BRADFORD snooker star Wayne Cooper showed glimpses of why he is up to number two in the rankings at the World Seniors Q School event in Reading last week, but the big prizes eluded him.

Quarter-final defeats to Barry Pinches (3-1) and Kuldesh Johal (4-3) meant the Laisterdyke potter missed out on spots at the upcoming World Seniors Championship and the UK Seniors Championship respectively.

Places at the Seniors Masters tournament at Alexandra Palace were also up for grabs at the event, but Cooper had already secured his spot there.

Assessing his week in Berkshire, Cooper said: “I was quite happy with how I played, but once you get that far, you end up pretty disappointed not to qualify.

“I was a bit slow in the first game but after that I felt I did really well.

“I made several centuries during the week and was scoring quite heavily otherwise, with 50s, 60s and 70s.

“The quarter-final with Kuldesh was particularly disappointing, as I went 2-0 down, without playing badly, before I hit a 50, 70 and 100 to go 3-2 up.

“But then he made a 60 and a 50 to win it. I had a couple of chances in the last frame as well, and I got it down to the brown ball.

“The first frame with Barry could have gone either way, it went down to the colours, but he potted a good brown and blue to win it.

“The second frame I had no chance, but in the third I made a break of 106, before he won the match with the fourth.

“Barry has a bit more experience than me of playing in these behind closed doors conditions, as he’s been doing it regularly for the last five months, whereas my preparation was probably less ideal.”

Talking about organisation and scheduling, Cooper said: “I wasn’t playing to reach the Masters in Reading as I’d already qualified. But that’s not due to be played until next January at Alexandra Palace.

“The World Seniors at the Crucible and the UK Seniors in Hull are due to be played later this year, before we’re then looking at having another Q School in October.

“I thought the event in Reading last week was organised really well, with everyone sticking to the guidelines.

“It should have been held in Jersey, but that’s been shut down for travel, so Jason Francis, who’s the chairman of World Seniors Snooker, has done a great job to get it all on.”

And these events being played allows 42-year-old Cooper to shine.

He said: “It’s nice to be up to number two in the seniors rankings, as it means I’ll be seeded for the next tournament.

“When you look at some of the players behind me in the rankings, it feels like a real achievement.”

Cooper knows who to thank too, saying: “Hanging Heaton Cricket Club and Peter Jagger, who’s a steward there, are great with me.

“They help me out with sponsorship and entry fees and it's where I get to practice too.”