McLeod books Masters spot

McLeod: Masters debut

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Rory McLeod won the only qualifying place at the prestigious Masters event at Wembley with a 6-1 victory over Andrew Higginson in Prestatyn.

The top 16 in the world will be joined at the Wembley Arena by a wildcard and now also Wellingborough's McLeod, after he came through the tough qualifying tournament in Wales.

The 38-year-old will make his Masters debut in January against either Mark King or Mark Williams after winning five matches throughout his week at qualifying.

McLeod, whose parents are Jamaican, was the first black snooker player to play at the Crucible last April, and he will now make a similar breakthrough in the Masters tournament.

The world number 39 secured his berth in the event with a comfortable victory over Widnes cueman Higginson, who could only manage a top break of 29 as nerves got the better of him.

Title

McLeod backed his first professional title in an 18-year career in snooker, and he was delighted to have finally made it into such a prestigious event.

"It's been a long time coming. I've won loads of pro-am events but this one is more prestigious and it's great to be able to take home a trophy," McLeod said on World Snooker.

"I wanted to win this all week, I just had to keep calm. I've done the job now so I'm happy.

"The Masters is such a big tournament, I went to Wembley to see Paul Hunter win it in 2001 and it was a great atmosphere. Only the big boys play there and after the Crucible it's the next venue you want to get to."

McLeod, who also coaches the Qatar national team, hopes he can inspire more black players to take up snooker.

"I've shown that you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it," he added. "There will be a lot of people watching me and hopefully they will give snooker a go."

The Masters starts on January 10 at Wembley Arena and include defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan and current world champion John Higgins.