Collumb Retains Scottish Championship

Michael Collumb defeated Chris Totten 7-3 in the final at the Minnesota Fats Snooker Club in Glasgow to win the 2023 Scottish Amateur Snooker Championship. 

It is the third time that Collumb has lifted Scotland’s most prestigious domestic snooker trophy – all those victories have come within the past four editions (2019, 2022, 2023) – and he joins the list of players to have successfully defended the title. Stephen Hendry, Graeme Dott and Alan McManus have all won the Championship in the past.

Organised by Scottish Snooker, the national championship took place across different stages over several weeks. Newarthill cueist Collumb hit a 114 break as he defeated Sean Iqbal 4-2 in his opening match before further victories against Amaan Iqbal (4-1) and 2017 winner Ross Vallance (5-3). 

In the semi-finals, 34-year-old Collumb faced 2013 champion Ross Muir. The tie was a repeat of the European Amateur Championship final in Malta from earlier this year, a contest that Muir won 5-1 to secure a return to the professional circuit.

However, despite Muir compiling a break of 129, Collumb came out on top this time following a 6-3 win. 

Two-time winner Totten came through the other side of the draw. The 2017 European amateur champion denied fellow former professional Craig MacGillivray 6-2 in the last four to reach the title match again.

The final would be a rerun of the 2021 showpiece. On that occasion, Totten claimed the final three frames to oust defending champion Collumb 7-6. 

Totten made a good start to this latest final, taking the first frame with the help of a 52 break. He was then on course to double his lead, but whilst on a run of 58, he rattled a difficult red down a cushion with the rest. Collumb, who had earlier hit a 40 in the frame, cleared with a 27 to the final pink to level at 1-1. 

Collumb took frame three on the colours and then constructed a 58 in frame four as he went 3-1 up going into a short break. On resumption, Totten responded with efforts of 75 and 51 to square the match at 3-3, however, Collumb was not to be denied, stringing together the final four frames for a hat-trick of Scottish crowns. 

Elsewhere on the Scottish domestic scene in recent months, Lee McAllister won the National Masters Championship, while in the junior categories Amaan Iqbal triumphed in the under-21s, Jack Borwick in the under-18s, and Adyan Iqbal did a double with victories in both the under 16s and 14s.