Brendan O’Donoghue has won his second ranking event of the Irish amateur season after victory in the Douglas Jewellers Irish Masters in Carlow.
The Nenagh native beat Robert Murphy 4-1 in the final at the Ivy Rooms, the same player he overcame for success in the Barracks Classic at the outset of the campaign.
With this triumph in the fifth ranking event of the term, O’Donoghue overtakes Michael Judge at the top of the rankings list.
Judge, winner of the last two tournaments on the calendar and also a member of the victorious All-Ireland Club Championship team with Q Club Wicklow, suffered a surprising 3-0 defeat to Benny O’Brien in the last 16.
O’Brien went all the way to Sunday’s semi-final, where his impressive run eventually came to an end against Murphy, while O’Donoghue narrowly defeated national champion TJ Dowling in the other last four encounter.
The sixth ranking event will take place early in March before the campaign concluding National Championship in April and May.
Pingback: Sniper’s Snippets: Irish Masters – SnookerHQ
Pingback: TJ Dowling Grabs Grand Prix Glory – SnookerHQ