Three Maltese players have qualified for the last 32 of the Six Reds individual competition at the European Snooker Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Aaron Busuttil, Chris Peplow and Alex Borg secured their places in the knockout stage following the conclusion of the group matches on the tenth day of the championship, organised by the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA).

A total of 76 players representing 24 countries entered the competition, with Malta fielding five players.

Apart from the three qualifiers, Malta was also represented by Joseph Casha and his 15-year-old son Caiden, who was among the youngest participants in the tournament.

Peplow progressed to the knockout stage as the winner of Group H and will face Germany’s Christian Richter in the last 32 on Saturday.

Busuttil, who finished second in Group C, will meet French player Niel Vincent, while Borg, runner-up in Group U, has been drawn against England’s Halim Hussain.

Should Busuttil and Borg both win their respective encounters, they will face each other in an all-Maltese clash in the last 16.

All three Maltese players will be in action during Saturday’s opening session, with the last 32, last 16 and quarter-final matches scheduled to be completed during the day.

The Six Reds competition will conclude on Sunday with the two semi-finals and the final.

Following the conclusion of the Six Reds event, the Maltese contingent will turn its attention to the Shoot Out competition, which will mark their final commitments at this year’s European Snooker Championship in Sofia.