The EBSA Championships 2025 are currently under way in Antalya, Turkey. The Under-16 event is the first to be played and you can follow it here.

The first thing I will say is that this under-16 event has attracted a field of 72 players, which is impressive considering they are all school-kids. The youngest ones are just 8. There is a strong representation from some mainland Europe countries, notably Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states. There are two girls in the field. That may not seem much but it still is significant. A few years back there were never any.

The list of players tells you their high breaks, in practice and in competition. There are several century makers out there! Of course, what this list also shows is that there is a large disparity in levels.

At the time of writing, the group phase is already over and all groups results are available. None of the girls progressed …

Mark Williams younger son, Joel, is also in the field but did not progress to the knock-out stage as he didn’t win a single match. Of course, he’s only 12 and that was to be expected. It’s a learning curve.

You can follow the knock-out phase here.