Brendan bids for record-breaking eighth snooker title

With the World Snooker Professional Championships ending at the Crucible, Sheffield last Monday. Snooker is in everybody's minds and hearts. A maverick from China, Zhao Xintong, proves an artist can win. For those of us over a certain age, we can draw snooker romantic comparisons with him and a London Whirlwind, Jimmy White. For the armchair television enthusiasts, more is to come at the great venue with the World Legends Senior Championships for the next five days.

For those of you who are Irish and participating in the grass roots of the sport, the next two weekends, the Irish Amateur Championships will be held in the SBI Headquarters in Carlow.

It will be hotly contested. Brendan O'Donoghue, from New Institute, Nenagh, will be aiming to win the title for an unprecedented eight times. He defeated Ross Bulman, Youghal CYMS man last year, 7-5. On for five in a row this year is the Tipperary man. There will be a new cup on offer, the Ger Murray Cup. The late Offaly man who was an international and national amateur referee.

Every amateur wants to be the greatest in their own land. They want to follow and place their names alongside the great's who won and are renowned as great champions. The multitude of times that they win puts them in a special crescendo. Names of the ilk have experienced this over and over again, like O'Donoghue, to name a few, Seamus Fenning, Jack Rogers, Dessie Sheehan, Eugene Hughes, Gay Burns, Ken Doherty, Jason Watson, TJ Dowling, Joe Canny, Martin McCrudden, Davy Morris, Vincent Muldoon and Michael Judge.

This weekend and next weekend of May 17 and 18 sees the action taking place. The final weekend will not only have the Irish Amateurs on display, a host of other finals (Junior, Over 40s, Over 55s and Billiards) be played in "the Croke Park of the sport". Those of you who has an interest in the sport I would urge all and sundry to come. The snooker academy has to be seen to be believed. Admission is free. All are welcome.