Teenage snooker star Stephanie Daughtery aims for world top 10 after double triumph in Belgium

Stephanie Daughtery with her two titles from the Belgium Open.

The Wakefield-born player recently returned from the Belgian Open with two new titles to add to her growing number of accolades.

The 17-year-old was knocked out in the last 16 in Bruges but claimed victory in the Under-21 tournament and won the Belgian Open Challenge Cup title.

“It was 2-0 throughout, I didn’t drop a frame in either of the side events,” Daughtery told the Wakefield Express.

The Wakefield College student had previously claimed the 2018 Eden Women’s Masters Challenge Cup.

Daughtery has been playing at St Michael’s Snooker Club since she was 11 years old.

She has been a regular on the Women’s World Snooker Tour since 2014 and won back-to-back UK Women’s Under-21 Championships in 2015 and 2016.

“I used to play pool in my local club and would basically beat everyone,” Daughtery added.

“I had been begging my Dad to take me to the local snooker club for years and then he finally decided he was going to take me.

“Marlene Greenwood, who works behind the bar at St Michael’s, asked me if I wanted to go into the academy. I started going and then started to compete from there. My aim for this year is to get into the top 10, which is looking good so far.”

The biggest obstacle stopping Daughtery from achieving her goal is the funding required to travel to the tour events.

Women’s snooker does not offer the same lucrative prize pots as the men’s game, making it difficult for players like Daughtery to compete in every competition.

For example, this year’s World Championships are provisionally scheduled to be held in Asia later this year.

She continued: “You have got to go to every competition to have a chance [of being ranked in the top 10]. So funding that is quite difficult, but I am doing some fund-raising.

“I am ranked 13th at the moment, I was 12th last year but I had a bit of a bad season.

“I have a job and I have got college going on as well. So I don’t get as much practice as everybody else but I try to juggle it about.

“I play Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and sometimes on a Sunday.”

Daughtery is ranked third in the current Under-21 rankings and is sponsored by Static Solutions.

The Wakefield player is eyeing more tour success at the Festival of Women’s Snooker, which will be held in Leeds between April 12 and 15.