Tournament information | |
---|---|
Venue | The Coach Club |
Location | Hillsborough |
Country | Northern Ireland |
Established | 1927 |
Organisation(s) | NIBSA |
Format | Amateur event |
Recent edition | 2017 |
Current champion(s) |
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The Northern Ireland Amateur Championship (often referred to as the Northern Ireland Championship) is an annual snooker competition played in Northern Ireland and is the highest ranking and most prestigious amateur event in Northern Ireland.
The first year of the championship was 1927 when G. Barron defeated G.R. Duff. The competition has since been held every year, disturbed only by World War II in 1940, 1942, 1943 and 1944. The current champion is former professional Jordan Brown, who defeated Dermot McGlinchey in the 2017 edition.
Many players who have appeared in the final of the tournament have gone on to be professional, including two-time World Snooker Champion Alex Higgins, three-time ranking event winner Mark Allen, 25-time Irish Professional Champion Jackie Rea, and World Championship semi-finalists Joe Swail and Patrick Wallace (the latter of whom has won the competition a record eight times).
Other players who have gone on to be professional include Tommy Murphy, Jack McLaughlin, Michael Duffy, Declan Hughes, Julian Logue, Joe Meara, Sean O'Neill, Dermot McGlinchey and Jordan Brown.
Currently only Mark Allen and Joe Swail are playing on the World Snooker Tour.