Workington snooker player Kevin Basnett is through to the last four in the Cumbria County Singles Championship.

This year’s competition saw 33 players play-off for the semi-finals at Carlisle’s Portland Snooker Club this week, with Whitehaven’s Rob Sim, Barrow’s Matty Hill and Carlisle’s Giles Finnegan also qualifying.

The first round delivered some fine performances and none more than Matty Hill’s win over fellow Barrow cueist Graeme Edwards.

Breaks of 61 and a qualifying day’s best of 93 saw Hill in superb form as he moved through into the last 16 with a 4-3 win.

Carlisle’s Mally Lancaster was the round’s other top break-maker as he produced contributions of 78 and 51 to defeat last year’s finalist, Richard McCarthy, from Egremont, 4-2.

Round two saw five-time champion Rob Sim come into his own as a break of 80 enabled the Whitehaven cueist to win 4-0 over Barrow’s Alan Eaton.

This however wasn’t the round’s most impressive performance as Carlisle’s Lancaster took out six-time and current champion, Penrith’s John Airey, 4-3, with a 82 break to boot.

The quarter-final stage proved to be one game too far for Carlisle’s Lancaster as two gruelling matches took its toll in a 4-1 defeat by two time champion Kevin Basnett (68 break).

Whitehaven’s Sim maintained his form from the previous round as a break of 81 enabled him to defeat Barrow’s Martin McDonald 4-1.

Matty Hill came up against Paul Mostyn in the last eight, and even though the Maryport cueist put up a spirited fight, it was Hill who moved through to the last four with a 4-1 victory.

In the last of the qualifying matches, Carlisle’s Giles Finnegan moved quietly through to the semis on the back of a 4-3 win over Barrow’s Tony Mason.

The players are still on the lookout for a new county secretary.

Andrew Mitchelhill stepped down earlier in the year and with the treasurer unavailable the players had to run the event.