The European Snooker Junior Championship kicked off on Sunday in Antalya, Turkey, with the Under-16 category’s first round. Among the six Maltese participants in this edition, three players—Jake Castaldi, Caiden Casha, and Gregory Cachia—were in action.
Competing among 72 players divided into groups of four, the top two from each group secured qualification for the second phase. A total of 36 players progressed, including Jake Castaldi, who won two of his three matches. He triumphed 2-0 against Ireland’s Scott Cooke and Lithuania’s Rapolas Juodis but lost 2-0 to England’s Adam Abbas.
Despite not advancing, both Casha and Cachia delivered commendable performances, each securing one win. Casha lost to Poland’s Wojciech Sowiński and Serbia’s Tadija Matijasevic (both 2-0) but recovered to defeat Wales’ Reuben Gingell 2-1. The youngest Maltese competitor, 12-year-old Cachia, also fought hard, losing 2-0 to Poland’s Witold Bystrzycki and Ukraine’s Matvei Lagodzinschii before securing a 2-0 victory over Latvia’s Matvei Timofeev.
On Monday, only the qualified players will continue in the competition, with four preliminary matches determining the last 32. Castaldi has earned direct qualification and will face Poland’s Witold Bystrzycki, who topped Gregory Cachia’s group. Their best-of-five match is scheduled for 8 AM local time.
