DUBLINER Michael Judge made life difficult for world number three Peter Ebdon in the quarter finals of the British Open in Plymouth last yesterday, before losing 5-3 in a hard fought match.

World number 71 Judge, who put out his Irish World Cup captain Ken Doherty in the opening round, threatened to take the match into a deciding ninth frame. He bravely plumped to try and pot the final brown, despite the high risk attached to the shot. The ball crashed against the jaws, and Ebdon kept his by now famous nerve to clear up with 22. "I thought about playing safe, but that shot was equally tough," said Judge.

Ebdon, winner of last month's Thailand Open, said: "I am very, disappointed with the way I performed. But it's better to have played badly and won than to have played well and lost."