The winning moment was not dissimilar to the legendary World Championship final of 1985, too, although if anything Adam Shorto’s winning pot into the same corner pocket that Denis Taylor sunk his to overcome Steve Davis all those years ago was from a tighter angle.
The clock had just ticked to 12.25am at the Jersey Mechanics Institute on Friday night when Shorto, having been given a second chance he was not expecting having just over-cut a tricky pink to the centre pocket that would have clinched the Channel Islands Championship title, knocked in what will surely go down as the best black of his distinguished career.
The Guernsey champion let out a roar and punched the air with a mixture of delight and relief – probably a shedload of other emotions as well – but within the next breath he was offering a sporting word of condolence to his opponent, the long-time CI top-dog Aaron Canavan, who Shorto holds in the highest regard.
The respect is mutual and Canavan could not have been more gracious in defeat at the end of a match that was five minutes short of reaching five hours, telling the audience, who comprised mainly Guernseymen who would be returning a few hours later for more inter-island clashes, that his conqueror ‘thoroughly deserved his win tonight’.
That win was 11 years in the making, with Shorto finally getting his hands on the CI Championship silverware for the third time, but first since 2015.
He admitted ‘with 100% certainty’ that he had never potted a better black.
‘Not with so much riding on it like that,’ he said, still looking somewhat dazed by what had just happened, having opened up a 3-1 interval lead and then got to within a frame of victory at 4-2, only for Canavan to fight back.
‘It’s been such a long time coming for me, this, and so many near missed over the last few years.
‘Aaron is such an unbelievable player and he has got the better of me the last couple of times 5-4. I’ve had that in the back of my mind from 4-2 – I shouldn’t have done, but it’s hard because there’s some scar tissue there.’
Over the course of the night, though, Canavan’s assessment of it being a thoroughly deserved victory for Shorto was right on the money.
The Sarnian won a nip-and-tuck opening frame before Canavan capitalised on getting the better of the opening exchanges of the second to go on and level things up.
Shorto edged ahead again by winning a scrappy third before taking the fourth with a superbly-compiled break of 58.
Canavan narrowed the deficit immediately after the interval, but an early contribution of 35 in the sixth helped Shorto move within touching distance of victory.
A response would have been expected, though, and it came with Canavan knocking in a 55 break in the seventh frame before setting up a fitting climax by taking the eighth with something to spare.
However, the final word was Shorto’s.
