ROBBIE McGuigan continues his quest for a fourth consecutive Northern Ireland Amateur Championship title at the Antrim Sports Club this weekend when he takes on Antrim club-mate Ryan McQuillan in the quarter-finals.
The 19-year-old is playing in his last event on the local amateur circuit after earning a two-year professional card by winning the European Men’s Amateur title in March and will be looking to go out on a high.
McGuigan’s last-16 victim (4-1) was Joel Connolly, who also lost to the Antrim man in the final of the Northern Ireland U21 Championship last week, while McQuillan edged past Eamonn Ferris of Drumaness 4-3.
Another Antrim man, last year’s runner-up Raymond Fry, is also safely through to the last eight after beating Hugh Murdock of Drumaness 4-2 in the last 16. He will face Coalisland’s Fergal Quinn, who came through a deciding frame against two-times winner Declan Lavery from Antrim.
Most eye-catching quarter-final will see eight-times champion and current number one, Patrick Wallace, take on another former champion Declan Hughes. Neither player dropped a frame in their last-16 wins, Wallace accounting for Castlederg’s Dermot McGlinchey and Hughes beating Magherafelt’s Brian Milne. Wallace is also current front-runner for the highest break prize with 128 the target to beat.
The remaining last-eight tie will feature Darren Dornan of Drumaness, beaten finalist in 2019, and Gregory Cooke from the 3Cs Snooker Club in Limavady.
The semi-finals will also be played on Sunday, with the final taking place over two days next weekend (May 18-19).
