Hughes is the new king of the Shootout
IN A day of surprises, there’s a new name on the Wired Electrical Contractors Snooker Shootout trophy, with Darren Hughes coming through five rounds of the ever-more-popular speed event to beat Adam Shorto in the final.
Over 40 players entered the 10-minute-per-frame tournament at the Gremlin Club and they didn’t have to wait long before seeing the first-round exit of four-time champion Martyn Desperques at the hands of Danny Marquand.
Soon after, another former winner was on his way out as Glenn Le Prevost – champion in 2016 and 2017 – lost his chance of a repeat when beaten by Hughes, while on the adjacent table, women’s Island champion Kate Le Gallez was beaten by teammate Danielle Leadbeater.
As the form book returned, Shorto progressed to the final with wins over Adrian Holley – who had the top break of 77 on the day – and John Skillett in the semis, while Hughes also accounted for three Premier players, including Desperques’ conqueror Marquand.
It was Shorto’s second appearance in the final, but the trophy still eludes him as Hughes established a lead and controlled both the frame and the clock to run out a worthy 50-21 winner.
Unsurprisingly, Desperques won the plate event, but there was a further shock in store when newcomer Miles Davies ousted Le Prevost in a safety driven frame that stood 11-10 in favour of the former champion with a minute to go.
Davies could not follow that up, though, losing to another debutant, teammate Danny Hook, who lost the plate final 38-27 to Desperques.
