Northern Ireland Amateur Championship
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Country | Northern Ireland |
Established | 1927 |
Organisation(s) | NIBSA |
Format | Amateur event |
Recent edition | 2023 |
Current champion | Robbie McGuigan |
The Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (often referred to as the Northern Ireland Championship) is an annual snooker competition. It is the most prestigious amateur event in Northern Ireland.
History
The first year of the championship was 1927, when G. Barron defeated G.R. Duff. It was not held in the years 1940 and 1942–44 due to World War II and in 1972 and 1973 because of the N. Ireland Troubles.[1]
Many players who have appeared in the final of the tournament have gone on to be professional, most notably including two-time World Snooker Champion Alex Higgins, six-time ranking event winner Mark Allen, 25-time Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea, World Championship semi-finalist Joe Swail, World Championship quarter-finalist Patrick Wallace (who has won the competition a record eight times) and, most recently, ranking event winner Jordan Brown.
Other players who have gone on to be professional include Tommy Murphy, Jack McLaughlin, Martin O’Neill, Michael Duffy, Declan Hughes, Julian Logue, Joe Meara, Sean O'Neill and Dermot McGlinchey. Currently Allen and Brown are playing on the World Snooker Tour.
The current champion is Robbie McGuigan, who defeated Raymond Fry 10–8 in the 2023 final to win the national title for a third consecutive year.
Winners
Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amateur | |||||
1927[2] | Gibson Barron | Robert Duff | 381–331[nb 1] | ||
1928[3] | J. Perry | J. Blackburn | 414–327[nb 1] | ||
1929[4] | W. Little | Capt. John Ross | 282–276[nb 2] | ||
1930[5] | J. Luney | Gibson Barron | 351–285[nb 1] | ||
1931[6] | Jack McNally | W.R. Mills | 288–273[nb 2] | ||
1932[7] | Capt. John Ross | W.R. Mills | 266–207[nb 2] | ||
1933[8] | J. French | J. Chambers | 281–218[nb 2] | ||
1934 | Capt. John Ross | W. Price | 329–199[nb 2] | ||
1935 | Billy Agnew | Capt. John Ross | 281–227[nb 2] | ||
1936[9] | W. Lowe | Sam Brooks | 326–228[nb 2] | ||
1937 | J. Chambers | J. Blackburn | 4–0 | ||
1938 | Jack McNally | Billy Sanlon | 4–3 | ||
1939 | Jack McNally | Sam Brooks | 4–3 | ||
1940 | No competition due to World War II | ||||
1941 | Jack McNally | A. Heron | 4–2 | ||
1942–1944 | No competition due to World War II | ||||
1945 | Jack McNally | Charles Downey | 4–0 | ||
1946 | Jack McNally | Jackie Rea | 4–3 | ||
1947 | Jackie Rea | Jack Bates | 4–2 | ||
1948 | Jack Bates | Ted Haslam | 4–1 | ||
1949 | Jack Bates | Jim Stevenson | 4–2 | ||
1950 | Jack Bates | John Dickinson | 4–2 | ||
1951 | Jim Stevenson | Ted Haslam | 4–1 | ||
1952 | Jim Stevenson | Dan Turley | 4–1 | ||
1953 | Jim Stevenson | Joe Thompson | 4–1 | ||
1954 | Billy Seeds | Jim Stevenson | 4–2 | ||
1955 | Jim Stevenson | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
1956 | Sam Brooks | George Lyttle | 4–3 | ||
1957 | Maurice Gill | Dessie Anderson | 4–1 | ||
1958 | Billy Agnew | Billy Hanna | 4–3 | ||
1959 | Billy Hanna | Billy Seeds | 4–3 | ||
1960 | Maurice Gill | Dessie Anderson | 4–3 | ||
1961 | Dessie Anderson | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
1962 | Sean McMahon | Dessie Anderson | 4–2 | ||
1963 | Dessie Anderson | Jimmy Clint | 4–2 | ||
1964 | Paddy Morgan | Maurice Gill | 4–2 | ||
1965 | Maurice Gill | Sammy Crothers | 4–1 | ||
1966 | Sammy Crothers | Billy Caughey | 4–3 | ||
1967 | Dessie Anderson | Sammy Crothers | 4–1 | ||
1968 | Alex Higgins | Maurice Gill | 4–1 | ||
1969 | Dessie Anderson | Alex Higgins | 4–0 | ||
1970 | Jimmy Clint | Noel McCann | 4–3 | ||
1971 | Sammy Crothers | Dessie Anderson | 4–2 | ||
1972[10] | No competition due to the Northern Ireland conflict | ||||
1973[11] | |||||
1974 | Paddy Donnelly | Sammy Pavis | 4–1 | ||
1975 | Jimmy Clint | Sean McMahon | 4–1 | ||
1976 | Eddie Swaffield | Donal McVeigh | 4–1 | ||
1977 | Donal McVeigh | George Maxwell | 4–0 | ||
1978 | Donal McVeigh | Liam McCann | 4–2 | ||
1979 | Raymond Burke | Jim Begley | 4–3 | ||
1980 | Sammy Clarke | Donal McVeigh | 4–3 | ||
1981 | Tommy Murphy | Billy Mills | 4–3 | ||
1982 | Sammy Pavis | Kieran Erwin | 9–8 | ||
1983 | Jack McLaughlin | John McIntyre | 10–4 | ||
1984 | Jack McLaughlin | Harry Morgan | 10–3 | ||
1985[12] | Sammy Pavis | Kieran Erwin | 10–9 | ||
1986 | Colin Sewell | Gordon Campbell | 10–4 | ||
1987 | Seamus McClarey | Gordon Campbell | 10–4 | ||
1988 | Paul Doran | Joe Swail | 10–7 | ||
1989 | Harry Morgan | Martin O'Neill | 10–5 | ||
1990 | Kieran McAlinden | Martin O'Neill | 10–9 | ||
1991 | Michael Duffy | Joe Swail | 10–9 | ||
1992 | Declan Hughes | Andy Sharpe | 10–8 | ||
1993 | Patrick Wallace | Kieran Erwin | 10–8 | ||
1994 | Kieran McAlinden | Michael Duffy | 10–6 | ||
1995 | Julian Logue | Colin Bingham | 10–4 | ||
1996 | Joe Meara | Paul King | 10–6 | ||
1997 | Jonathan Nelson | Paddy Doherty | 10–5 | ||
1998 | Martin O'Neill | Jonathan Nelson | 10–8 | ||
1999 | Michael Duffy | Kieran McMahon | 10–2 | ||
2000 | Patrick Wallace | Barry McNamee | 10–2 | ||
2001 | Sean O'Neill | Julian Logue | 10–5 | ||
2002 | Joe Meara | Jonathan Nelson | 10–7 | ||
2003 | Mark Allen | Colin Bingham | 10–4 | ||
2004 | Colin Bingham | Joe Meara | 10–9 | ||
2005 | Mark Allen | Kieran McMahon | 10–1 | ||
2006 | Dermot McGlinchey | Kieran McMahon | 10–9 | ||
2007[13] | Patrick Wallace | Joe Meara | 10–5 | ||
2008[14] | Jordan Brown | Julian Logue | 10–9 | ||
2009[15] | Jordan Brown | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–4 | ||
2010[16] | Dermot McGlinchey | Kieran McMahon | 10–8 | ||
2011[17] | Kieran McMahon | Brian Milne | 10–5 | ||
2012 | Patrick Wallace | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–4 | ||
2013 | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–4 | ||
2014 | Patrick Wallace | Raymond McAllister | 10–4 | ||
2015[18] | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–2 | ||
2016[19] | Patrick Wallace | Jordan Brown | 10–8 | ||
2017 | Jordan Brown | Dermot McGlinchey | 10–8 | ||
2018 | Jordan Brown | Patrick Wallace | 10–5 | ||
2019[20] | Declan Lavery | Darren Dornan | 10–5 | ||
2020 | Declan Lavery | Robbie McGuigan | 10–9 | ||
2021[21] | Robbie McGuigan | Rab McCullagh | 10–4 | ||
2022[22] | Robbie McGuigan | Rab McCullagh | 10–6 | ||
2023[23] | Robbie McGuigan | Raymond Fry | 10–8 |
References
- ^ "Global Snooker Countries – Northern Ireland". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "G. Barron Wins Snooker Title". The Belfast Telegraph. 5 April 1927. p. 11.
- ^ "Ulster Snooker Championship". The Belfast Telegraph. 18 April 1928. p. 11.
- ^ "Northern Snooker Championship". Northern Whig. 9 May 1929. p. 2.
- ^ "Final of Ulster Snooker Championship". Northern Whig. 25 April 1930. p. 5.
- ^ "Ulster Snooker Final". News Letter. 20 March 1931. p. 2.
- ^ "Ulster Snooker Final". News Letter. 5 March 1932. p. 11.
- ^ "Ulster Championships: French beats Chambers". The Belfast Telegraph. 27 February 1933. p. 11.
- ^ "Snooker Title Final: W. Lowe beats S.R. Brooks". The Belfast Telegraph. 12 February 1936. p. 6.
- ^ Snooker Scene. July 1972. p. 7.
- ^ name="Billiards back" https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results/1970-01-01/1979-12-31?basicsearch=billiards&somesearch=billiards&retrievecountrycounts=false&sortorder=score&newspapertitle=belfast%2Btelegraph&page=1
- ^ Snooker Scene. August 1985. p. 21.
- ^ "Patrick's Day". Snooker Scene. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "Jordan's Top of the Pots". Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Right On Cue – Jordan Brown's story". Eurosport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "Castlederg's Dermot McGlinchey wins the Northern Ireland Championship for a second time". Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ "McQuillan shines in St Patricks Cup". Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ^ "2015 Northern Irish National Snooker Championship". The Cue View. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Dungannon ace Patrick Wallace wins Northern Ireland title for an amazing eighth time". Tyrone Times. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Lavery Claims Northern Ireland Title". WPBSA. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "McGuigan Becomes Youngest Champion". World Snooker. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ 'McGuigan Defends Northern Irish Title'. WPBSA, 29 March 2022, retrieved 15 August 2022
- ^ "Magic McGuigan Makes it Three-in-a-Row in Northern Ireland". WPBSA. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.