Vlad and Liam battling for a place at the U18 final - European Billiards & Snooker Association

The best of 7 Frames semifinal 1 of the 2023 EBSA U18 European Snooker Championships is underway at St. Paul’s Bay Dolmen Hotel: Moldova’s Vladislav Gradinari faces England’s Liam Pullen for a place at the also best of 7 Frames U18 final match, scheduled also for this Friday March 10th at 8 p.m.

Vladislav Gradinari, referee Pat Mooney, from Ireland, and Liam Pullen: U18 semifinal 1 underway

U16 runner-up last year, Gradinari, aged 14, moved to Leeds and attends eight hours practice a day at the local Northern Snooker Centre. Precisely the same attended daily by the aged 17 Liam Pullen, the 2023 WSF Junior Open runner-up.

The two players practice daily at the same clube: Northern Snooker Centre, in Leeds

The 2nd semifinal of the U18 event starts at 2 p.m. with the EBSA 2022 European U16 Snooker Champion, Latvia’s Artemijs Zizins, facing Hungary’s Bulcsú Révész.

Genetics: Vlad’s mother is the Class 2 Moldovan referee Natalia Gradinari, also at Malta’s event with him

Along with the final day of the U18 event, the best of 5 Frames round-robin stage matches of the U21 event are also underway at the other 15 tables settled at Malta’s venue.