Kevin Firth, left, and Lewis Walsh, who have been called up by England Masters team for the Home International Series
Bradford’s Kevin Firth and Lewis Walsh have both earned the right and been called up for the England Masters team for the Home International Series which starts at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds this Friday and concludes on Monday.
The criteria for selection was based on the North, South and Midlands each having 6 tour events throughout last season, whereby ranking points were collected from each event. After the 6 events were completed, the 3 regions were combined and the 16 highest ranked players then competed for the national masters title of which Walsh made the last 16 and Firth was knocked out in the Quarter Finals.
2 teams have been chosen with England A comprising Shaun Wilkes, Jamie Bodle, Wayne Brown, Graham Beardmore and Aiden Owens, with Firth and Walsh playing in England B alongside Lee Martin and Stephen Broadhead.
This is Walsh’s first call up for his country, whilst Firth has represented England twice before, winning the Home Internationals on both occasions in 2011 and 2012, as well as travelling to Latvia with the successful side in 2012 to compete in the European Championships.
The teams will be in action once or twice each day with matches against 2 Welsh sides, 2 Scotland sides, Republic of Ireland as well as England A v B.
The tournament can be followed via the Home International Billiards & Snooker Federation website of www.hibsf.com
Firth and Walsh are then in action against each other on Tuesday at Queensbury Conservative Club (8pm), as Firth’s Undercliffe Cricket Club A take on Walsh’s Eccleshill Victoria Conservative Club in the Final of the South Bradford Summer League.
