Aidan Murphy wins the 2026 UK Junior Open Snooker Championship title
Aidan Murphy is the new UK Junior Open Snooker Champion after winning the third edition of the prestigious tournament last weekend in Scotland.
Murphy ousted fellow English cueist Edward Jones 4-3 in a thrilling final at The Red Triangle in Cumbernauld to pocket the £1,300 winner's purse and follow in the footsteps of former champions Leone Crowley (2024) and O'Shay Scott (2025).
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Taking place over four days, a total of 53 players from nine different nations participated - Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Israel - who were each aiming for a slice of the £5,500 total prize fund on offer.
Across both the main and plate events, 530 matches were played, providing lots of competitive action for all the budding cueists. The contestants were initially split into three round robin groups of 18, 18, and 17, where they played each other once in a two-frame match with one point for each frame won.
21-year-old Murphy - an English Junior Snooker Tour event winner in 2024 and a former national under-18 championship finalist - finished second in Group A after winning 27 of his 34 frames.
In the knockouts phase, Murphy defeated Logan Rawlings 3-1, Jake Crofts 3-0, Amaan Iqbal 3-2, and then Daniel Boyes 3-2 in the last four to reach the title tie.
On the other side of the draw, 17-year-old Jones - an event winner on last season's English Junior Snooker Tour - ended the challenge of Steven Wardropper 3-0 in the semi-finals.
Jones was within touching distance of the crown as he led 3-1 in the final, but Murphy mounted a comeback, stringing together the last three frames for his third consecutive deciding frame triumph.
A total of 26 century breaks were made throughout the Championship, the highest coming from Switzerland's Jensen Schmid who fashioned a 142 during the knockouts and collected a £400 prize. Wales' Oliver Briffett-Payne racked up the most tons with four and was awarded with a £100 bonus.
Tournament organiser Raymond Wardropper said: "I would like to express my thanks to the club owners and the staff for their hard work in getting the venue in tip top shape.
"Thanks also goes to my right-hand man Alan O'Neil for his system that makes my life so much easier, and to all the parents for their constant dialogue with me over the six months of planning.
“To the players, I thank you all for your efforts; it's a shame there is only one winner, but take home what you have learnt, and work on your weaker parts, and I'll hopefully see you back here next year stronger and better."