CROWN green king Mike Tunstall has hit a rich vein of form.

And he really struck gold when he lifted the Star Masters crown at the Gerard Arms on Saturday night.

It followed hot on the heels of success in the Thwaites Classic at Crompton and the Gardeners Classic in Blackpool.

But it was also a great night for outsider Dave Holden.

The UGB stalwart -perhaps better known for his exploits on at the dartboard -stunned the pundits by producing some of the best bowling of the night.

Sixty-one-year-old Dave defied an arm injury to beat Liverpool's Barry Thompson in the quarter-final.

And in the semi-final he simply demolished Tommy Round, of Greenalls.

But in the final Dave's's concentration seemed to desert him.

And Knotty Ash and Merseyside star Tunstall turned in a ruthless performance that earned him a 21-18 success.

Earlier 25-year-old Tunstall, a business support officer with Liverpool City Council had beaten off the challenge of North Ashton Village Club's Frank Anderton.

And that produced one of the games of the evening.

Seemingly down and out against British Plate's Jimmy Lomax, Tunstall roared back to edge home by one chalk.

Afterwards Tunstall said: "I'm delighted to have won, but it really hasn't sunk in yet."

And Holden remarked: "It was great to have got so far and he deserved to win."

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