My cue felt like a broom handle

ALEX Thorn said his cue felt like a broom handle as Trevor Pittman swept to a 3-0 lead in the Cuestars South Wilts Snooker League.

But the Shrewton potter (pictured) brushed off the early setback and mitigated the loss at Salisbury Snooker Club by taking the last two frames, finishing with an all-or-nothing thin-cut pink into the middle pocket.

The 40-year-old, whose other passion is air-cooled Volkswagens, said he “can’t remember the last time” he played that badly.

And he added: “At some points it felt like I had a broom handle in my hand – not a cue.”

Pittman (Salisbury), now fifth in the league table, said: “Alex fought back solidly.”

League leader Neil Herd (Frome, Somerset) whitewashed Martin Hill (Durrington) 5-0 but admitted: “The result did flatter me. I potted the crucial balls when it mattered and Martin didn’t.”

Richard Swaffield (Salisbury), joint second with John Hunter and one point adrift of Herd, beat Callum McDonald (Bishopdown) 5-0.

“If the balls had fallen a bit kinder to Callum, he could have quite easily pinched a couple of frames,” said Swaffield, who wrapped up the match with a 60 clearance.

Defending champion Hunter (Andover) kept up the pressure with a 4-1 win over Paul Burt (Britford).

Hunter compiled a 67 and Burt cleared the colours to take the fifth frame.

Back in November, teenager Anthony Rice (Fordingbridge) lost a frame in which he made his top break of 60.

The 17-year-old was at it again in the third round of matches. He made a 38 in the fourth frame of a 4-1 defeat by Steve Ashton (Salisbury) to lead by nearly 50 points with 59 on – and still lost it.

Ashton said: “He’s a much improved player and plays the game with much maturity for a youngster.”

Admiring Ashton’s “high level of match-play snooker”, Rice added: “Overall he deserved the win and I have no complaints.”

Ally Pollard (Alderholt, near Fordingbridge), who lost 5-0 to Richard Arnold (Salisbury), said: “Richard played better than me but I count myself unlucky not to have won at least one frame.”

Results (breaks): John Hunter (67) 4 Paul Burt 1, Trevor Pittman (44) 3 Alex Thorn 2, Neil Herd 5 Martin Hill 0, Richard Swaffield (60, 35) 5 Callum McDonald 0, Richard Arnold 5 Ally Pollard 0, Steve Ashton 4 Anthony Rice (38) 1.

Report by Tim Dunkley.