Snooker: Granton star Craig is king of the baize

Former pro snooker player Craig MacGillivray, 38, realised a dream on Sunday evening when he defeated Ross Vallance 7-1 to lift the Scottish Amateur Snooker Championship in Clydebank, writes MICHAEL GALLACHER.

The win completes a remarkable turnaround for Locarno snooker club's MacGillivray, who recovered from being made redundant from his job with a water company to dedicate his time to studying in preparation for the Edinburgh taxi exam which he passed in December. MacGillivray will now represent Scotland in the World Amateur Championship later this year and the European Championships next year. The Granton ace said: "It was a difficult period but I have been working hard at my game in between the taxi shifts and I am delighted to have won the title and the opportunity to represent my country."