Barnes ready to make a name for himself

A FREAK knee injury cost Matthew Barnes any chance of joining the elite of world snooker last season, but the 21-year old is determined to make up for lost time and ruffle some feathers among the big boys this time around.

The Newhaven ace was the victim of a bout of tomfoolery during a sun-soaked lads holiday in Benidorm, leaving him laid up for four months and, more importantly, forcing him to miss one of the four Challenge Tour events which could have earned him enough ranking points to gain promotion to the main tour.

But Matthew has begun this season in fine form and at last week's Benson & Hedges Championship in Mansfield he made giant strides before eventually being knocked out in the fourth round by world number 35, Michael Holt.

His scalps included a second round triumph over veteran Les Dodd who announced his decision to quit the sport soon after.

Then, in round three, Barnes saw off world number 71 Lee Walker in freak circumstances.

'I came back from 4-2 down to level it a 4-4. Then, in the decider, I started with a 41 break but he was unbeaten on 49 and cruising when he feathered the cue-ball on his pull back. It was comical, I almost started laughing! I cleared up and won which obviously left him gutted,' said Matthew.

But Matthew's luck ran out in the fourth round when, despite leading 2-1, he succumbed 5-3 to Holt.

'I made breaks of 82, 78 and 54 so I was playing well, and if I'd have won I would have more than doubled my prize money (425),' he added.

'I know I can compete with top players it's just getting in there. There are 128 of us on the Challenge Tour fighting for just eight places and the standard's incredible. I honestly believe that the bottom 20 or 30 players on the main tour are not as good as players on the Challenge Tour and the system needs looking at.

'The only other way in is by winning the English Open which is a tournament I'll obviously concentrate on.

'But this is the first year where I'll be competing in all four ranking tournaments and I'm determined to make it.

'I'm gutted though that I always produce my best form at the Benson & Hedges which isn't a ranking event.'

Matthew now has his sights set on a place in April's World Champion-ships at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

Last season he was beaten three rounds before the TV stages, but Barnes is hoping to make it all the way to the main stage this time around. In order to feature on our screens, Matthew must win six games in the space of ten to 14 days up in Blackpool.

And the talented youngster is confident of making progress in a qualifying campaign dominated by talk of a big time return for arguably the most gifted player to ever hold a cue Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins.

'I don't want to sound disrespectful because Alex made the game, but he's got no intention of ever playing again.

'He made some headlines and sold his story for a few grand and I think that's all he wanted to do.

'To be honest he wouldn't stand a chance because there are so many good young players out there that no-one ever sees. People don't know how good the standard is.'

Matthew is now on the look-out for a sponsor, especially to help with travelling expenses.

'There seems to be a northern bias for snooker. All the tournaments are up there, I'm in Mansfield again at the weekend, and during the qualifiers in Blackpool I'll be faced with a 50 a night hotel bill.'

Contact Matthew on 01273 611988 or 07732 525667 if you can help.