by Jamie Bullen
jbullen@thekmgroup.co.uk

Snooker star Barry Hawkins cued himself an extra bonus when he was crowned Shoot Out champion at the weekend – his winnings will now help him marry the girl of his dreams.

Mr Hawkins, from Dartford, scooped £32,000 in Blackpool after winning the competition yesterday.

The cheque was the biggest, so far, in his burgeoning career – and his winnings are going straight towards paying off his wedding.

He and long-term partner Tara are due to wed at the Rowhill Grange Hotel in Wilmington in June.

He said: “It’s definitely the biggest pay day of my career. Hopefully this will add a bit of experience and confidence to my game.

“A little bit will be going on the wedding. I’ve been trying to pay it off bit by bit so it couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

“Now I can relax about it and keep the winning streak going.”

Mr Hawkins was due to return from Blackpool today, and fly out to Germany tomorrow to take part in the German Masters. He was due to play former world champion Shaun Murphy in the first round on Wednesday.

His success in the weekend’s Shoot Out competition showed off his quick-fire skills. It is a new type of game, a single frame match played over 10 minutes and was brought in last year to boost ailing crowds.

He added: “We knew what to expect after playing last year. We were all under a bit of pressure with the crowd but the atmosphere was fantastic.
“It is only one frame so I won’t take too much out of it but I played pretty well and I’m delighted to have won it.”

Mr Hawkins and his fiancee owned a house in Spring Vale South, Dartford, before moving to a larger property in Ditton, near Maidstone, two years ago after the birth of their son Harrison, now three.