Mark Lloyd lands title after helping hand from Waterlooville Allstars team-mate

Lloyd, 19, from Gosport, has clinched the Cuestars Dafasnooker Championship Tour rankings title, writes Tim Dunkley.

Second-placed Ryan Mears trailed by four points going into the eighth and last leg at Greenbaize Snooker Club, Bournemouth.

The title contenders were on a collision course to meet in a winner-takes-all final but Lloyd was crowned champion when both made last-four exits.

Mears was beaten 2-0 by Richard, who plays alongside Lloyd for the division two front-runners in the Portsmouth District Billiards & Snooker Association.

Lloyd, who lost 2-0 to tournament winner Sean Harvey, has finished runner-up twice and made three semi-final and three quarter-final exits this season.

The former national junior champion felt he never showed his top form in the series but he wasn’t nervous about the way the title bid would go.

He said: ‘I played consistently throughout the season. It’s just a shame I was never on my A game.

‘I came here to concentrate on my own game and let results take care of themselves.’

But turning to Richard’s contribution, Lloyd added: ‘It was good of him. It’s nice to see him back playing.’

Richard, who had lost his opening frame of the day against Eastleigh teenager Connor Benzey, made it 15 winning frames on the bounce by taking the lead in the final.

But Harvey responded with a run of 44 to square the match and then added the day’s highest break of 95 in the decider.

Jamie Wilson finished third in his six-man group despite a fine 2-0 victory over Nick Jennings, who won the seventh leg in Newbury.

Elliott Weston qualified for the knockout but went down 2-0 to Harvey in the last-eight of the event sponsored by Snooker Hub.

The Cuestars Championship for the top-32 ranked players, which carries a guaranteed £500 first prize for the winner, is at Waterlooville Sports Bar on Sunday, May 12.

For more news from the amateur game see the website snooker hub.