Sexton cues up victory in Bay pro-am
SNOOKER
NORTH Shields’ Craig Sexton (off 14) had to rattle off four 3-1 victories on his way to reaching the final of Whitley Bay Snooker Centre’s latest one-day handicapped pro-am.
He then put the icing on the cake with another 3-1 win over local cueman Dale Allan (off 14).
With both players competing well with good safety play, and breaks in the 20s and 30s, it was the Shields player who enjoyed a 2-0 lead after taking the opening two frames 86-64, 97-49.
Trailing 50-45 in the third, Allan responded with winning runs of 20 and 24 to triumph 89-50 and reduce the deficit.
With a lot of points given away in fouls by both players in the high-scoring fourth, it was Sexton’s pot on the final black which eventually won him the frame 83-71 and the match.
The highest break award went to Gateshead teenager Brandon Hall with a run of 74.
While Sexton was giving away 14 points in the bottom half of the semis and knocking out Whitley’s Gerry McNally 3-1, his dad Carl was reaching the same stages in the top of the draw.
He then went out 3-0 despite receiving a 28-point start off Allan.
Fenham’s Daniel Lizonski took the plate with a 2-1 victory over North Shields’s TJ Rendles. ■■GARY Wilson and John Astley were both 5-2 first-round casualties in the last-64 play-offs of the Shanghai Masters.
Playing six-times world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, Wallsend’s Wilson never got going until the third frame, which he won 61-55 to make the score 2-1.
After losing the next 82-9, and then having to sit and watch the Rocket rattle off a magnificent 147 to lead 4-1, Wilson sealed the sixth frame 53-29.
However, it was O’Sullivan who eventually prevailed 5-2.
After losing the first four frames to dynamic potting from China’s Liang Wenbo, Wallsend’s Astley produced breaks of 79 and 52 to win frames five and six.
However, Wenbo knocked in a frame-winning 61 break to take the match 5-2.