Cooper Qualifies for Ally Pally

Wayne Cooper will line up alongside greats of the sport at the iconic Alexandra Palace in May courtesy of winning the ROKiT Phones Senior Masters Championship qualifying event in Coulsdon last weekend. 

Cooper, a figure on the professional circuit during the 2001/02 and 2008/09 seasons, overcome an entry of nearly 70 players at Frames Sports Bar. On Saturday the Englishman defeated Adam Denham, Neal Jones and Neil Craycraft in the early rounds to progress to the concluding stages the following day. 

The seniors tour regular then eliminated Wayne Townsend 3-1 and recent World Seniors Championship Crucible qualifier Stuart Watson 4-0 in the last eight and four respectively before ousting experienced ex-professional Rory McLeod in the final. A match where there was never more than a frame between the pair, Cooper constructed a break of 60 in the decider to register a 4-3 win and secure the coveted spot in North London. 

For McLeod it was his second final defeat in as many days after missing out in the 100th English Amateur Championship Final at the Centaur Arena in Cheltenham. However, the former Ruhr Open winner – who has won several accolades already this campaign – dropped just two frames in five matches on route to the final. He also made the highest break of the tournament; a 125 in his second-round victory over Garry Coulson. 

The 2020 ROKiT Phones Senior Masters Championship takes place on the 15th and 16th May and is set to feature Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White and defending champion Joe Johnson amongst a host of other stars. 

In the fourth event of this season’s Super Seniors series, Gary Filtness got the better of Kevin Kelly, Colin Mitchell, Dennis Tristram and then former world number two Tony Knowles in the final to claim the title. 

For results from Coulsdon, please visit snookerscores.net here.