Local duo earn right to take on snooker legend Jimmy White (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Local duo earn right to take on snooker legend Jimmy White

12:51pm Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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SNOOKER prodigies Peter Devlin and Ben Finch have won the right to take on one of the sport’s greatest ever players, Jimmy White, in an exhibition match next month.

The pair, who are part of coach Josh Raja’s Rileys Snooker Academy at the Walthamstow branch, were winners at the reputable Upton Park Sunday competition last week and, as such, qualified for a once-in-a-lifetime frame shoot-out with the player dubbed the Whirlwind.

White, who is widely considered to be the most naturally gifted player of his generation, will visit the Upton Park club, in Green Street, for several exhibition games against some of the area’s finest players.

Thirteen-year-old Devlin booked his place at the event on August 21 with a rousing performance in last week’s final for his eighth Upton Park title.

After going one-nil up, his opponent hit back to level with two useful breaks, but a remarkable shot down the cushion, that saw the red find the pocket and the white fall nicely on to the black, proved to be the turning point in the deciding frame.

The Holy Family Technology College pupil closed out the match with a break of 30, prompting his coach, Raja, to gush: “Peter’s all-round game is unbelievable. He seems to be maturing at just the right time.

“In my opinion, Peter will be a world champion without a doubt.”

Shots such as the one that earned him the crown have seen him nicknamed ‘Pressure-ball Pete’ among his contemporaries, and it is a title he has lived up to, having already won Upton Park’s prestigious Spring League, putting him alongside names like Ronnie O’Sullivan to have won the competition.

An impressive 3-1 win over one of O’Sullivan’s ‘Stars of the Future’ Sean O’Sullivan also turned heads in the English Amateurs.

Meanwhile, stablemate Finch, 21, was busy winning his first major title at Upton Park.

He said after his win: “When I started, a lot of people said I wouldn’t win a thing.

“Thirteen trophies later, I think I am starting to prove my critics wrong.”

The pair will now go back to the Walthamstow tables to prepare for the visit of the Whirlwind.

For more information on snooker coaching, call Josh Raja on 078665 29797.