BRACKNELL cueman Matt Ford was celebrating on five fronts after his success on a regional snooker circuit.

The 41-year-old from Martins Heron ended a “tough day” by winning the third leg of the Cuestars South of England Seniors (40+) Tour.

And he produced the highest break of the tournament in the last frame at Woking Snooker Centre.

Beaten in the finals of the previous two legs, by John Hunter in Bournemouth and Mike Talmondt in Fareham, it was third time lucky as Ford overcame Wokingham’s Martin Wallace 2-0 to claim the £100 prize money.

Left-hander Wallace, appearing in his first final since February 2013, led into the colours in the opening frame but Ford cleared yellow to pink to snatch the lead.

The new rankings leader eventually grabbed the second frame by the scruff of the neck with an 87 break, the highest of the day.

“It was a tough day,” said Ford. “I’ve battled well but haven’t played well. And it’s only a 20 minute drive home, so that’s a bonus.”

Ford leads ex-professional Talmondt (Portsmouth) by nine points. Group-stage casualty Hunter (Andover) drops to third, two points ahead of Wallace.

The fourth leg of seven is at Cue T’s, Marchwood, on Sunday, December 18. The top-20 ranked players at the end of the series will play off for £500 prize money in Newbury on April 23.