Snooker: Bradford left-hander Richard Lodge is to make his England debut - at the age of 53!"

"I found out when I was playing in an Amateur Billiards Circuit tournament in Liverpool," said the Lidget Green WMC member.

"It is an eight-man team to play Ireland and Northern Ireland in Dublin on November 20-21.

"I am ranked 11th on the circuit, but one of the regular England team members is on holiday and another is turning professional.

"I only started playing this circuit seriously two seasons ago. Before that I had just played in the tournaments when my family commitments allowed.

"When I retire from billiards - and I have no plans to as long as my eyesight holds out because I love the sport - I will be a happy man, having represented my city, my county and now my country."

Lodge, a wool trader at Bradford firm H Dawson & Sons Ltd, added: "I put my cue away at the end of the season to catch up on my gardening, but I am in good form at the moment.

"I played Mark Hirst (Bradford's sole professional) twice recently and beat him once and lost to him once."

"I lost to him in the South Bradford League when I made a break of 101 and Mark made a 103 - I am sure that is the first time in the history of the league there have been two centuries in the same match. But I beat him in the Sunday School League where I was playing for Princeville Meths and Mark for Eastbrook."

FORMER Yorkshire Billiards Champ-ionship finalist Bill Mount has died at the age of 65.

The Queensbury Conservative member made a 50 break only eight days ago in their match at Bradford Moor Liberals.

Bill represented Halifax in the Yorkshire Inter-District League for many years, and lost his Yorkshire final to Dennis Watson.

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