BRADLEY Cowdroy is in pole position to gain promotion to the national under-21 snooker circuit.

The 15-year-old from Bournemouth battled his way through a tough group to win the second leg of the EASB Regional Junior Tour South in Newbury.

He leads the rankings after beating 11-year-old Oliver Sykes (Chandler’s Ford) 2-0 in the final with breaks of 57 and 35.

Paying tribute to his opponent, the teenage ace said: “Oliver played really well to get to the final and when he plays like he did this weekend, he can beat anyone.

“He’s 10 times better than I was at his age and, if he keeps improving like he is at the moment, he has a very bright future.”

In the group stages, Cowdroy lost 2-1 to Connor Benzey (Eastleigh) and needed a snooker to edge out Ryan Hughes 2-1 (Chandler’s Ford).

But 2-0 wins over Jack Haley (Harlow) and Monir Ahmadi (London) saw him qualify for the knockout rounds in first place.

He then beat Marcos Dayao (Wandsworth) and Aidan Murphy (Bristol) by 2-0 scorelines to reach the final.

Cowdroy, who lost in the final of the first leg in Waterlooville, pocketed £75 prize money.