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Snooker: Peter Lines is World Seniors Champion (Includes interview and first-hand account)

This week has seen two secondary snooker tournaments, with the title ‘world’ in them, played to a conclusion: the women’s world championship (won by Ng On Yee and which Digital Journal reported on earlier in the week) and the world seniors championship. These competitions are not part of the main tour and are separate events to the prestigious world professional snooker championship.

The world seniors championship has been played sporadically since 1991, over different formats and with different rules as to who is eligible (by age and whether or not they are a main tour player). The variations to eligibility were significant this year since the 2016 winner, Mark Davis, was unable to enter because he currently plays on the main tour.

The inaugural event was won by super-fast potter Cliff Wilson of Wales. Other winners include Jimmy White, Steve Davis and Mark Williams. The first event consisted of best-of-nine frames matches (a match distance that offers a reasonable test of ability); the 2016 event was contested over a less-than-worthy best of three frames. This year, organized by the company Snooker Legends, saw matches played over the best of five (albeit with a fifth ‘frame’ decider being composed of a single black ball); the final was a best of seven frames.

A best of seven it may of been, however the winner, Peter Lines aged 47, required just four of them in beating John Parrott by 4 frames to nil. In the final Lines had a best break of 41 against a 23 for Parrott. Lines was solid and his cue ball control at close range was impressive. Parrott, despite failing to score heavily, displayed his smooth cue action. However, Parrott simply missed too often to provide Lines with any great challenge.

The finals were played at The Baths Hall, Scunthorpe, U.K. Winning to nil was par for the course for Peter Lines: he didn’t drop a frame throughout the final stages, outclassing each of his opponents.

Beginning with a 3-0 win over former U.K. champion Patsy Fagan, Lines proceeded to be beat former world champion Dennis Taylor. This was followed by a surprisingly easy 3-0 win over seven times former world champion Stephen Hendry. Parrott, exempted by one round more than Lines due to his higher seeding, beat Joe Johnson 3-0 and Jonathan Bagley 3-2. The different matches produced only two breaks over 50, a run of 55 by Aiden Owens in his 3-1 victory over Willie Thorne and a break of 69 by Lines in his win over Hendry.

In winning the title, Peter Lines received £10,000 ($15,000) and a chance to enter the qualifying round of the world professional championship in April.

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Written By

Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

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