The 14-year-old from Blaenau Gwent whose snooker career is on the rise after beating a former world championship runner-up says the friendly "abuse" he gets from his training partner, three-time world champion Mark Williams, helps him to succeed.
Riley Powell has taken the world of snooker by storm and came from 30-0 down to win 41-31 in the Snooker Shoot Out on Thursday, January 26.
The teenager looked emotional after he secured the win against former world championship runner-up Kyren Wilson in the short-form competition. He's been playing for six years and trains with a well-known Welsh player, who he looks on the verge of joining on the world stage.
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Powell showed fantastic composure, especially while dealing with a broken shot clock in the venue, prompting pundits to joke about whether he was "14 or 24." He was actually the second 14-year-old to win at the competition, the Mirror reported, after Moldovan Vladislav Gradinari became the youngest-ever player to win at the Snooker Shoot Out.
Speaking to Eurosport, Powell said: "The first thing I went out there to do was just enjoy it. Coming out there with a win... I've got no words to say to be honest with you."
The competition sees players compete over a shorter period than a normal game - either the length of one frame, or 10 minutes, whatever comes first. The 14-year-old talked about how training in his home town of Tredegar with Welsh world no. 7 Mark Williams has helped him improve his game. Powell said: "He gives me some abuse now and again, like, but he's a good help as well."
In a video published on the World Snooker Tour Twitter page, Powell added: "I have a couple of games with him now and again. I like do do a bit of solo practice but any practice with them two [Williams and Lee Walker] is just fabulous."
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