Snooker: Ace MacGillivray out to retain Scottish title

Granton snooker ace Craig MacGillivray will bid to retain the Scottish National Snooker Championship this weekend when he plays this year’s No. 1 ranked player James McBain (Glasgow) in the final at the Locarno Snooker Club in Edinburgh.

MacGillivray reached the final after defeating 2010 champion Bobby Cruickshanks (Perth) 6-4, whilst McBain came from 5-3 behind to defeat Bonnyrigg’s Michael Leslie 6-5, in the latter’s last match before he joins the professional circuit.

McGillivray said: “With James only having dropped off the professional tour last year, he is still much sharper than the rest of us and he will be very hard to beat. However, I hope that the confidence I have from being defending champion and with the match being on my practice table at my home club then this will give me a reasonable chance of winning.

“There is a lot at stake as the winner gains automatic qualification to represent Scotland at all the European and World amateur events next season.

“It would be a great honour for me if I could retain the title after so long without having won the title and give myself some further opportunities to represent Scotland.”

Coincidentally, MacGillivray and McBain will travel out to Latvia in two weeks’ time as Scotland’s representatives in this year’s European Amateur Championship.

The match takes place on Sunday at 4pm over the best of 13 frames. Spectators are welcome.

Locarno line-up:

Saturday

11am: Under-14s: Finlay Thomson (Dumfries) vs Chris Totten (Glasgow)

1pm: Under-16s: Dylan Craig (Glasgow) vs Joseph McLaren (Clydebank)

Sunday

11am: Billiards: Davie Sneddon v Jimmy Malcolm (both Glasgow)

1pm: Masters (Over 40): Scott Dunbar(Perth) v Pat McKinney (Glasgow)

4pm: Scottish Championship: Craig MacGillivray (Edinburgh) v James McBain (Glasgow)