Local favourite Jordan Brown hopes he will once again be inspired by the Belfast crowd and can repeat his heroics of previous years as he looks ahead to this month's BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.
The tournament at the iconic Waterfront Hall venue in the heart of the city runs from October 18 to 25 featuring an array of snooker's stellar names. There's still time to book tickets and to be part of the magic inside the arena.
Book from just £16.50 https://www.waterfront.co.uk/w...
For ticket details and the full draw see https://www.wst.tv/
Antrim's Brown raised the roof last year when he beat World Champion Zhao Xintong 4-0 in the first round. He went on to knock out Shaun Murphy in a brilliant run to the quarter-finals before losing to close friend Mark Allen. That wasn't Brown's first notable win at the same venue as he also beat former Crucible king Neil Robertson 4-1 in 2023.
Currently ranked 65th in the world, Brown again faces a battle this season to stay in the top 64 and retain his tour card. His run in Belfast last season helped him avoid relegation and, having beaten Julien Leclercq 4-0 to qualify for the Waterfront Hall, the 38-year-old is looking to go deep again.
"I just love it there, the crowd gives me such a lift," said Brown, who won the Welsh Open ranking title in 2021. "I wish I could bottle that feeling and take it to every venue. Every time I play there I can call back on memories of the good performances I have had there.
"Last year I was on a bad run of results, I had no confidence, and the night before I was genuinely thinking about pulling out of the tournament. I had doubts about my game and I was worried about being embarrassed out there. That's what the game can do to you. But once I got out there I found inspiration and played some of the best snooker I have in a long time. I am a confidence player and that showed how mad the game is.
"Potting the winning balls against Zhao, on the TV table, to the roars of the crowd, there is nothing to beat that feeling, it was so special. The whole week was fantastic, even after I lost to Mark in the quarter-finals, I felt emotional because I felt I had shown that I have still got something to offer in the sport."
So far this season, Brown has won his opening match in seven of the eight ranking events, but is still waiting for a run which would boost his position. "My results have been ok, I have won quite a few matches and qualified for most of the venues," he added. "Overall I am very optimistic. I know better than most that you just need one good week where you go deep in a tournament and that can change everything.
"I'm playing with a new cue, I'd had the same one for 14 years and loved it, but it had got thinner at the end and lost power. So I knew it was time for a change. Mark Selby had exactly the same issue, he decided to change and he's had a great start to the season so that gave me inspiration. The new one is made by Sunny Akani and I am already very comfortable with it. It's a mini-gamble because I don't know how I am going to perform with it in a tournament environment. But I have a couple of weeks now to get ready for the Waterfront and so far on the practice table it feels very good."
Jack Lisowski will be defending the Alex Higgins Trophy having landed his first title last year by beating Judd Trump 9-8 in a memorable final. He'll be up against Huang Jiahao in the opening round. Brown could face Allen again if the former UK and Masters champion returns to action, while other all-time greats in the field include Trump, Zhao, Murphy, Robertson, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and World Champion Wu Yize.
The first three days, October 18th, 19th and 20th, are an incredible opportunity to see the best players on the planet, and there are all-day tickets from just £28.
Part of the BetVictor Home Nations Series, the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open will be screened on TNT Sports, HBO Max, Eurosport, WST PLAY and many other broadcasters worldwide.
