Oliver Sykes is an English snooker player from Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Early life

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A left-hander from Eastleigh, Hampshire, as an eleven year-old he retired from his local Eastleigh & District under-13 league after winning five titles. That year he also won the local Eastleigh & District under-19 league.[1] As a -6 year-old in 2022, he became the champion at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club in Hampshire.[2]

Career

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Aged 15 years-old, Sykes was given a wildcard to the 2021 English Open in Milton Keynes where he faced Allan Taylor.[3]

2023/24

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In September and October 2023, Sykes won the opening two events on the English Junior Snooker Tour placed him to the top of the national junior rankings.[4]

Given a wildcard to the 2023 UK Championship as the number one ranked junior player,[5] he faced Alfie Burden in the first qualifying round and beat his more experienced opponent 6-1. in the following round he was defeated 6-4 by Jamie Clarke.[6][7] In December 2023, he recorded a victory over experience professional Rod Lawler at the 2023 Snooker Shoot Out.[8]

At the WSF Junior Snooker Championship held in Albania in February 2024, he reached the semi-finals before he was defeated by eventual champion Bulcsú Revesz.[9][10]

In April 2024, he played in the first round of qualifying for the 2024 World Snooker Championship, and lost to Louis Heathcote 10-6.[11] That month, he reached the semi-finals of the English under-21 championships.[12]

He entered Q School in May 2024, in the first event he was defeated by German Umut Dikme.[13]

2024-25

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At the 2024 English Open in Brentwood in September 2024, he reached the second round with a win over Julien Leclercq.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "11-year-old Oliver 'retires' - after five snooker title wins!". Daily Echo. 16 September 2017.
  2. ^ Dunkley, Tim (April 19, 2022). "Oliver Sykes is the Chandlers Ford SC champion". Cue Stars. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  3. ^ Gaynor, Chris (25 August 2021). "Teenager Oliver Sykes is one of two youngsters to have been invited to this season's professional event, the BetVictor English Open by the English Partnership of Snooker and Billiards". Snooker Zone. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Sykes Secures Back-to-Back Junior Tour Successes". EPSB. 16 October 2023.
  5. ^ "WPBSA QUALIFIERS ANNOUNCED FOR MRQ UK CHAMPIONSHIP". wst.tv. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.~
  6. ^ Caulfield, David (November 18, 2023). "UK Championship qualifiers: 2023 draw, schedule, results, how to watch". Snooker HQ. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Sky's the limit for Sykes". Wst.tv. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ^ "SHAUN LIU, 13, SETS NEW RECORD AS YOUNGEST WINNER". WST. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  9. ^ "HUNGARY FOR SUCCESS! REVESZ WINS JUNIOR TITLE". wst.tv. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  10. ^ Caulfield, David (February 2, 2024). "Hungarian teenager Bulcsú Révész wins tour card". SnookerHQ. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  11. ^ "WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP: FERGAL O'BRIEN BRINGS CURTAIN DOWN ON 33-YEAR CAREER AFTER DEFEAT IN CRUCIBLE QUALIFIER". Eurosport. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  12. ^ "English under-21 championship results". snookerscores.net. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  13. ^ "BOIKO SEEKS IMPROVEMENT WITH DOHERTY'S HELP". wst.tv. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  14. ^ "BetVictor English Open - Saturday round-up". World Snooker Tour. 14 September 2024. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.