THE UK Championship has sent York snooker loopy, but one diehard fan is loopier than most - she travelled from Holland to watch every shot of every game.

This isn't Dutchwoman Jenny Omlo's first trip to watch the championship in York, as she has seen almost every second of play since the tournament came to the Barbican in 2001.

Jenny, from Wearden, in the east Netherlands, got hooked on snooker in 1990 when the Netherlands was first linked up to the BBC on cable.

"I thought, what is this, a billiards table with holes in," she laughed.

"Then I saw this young guy, with a lot of zits, playing superbly, and it was Stephen Hendry. After seeing that and hearing whispering Ted Lowe's voice I became a fan. Stephen Hendry is my favourite player above all the others."

Jenny said she has fallen in love with York. "It is almost the best place in England. The people are so friendly here," she added.

Updated: 10:32 Saturday, November 29, 2003