A quartet of Glasgow Snooker players have become the youngest team to ever compete in a home snooker tournament.
Amaan Iqbal,17, Ayaan Iqbal, 16, Jack Borwick, 16 and Steven Wardropper, 15, all stepped up to compete in the home internationals in Leeds recently and went on to win the tournament against high-rated opponents.
Jack won the U16 European championships earlier this year in Malta, whereas Amaan claimed U21 national championships.
Amaan, Ayaan and Jack all practice at The Q Club at Charring Cross.
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The team was a year in the making as the four boys finished in the top 12 within the Scottish amateur scene last year, which allowed the four players to compete for Scotland.
Facing the old enemy in their first game, the Scottish side beat England 6-5 before going on to beat Wales 7-4 to claim the championship.
Raymond Wardropper, dad of Steven, spoke about how he is proud of all the boys as he details the hard work they all put in.
He said: "The boys all have dedicated a lot of time and effort to the sport, with them all coming up through the academies in Scotland.
"You can see that they all enjoy taking part in tournaments and playing games as they have smiles on their face when competing.
"I know that Steven puts the hours in when he can out in his little house we built him to practice. If he is not at school he is in there up to at least eight hours a day.
"The other boys are the same with the time they put in and I am so proud of all of them for everything that they do."
However, a side of the snooker that Raymond highlights is the need for sponsorship as he details that it is a very expensive hobby for young amateurs to get into and make a career in.
Steven, who recently came third in the IBSF (International Billards & Snooker Federation) world championships in Romania, had returned from a four-day trip to Sweden for a competition in which the outlay was just short of £2,000.
Sean, dad of Amaan and Ayaan has also spoken about the crucial need for sponsorship for young players.
The dad of four has said that sending all his sons to compete in Malta cost upwards of £6,000 and that it is not suitable to continue going to tournaments at this cost.
He said: "I love snooker and always have and to see my sons compete means a lot to me.
"What they had done at the home internationals was phenomenal and it is hard to describe the achievement that they achieved.
"But sponsorship is very important as it gives these players a chance to continue making a name for themselves.
"We had gone to Portugal for a competition and it cost nearly £4,500 due to some of the tournaments being hosted in resorts that can charge a fortune.
"Snooker is an expensive sport and we are constantly travelling."
And Jack's mum, Suzanne says that she has to pick and choose his tournaments due to the cost of travel.
She said: "It is hard at times having to say to Jack that he can't go because we would love to send him everywhere.
"However, it is just not feasible without sponsorship and that is why it is key".
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