Son of snooker legend wins weekend title double and qualifies for European Championships

The junior Williams has made big breakthroughs on the Welsh youth circuit in recent weeks.

At a national under-18 series event held at the Brackla Snooker Centre in Bridgend last weekend, Williams needed to reach the final in order to qualify for that age group's event at the Euros. And he did just that, making a break of 70 in a semi-final victory before being defeated 3-0 by 17-year-old Riley Powell in the title match.

Only a few days later, Powell - who finished top of the under-18 standings - featured in qualifying for the Welsh Open professional event as a wildcard where he narrowly lost 4-3 to Amir Sarkhosh in the opening round.

This weekend, Williams has been back on the baize in competitive action, at the Amlwch Snooker Club where on Saturday he won the latest Welsh under-14 series event after defeating Noah Walker 2-0 in the final.

That triumph represented back-to-back title successes in that age category having won the previous event held in Newport in November.

The day after his latest under-14 win, Williams returned to the Amlwch venue to play in the under-16 series, and completed a weekend title double following a 2-1 victory over Rio Chung in the final.

This result means that Williams ends second in the seasonal under-16 national rankings - behind first-placed Chung - which earns him a ticket to another continental event whilst representing his nation.

The 2026 European Amateur Snooker Championships are set to be held in Gandia in March. It is the first time that Spain has hosted them.

As well as the under-16 and 18 events, the Championships also feature the under-21 and main amateur (open-age) categories for which each tournament rewards the winner with a two-year professional tour card.

At last year's European Amateur Championship held in Türkiye, Liam Highfield won the title after defeating Michal Szubarczyk 5-0 in the final. However, as Highfield already had a tour card from the Q Tour playoffs held a few days previously, the top flight ticket went to the 14-year-old runner-up from Poland.

It won't be Williams' first dance at the Euros, though. He played at the under-16 event in Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2024, and the same competition in 2025 in Türkiye.

Whilst he has been securing European qualification this weekend, Joel's father Mark - who posted about his son’s success on social media - has been preparing for the 28th Masters appearance of his illustrious career.

MJW - who earlier this season became the oldest-ever winner of a professional ranking event - has been drawn to face Mark Allen in round one at the Alexandra Palace on Monday afternoon.