Irish 14-year-old Joe Shannon set to live out snooker dream

Irish teenager Joe Shannon is relishing the prospect of his first match on the World Snooker Tour as he prepares to take on world number 23 Robert Milkins in the Snooker Shoot Out in Leicester on Wednesday.

The recently turned 14-year-old will become the youngest Irish player to ever compete in a tour event when he takes part in the first session of the opening round of the quickfire tournament, scheduled for 1.40pm.

Shannon is the current Irish Under-16 champion and is being coached by former player Fergal O'Brien.

All Shoot Out matches are played over a maximum of ten minutes, with a shot clock of 15 seconds for the first five minutes and ten seconds for the last five.

It will provide Shannon with the first experience of a senior match, as well as a television debut on Eurosport.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he said: "I can't wait. I got the news a few weeks ago, I'm buzzing to get over and get playing with the professional players. I won the U14 and U16 National Championships so that earned a wild card.

"It’s a great opener to what I want to do [as a career]. It's all a great experience. There's no pressure, so I can't wait for it. I just want to get over there, to know what it's like to be there with the best of the best, but it's all just experience really.

"I'm more excited now, but I presume when I get over there I'll be a bit nervous. But once I get playing, I'll be fine. I'm nervous at every competition, but once I get playing, I'm alright."

Shannon credits his coach O'Brien for an improvement in his fledgling career as well as his parents who bring him from his home in Longford to the likes of Carlow and Kildare for tournaments and practice.

He has a high-quality table at home in Longford but working with O’Brien is proving