RILEY Ellis is the youngest ever winner of the Tuesday Singles League at Chandlers Ford Snooker Club in Hampshire.

It was the 16-year-old’s third major success since the lockdown ended.

The youngster, from Clyffe Pypard near Royal Wootton Bassett, had already beaten his highest competitive break twice, first with a 59 at the end of July and then a 62 earlier this month.

And now he has added another title to his collection. The former Cuestars Under-21 Bronze Tour rankings champion defeated recognised century-breaker Dan Sykes 2-1 from 1-0 down in the Series 28 play-off final.

Despite losing the first frame by a margin, Ellis squared the match on the final black in the next after his 21-year-old opponent had extracted the penalty points from the required snooker.

But it was one-way traffic in the decider as Sykes was left needing snookers with two reds left.

Ellis, who is sponsored by Swindon-based Save On Tyres, pocketed £85 prize money.

The teenager reckons his game has benefited from the enforced break.

“I didn’t particularly want to go into lockdown,” he explained. “But the break did me and a lot of other players good.

“I’m extremely pleased with how well I’ve managed to come back after five months and boost my game to a much higher standard.

“And to come back and make two high breaks was amazing.

“I had some tough players (in the top-eight play-off) and a rough start but I managed to keep my head and come back from 1-0 down.”

His World Snooker coach Tim Dunkley added: “What Riley has achieved in the past few weeks is quite magnificent.

“He kept his cool in the play-off final and stuck to his game plan. It was great to watch.”

Ellis has a busy October ahead of him as the regional and national competitions resume.

He has three Cuestars Silver Tour events lined up plus the last-16 knockout stage of the English Under-16 Championship at the new Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading.