Riley Powell, 14, shocks Kyren Wilson in another Snooker Shoot Out upset after Vladislav Gradinari win
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Updated 26/01/2023 at 17:23 GMT
Riley Powell followed Vladislav Gradinari in becoming a 14-year-old victor at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out. Gradinari secured his win on the first day of the tournament in Leicester, and Powell came from 31-0 behind to beat former World Championship runner-up Wilson. Former champions Ryan Day and Michael Holt are in action on the second day along with Mark Selby.
'A day he'll never forget' - Teenager Powell stuns Wilson at Shoot Out
Riley Powell became the second 14-year-old winner at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out as he shocked world No. 8 Kyren Wilson on the opening match of day two.
Having seen Vladislav Gradinari make history in beating Ng One Yee on Wednesday, Powell followed up with an assured display to upset former World Championship runner-up Wilson.
The 14-year-old, who plays at the same club in Wales as world No. 7 Mark Williams, looked thrilled as he celebrated a victory which was made more difficult as the sound effects for the shot clock at the venue were not working.
"Fantastic stuff," said Eurosport expert Jimmy White.
"I like the way he plays, he’s a modern-day player who goes for his long shots and two or three of them were quite difficult pots. He was quite clear headed out there, he ran the clock down, and he deserved to win."
Powell added: "First thing I went out there to do is just enjoy it, to come out with a win, I’ve got no words!"
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'I have no words' - Teenager Powell thrilled after beating Wilson at Shoot Out
The frame did not start well for Powell, who missed a long pot and then left a red on at his next visit for Wilson, who notched up a break of 30 before missing a red to the middle.
Powell made a brilliant long red into the corner as the 10-second shot clock came into effect – although without the sounds working to alert the players.
That did not put off Powell, who potted a superb blue as he closed to 31-18 behind with two minutes remaining.
It looked as though Powell’s opportunity might have gone when he got up behind the brown and played safe, leaving a long red which Wilson potted.
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'We've got a player here!' - 14-year-old Vladislav Gradinari impresses with Shoot Out win
But as Wilson knocked the red in the white also rolled into the corner pocket, giving Powell a free ball.
The 14-year-old showed superb composure as he took his chance and moved 41-31 ahead before Wilson shook hands to end the frame.
Noppon Saengkham eased through with a 113-4 win over Andres Petrov while Dominic Dale beat Matthew Stevens in dramatic fashion after a tied frame.
The match finished level at 49-49 after 10 minutes so it was decided on a Blue Ball Shoot Out - each player getting a chance to pot the blue with the white starting inside the D and play alternating until one player pots it and the other doesn't.
Dale emerged victorious as he potted the blue and Stevens followed with a miss.
Former champion Michael Holt knocked in a 116 break as he beat Lei Peifan.
The break is the highest of this year's Shoot Out and the 25th century break in the tournament's history. The highest was a 142 made by Mark Allen in 2021.
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‘Fabulous performance’ - Holt knocks in first century of 2023 Snooker Shoot Out
Rebecca Kenna nearly made a stunning comeback from 41-0 down against Yuan Sijun when she got within a point of her opponent, before missing a tricky black off the spot.
Yuan then snookered her on the final red, which Kenna missed, so her chances of victory disappeared due to the ball-in-hand rule.
Northern Ireland Open runner-up Zhou Yuelong had the support of the crowd who chanted, "Who let the dogs out? Zhou, Zhou, Zhou, Zhou, Zhou" during his match against Duane Jones.
Zhou was 46-0 down to Jones, who missed a black to the right corner. The Chinese player took advantage and brilliantly cleared the table with a run of 78.
Dechawat Poomjaeng wrote himself into Shoot Out folklore with a remarkable performance in beating Si Jiahui 33-14.
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Poomjaeng wows crowd with his dancing skills during Snooker Shoot Out win
The Thai played a lot of good snooker, but it was overshadowed by his crowd-pleasing antics.
It started with the lag, which he sent up and down at a rate of knots, and continued with dancing round the table.
Whether it was a distraction for his opponent is not clear, but Poomjaeng did enough right with cue in hand to claim the win.
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