Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Amateur Championship

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.

Northern Ireland Amateur Championship
Tournament information
CountryNorthern Ireland
Established1927; 97 years ago (1927)
Organisation(s)NIBSA
FormatAmateur event
Recent edition2023
Current championNorthern Ireland Robbie McGuigan

History edit

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 edit

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
  1. ^ a b c Aggregate score over 7 frames.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Aggregate score over 5 frames.

References edit

  1. ^ "Global Snooker Countries – Northern Ireland". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ^ "G. Barron Wins Snooker Title". The Belfast Telegraph. 5 April 1927. p. 11.
  3. ^ "Ulster Snooker Championship". The Belfast Telegraph. 18 April 1928. p. 11.
  4. ^ "Northern Snooker Championship". Northern Whig. 9 May 1929. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Final of Ulster Snooker Championship". Northern Whig. 25 April 1930. p. 5.
  6. ^ "Ulster Snooker Final". News Letter. 20 March 1931. p. 2.
  7. ^ "Ulster Snooker Final". News Letter. 5 March 1932. p. 11.
  8. ^ "Ulster Championships: French beats Chambers". The Belfast Telegraph. 27 February 1933. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Snooker Title Final: W. Lowe beats S.R. Brooks". The Belfast Telegraph. 12 February 1936. p. 6.
  10. ^ Snooker Scene. July 1972. p. 7.
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ Snooker Scene. August 1985. p. 21.
  13. ^ "Patrick's Day". Snooker Scene. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Jordan's Top of the Pots". Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Right On Cue – Jordan Brown's story". Eurosport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "McQuillan shines in St Patricks Cup". Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  18. ^ "2015 Northern Irish National Snooker Championship". The Cue View. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  19. ^ "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.
  20. ^ "Lavery Claims Northern Ireland Title". WPBSA. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  21. ^ "McGuigan Becomes Youngest Champion". World Snooker. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  22. ^ 'McGuigan Defends Northern Irish Title'. WPBSA, 29 March 2022, retrieved 15 August 2022
  23. ^ "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.
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