York team captain Kevin Hopper triumphed in style in the inter-town amateur challenge final against Harrogate's champion this week.

His 3-1 win over flying instructor Brian Pritchard put York 2-1 ahead in the annual challenge and thwarted the Manhattan Snooker Club player's bid to succeed where he had failed last year against York's Tim Hart.

Both players found it difficult to adjust to the pristine match table in the CueZone tent, but Hopper managed to win the day.

He scored the first double-figure break with 17 in the opening frame. A couple of visits later a red and an excellent blue into the middle put him 28-17 ahead with two reds remaining. Pritchard fluked a red into the middle but went in-off the opposite pocket. Hopper began to pull away and led 40-17 with only 22 points on the table. When Hopper sank the brown the Harrogate man conceded the frame.

Pritchard got the advantage in frame two and Hopper won the third. A 25 break by the York player ended when he missed red into a bottom corner but he later compiled a decisive 24 to lead 52-12. When he potted the last red and then blue, followed by yellow, he had made certain of the frame 61-14 to seal his win.

Dethroned UK champion Mark Williams sympathised with the opinion of fellow shock second round loser Ken Doherty complaining that top 16 cuemen shouldn't have to play in the earlier rounds.

World champion Williams, speaking before his surprise defeat by Fergal O'Brien in York last weekend, said that too many players are involved at the start of the final stages and a championship as big as the UK title should start with just two tables in play instead of partitioned 'boxes' as in York.

But he also realised that the lower ranked players deserved their chance to be here and conditions were the same for everyone in the earlier rounds.

Whether Doherty will take up the issue with the authorities as he indicated remains to be seen.

Snooker was part of the learning process for groups of children from York schools this week when they were taken behind the scenes at the Barbican Centre.

Pupils and teachers from Fulford School, St Lawrence's School, Yearsley Bridge School and Bishopthorpe School were guests of the UK Snooker Championship organisers. They visited the television centre, media centre, players' lounge and the arena.

John Higgins revealed how his wife maybe played a part in his shock early exit from York to James Wattana.

John's wife and her sister have opened a beauty salon in Uddingston near Glasgow and his wife gave him a massage in the salon to help relax him for the UK Championship.

"Maybe I was too relaxed," John said after his defeat.

Updated: 10:21 Saturday, November 29, 2003