A YORKSHIREMAN will be centre stage in tomorrow's PowerHouse UK Snooker Championship final at York's Barbican Centre.

Stuart Bennett, from Barnsley, is the referee for the climax of the second biggest tournament in world snooker.

It is the biggest honour he has had in his nine years as a full-time referee.

"There are only six professional referees but I was pleasantly surprised to be chosen to do the UK final," said the 43-year-old former menswear shop manager.

"I don't really get nervous before matches but it's the biggest final I have done. This will be a big occasion, in the glare of the television cameras and in front of a packed crowd.

"I will just try to get on with my job and concentrate on the play, putting everything else from my mind."

Bennett has been on duty throughout the two weeks of play at the Barbican, but will not know till tonight the two players who will be battling for the trophy and £84,500 first prize.

The second semi-final finishes tonight and the first semi-final was played last night between Irishman Ken Doherty, last year's beaten finalist in York, and Scotsman Drew Henry.

Bennett took up refereeing after realising that he would never make the top grade as a player, though his highest break is 135. In 1985 he passed the snooker refereeing exam and began taking charge in club and county matches.

When snooker went open in 1991 he joined the Professional Referees' Association and two years later decided to go full-time, giving up his job as manager of Greenwood Menswear shop in Castleford.

"That was a big step to take," he admitted. "I discussed it with my wife before deciding to give up my job. It was an opportunity which I did not want to miss."

He has been referee at some remarkable matches. He was in charge when Ronnie O'Sullivan took only 43 minutes 26 seconds to beat Blackburn's Jason Curtis 5-0 in a Grand Prix tournament, a world record fastest time for a best-of-nine frames match.

Another highlight was last month when Mark Williams beat David Gray 5-3 in their British Open match at Telford despite Gray scoring three centuries. Gray lost 9-1 to Leeds ace Paul Hunter in the UK second round in York last week.

Bennett's powers of concentration were tested to the limit when he stood for 77 sessions of snooker in a week of tournament qualifying matches at Blackpool.

"That was really mentally draining," he recalled.

The longest single frame he has refereed was 88 minutes in a Blackpool match between Dennis Taylor and Grimsby's Dean Reynolds.

Bennett is no stranger to York. As chairman of Barnsley Co-operative Concert Band for 17 years he has come with the band to the city many times when they have played at Tramways WMC and in Coppergate Square. His wife is principal clarinetist with the band.

Updated: 13:04 Saturday, December 14, 2002