ADAM SCAIFE got his 2015 York Masters snooker campaign off to a fine start with a 3-0 victory over John Dowd.
The Huntington player, enjoying a good season in York CIU League division one, took the opening frame 49-10 with some fine long pots and South Bank’s Dowd was never able to get into a rhythm.
A costly miss at the end of a closer second game allowed Scaife to take the frame on the pink and he potted pink and black in the third for a 63-61 victory.
Dowd must now beat Mick Borg to remain in the competition.
Burnholme’s Pete Glover edged out York RI’s Keith Thornhill 3-2 in a classic. Glover took the first 60-45 but Thornhill hit back to take the next two. Despite being on the back foot, Glover responded in frame four - winning numerous safety battles to run out a 55-27 winner and take the match to a decider.
That was a tense affair which, fittingly, went to a black ball finish.
After good safety from both players, Glover forced Thornhill into an error - leaving the black over the middle pocket.
A black ball finish after five frames was exactly how Paul Holmes beat Richard Lillie.
After Holmes won the first frame, Lillie took control and forged into a 2-1 lead. Holmes levelled and, in the decider, a miss on the brown allowed Holmes to get back into the game.
Lillie rattled the black in the jaws from distance and Holmes potted to win a hugely entertaining encounter.
The theme of tight games continued as Malton’s Phil Hart squeezed a 3-2 victory against Pete Rivis.
The final frame could once again have gone either way with both players having chances. Hart managed a few small breaks to take the upper hand and Rivis required snookers with the colours remaining.
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