ST HELENS Snooker professional Wayne Brown booked a place in the last 16 of the China International with a great 5-3 win over Jimmy White at The Norbreck Castle Hotel, in Blackpool.

He will now travel to Shanghai for the final stages in December.

The match was an entertaining encounter for the packed audience. Brown started well, and in the second frame fashioned a classy 106 clearance to lead 2-0.

World number 15 White looked set to hit back in the third when he fired in a break of 52. But brilliant long potting and tenacious safety play enabled Brown, currently 83 in the world, to edge the frame on the black to make it 3-0.

The fourth frame began with Brown once again on the attack, but a cruel kick on a straight forward black let 'The Whirlwind' in to make it 3-1 at the interval thanks to a break of 73.

The resumption saw White take two quick frames to level the score. But Brown kept his nerve against the six times World Championship runner-up and showed his class with two determined performances to take the honours.

Wayne's manager, Tony Banbury told the Star: "This is a fantastic win for Wayne. With this result under his belt he can go to China with a great chance of lifting the trophy."

Earlier in the week the Sutton Manor potting machine scored a tense 5-4 victory over world number 19, and last year's finalist in this event, Billy Snaddon, after another last-frame decider against David Roe of Derby.

Wayne now switches his concentration to the televised Grand Prix tournament at the Guild Hall, Preston in two weeks.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.