Ireland's Leone Crowley wins WSF World Junior Snooker Championship

ANDY CHUBB
Leone Crowley is the 2025 World Snooker Federation Junior Championship winner after defeating Kaylan Patel 5-0 in the final held in Saïdia, Morocco.

The 18-year-old from Ireland is set to join the sport's professional ranks for the first time later this year, as he earns a two-year World Snooker Tour card starting from the 2025/26 season for his success this week in North Africa.

Cork cueist Crowley cruised through his round robin group at the Radisson Blu Resort venue, dropping just two frames as he won all four of his fixtures against opposition from Germany, England, Romania and Poland.

In the knockout rounds, Crowley eliminated Ayaan Iqbal (Scotland) 4-0 in the last 16 before needing to win the final two frames of his quarter-final encounter with Poland's Michał Szubarczyk for a 4-3 victory. Szubarczyk won the IBSF version of the world junior championship in India earlier this year. Amaan Iqbal (Scotland) was then dispatched by Crowley in the semi-finals, 4-1.

On the opposite side of the draw, 16-year-old Patel from England reached the title match having seen off China's Zhou Jinhao 4-0 in the other final four tie. Teenager Zhou was a wildcard at this season's Shanghai Masters professional event where he stunned compatriot Zhang Anda in the opening round before bowing out to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16.

However, it was Crowley who scored a clean sweep in the final to realise his dream of turning professional.

In its fifth edition, Crowley is the first Irish winner of this WSF title. Nicknamed 'Lightning', Crowley has won a plethora of national titles in his homeland and is the current Irish under-21 champion two years running. In 2022, he was a finalist at the European Under-18 Snooker Championship that was held in Albania.

Crowley follows in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Ken Doherty (in 1989) and Rodney Goggins (in 1999) who have also won the premier world title in junior snooker.

For full results from the 2025 World Snooker Federation Junior Championship, please visit here.

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