16-year-old Stan Moody Claims First Victory at World Championship Qualifiers

In an exciting match at the Cazoo World Championship qualifying stages held at the English Institute of Sport, 16-year-old Stan Moody claimed his first-ever victory in a professional match. The young Halifax cueist defeated Andres Petrov from Estonia with a score of 10-7, showcasing his impressive skills on the snooker table.

Moody’s recent victory at the WSF Junior Open had earned him a professional tour card and brought him into the spotlight. His journey was featured in a CBBC documentary called Taking My Shot, which highlighted his relationship with former world champion Shaun Murphy, who has been mentoring him.

Last season, Moody displayed his considerable talents at the Shoot Out, where he made it to the last 64. With just three more wins, he could compete at the prestigious Crucible Theatre.

In his first match at the World Championship qualifiers, Moody crafted impressive breaks of 59, 110, 54, 86, 90, and 72, earning him a second-round match against China’s Zhang Anda.

Speaking about his win, a delighted Moody said, “I’m very proud of myself. It means everything. All of the practice has paid off. I came here not expecting anything and just thought I’d enjoy it. When you get to nine, that all goes out of the window, and you are desperate to get over the line.”

Martin O’Donnell also had an impressive win, defeating Hong Kong’s three-time ranking event winner Marco Fu with a score of 10-5. The Englishman, who recently topped the Q Tour standings to earn a two-year tour card, is competing as an amateur in the current tournament.

O’Donnell is relishing his second-round match against the legendary Jimmy White, who is bidding for his first trip to the Crucible since 2006. O’Donnell, who has never appeared at the Crucible before, said, “It would mean everything to qualify, but I’m still miles away, so it is not worth thinking about at the moment. It would mean the world to me.”

Meanwhile, Anton Kazakov, an 18-year-old from Ukraine, won his first-ever match in the event with a 10-6 victory over Mohamed Ibrahim from Egypt. Dean Young is set to fall off the tour after losing 10-5 to Haydon Pinhey, while Jamie O’Neil kept his chances of tour survival alive with a 10-5 win over Bulcsú Révész.