Club champion Graham Baker went within a whisker of a huge upset before falling to Queensland No.3 Danik Lucas in the $1000 Cruiseabout Round-Robin Tournament at the Buderim Snooker Club on Sunday (Dec 7).
Baker, who scraped into the semi-finals on a countback after the group stage, stormed past the highly fancied Steve Balderson to set up a tense decider with Lucas.
After holding a ten-point lead in the early stages, Baker watched his advantage disappear entering the colours before he fought back to be up by seven with four balls remaining.
However, Lucas quickly stole the tournament and picked up a prize of $500 for his impressive efforts throughout the day.
Lucas, a club member from Brisbane, lost only one frame during the tournament and also picked up the high-break award for his 55, which included six blacks and a pink during the group stage.
He was a popular winner after holding a series of coaching clinics for the local members over the past year and the spectators were pleased to see his high-quality play.
Baker collected $270 as the runner-up to complete a strong performance in an event including three of the state’s top 10 players.
No.5 Kurt Brown, a 15-year-old star of the future, was squeezed out by Baker for a spot in the semi-finals while No.10 Kyle Lampkin was unlucky to miss a spot in the decider when beaten by Lucas.
Caloundra’s John Wells and Bli Bli’s Dave Armstrong were the other locals involved in the successful day, which attracted strong crowds to celebrate the club’s 63 anniversary.