THORNE billiards team will be sick of the sight of Huddersfield players after losing twice in succession – one a complete whitewash.

Huddersfield Open champion Tony Clegg started the ball rolling for Huddersfield’s first team, with a 60-point win over Tony Brown and Brian Cousen carried it on with a big win over Dave Palmer, aided by a 41 break.

And Robert Armitage rounded off a perfect night for the team with a break of 48 on the way to a 100-point win over Lawrence Torn.

Huddersfield’s third team also beat Thorne – but by a significantly closer margin, as last man Steve Whiteley just edged the final frame against Torn by just two points.

Matthew Peaker had a fine win over Thorne’s returning top player Brian Hoole, the Netherton man having breaks of 46 and 43, in reply to Hoole’s 47, but Peaker’s father David was off the pace as Palmer knocked in a break of 74 to leave Huddersfield with a major struggle to gain the aggregate point.

Whiteley opened strongly in the final frame and had soon built up a 40-point lead, but despite a 40 break, Torn hit back to cut the deficit at the halfway stage to 104-103. However, the New Mill player held his nerve and toughed out a two-point victory to earn Huddersfield a 4-3 win.

Thorne 0 Huddersfield No1 7: Tony Brown lost to Tony Clegg 141-200; Dave Palmer lost to Brian Cousen 89-200; Lawrence Torn lost to Rob Armitage 100-200.

Thorne 3 Huddersfield No3 4: Brian Hoole lost to Matthew Peaker 131-200; Dave Palmer bt David Peaker 200-71; Lawrence Torn lost to Steve Whiteley 198-200.

It must have come as a great shock to Robert Read to discover that he was apparently no longer the Huddersfield Open Snooker champion, when the preliminary rounds of the various knockouts were published (Examiner, November 8).

Likewise, it must have brought a smile to the face of Trevor Liversidge, to see he had retained his 2006 title.

A prior engagement, coupled to a re-arranged staging of the 2006/07 final at Newsome WMC back in May, meant the final was not covered, leaving one sports writer to believe the last final he remembered was Liversidge’s 4-0 win over Read (also at Newsome) which was, in fact, in 2006.

Read, of course, secured his ninth Open Championship crown this spring, when he inflicted a 4-0 defeat on Meltham’s John Bastow.

And the NINE-TIME champion (apologies Rob) now faces Janine Shaw at Meltham Liberal Club in this year’s preliminary round.