WARMINSTER'S Thomas McEvoy was narrowly beaten in his first Cuestars under-21 bronze tour final.
He lost out 2-1 in an absorbing contest to Tooting's Zain Jeraj, who claimed his third winner's trophy with victory at Frames Sports Bar in Coulsdon.
The 11-year-old clawed back a massive deficit in the opening frame and won on the final ball.
McEvoy made a 21 break in the second and forced a decider on the black.
It was the first frame that Jeraj had dropped all day.
After clinching the third frame on the black at 9.15pm, Jeraj said: “It was the most exhausting match I’ve ever played. There was so much tension.”
He also went on to praise McEvoy's sportsmanship.
That result left it tight in the race for the rankings title, with only four points separating the top five.
McEvoy's run to the final left him one point adrift of the top two, with leg-two winner George Laxton (Portsmouth) one point further back in fourth and the consistent Daniel Walter (Portsmouth) in fifth.
Casey Turner (Burgess Hill) and Tyler Beer (Fair Oak) qualified for the knockout for the first time. There were 24 entries for the Bronze Tour.
Frames Sports Bar owner and tournament sponsor Tony Thompson presented the trophies.
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