By Elliott West
“It’s going to be a bit crazy but I’m just looking forward to the whole experience”.
Christopher Clifford
Introduction
With the start of the Northern Ireland Open rapidly approaching, excitement is in the air not only for the return of live snooker after a month gap but also that a local player, Christopher Clifford will be taking part in the wildcard round. The 19-year-old will travel to Portugal prior to the tournament, to take part in the European Championships after being selected by Northern Ireland to play. A week that the player readily admits will be a whirlwind week in his budding career.
A Rising Star
The Waterside player has already shown signs of good form, reaching the final of the North West Intermediate Championship in 2017 where he narrowly lost his father 3-2. Now he gets to dip his toe in a major tournament with the chance to play the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, John Higgins and Neil Robertson if he wins his first match against the World Amateur Champion Gao Yang.
Clifford believes that his stay in Portugal will be vital in his preparation for the Northern Ireland Open, allowing him to gain experience and vital table time by playing all the top European players. The European Championships will have around 100 entries and players are split into groups of five, which will allow Christopher to play at least four matches whatever happens. If he qualifies, then even better with the chance to play more hardened snooker and get some more vital experience under his belt.
As for playing Yang, well he knows this won’t be an easy match. The Chinese amateur champion won’t want to let this hopeful get past him but Clifford remains positive and relishes the chance of this snooker challenge. An opportunity that could open the doors for him to play on the main stage. A feat that will be helped by the reintroduction of an audience and supporters to cheer his cause.
Christopher hasn’t played competitively for the last 18 months due to Covid restrictions but did manage to squeeze in one victory when he won the Northern Ireland Under 21 Championship in June. Away from the glaring lights of the match table, Clifford has been spending long hours of practice at the Glendermott CC, and he strongly believes this will be the key to his future successes.
