Momentous week for Anthony Rice

ANTHONY Rice is hot on the heels of front-runner Jake Stewart in the Cuestars South Wilts Snooker League after a momentous week for the 21-year-old.

The Fordingbridge cueman moved up to second place, just two points adrift of top spot, after a 5-0 victory over Richard Arnold at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Rice, who made a 51 break in the first frame, said: “Neither of us played fantastically well. I just potted the key balls at the right time.”

A few days later, he compiled a personal best 135 total clearance in the Bournemouth & District Conservative League for Ringwood A in their derby match against their B side.

Stewart remains unbeaten after a 3-2 success against Steve Ashton.

Liam Tinne drops to third, one point below Rice.

He opened his 3-2 win over Lee Stagg (Fordingbridge) with a run of 51 but lost one marathon frame on the pink and the other on the black.

Four of the frames in David Rice’s 3-2 victory over Richard Arnold were decided on the pink or black.

Arnold, leading 2-1, went in-off the match-ball black in the fourth.

Rice broke the back of the decider with a 33 break.

He said: “It was a good match, on the whole, that could have gone either way.”

Eddie Mason reckons “he should have got more” from a 5-0 defeat by Callum McDonald.

And Antony Foxcroft lost a high-scoring tie with Stuart Dreyer.

Foxcroft chalked up runs of 25 and 36 while Dreyer contributed a 43 and “a few 20s”.

After the 3-2 defeat, Foxcroft said: “Stu ended up the deserved winner, both of us agreeing at the end that we both won the frames we deserved to.”

Results: Antony Foxcroft 2-3 Stuart Dreyer, Paul Burt 5-0 Graham Wallace, Eddie Mason 0-5 Callum McDonald, Anthony Rice 5-0 Richard Arnold, Liam Tinne 3-2 Lee Stagg, Steve Ashton 2-3 Jake Stewart, David Rice 3-2 Richard Arnold.

Highest break: Anthony Rice 127

Have you got any snooker news?

It doesn’t have to be from a Cuestars tournament. E-mail me details or contact me via Facebook and you could be on the Cuestars website and in your local newspaper. E-mail: [email protected]

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach)