DEFENDING champions Wayne Cooper and Kevin Firth just missed out on retaining the Yorkshire Snooker Pairs title at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.

The Bradford duo pushed Leeds opponents Jonathon Bagley and Kuldesh Johal hard in a high-quality final but could not get over the line.

The first frame saw Cooper and Firth leading by 58 points before Bagley made a 50 break in reply and Leeds went 1-0 up courtesy of a black ball game.

The second frame took a similar pattern, with the Bradford pair leading by 60 points only to lose again on the black as Johal this time made a decisive 62 break.

In the third it was Bagley and Johal who got away but Cooper and Firth pulled back, only to see the Leeds duo claim the colours to win 3-0.

Bagley is in action again on Friday, May 20, also at the Northern, when he will face Mikey Tomlinson of Castleford in the final of the Yorkshire Snooker Championship (7.30pm).

The Yorkshire Billiards & Snooker Association presentations will take place following the final, with Bradford No 2 and captain Hanif Rafiq to receive their Inter-District League Trophy for winning Division Two.

Bradford No 1 finished runners-up in Division One, losing out this time to Sheffield No 1 having won the title for the previous three years.

Final standings – Division One (all played 14): 1 Sheffield No 1 52pts, 2 Bradford No 1 50, 3 Leeds No 1 47, 4 Harrogate 44, 5 Castleford No 1 39, 6 Ossett No 1 38, 7 Huddersfield 34, 8 Sheffield No 3 32. Division Two (all played 14): 1 Bradford No 2 58, 2 Wakefield 55, 3 Leeds No 2 49, 4 Castleford No 2 42, 5 Ossett No 2 35, 6 Castleford No 3 35, 7 Selby 34, 8 Brighouse 28.

* The final of the Hey's Trophy takes place at East Ward tonight, 7.15pm for 7.45pm start, with Laisterdyke WMC A up against Undercliffe Cricket Club B.

Next Thursday sees Cullingworth Cons A taking on Leicester Street at Undercliffe Cricket Club in the E Rosse Hopkinson Plate final.