).

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