Basildon tournament snooker star Stuart Bingham has pulled off one of his best wins of the season to win a place in the final stages of the Irish Masters.

In the final qualifying round at Pontin's, Prestatyn, Bingham beat former LG Cup winner Chris Small, who stands 11th in the provisional world rankings, 5-3.

Bingham, who represents the Sports Bar in Southernhay, had seen off Andrew Norman in his opening qualifying match before overcoming Small, who has moved to 11th in the rankings after starting the campaign in 18th place.

The new towner, who has lifted himself from 43rd to 33rd so far this season, shared the first six frames with Small with breaks of 55, 40, 43 and 88.

Then, in the next two frames, breaks of 57 and 63 saw Bingham through in the best-of-nine affair to earn the right to compete against the world's top 16 when the main event starts at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, in March.

Published Monday January 12, 2004

Brought to you by the Evening Echo