Wild boosts tour hopes

MICHAEL WILD: pro circuit?

OLDHAM’S Michael Wild is in a pole position to play in World Snooker’s main professional tour for the 2009/2010 season.

With only four events remaining in the English Association of Snooker and Billiards Pro-Ticket Tour, Wild tops the rankings after reaching the final of the latest competition at the Northern Snooker Centre, Leeds.

He was beaten 5-3 by Bexhill-on-Sea’s Jimmy Robertson, who also defeated him in the final of last year’s EASB event in Swindon.

Wild led 2-0, making a break of 73 in the second frame, but Robertson hit back to go 3-2 ahead, the highlight being a 96 break in frame five.

Robertson won a close sixth frame to lead 4-2 and although Wild took the next, Robertson held his nerve to clinch victory.

Wild has 335 ranking points and is just ahead of Grimsby’s Stuart Carrington (330), Accrington’s Chris Norbury (323) and Robertson (311).

The man with the most points at the end of the Pro-Ticket Tour will qualify for next season’s main tour, while the next 32 play off for the remaining place.

The next EASB event will take place at Woking Snooker Centre on December 20 and 21.