A TEENAGER from Fordingbridge has ended a seven-time champion's remarkable run in the Tuesday Singles League at Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club.

Anthony Rice rallied from 1-0 down to dispatch the “almost unbeatable” Mitch Wade 2-1 in the Series 9 play-off final.

The 18-year-old said: “Mitch made a comment at the end. He said ‘you took on three or four suicide shots in that decider and they all went in’.”

It looked like business as usual as 33-year-old Wade, who had won the previous six titles, left his young opponent needing snookers with two reds left in the first frame of the final.

But Rice squared the match on the blue in a scrappy second frame in which his highest break was 12.

Opting to attack in the decider, Rice claimed victory when Wade conceded on the stroke of midnight.

“I thought if I could get another 20 or 30 points here, he’s in some serious trouble,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe they kept going in. I was surprising myself.

“I did try and play them as shots to nothing. They weren’t out-and-out suicide shots.

“The reason why I took them on was because he had me bang in trouble.

“Sometimes you can almost put your opponent in too much trouble and they end up potting their way out of it. If the safety (shot) is just as hard as a pot, go for the pot all day long.”

Rice, who is studying accountancy at Salisbury College, had beaten Series 5 finalist Neil Carroll 2-1 and Marc Russell 2-0 with break of 52 and 36 to reach his first final.

“Everyone knows what a good player Mitch is,” he added. “He’s almost unbeatable in this. But no one is unbeatable over a best-of-three (frame match).

“I came into this a bit nervous because I wanted to take that title off him.

“It was a brilliant run but I’m glad I could end it.”

The scratch league runs for ten weeks and then the top eight play off for the prize pot.

PLAY-OFF RESULTS (BREAKS)

Quarter-finals: Mitch Wade (58, 49, 47) 2 Carlo Cavagnetto 1, Anthony Rice 2 Neil Carroll 1, John Barton 1 Marc Russell 2, Stu Barter 0 Dan Hammond 2.

Semi-finals: Rice (52, 36) 2 Russell 0, Wade 2 Hammond 0.

Final: Rice 2 Wade 1.