TONY Brine was “pretty annoyed” at being forced to play the final match of the 2011/12 Chandler’s Ford SC £3,500 Roll-Up on which £800 was riding.
Splitting the £150 prize pot would have secured Brine second spot, worth £700, and Paddy Robinson would have climbed to joint eighth, worth £100.
But organisers requested the pair play as the result affected other places.
Defeat would have knocked Brine, who plays for Hamble Club B, down to joint third and a loss of £250.
The two-hour final kicked off just before midnight. Robinson cross-doubled the pink to take the lead. But in the next, leading by 19 points on the colours, he conceded too many penalty points.
Brine won the decider with a long pink.
The result dropped Phil Budden down to third, John Thomas to fourth and promoted Steve Boterhoek into the top ten.
“I’ve played for a lot of money before but not quite that much,” declared Brine.
“When I beat Phil (Budden) in the semi, which I was confident of doing, I was happy. “And then I realised I had to play Paddy. There was no choice in the matter. Giving him a big handicap (start) in front of all the other players watching, I knew it was going to be nervy and I knew I would have to play well.”
