AS WINDOW cleaner Paul Solloway basked in the attention on the roof garden at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club on Sunday night, good friend Dave Mumford was south of Newbury and 20 minutes away from the club with his own story to tell.

And the first carload of juniors arrived back from Northamptonshire holding the top three positions in the Rushden SC under-21 series.

Dave and Happy-Snapper Kevin Legg were heading home after watching ten-year-old Shane Castle’s England debut in Leeds.

Proudly brandishing a certificate signed by EASB tournament committee chairman John Hartley and Scottish Snooker chairman Stevie Baillie, Dave told how he had been asked to make the numbers up in the Random Doubles, the finale to the Auld Enemy clash.

He was paired with England under-19 champion Adam Duffy and won.

Dave watched Solly collect the £1,000 jackpot in the year-long 105-tournament Roll-Up.

Shane had not been slow in coming forward in Leeds. According to the EASB, he marched into the Northern Snooker Centre on the Thursday evening and immediately booked local professional Peter Lines’ match table for practice.

And the budding Ronnie O’Sullivan had a few choice words for Duffy, who had recently been awarded the Paul Hunter Scholarship by the World Snooker Association.

Dave told us: “It’s priceless. Adam Duffy’s going to be on our telly in two years time and Shane’s pulling his leg about twitching with the rest.”

Stevie Baillie said: “Shane was easily the most impressive junior player on display for England.”

After a quick interview and before heading home to sleep for England, Dave put his mouth close to the tape machine: “I won the doubles; I was different class,” he laughed.