Jimmy White helped to bring about a perfect finish to the ninth Telegraph & Argus Snooker Classic on Saturday night at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre.

Only the black was left on the table at the end of the ninth frame, with The Whirlwind having been beaten 6-3 by Batley's Paul Hunter.

White beckoned youngster Oliver Mulcahy of Gomersal from the

corner of the auditorium.

And the seven-year-old marched forward in his best bib and tucker and confidently sank the black into a corner pocket to loud applause from another sell-out crowd.

If White was happy to play second fiddle there, that also happened in the main event, with the crowd's sympathies lying with his 27-year-old opponent, who not only had the advantage of being from West Yorkshire but is also battling

manfully against a rare neuro endocrine cancer.

Hunter, who made breaks of 105, 63 and 68 in taking a 3-0 lead, was just glad to be playing the sport he loves, let alone in front of what amounted to a home capacity crowd.

"So many people are housebound when they have cancer that I am just glad to be out and about and playing," he said.

And his fluency was still there,

even though his illness has

restricted him to only two hours a day practice at the Syngenta Club

in Huddersfield.

With a much more important encounter tonight against Dominic Dale in the first round of the Malta Open - Hunter flew out yesterday - the Beckham of the Baize added:

"I have also been thinking about the World Championships in Sheffield in April.

"I hope to do well there and maybe win a couple of matches, but I am just glad to be playing."

Undoubtedly the proudest moment of his season so far has been the 9-8 victory over Jamie Burnett in the second round of the Travis Perkins UK Championship at York last month.

"That's my only ranking tournament victory this season," said Hunter, now completely shorn of his blond locks because of his chemotherapy treatment.

"It was a difficult situation because I should have gone on at 2.30pm but I didn't get on until about 4.30pm or a quarter to five.

"I was physically shattered by about halfway through my match but just kept going, and I cried after I won."

Hunter made potting look easy a tad more than White at the weekend, opening with a 105 break that

finished on the pink, and making the crowd laugh after potting the final blue by saying "I haven't lost it

have I?"

Breaks of 63 and 68 followed as he established a 3-0 lead and, despite a brilliant long red, he had to give best to White in the fourth, who responded with an effort of 60.

After the mid-session interval, a break of 31 and a clearance of 32 made it 4-1.

However, the Whirlwind had the crowd on the edge of their seats in the fifth frame as he stroked in 15 reds and 14 blacks, his bid for a maximum finishing on 113.

Hunter picked up his game though immediately after that, efforts of 47 and 29 giving him the seventh 83-38.

White was giving referee Dave Church West the hurry up in the eighth frame, having the lorry

driver from Milton Keynes working overtime in replacing the balls as the gap was narrowed to 5-3.

However, Leeds-born Hunter showed his mettle again in the last, a brilliant long red featuring in a break of 52 to follow an effort of 32 that more than cancelled out White's opening 24.