Congratulations to TJ Dowling, who has won the Irish National Championship for a third time today at the Ivy Rooms in Carlow.
Dowling overcame Jonathan Williams in a scrappy final 7-3 to join the likes of David Morris and Vincent Muldoon as three-time winners.
The Terry Rogers club player is now just one behind the modern day record of four championships, set by Martin McCrudden in 2014.
Sunday’s showdown didn’t boast many big contributions from both players but plenty of tension as they each sought out glory.
Monaghan’s Williams was featuring in his maiden final after impressive victories over Rodney Goggins and Josh Boileau, the European Under-21 champion.
But despite recovering from 3-1 down to level at the end of the opening session, the ‘Sniper’ struggled to score heavily enough and Dowling took full advantage by reeling off all four frames in the second session to emerge triumphant.
It’ll be disappointing for Johnny of course but it was still a more than memorable tournament for him.
For Dowling, capturing the crown 18 years after he last won it in 1998 is a remarkable achievement and he was understandably thrilled.
To manage the feat by not only beating Williams in the final, but also top seed Jason Devaney as well as former pros Joe Delaney and David Hogan, was truly impressive.
Along with the coveted trophy, Dowling pockets €1,000 for his efforts, while Hogan won the high break prize with his run of 120.
Click here to view all the results from the National Championships weekend.
