Manaia McQueen, delivered a standout performance to defeat Josiah Tupa’i 5–1 in the final of the NZPA Predator New Zealand U19 Boys 8-Ball Championship. Both players competed at a very high level throughout the tournament which attracted over 20 of New Zealand’s “up & coming” juniors.
Revelation Tagaloa and Viliami Latu both finishing on the podium in equal third.
The growth of the junior scene really stands out here—the largest field ever, strong performances across the board, and a supportive atmosphere. That combination is usually a sign a sport is building something sustainable.
Following McQueen’s Championship win, he shared online “I’m quite happy with my performance today. Hopefully I can keep it up in the 10 Ball Championship tomorrow. Just want to give a big thanks to Massé and New Zealand Pool Association for your guys support and all you do for us Juniors. I’m very grateful. I would also like to thank all my whānau, friends and community for the never ending support.”
I’m quite happy with my performance today.
I’m very grateful. I would also like to thank all my whānau, friends and community for the never ending support.
Manaia McQueen
Masse also posted on their facebook page “Congratulations also goes out to our junior members who took part in today’s NZPA New Zealand U19 Boys Junior 8-Ball championships, especially Manaia McQueen who completed the double for Massé juniors by taking out the boy’s championship. Looking at the statistics, Manaia was in absolute beast mode, not dropping a single frame in section play, and then only one frame in each of the quarters, semi, and final to finish with a 31-3 overall frame score!”
New Zealand Pool Association will soon be announcing our U19 Junior athletes who will step onto the international stage at the WPA World U19 Championship in Norway this coming June.
The full results can be found on cuescore.com using this link
