Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Williams: Welsh are ‘joke’ for Page snub
MARK WILLIAMS has branded a decision to deny teenage sensation Jackson Page a wild-card place for this month’s Welsh Open “a joke”.
Page, 16, created headlines worldwide 12 months ago by winning two matches at his home tournament as a schoolboy.
But the place granted to Page last year has been denied this time – and recent German Masters winner Williams, a two-time world champion, says it could harm his development.
The wild cards for this month’s event have gone to 51-year-old Darren Morgan, and Welsh amateur champion Rhydian Richards.
World No.7 Williams said: “Jackson has got all the potential in the world and it doesn’t look like he is going to get into the Welsh Open.
“That is an absolute joke. He is the No.1-ranked Welsh amateur, has been World Under-18 champion, and won the European Under-18 championship for the last two years.
“He had a wild-card at the Welsh last year and got the tournament huge publicity by winning two matches as a 15-year-old schoolboy. He was trending on social media.
“What is happening? We should be encouraging these youngsters. If he was Chinese at one of the events there, would he get a wild card? You need to ask Barry Hearn that one.”
Welsh Snooker chairman Ronnie Allen insisted that until now the criteria for wild-card picks were left to the home governing body.
But seeing Page set to miss a Welsh Open return has angered even World Snooker chairman Hearn, who branded the situation “a mess” and called for a review of the system.
Allen said: “Of course I regret Jackson not playing this year. But Mark Williams is a bit of a wind-up merchant.”