Ryan beat Gary Flitness 3-0 in the final and also made the highest break of the day with a 121.

Two Grove players were met each other in the second round, Chen Zhe beating Sean O’Sullivan but then losing to Ryan in the third round. They had beated Jaspal Bamota and Marriane Williams in the first round respectively.

Ryan said, “I am delighted to have won the first Qualiying event and I am delighted to have a chance to play against professionals for the first time. Whatever happens I am greatly looking forward to the experience and I cannot wait to get up to Sheffield next month”.

Ryan goes on to the last 128 of the first World Open and will play at the qualifying event which takes place in Sheffield from 21 August.

The Grove is one of 20 clubs in the UK hosting qualifiers for the new World Open.

Now everyone has a chance to take place in a ranking event and be drawn against one of the best players in the world!

Entry is just £5 and the winner will join 19 other club winners, 12 wildcards and the 96 professional players on this year’s Main Tour. This is a unique opportunity to get to play on one of the world’s biggest snooker stages.

You can download an entry form from here: http://www.worldsnooker.com/site_files/click_here.pdf

You can then send this on to us at 1 Faringdon Grove, Faringdon Avenue, Romford RM3 8TD with a cheque for £5 made payable to “Grove Leisure”.

Jack is the winner of the 2009/10 PIOS and is also the new English Amatuer Champion and we’re hoping that his good form continues.

Questions and Answers with Jack:

When did you start playing snooker?

I was 7 when I got my first table, but I probably started playing when I was 5. I didn’t have a table then, I would lie on the floor hitting golf balls and ping pong balls with a pool cue.

I was fascinated by watching snooker on television and I particularly remember one match between Mark Williams and Ken Doherty which got me hooked on the game.

I wanted to join a snooker club and my dad said I could, on condition that I read Danny The Champion Of The World by Roald Dahl. I don’t know if that was because he thought it would help my snooker or whether he just wanted me to finish my reading first! I then joined Westgate Snooker Club in Gloucester, at the age of 8.

Did this give you a taste for competition at an early age?

Yes it did. I started to play in the handicap competition every Saturday and I won it soon after I joined – it was a big deal for me, I had become the youngest winner ever. I started to receive coaching from Nick Pearce, a former professional, and he gave me a lot of encouragement to carry on and try and improve my game. I continued to improve and I made my first 100 break at the age of 10, while playing Nick.

What was your best early success?

The first big tournament I went in was the Pontins Star Of The Future tournament in 2002 and I won, beating Michael White in the final 2-1, winning the deciding frame on the black ball. In the same month I won the English Under-13 title, beating Liam Highfield in the final.

When I was 13 I took apart in the European Under-19 tournament in Riga, Latvia. I lost in the quarter-final.

How did your improving snooker affect your schooling?

At the age of 16 I passed 9 GCSEs but I decided to leave school at this point and concentrate on my goal of becoming a professional player. However it was around this time that I became ill – I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This led me to take a year out from snooker (and life in general!) The following year I was well enough to start playing again and rejoined the PIOS tour. I reached the final of the second event I played, which was a big achievement for me to have improved so much after taking so much time away from competitive playing. It gave me a lot of confidence for the following season – 2009/10.

Do you feel you came back from your break a better player and stronger person?

Yes I did. I played in all eight events in the 2009/10 PIOS tour and I won 2 events – the first and last ones. I also reached 2 semi-finals and I ended up with the highest points total in the five-year history of the competition. At the end of the 2009/10 I also won the English Amateur Championship.

What is your highest break?

My highest break in practice is 147 which I have half a dozen times. The most recent was while playing Ding Junhui in Sheffield, while breaking in a new cue.

In competition my highest break is 143 which I achieved during an English U-21 ranking tournament in 2009.

Are you enjoying life away from home?

I’m currently sharing a house with Judd Trump. We’re good friends, as Judd comes from Bristol and I’ve seen almost every weekend for years at one junior tournament or other, as he’s just a couple of years older than me.

I’m now living and practising in Romford and I have to admit I prefer it to Sheffield. There’s a definite buzz being nearer to London and Romford is a vibrant town. I hope the change of scenery will help me have an explosive start to my professional career!

They successfully completed an intensive two-day training course with official World Snooker coach and former pro Gary Filtness, pictured middle.

The Grove Academy can help you improve your game, whatever your standard! Get in touch with us for more information.

Song said, “I’m delighted to become the first person from my country to attain such an accodale. Becoming a recognised coach under World Snooker’s programme is something that I have aimed for.”

Grove principals Django Fung and Paul Golder said, “We’re very pleased for Song as he shares our long-term ambitions in developing snooker worldwide.

“This is the first step towards achieving this and we look forward to him using his skills to improve our team of young players”.

Long has been a pro since 2001 and is currently enjoying his highest ever ranking, at no 60.

Playing at Romford with a number of his countrymen, including Liu Song, Zhang Anda, Li Hang, Mei Xiwen and Chen Zhe, we hope Long will feel at home here very quickly.

Judd said, “I’m very happy to be part of a growing team at the Grove. I have been practicing at the new Academy here in Romford and look forward to improving my game with the other pros playing here”.

Principals Django Fung and Paul Golder said, “It’s great to have Judd on board. He’s a really nice guy with a great attitude and fantastic natural ability.

“We have been fans of his for some time and we look forward to helping him towards future successes.”

What better way to improve your skills than by playing on world Championship-grade STAR tables in comfortable surroundings with top quality coaching and regular games with some of the world’s very best snooker players?

The Grove Academy is situated less than a mile from the M25/A12 junction (J28) and within easy reach of the centre of London, just 35 minutes away by train.

We are hosting several top international players in the 2009/10 season including Liu Song, Li Hang, Zhang Anda, Mei Wixen and Chen Zhe. Regular UK professionals to the club include Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stuart Bingham, Judd Trump, Matthew Selt and Jack Lisowski.

Contact us for enquiries about availability and rates for the 2010/11 season.

Click here to see more photographs of the facilities.

Two of the Grove’s young players, Ryan Marriner and Sean O’Sullivan, took part. It was a dream start for Sean as he went on to beat Michael Caracino, L Godfrey, Damian Wilks, Jamie Simmo and Mitchell Travis to take the £300 first prize.

Ryan made it through to the last 16 but was beaten narrowly by Syd Wilson.

A number of breaks over 50 were made including four for Sean – 53, 63, 73 and a 74 clearance which was the best of the day. Beaten finalist Mitchell Travis made a 52, Ryan Causton 51 and Main Tour 2010/11 entrant Jack Lisowski made a 64 before losing to Mitchell.

Jack Filtness, organising his first tournament for the Grove, kept a watch on all the proceedings.

The group stage included eight players – Mark Joyce, Tom Ford, Mark King, Ali Carter, Lee Richardson, Matt Selt, Katie Henrick and Sean O’Sullivan.

Mark Joyce won the group with a score of 572 over the seven games, including scores of 121, 103 and 119.

Tom Ford, Mark King, Ali Carter and Lee Richardson joined Mark in the final group. They were joined by Alex Davies, Stuart Bingham and Liam Highfield who all received byes.

The final group was won by Mark King with a total score of 582, including scores of 115, 104 and 128. Mark Joyce was second and Ali Carter third.

Mark King now goes through to the final in Cardiff in Decemeber.

Tom Ford scored the two highest scores on the day – a 139 in the group stage and a 135 in the final stage.

To read more please see the Global Snooker website.