BRYNMAWR sharp shooter Mark Davies had the honour of captaining the Welsh University snooker side last weekend as they took to the green baize to do battle in a five nations tournament held at the Llanelli matchroom of former Welsh wizard Terry Griffiths.

And although they fell short of winning the competition outright, the Welsh contingent did not return home with 'empty pockets,' after taking third place overall.

26-year-old Captain Davies, who studies counselling and psychotherapy at Caerleon University, was given the 'cue' to captain the Welsh team after selectors took into account his previous experience and standing as a Welsh National Snooker coach.

Davies, who has a highest break of 126, told the Chronicle, "The tables at Terry Griffiths's club were not as good as I remember them from a couple of years ago and it was difficult to make a big break on them, but it was a really good weekend and the standard of snooker was very high.

"In fact, Terry himself was on hand to make a presentation during the event, and you can just imagine what a long, drawn-out and dispiriting affair that turned out to be," joked Davies.

In a tournament involving six players representing each team, and each team representing Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, it was England who won the day.

During the competition, Davies led his troops to a 11-7 victory over Scotland and steered them to a 9-9 draw with England. However, slender 11-7 and 10-8 defeats to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland respectively hindered Welsh dreams of glory.

The star player for Wales was Swansea's Nick Hunt who won 11 out of his 12 matches.

Captain Davies was to suffer further defeat in the individual tournament when he was knocked out in the quarter finals by a player from Northern Ireland who went on to claim the crown.

"It was the best of three frames and I was 68-0 up in one frame until I rattled the red," recalled a disappointed Davies, "My opponent then came on to clear the table with a 71 break and left me sitting high and dry."

Davies, who was pot out of luck on this occasion, added, "It was gutting, but that's snooker, and at least I can say I lost to the overall winner."