Des never able to come to terms with the table.

Hughes did not reproduce the form he had shown in the UK.

Little in it but Caven rather disappointing in this very low scoring match.

Roxton finally found his form - and against a good opponent.

Shandilya had a fine UK but could make little headway against, "the Steamroller," who had a great 288.

Paul Cavney is principally a snooker player, but he can play billiards. He was unfortunate enough to meet a Russell on the rampage and had no chance.

Subhash on pretty good form - four excellent centuries.

Bodle put up a good show.

Ferreira had a trapped sciatic nerve and could hardly walk let alone make a stance. Even so he lost by a mere 24 points. Howard Griffiths has been a good player but he will forgive me for saying that he is getting a bit shaky these days. Ferreira should not have played.

Williams played well enough but it remains something of a mystery why Potikyan is playing at all. He is, of course, perfectly entitled to play, but it would be rather a good idea if he made some sort of acquaintance with the rules.

It gives pleasure to report that John Murphy at last reminded us that he can actually play the game.

Sethi took advantage of this game to get in some minimally interrupted practice. Brian had a hard time in his first professional tournaments. You pays your money and you takes your chance, but his baptismal experience of the professional game can hardly have done much for Dix's confidence.

These two have met before! Fairly comfortable for Norman.

Patel made the only century of the match but Gilchrist played very consistently to win by a couple of hundred.

Bob Close scores three centuries in a good win over the ex world champion.

A very low scoring match. The Australian lost by only 34 being in play on 99 unfinished at the bell.

The new UK Champion was never in the hunt in this one.

Williamson scored, for him, a better than usual two-hour total.

Rex Williams coasted along against Howard Griffiths with no real indication of what was to come.

John Murphy was much more like his old self. He played well against the world No. Land had a very good century break.

Gilchrist struggled but the older player was unable to raise his game sufficiently to win, something that just a few years ago he would have done with no trouble at all.

Williamson played well, scored well, and had a good average. He was never in the game!

Roxton Chapman completed a not too satisfactory week by going out in a low scoring match to the veteran Hartlepool player who was himself nowhere near his best. Roxton is likely going through what in the jargon of my previous existence was known as a, "plateau period." He ought to be going ahead again by the time the world championships come around.

Rex Williams is a very good, high-class player, but no-one gave him much of a chance against Sethi. In the event, the veteran cueman was the very personification of the professional billiard player. He made the most of his chances, he played safe when there was nothing much to go at, and when his opponent was at the table he relaxed his body in the chair, but quite obviously kept his mind alert and concentrated. His play and his presence exuded authority. Geet Sethi, as usual, displayed no emotion whatever, but he must been frustrated at being kept from the table for extended periods by a player everyone had expected him to beat.

Gilchrist got a very good start to a two hour match with 82 at his second visit; 65 and 61 at his fourth and fifth; and 188 at his eighth. This took him to 411 whilst Close was on 97. The older player was unable to make much headway. His best break was a mere 47 and his average poor by his standards. After his 188 Gilchrist could manage no better than an 88. It was a rather scrappy sort of match but Gilchrist had one of those games that we all get from time to time. He played some very good shots but on several occasions the balls finished in pockets or made cannons that were never intended, and when he broke down, as often as not there was nothing left for his opponent. Towards the end of the game even Bob Close could not resist a smile at some of the world champion's more outrageous efforts.

Russell had shown himself to be on good form and could well claim to have played the best billiards of the week to that stage. It was generally agreed that Rex Williams could probably not maintain the impetus against the world No. 2 that he had earlier in the day shown against the world No.l. In other words. and with no disrespect to Williams, that there would be an anti-climax, and that it was just a question of by how many Russell would win. The BQR editor was of the opinion that Russell would win, not overwhelmingly, but that he would win. The BQR editor - together with a lot of other people - was proved wrong for the second time in just a few hours. Williams carried on against Russell where he had left off against Sethi. After 5 visits Russell had scored 2 and Williams 43. Russell got in at the top. scored 69, and then broke down at a pot from the spot, cut back a little, and played at dead strength. The red settled right on the lip of the pocket. Williams did not score many from this leave but a visit or two later he made a fine break just short of the 200. After breaking down at 69 Russell went to the table a further 17 times scoring a mere 151 points at an average of just under 9, whilst Williams added 739 at an average of 46. When he was not scoring he was frustrating Russell with some excellent safety play. It was the Peterborough player who had to force the issue and just could not get going though he was unlucky with some very good all round the table efforts.

And so in one day the veteran Williams beat the world's two top ranked players. Russell said that he felt shell-shocked. When he had recovered he very generously praised his opponent saying that he had received both a hiding and a lesson. That is not an easy thing to do. Well done Mike - and well done Rex Williams.

The question was, could Rex Williams do it again? Gilchrist evidently did not think so. The evening before the Final the Middlesbrough man half-jokingly remarked that it would be a wonderful performance for Williams to be runner-up in the British Open - especially at his age. This remark was made in the humorous spirit of the moment and raised some laughter. After some three-quarters of an hour of the match Gilchrist might have recalled his joke and perhaps regretted it. At that stage Williams had made two centuries and was some 250 points to the good. It looked as if the world champion might just go the same way as Sethi and Russell. After 24 visits to the table Gilchrist had less than 200 points on the board. Although Williams had been successful in keeping his opponent quiet, after his second century he had himself taken 19 visits to go from 305 to 400. The younger player's chances came towards the end of the session, breaks of 166 and 117 brought him on level terms, and 36 unfinished gave him the lead.

Gilchrist took his unfinished break to 72 and immediately followed with the best break of the week, a fine 328 which included some terrific baulkline-crossing pots from the spot. Williams manfully followed this with an 80 but that was his last effort. Gilchrist added another century and several half-centuries for a very comfortable win. Towards the end of the game when the issue was beyond any doubt, both players entertained the spectators with some remarkable strokes.

Though the scores show Gilchrist the winner by 800 points this had been an interesting and entertaining game of billiards.