Pittman sunk by outrageous flukes

The second-placed 43-year-old went down 3-2 to Southampton’s Neil Carroll at Salisbury Snooker Club.

Pittman, who compiled breaks of 21, 25 and 39, described Carroll’s cocked-hat double that clinched the third frame as “painful”.

“It’s a strange game,” he said. “I certainly played my best game this season – but lost. All in all, it was a very enjoyable few frames of snooker.”

Carroll, who contributed a 39, admitted: “I had about five outrageous flukes, even though the cocked-hat double on the black in the third was one I actually went for.”

Elsewhere, Richard Arnold, also from Salisbury, whitewashed Jeremy Dawson (Gillingham, Dorset) 5-0 to climb three places to third.

Arnold said the first two frames were “turgid affairs”. But he sparked into life with breaks of 38, 34 and 31. Dawson also made a 31 in the fifth.

Steve Ashton (Shrewton) defeated Stuart Dreyer (Salisbury) 5-0.

“I found some form while Stuart’s deserted him,” said Ashton.

Dreyer added: “I can’t complain. Steve played well.”

However, Dreyer lifted himself off the bottom with a fine 3-2 win in a re-arranged match over Amesbury 16-year-old James Bolton.

The 47-year-old levelled at 2-2 with a run of 32.

“I probably played the best I have all season,” he said.

Results: Neil Carroll 3 Trevor Pittman 2, Jeremy Dawson 0 Richard Arnold 5, Stuart Dreyer 0 Steve Ashton 5. Rearranged match: James Bolton 2 Stuart Dreyer 3.