Jordan Brown earned himself a pro card on the World Snooker tour after an eight-year absence thanks to two crucial wins on Saturday.

The Northern Irishman lost to Jak Jones in round one of Q school last week but he responded perfectly in event two, winning six matches including Saturday’s successes over Andy Hicks and Jamie Cope.

The 30-year-old will now be playing on the pro circuit for 2018-19 and 2019-20 and he admits it was an emotional battle. He told World Snooker: “I’m very emotional, all those years of practice and trying to get back on have paid off. I am delighted because I’m coming back at the right time. I have watched the players on the tour and felt I was good enough to join them, but no one has a divine right to be there.

“It was really tough after losing in the last round of the first event because I so desperately wanted to get through. I had to regroup and dig in again. I spoke to my friends and family and they said don’t worry about it, just concentrate on the next event and keep doing what you have been doing.”

China’s Zhao Xintong also regained his tour card after beating Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng 4-1. The attention now turns to Q School 3 where Ryan Thomerson is in action against Wang Zepeng. Thomerson is 1.66 favourite for their match despite losing in the first two rounds, while Zepeng is priced at 2.10. Barry Pinches is expected to cruise past Umit Dikme at odds of 1.60, while Joel Walker is 1.50 favourite against Anthony Parsons.