YORK player Gary Rogers was left kicking himself after losing to snooker commentator Clive Everton in a close first round match in the British Open billiards championship in Middlesbrough.

Everton, who will be working at the UK Snooker Championship at York's Barbican Leisure Centre when the televised stages start on December 8, won the two hour match 294-276.

But Rogers said that he should really have won. "I had it won. was 70 ahead with only eight minutes left but Clive got to the table and kept there till time ran out. I am really disappointed because it has cost me three ranking points.

"The tables weren't right, though and the players have complained. The pockets were tighter than they are for snooker and they were cut to the old type of templates. It was shaved sloth as they use for snooker, but that is not the cloth billiards is played on."

Rogers, picture right, himself will be playing at the Barbican on December 15 in a special amateur snooker challenge match against Harrogate teenager Tom Harris.

And the York billiards pro will be playing in the first round of the UK billiards championship at North Ormesby Institute on Sunday, when he will be up against Ian Williamson in a best of seven frames match, the first player to 100 points in each winning the frame.

The final will be at the Barbican on Monday, December 10 starting at 9.30am before the second UK snooker semi-final gets under way.

Updated: 13:09 Friday, November 30, 2001