Main tour joy for Cooper

2:24pm Wednesday 23rd April 2008

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After a seven-year absence, Bradford's Wayne Cooper is back on snooker's main tour.

He qualified via the season's final EASB Pro Ticket Tour event in Leeds, defeating his main rival David Grace 6-3 in the final.

However, as happened in 1999-2000 when he previously qualified, Cooper had to take the long road to glory.

The last time he did not play in all the qualifying tournaments, while this time Cooper was 11th in the rankings with only two events left and only the tour leader certain to qualify.

However, the 29-year-old won Event Five to haul himself up to third in the standings, and victory last weekend gave Cooper a total of 1189 points to Grace's 1000.

And even though Grace can gain 160 more points by winning the English Amateur Championship final, it would still leave him 29 points short of Cooper.

Grace, from Leeds, is therefore consigned to the lottery of the Pro Ticket Tour play-offs, which will feature players ranked two to 33, for the other main tour spot.

Cooper said: "It has definitely been harder this time than last because there are so many good young players around nowadays.

"Players aged 15 to 17 have no fear nowadays and can make 100 breaks.

"I started the season well but then had a last-64 defeat and two defeats in the last 32.

"Then last weekend, every player I faced seemed to be a former pro or an England international, such as Jeff Cundy, Sam Baird, Michael Wild and Nick Pearce.

"Now, as with fellow Bradford qualifier Simon Bedford, the main problem will be getting sponsorship."