Yorkshire duo Stan Moody and Oliver Lines suffer painful exits at Northern Ireland Open

They were a famous comedy double act – for anyone born this side of the millennium – who always seemed to raise a smile with their slapstick humour.

That was not the over-riding emotion for Yorkshire’s own ‘Stan and Ollie’ – snooker duo Stan Moody and Oliver Lines – after they both endured final-frame defeats on Tuesday at the Northern Ireland Open.

Lines, 30, from Leeds, fell 4-3 to defending champion Kyren Wilson in their televised clash.

He was followed into the spotlight at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast by Halifax teenager Moody, who went on to lose by the same scoreline to Ali Carter.

Wilson and Lines shared the opening four frames.

The 2024 Crucible champion opened with breaks of 55 and 132, but twice the Yorkshireman pegged him back with stylish breaks of 79 and 52.

Lines has enjoyed a fine start to the season, reaching the last 16 of this month’s Xi’an Grand Prix in China, the last 32 of the British Open, and last 16 of the Saudi Arabia Masters.

The 30-year-old edged in front at 3-2, following a lengthy frame. Lines looked like cruising to the frame with a 64 break, leaving Wilson needing three snookers.

He managed to eke out two, but left-hander Lines kept his nerve to fire in a long-range brown to clinch the frame.

A 61 break from Wilson forced a decider, and after both players missed chances – Lines with a green which proved to be his last shot – it was the defending champion who progressed.

“I thought Oli played fantastic, solid in all departments,” said Wilson, who next plays Ryan Day on Wednesday.

“I am just chuffed to get over the line.

“His all-round game was strong today and he made it tough for me. I'm proud of the way I dug in from 3-2 down.

“In the last frame when he had the chance to clear up, he still had work to do with the last red next to the yellow. When he missed the green I was like a greyhound out of my chair.”

Moody led 2-0 and 3-2 against the experienced Carter – the Yorkshire teenager had come out on top in their previous two meetings this season – but it was the Essex potter who took his chances.

Carter knocked in back-to-back centuries – 137 and 100 – to claw it back to 2-2, then held his nerve after Moody responded with a 72 break of his own.

"It's hard to say how far anyone can go but Stan has got the competitive instinct and he has the nonchalance that he belongs there playing against the top boys on the big stage,” said Carter. “He'll be gutted not to win that match and probably very annoyed, as I would have been at his age."

On Wednesday night, Yorkshire pair Ashley Hugill and David Grace are in action. York’s Hugill plays Jordan Brown, while Grace, from Leeds, who had a bye in the first round as Neil Robertson pulled out with illness, plays China’s Zhou Yuelong.