Lilley cannot keep up with the Jones!

THE first prize in Saturday’s Whitley Bay Snooker Centre One-Day Handicapped Pro-Am event again went to Gateshead’s plus-21 player Malcolm Jones.

Having won the same competition a month earlier at his first attempt with a higher handicap of plus 28, Jones rattled off two good 3-1 victories over Blyth’s Ash Wilson (receiving 15) and Sunderland’s Howard Lex (receiving seven).

His best effort to date, however, came in the semi-finals.

Receiving 35 points a frame off Billy Hunter, he comfortably beat the Wallsend potter 3-1 to reach the final.

Apart from Hunter, the only other minus player in the 21-strong field was Washington’s David Lilley (minus 21) who whitewashed local player Gerry McNally 3-0 .

Lilley then made progress to the decider by giving North Shields’ Craig Sexton a 35-point start and overcoming him 3-1 and then outscoring Craig’s dad Carl Sexton (off 63) by the same winning scoreline.

Lilley started well in the final with breaks of 29 and 37.

However, it was Jones who clinched the high-scoring opener 89-76 with smaller runs of 25 and 18 plus his 42-points-a-frame start.

There was little or no scoring from Jones in the second frame as Lilley fired in breaks of 48 and 32 to take it 98-60 and level the scores at 1-1.

After sharing the next two frames, Jones took the third 89 (29-18)-72 (31-23) to go 2-1 up.

Lilley levelled by taking the fourth 82(55-27cl)- 56) to take the match into the decider which he lost 101-68 to a matchwinning break 41 by Jones.

Club member Adam Parker won the highest break award with a superb 93.

The plate winner was Wayne McDonald (pictured below) with a 2-1 final victory over fellow seasider Dale Allan.