TIM HART gained revenge for York when he beat Harrogate's Brian Pritchard in the amateur challenge match at the Barbican CueZone.

Harrogate won the inaugural inter-town match at last year's UK Championship, but this time the honours stayed on home territory as Hart won 3-1.

Both players found it difficult to adjust to the speed of the match table and there were no big breaks.

Hart, who plays his snooker at York's Cueball Club in James Street and captains the York team in the Yorkshire League, won a scrappy first frame.

Pritchard, a 65-year-old flying instructor at York Gliding Centre who captains the Manhattan Snooker Club, Harrogate, team and plays for Harrogate in the Yorkshire League, drew level but Hart then went 2-1 ahead.

The York man took control of the fourth frame, with Pritchard needing five snookers to stay in the match. He got one of them but Hart potted blue to clinch victory.

"It wasn't great snooker to watch but at least I flew the flag for York," said Hart.

Congratulations to Peter Vince, of Broome Way, Huntington, York, who has won our competition for tickets to tomorrow's UK Snooker Championship final at the Barbican Centre and a Sony DVD player, both prizes given by tournament sponsors PowerHouse. Mr Vince's card was the first correct entry chosen at random from all the entries received for the competition. The correct answer was PowerHouse.

Updated: 13:04 Saturday, December 14, 2002