Jimmy's jinx strikes again in East Anglian final

BEXHILL snooker star Jimmy Robertson's jinx in the East Anglian under-17 Championships continued as he lost in the final for the third year running.

The 16-year-old professional, who will be the youngest player on the main tour when he starts next month, finished off his season in junior competitions with a disappointing defeat.

Jimmy was beaten three frames to two by Junior England international Jamie O'Neil from Wellingborough.

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The Q-Ball and O'Sullivans player overcame Will Whay from Hertfordshire 3-1 in his first match, before disposing of Sheriozha Wijekoon 3-0 with breaks of 40 and 76. In the quarter-finals, Jimmy found his form to win 3-1 against England Junior international Jamie Cope from Stoke, hitting breaks of 41, 44, 71 and 92 - the highest of the day.

The semi-final clash against newly promoted professional Matt Selt from Romford saw Jimmy play some awesome snooker, rattling in breaks of 40, 72 and 81 to win 3-0 in less than 25 minutes.

Runner-up for the past two years, Jimmy started the final in determined fashion by storming into a 2-0 lead. However, neither player was really at the top of their game and it was O'Neil who claimed the next two frames on the pink and black to draw level, before taking the decider and the title.

Jimmy will be hoping for a change of fortune when he starts his professional campaign at Burton on September 2 and attempts to qualify for the likes of the LG Cup, the UK Championships and the British Open.

Five wins in any one tournament could see him drawn against the likes of Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan or any top 16 player and a possible TV debut.