TWO snooker-loving sisters from Ashbourne, Debyshire, stole the show on their debuts on the international women’s circuit.

Georgina, mum Debbie and Charlotte Holloway

Georgina, 14, and 13-year-old Charlotte Holloway joined three-time world champion Reanne Evans in the World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association UK Championships draw at the North East Derbyshire Snooker Centre, Clay Cross on September 16.

The girls, who having been playing on full-sized tables for only a year, are coached by Roger Stevenson-Revil at the Cueball club in Derby.

Proud mum Debbie, 38, said: “We joined Riley’s and Roger was there one day and said ‘would the girls be interested in joining the junior snooker club?’ And they go every week.”

The Queen Elizabeth Grammar schoolgirls compete against the boys in the league and sometimes beat them. Georgina admitted that “some of them do” get upset.

WLBSA Chairman Mandy Fisher heard about the youngsters and offered them a scholarship to compete on the women’s circuit.

But the draw was not kind.

Georgina was pitched against former world championship semi-finalist Sarah Smith, 34, from Sheffield, and lost 3-0, and Charlotte had to face 11-year-old England international Hannah Jones from Derby, and lost 3-0.

In the Plate competition for first-round losers, Georgina lost 2-0 to the 2006 World Ladies’ Seniors Champion Jenny Poulter. And Charlotte was also beaten 2-0 by the 2006 International Billiards & Snooker Federation runner-up Jaique Ip-Wan In, who flew in from Hong Kong for the weekend.

The girls are also keen on pool and Georgina plays keyboards and Charlotte the drums. They both have a high break of 18 and admit they were “very” excited at the prospect of playing the top women players in the world.

Dad Neal, 40, a mortgage advisor, and Debbie said that entering the UK Championships was a good experience which the girls enjoyed. “We believe they have a lot of potential and with commitment and practice they could go a long way,” said Debbie. “We are happy to travel around the country with them to other competitions and will support them every step of the way.”     

The girls are back in action on Saturday, 6 October, in the East Anglian Championships at the Cambridge Snooker Centre.