16-year-old Stan Moody has booked his place on the World Snooker Tour for the next two seasons after winning the WSF Junior Championship in Sydney.

Moody beat fellow Yorkshire teenager Liam Pullen 5-1 in the final in Australia, claiming the trophy and the coveted spot on the professional circuit, which he will join next season.

It was a pretty comfortable win in the final thanks to a fine performance from Moody, after he had been pushed hard in the semi-finals.

The English youngster came through a deciding frame to beat Ukrainian star Iulian Boiko 4-3, thanks to a break of 68 in the final frame.

Boiko, still only 17, has already spent two years on the professional circuit and is pushing for a return.

Pullen enjoyed a great run to the final, beating something of a surprise package in Latvia’s Filips Kalnins in the semi-finals, but couldn’t find his best stuff against Moody.

There were also runs to the quarters for bright prospects Liam Davies, Nattanapong Chaikul, Jake Crofts and Zac Cosker.

In the open event, there was encouragingly also two girls in the last 16, with 14-year-olds Natasha Chethan and Lilly Meldrum impressing to reach that stage

But it was Moody who triumphed and will get a crack at the professional circuit from next season, and most likely a shot at World Championship qualifying at the end of the current campaign.

While the amateur picks for World Championship qualifying have not been announced yet, the four semi-finalists in the WSF Junior Championship last year got a shot at the big one in Sheffield, so it would be a surprise not to see at least Moody and Pullen there this time around.

Liam Davies made it to Sheffield thanks to a semi-final run last year and then became the youngest player ever to win a match in the World Championship, beating Aaron Hill, then following that up by downing Fergal O’Brien before narrowly losing to Jordan Brown.

Moody has already won a match on the professional circuit as well, memorably beating Lu Ning on his debut in the Shoot Out last year and we will see plenty more of him in the months to come.

The youngster has already been garnering plenty of help from professionals, with former world champion Shaun Murphy helping to mentor him, while he practices with pros at Levels in Huddersfield, including former Welsh Open champion Jordan Brown.

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