2020 World Open Singles champion Rob Paxton negotiated a second round berth in this year's IMAGINE CRUISING sponsored event, overcoming Suffolk's Phillip Last 11-2, 9-7.
Paxton, from the Exonia club in Crediton and seeded 4 on the WBT Ranking List only dropped two singles over the course of the first set and won 11-2.
The second set was a lot more competitive. Tied at 3-3 after four ends, Last, a Street Works Manager whose home indoor club is Ipswich and who first appeared in a WBT World Championship in 2008, added a single on the fifth to take the lead for the first time in the match at 4-3.
However Paxton scored a treble followed by a double, but it was 'game on' with Last picking up three shots on the penultimate end to cut the score to 8-7 in Paxton's favour and leave himself requiring a double to take the match to a shoot-out decider.
 But that vital two shot count for Last never materialised on the final end with Paxton holding off the strong challenge to count that set winning single and avert any potential danger of a tie break scenario.
RESULT
Rob Paxton (Eng/4) bt Phillip Last (Eng/Q) 11-2, 9-7;
Comments