Sky Sports | Snooker | Features | Wells wins scholarship

Search:

Wells wins scholarship

Talented youngster 'honoured' by award

By John Curtis Last updated: 30th July 2007

Alan Hunter; Daniel Wells; Christine Hunter

Wells receives his award from the Hunters.

It is a huge honour. I never expected anything like this to happen to me to be honest. I only found out two days ago that I had won it. I just couldn't believe the news.

Daniel Wells on his scholarship award.
Quotes of the week

Welsh teenager Daniel Wells is the inaugural winner of the Paul Hunter Scholarship set up by World Snooker as a tribute to the player who died of cancer aged 27.

Wells, who is hoping to turn professional for the 2008-2009 season will now have the opportunity to develop his skills through elite training at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield for the next 12 months.

He was presented with the trophy by Hunter's parents, Alan and Christine, in the Crucible Theatre ahead of the 888.com World Championship semi-final between Stephen Maguire and John Higgins.

The player selected for the award must be aged between 16 and 21 and have a proven record of performance in amateur events.

Inspiration

Wells, who started playing snooker at the age of 10, made his first century break at 14 and his maiden 147 in practice earlier this year. The 18-year-old is a member of the Welsh international senior side.

The Neath youngster said: "It is a huge honour. I never expected anything like this to happen to me to be honest. I only found out two days ago that I had won it. I just couldn't believe the news.

"Paul Hunter is a massive inspiration for me. What is a massive inspiration was his temperament and he was always smiling even when he lost.

"I've been trying to replicate that. I'm trying not to be too disheartened when I lose and it doesn't look very good for a start and everyone remembered him for being a happy person and that's hopefully what I can be.

"I'm hoping to turn professional next year and the scholarship award will be of tremendous help.

Emulate

"I've been told I will be allowed to go and live at the academy in Sheffield so it will be good to just watch the way the best players play and prepare for tournaments and see how long they practice for. I will learn so much.

"Hopefully also I can emulate some of the great Welsh players. I've been practising with a lot of them lately like Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day."

Wells added: "I was 10 when I first started. It seems a bit late these days because everyone seems to be practising from six and seven.

"I was playing my mate who had a pool table in his house and he was beating me all the time so my father took me down the snooker club to practice snooker thinking I would get better at pool.

"But I never bothered with pool then. I just carried on with the snooker. I got my first century aged 14 and my first 147 in practice this January."