Sanderson Lam wins opening Q Tour Europe snooker event of the season

Lam emerged from a bumper field of 143 participants at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, England to claim his first Q Tour title, and pocket a £6,000 payday.

The Q Tour is snooker’s premier amateur circuit that provides a direct pathway to the professional ranks. There are several Q Tour regions across the world, although the European version is the flagship division.

Consisting of seven ‘regular’ events - three held in the UK and four in mainland Europe - the player who finishes top of the order of merit earns a two-year card for the World Snooker Tour. Over the last three years, Michael Holt (2024), Zhao Xintong (2025) and Jamie Clarke (2026) have won this rankings race.

The next 16 players on the list (to include all event winners) qualify for the end-of-season Global Q Tour Playoffs where they are joined by the most successful players from the international regions. Here, there are a further three pro tickets on offer.

Following a four-year stint, former Scottish Open quarter-finalist Lam was relegated from the professional circuit at the end of last season, and was unable to immediately bounce back at the UK Q School.

Aiming to reclaim his top-flight stripes through the Q Tour this term, the 32-year-old Englishman won his opening three matches at the NSC without dropping a frame, scoring 4-0 whitewash wins over Kevin Willsher, ex-pro Billy Castle, and then Scottish teenager Jack Borwick.

The former world number 57 relinquished his first frame of the tournament in the last 16, but still registered a 4-1 win over Ryan Davies to reach Finals Day where he ousted former English Amateur Snooker Champion Paul Deaville, 4-3, in the quarter-finals.

In the last four, Lam swept past Mark Joyce, 4-0, with a trio of half-centuries. In the final, Lam met Farakh Ajaib, who like him is trying to get back into the sport’s big time after demotion a few months ago. Ajaib defeated Haris Tahir, 4-2, in the other semi.

Lam deposited the opening frame of the final before doubling his advantage with an 83. Ajaib got on the scoresheet following a 60 in frame three, but efforts of 52, 66, and 64 helped Lam record a 4-1 victory and to lift the trophy.

A plethora of century breaks were made throughout the competition, with the highest coming from 16-year-old Shaun Liu who racked up a 142. Liu bowed out in the last 16 to Deaville.

Many familiar names were in action for this curtain-raiser, including former top 16 stars Robert Milkins and Mark Davis, who both fell off the professional tour back in the spring. They both won their opening matches but were eliminated in the last 64 by Stuart Watson (4-0) and Hamim Hussain (4-1), respectively.

The second Q Tour Europe event of the season is in Sofia, Bulgaria between September 21-24.

For all the results from event one, visit snookerscores.net here.