TWO of the region’s aspiring snooker stars were denied their first winners’ trophies on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 circuit by lads from Gosport.

East Wellow teenage Mike Trigg was in a philosophical mood after a 2-1 defeat in his first Silver Tour final.

The 17-year-old took the first frame off Cameron Gillon and was one ball from victory in the next during the third leg of eight at Jesters Snooker Hall, Swindon.

“I was a bit gutted because I was winning the second frame by 21 (points) and there was only 22 on the table,” he said. “But that’s life.”

Gillon, who fired in a 52 break in the decider, was full of praise for his opponent.

“Mike is a great all-round player,” he said. “It could have gone either way. “He was very gracious in the defeat.”

Meanwhile, Luke Beebe collected the runners-up trophy on the Bronze Tour for the second tournament running.

The 12-year-old from Eastleigh won all of his six group-stage matches and in the last-four defeated Edward James, who had beaten Beebe in last month’s Woking final.

But he was undone 2-0 by the ten-year-old rankings leader and phenomenal potter Ollie Gibbs on the show table.

Back to the Silver Tour and a third Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club member, ten-year-old Mickey Joyce, from Basingstoke, lost in the semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament. Joyce, who went down 2-0 to Gillon, did beat the leg-two winner Jasmine Bolsover, 13, from Woking, 2-0 in the group stages.