JORDAN Brown was crowned all-Ireland under-21 snooker champion for the third successive year in Cookstown's Pot Black club on Sunday.

But the Fountain Club star, who celebrates his 21st birthday next week, was unable to hold on to his all-Ireland senior title against Republic of Ireland contender Vincent Muldoon.

Muldoon, at 17 one of the most talked-about cuemen south of the border, won Saturday's clash by five frames to two. The teenager also captured the national under-18 title, coming from behind to beat Fountain's Jamie Martin by four frames to three.

Brown had been suffering from a cold last week which curtailed his practice ahead of the championships. However, after losing to Muldoon, he produced a fine performance to complete a hat-trick of under-21 titles, beating the Republic's champion David Hogan by five frames to three.

Jordan fired breaks of 45 and 67 as he established a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-nine-frames final, and after his Tipperary opponent clawed his way back with a break of 42, the NI champion restored his two-frames cushion, helped by a break of 49.

Hogan again closed the gap, but in a vital sixth frame Brown came from behind to win at the black ball. Hogan knocked in a 77 on his way to victory in the sixth frame, but Jordan won a close seventh frame to retain the title.

Frame scores (Brown first]: 69-42, 98-4, 35-74, 91-25, 3-65, 70-69, 7-95, 59-50.

Later this month Jordan will be Austria-bound to compete in the world amateur championships at Wels. He will be accompanied by Julian Logue, the Coleraine player he defeated in the final of the Northern Ireland championship earlier this year. Kieran McMahon and Ballymena's Kieran Erwin, who will be competing in the veterans' section, make up the NI contingent. The event runs from October 27 to November 8.

Before that, Jordan will be in the line-up for an exhibition match featuring Jimmy White at the Crucible club in Bangor on Thursday of next week.

FOUNTAIN HANDICAPS

A new series of weekly handicaps in under way in the Fountain club, starting at 8.00pm on Fridays,

Turn to page 58