Malta champion Brian Cini to compete in the qualifying rounds of UK Snooker Championship

Malta snooker champion Brian Cini has won the right to be one of the 16 amateur players who will take part in the qualifying round of the UK Championship.

Cini secured his berth in the qualifiers after he reached the final of the World Amateur Snooker Championship, which was held in Morocco last February.

The UK Championship is considered as the second biggest tournament in the world for professional players.

The qualifying phase of the championship will be played at the Robin Park Leisure Centre in Wigan and will get underway on Saturday and come to a close on November 27.

From the 128 players who will compete in the qualifying phase, the last 16 players will book their place in the Main Draw of the UK Championship and join the Top 16 professional players.

In the first qualifying round, Cini will be up against Dylan Emery, of Wales.

The 24-year-old started his professional career on the World Snooker Tour in the 2022-23 season and is currently ranked 91st in the world.

The match will be played on Saturday at 11.30am (Malta time) and the winner will go on to face China’s Chang Bingyu.

All matches of the UK Championship, except the final, will be played on the best of 11 frames.

Two days after the end of the qualifying phase, the final phase of the UK Championship will kick off and will be held at the Barbican Centre in York, between November 29 and December 7.