BARRY snooker player Alfie Davies is aiming to earn professional status by coming through the gruelling Q School process, which gets underway at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on 26 May.
There is only room for 128 players on the professional tour at any one time, and the Q School competition sees 208 of the world’s best amateur players battle it out for one of just eight tour cards on offer.
Q School consists of two tournaments which are played to the quarter-final stage, with the four winners earning a two-year professional tour card.
To become one of the last four players standing, Alfie will need to win six matches in a row in either of the tournaments.
If Alfie succeeds, he will follow in the footsteps of his father Anthony, who played on the professional tour between 1991-2005 and reached a high of 26 in the world rankings.
Alfie, 22, begins his Q School campaign in fine form having recently finished runner-up in the Welsh Amateur Championship, and last month he helped the Barry West End team reach the final of the South Wales Snooker Open, where they will face the Red Triangle, Cross Keys, on a date yet to be announced.
In the quarter-finals of the Welsh Amateur Championship, Alfie completed a memorable 5-2 victory over defending champion and former world number eight Darren Morgan.
During the Jubilee bank holiday weekend, Alfie travelled to the Cue Club, Aberaman, for the latter stages of the tournament.
In the semi-finals, Alfie faced Liam Davies who, as reigning world under-16, under-18 and under-21 champion, is regarded as one of the most exciting talents the game has seen in many years, and Alfie caused something of an upset as he came through a 6-4 winner in a high-quality encounter.
The following day, Alfie faced two-time Welsh Amateur champion Elfed Evans in the final. At 54, Elfed is more than twice his age, and the north Walian’s experience in high-pressure situations proved pivotal as he won their encounter 8-4 to take the title for the third time.
Tony Cannon, chairman of the Welsh Billiards and Snooker Association, paid tribute to the progress Alfie has made this season: “We’ve known for a long time that Alfie was a considerable talent, and with his father’s guidance and experience he has become a very good player indeed.
“In the last few years, Alfie has prioritised his university studies, but in recent times he has spent a lot more time on his snooker.
“His dedication has really brought its rewards, with victory in one of our Welsh ranking events earlier in the season, and he had a terrific win against Darren Morgan, who was one of the world’s best players in the 1990s and is still hugely competitive at amateur level.
“Alfie’s victory over Liam Davies in the semi-finals was a very high-quality match and anyone who watched it could see that both players have the potential to go a very long way in the game,” he said.
Assessing Alfie’s chances at Q School, Tony added: “Q School is a bit of a lottery because you have former professionals, including some very familiar names, competing alongside top amateur players, but I really don’t think anyone should underestimate Alfie because since finishing his university studies he has spent a huge amount of time on the practice table and a lot of people won’t fully appreciate just how much he’s progressed in the last 12 months.”
In the first Q School tournament, Alfie faces Daniel Webb in the opening round. If he wins, Alfie will take on the winner of the match between 19-year-old former professional Jamie Wilson and five-time Latvian Amateur champion Rodion Judin in round two.
If Alfie does not make it to the last four, he will play in the second Q School tournament beginning on 1 June, where his opening opponent will be Romanian Andrei Orzan.
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