FORDINGBRIDGE cue man Anthony Rice was in a philosophical mood after claiming his third winner’s trophy on a regional junior snooker circuit.

The 20-year-old insisted being in a “relaxed” state of mind helped him clinch a tight final on the Cuestars South of England Under-21 Gold Tour.

Rice pocketed £70 prize money after edging Steven Hughes 2-1 on the pink in the Attic Life-sponsored second leg at Salisbury SC.

“It was nice to get a result,” he said. “But Steven put me under pressure. If you’ve got your head in a good place and you’re relaxed in life in general, the game’s much easier. I’m happy. I’m in a good place.

“If you’re not happy in life and you’ve got other things on your mind, snooker’s one of the worst sports you can play.

“I didn’t play brilliantly but I was calm and never really lost my head.”

And he added: “The standard on the Gold Tour is good. Anyone can beat anyone. There’s no easy games.”

Rice, who now jointly leads the rankings with Bournemouth’s Bradley Cowdroy, is in his fourth and final season on the Cuestars circuit.

Earlier this year, he qualified for the EASB Premier Junior Tour for the country’s top-32 players aged under 21.

Chandler’s Ford-based Hughes had knocked out leg-one winner Cowdroy 2-0 in the last-four.

Rice recorded the day’s highest break of 56 in a 2-0 semi-final victory over third-placed Aidan Murphy (Bristol), who had made a 55 in the group stages. Hughes is fourth.

Chandlers Ford SC hosts the second leg of the Cuestars Championship Tour at 10.30am tomorrow.