Irish teenage snooker prodigy Joe Shannon just misses out on tour debut
The 14-year-old lost to Robert Milkins, 48, in the first round of the Snooker Shootout in Leicester on Wednesday
Irish teenage prodigy Joe Shannon just missed out on a shock victory on his World Snooker Tour debut on Wednesday.
The 14-year-old lost to Robert Milkins, 48, in the first round of the Snooker Shootout in Leicester, but the Longford teenager made Milkins, 34 years his senior, have to pull out all the stops.
Shannon built up a 42-1 lead in the ten-minute frame but missed a black off the spot to give Milkins an opening.
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And the Englishman knocked in a 20 break before Shannon gave him another opportunity.
Milkins then moved into a 45-42 lead and played a safety shot as the clock ran out on the contest.
Shannon became the youngest Irish player to compete in a tour event after receiving a wildcard for impressive underage performances, including a victory in the Irish U16 championships.
Speaking to RTE ahead of the match, Shannon said: "It's a great opener to what I want to do and it's a great experience, there's no pressure so I can't wait for it.
"I put snooker in front of everything really now. I'm still at school but it's snooker mainly now and it's nice to see the rewards of being dedicated as well.
"I'm more excited now, but I assume when I get over there I'll be a bit nervous. But once I get playing, I'll be fine. I can't wait for it."
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