TOURNAMENT favourite Ashley Hugill made a 112 clearance to score the first ever century break in the York Masters snooker tournament.
It arrived as he saw off Mark Hodson 3-0 to make the knockout stages of the event, which sees the city’s top players competing on a World Snooker standard table in Layerthorpe.
Hugill, a fixture of the European Tour ranks this season, was soon into his stride and took the opener 87-31.
A tighter second frame was won 46-28 before Hugill fired in a long red from underneath the baulk cushion and put together a magical finish.
Hodson will now play Andi Ireland to see who will advance into the last 16 as a group runner-up.
Justin Morris beat Roland Cox 3-0 to throw group ‘H’ wide open.
If Nick Marchant now beats Morris 3-0, all three players will have beaten each other by the same score line and a one frame play-off will have to take place.
A win for Morris will put him through as group winner with Cox going through as runner-up.
Kevin Gall won group ‘G’ with a solid 3-0 victory over Heworth’s Martin Johnson.
Gall won the opening frame 70-42 before limiting Johnson to only a few chances in the second.
Johnson, playing on the table for the first time, was never able to get a foothold in the match and went down 56-25 in the third frame.
Mick Borg sailed through to the next stage with a 3-0 victory over Adam Scaife in group ‘A’.
With both players already through, the match decided which player advanced as group winner.
A break of 35 helped Borg in a tight first frame which went down to the blue and, although Scaife built up a big lead in frame two, Borg was able to bag two snookers and then hold his nerve to win 50-49.
That saw him surge in confidence and a fantastic break of 62 in frame three clinched the match.
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