Number 11 for Lilly in London
DHARMINDER Singh Lilly has won his 11th Cuestars tournament in less than three years on the circuit.
The 49-year-old from Fareham was the last man standing in the penultimate leg of the Seniors (40+) Tour in south London.
Lilly pocketed £100 in prize money after beating Neil Jefferis 2-1 in the final at Frames Sports Bar, Coulsdon.
It was a nervy encounter with both players drawing on all of their knowledge and experience to try to get the upper hand.
Jefferis (East Malling, Kent) took the opening frame with an excellent clearance from the green, which included a tricky blue along the cushion to the yellow pocket using the rest.
Lilly then drew upon his billiards experience and vast knowledge of the angles to lay a couple of very difficult snookers, giving him the chances he needed to draw level.
The decider was dominated by precision safety play from both finalists but it was ultimately Lilly that got the better of his opponent to close out a 2-1 victory.
Paul Davis (Wareham) has clinched the rankings title with a leg to spare. Martin Wallace (Wokingham) is favourite to clinch the runner-up-spot.
Davis suffered a loss to debutant Brian Earl (Croydon) but still topped his group before losing 2-0 in the quarter-finals to Paul Morrison (Ashford).
Jefferis won all three of his matches in a tough round-robin group that contained Salisbury event-winner Wallace, Lilly and Andrew Darken (Feltham).
Lun Lee (Orpington) and Ashley Beal (Maresfield, East Sussex) were also undefeated in the group stages.
Lilly triumphed 2-0 in a high-quality last-eight tie against Beal while Kent duo Jefferis and Lee progressed to the semi-finals with wins over Oliver Davidson (Ealing) and Earl respectively.
In the last-four, Lilly kicked off his 2-0 victory over Morrison with a fluent 61. Jefferis got the better of Lee by the same scoreline.
A staggering total of 102 different players have competed on the Seniors Tour this season.
Tournament organisers thanked Jordan and the team at Frames for looking after them.
The Crucible Sports & Social Club, Newbury, hosts the ninth and final leg on Sunday, May 12.
For more information about Frames Sports Bar, the event sponsor, go to framessportsbar.com.
BREAKS
Ashley Beal: 67, 56, 56, 44, 41.
Dharminder Singh Lilly: 63, 61, 56, 41.
Neil Jefferis: 55, 41.
Oliver Davidson: 48.
Lun Lee: 46, 41.
Paul Morrison: 46.
ROUND-ROBIN GROUP POSITIONS
GROUP A: 1st, Paul Davis (Greenbaize, Bournemouth); 2nd, Brian Earl (Thomas Wall Centre, Sutton); 3rd, Bob Toulouse (Sovereign SC, Farnborough); 4th, Kevin Palmer (Frames, Coulsdon).
GROUP B: 1st, Neil Jefferis (Ightham Club); 2nd, Dharminder Singh Lilly (Stoke SC, Gosport); 3rd, Andy Darken (Feltham Constitutional Club); 4th, Martin Wallace (Crucible, Newbury).
GROUP C: 1st, Lun Lee (Orpington); 2nd, Paul Morrison (West Byfleet Social Club); 3rd, Wai Lee (Hurricane Room, Kings Cross); 4th, Kieran O’Donovan (Frames, Coulsdon); 5th, Darren Johnson (Petersfield Bowls & Snooker Club).
GROUP D: 1st, Ashley Beal (Castle, Brighton); 2nd, Oliver Davidson (London Snooker Acton); 3rd, Mark Thomas (Shots, Watford); 4th, Kevin Morris (Woking SC); 5th, Neil Carroll (Chandlers Ford SC).
KNOCKOUT RESULTS
QUARTER-FINALS (12 pts,): Morrison 2-0 Davis, Lilly 2-0 Beal, Jefferis 2-0 Davidson, Lee 2-0 Earl.
SEMI-FINALS (15 pts, £20): Lilly 2-0 Morrison, Jefferis 2-0 Lee.
FINAL (25/18 pts, £100/£40): Lilly 2-1 Jefferis.
By Tim Dunkley and Chris Wyatt