BRADFORD's snooker team faced a tough opening fixture in Division One of the Yorkshire Inter-District League away to defending champions Castleford and were on the wrong end of a 5-1 scoreline.

Castleford are highly fancied to win the title again and 2016 Yorkshire champion Mikey Tomlinson gave the hosts a 2-0 lead, winning both opening frames by taking the colours aided by a 36 break in the second frame.

Josh Walker pulled one back for Bradford in a frame that saw few opportunities for both players, before opponent James Pearson took the fourth with another scrappy win.

Four-time Bradford champion Gareth Green came into the Bradford No 1 team for the first time, having appeared with Bradford No 2 during the course of the last ten years.

He found the going tough against Daniel Womersley, who earlier in the day had made it through to the pro-am final in Leeds and who performed superbly well in last season's professional snooker shoot-out when he was invited to take part.

Womersley was impressive throughout the two frames and made a break of 74 to win the first. He then comfortably took the second against an out-of-sorts Green, who is bound to improve as the season unfolds.

The next match for Bradford is away to Harrogate on Saturday, October 28.

Meanwhile, Bradford No 2 take on Brighouse in Division Two at Cue Gardens this Sunday (7.30pm).

Spectators are welcome to attend and support the team as they bid to bounce straight back to Division One following their relegation at the end of last season.

* BRADFORD will once again be represented at this year's 16-team invitational UK National League Championships on the weekend of November 25-26 at the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds.

The side made the final two years ago in their first appearance at the competition and fell at the quarter-final stages last year, when they lost 3-2 to West Midlands after leading 2-0.

Also at the Northern, the World Billiards Championships take place from Monday, October 23 through to Wednesday, November 1.

Seven-time Bradford champion Mark Hirst will be in action along with Bradford captain Stephen Kershaw and team-mate Paul Devitt. Any support would be greatly appreciated by the players.