As the opener to a series of inter-island cueing contests over the next two weekends, Shorto will be looking to wrest the title from Canavan’s grasp at the Mechanics Institute in Jersey.
The Guernsey champion has come agonisingly close in their past two meetings, losing on a deciding frame in both 2023 and 2024.
He has been in good form, having won every individual match this season, and so will be well-positioned to challenge for a title he last won in 2015.
‘Any match against Aaron is something to look forward to,’ he said.
‘I’ve tried to embrace the last couple I’ve had with him and they’ve been good games.
‘I’m hoping that I can do that again.’
Canavan is an ever-present on the World Seniors Tour this season and leads the rankings having won one of the nine events.
The Jersey champion is looking for a fifth straight title to extend his current record of 12 in total.
Shorto is also captaining the home squad for the snooker inter-insular, which will take place at the Gremlin Club on Saturday week.
Selectors are calling upon the top five players of the Premier Division aggregates as Guernsey look to defend the trophy that they won narrowly, 14-11, on Jersey soil last year.
Shorto has won all of his matches in the last two inter-insulars and heads a side that is almost unchanged from 2025, the only exception being aggregate winner Glenn Le Prevost coming in for Jamie Le Cheminant.
John Skillett, Darren Hughes and Paul Le Sauvage complete the Sarnian side.
Captained by Karl Le Feuvre, the rival side also includes Canavan, Danny Brannan, Jeremy Gogan and Matt Cox.
Jersey lead Guernsey 43-32 overall but the gap has narrowed, given that they were over 20 wins ahead a quarter of a century ago.
‘I’m excited for the team,’ Shorto said.
‘It’s a great team that’s been announced and Glenn’s back this year, which is brilliant.
‘The rest of them all played last year and it was a brilliant win in Jersey, so we’ll be buoyed by that and we’re looking forward to it.’
Before that, both the snooker ‘Upton’ and billiards inter-insular will be taking place at the Mechanics Institute tomorrow.
With differing league formats between the two islands, the Upton is now played as a ‘B’ inter-insular over 16 frames.
Danny Marquand will captain the side that is made up of the best four players in the Premier aggregates who have not represented the full side more than once.
There will be a debut appearance for Ali Gilliland, while Ross De Carteret and Colin Gilbert feature for a second time in Jersey.
Selection for the Guernsey billiards team has shifted to points qualification based on league and Island Championship performance.
Le Sauvage came top on 13 points, but is unable to travel to Jersey for the match.
The travelling quartet will see Martin Budge, winner of both league formats, make his first appearance since 2013 in a side that will be captained by Adrian Holley.
Both Steve Le Poidevin and Miles Plumley have kept their places in the side.
Next Friday sees the CI Billiards Championship taking place in Guernsey.
Le Sauvage will have a second shot at the title, having successfully defended the Island championship against Miles Plumley.
In a repeat of the 2025 final, he faces Clayton Coates in the much more familiar surroundings of the Ex-Service Club.
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