By Lee Clow
20-year-old Dylan Emery says he is “not there to make up the numbers” next season as he receives his first professional tour card following his success in the U21 European Amateur Snooker Championship.
Emery beat Belgium talent, Julien Leclercq, 5-2 in the final to become champion in Portugal last month.
Speaking on his success, Emery said: “It unbelievable, I’ve been playing in it and trying to win it since I was about 15-16”
“I’ve come close a couple of times, lost in the final once in the under 18s, lost in the semi-finals in the under 21’s, so to get over the line was unbelievable.”
Emery’s success means he is now the sixth Welsh player to triumph in the junior tournament, emulating the likes of Michael White, Jamie Jones, and Jackson Page.
The reward for Emery’s success is place on the professional circuit for the next two seasons.
Emery said: “I can’t put it into words, it still doesn’t feel 100% real, like I said I have been trying for years but I feel it has come at the right time, I am more ready now than I was before.”
With his first title under his belt, Emery looks to push on and make a real impact in sport he loves.
“I am not there to make up the numbers, I am there to win and to try and make a good career out of something I love doing.”
On his journey to success, Emery won all four round-robin fixtures before receiving a bye in the first knockout round.
It wasn’t all plain sailing however as Emery soon faced tough challenges in the next two rounds. In the round of 32, Emery held off a late comeback by Daniel Sciborski, before scraping through against his fellow countryman Liam Davies in the quarter finals.
“I was 3-0 in front, but he [Sciborski] pulled it back to 3-3 and he had a lead in the deciding frame - I dropped a lack of focus, but I managed to scrape through”
“Again, in the quarter finals I was 3-1 up, but was brought back to 3-3. I dropped a level of concentration, so I made sure I told myself not to drop focus and have more of a killer instinct, which helped me go all the way in the tournament.”
In the semi-final, Emery breezed past Antoni Kowalski 4-0, setting up the final against Leclercq.
In the final itself, Emery took a commanding lead as he won his opening two frames. This set the tone of the final as Emery extended his lead before securing the final 5-2.
For Emery, his success was down to the way he approached the tournament, taking a different stance to what he previously had done.
“I took a different approach, I didn’t use any social media and it sounds a bit extreme, but I didn’t do the little things like go in the pool or mess around. I was just trying to stay focused and keep in the zone so I could give myself the best chance and thankfully it worked.”
Having returned from Portugal to his hometown of Caerphilly, Emery now looks to reflect on his success, before resetting and going again as he prepares for his debut season as a professional snooker player.
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