Jackson Page has won the European Under-21 Championship after a 5-1 victory over Ross Bulman in Israel on Friday.
The highly-fancied Welshman lived up to his favourite tag to deny an Irish continental double at junior level.
Page whitewashed Aaron Hill, the European Under-18 champion from earlier in the week, in the last four before a similarly resounding success over another Corkman in Bulman.
With the triumph, the 17 year-old is guaranteed a two-year professional ticket to compete on the Main Tour from next season.
Page grew in confidence after a tight start in which he crucially managed to pinch both of the opening two frames on the colours.
After then falling three adrift, Bulman finally got on the scoreboard in the final frame before the mid-session interval.
But any hopes of a revival were dashed as Page – who regularly practices with world champion Mark Williams – won the two frames he needed with breaks of 57 and an excellent 102 to secure the coveted title.
The glory adds to the brace of European Under-18 titles that Page won in 2017 and 2018.
The teenager has already made waves in ranking events on the pro circuit, announcing himself as a possible star during the 2017 Welsh Open when he reached the last 32 as a wildcard.
Earlier this season, Page was also invited to compete as one of the amateur top-ups in the Paul Hunter Classic and duly took advantage by embarking on an impressive run to the last 16.
Page, who was runner-up two years ago to Alexander Ursenbacher, becomes the first player from Wales to capture the European Under-21 Championship.
Countrymen Ian Preece, Jamie Jones, Michael White, and Jak Jones all have junior honours as well but at the previous Under-19 level.
Ireland’s Bulman had earlier gained revenge on Dylan Emery in the semi-finals, the player he lost to at the same stage of the Under-18s at the outset of the week.
But the final proved to be one step too far for the 17 year-old and he never quite recovered from losing the opening frame on the black.
Page, Bulman, Hill, and Emery will all feature in the flagship European Men’s Championship that gets under way on Saturday in Eilat.
Pingback: Jackson Page Among First Q School Graduates - SnookerHQ