Snooker: High five for Michael Leslie in quest for world title

Bonnyrigg snooker player Michael Leslie made the perfect start in his pursuit of the World Under-21 Championship title at the Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel in Canada, winning the opening five matches in his group.

Leslie, 18, who was runner-up in the European under-21 championship earlier this year, opened up with a comfortable 4-0 win over Belgium's Jurian Heusdens before a 4-2 over New Zealand's Lee Paul. The Bonnyrigg youngster was then made to work hard to defeat Khalid Ali Ali Kumar of United Arab Emirates, makng breaks of 73, 67 and 67 in an impressive 4-2 victory, before another 4-0 victory over Andrei Orzan of Romania. Leslie completed his run with a 4-2 victory over Jason Devaney of Republic of Ireland, finishing off the match with a magnificant 114 break.

Perth's Scott Donaldson, 17, is also through to the knockout stages, having won five of his opening six matches. Incredibly, Donaldson made two century breaks in his only defeat so far to England's Nick Jennings in a 4-3 defeat. Rhys Clark (Hamilton) should also make it out of his qualifying group, having won three out of five of his matches. The qualifying stages will finish today.

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