Five star Dan Hildyard

In a performance that would have graced a professional tournament, the 16-year-old hammered in a 50-plus break in five consecutive frames but revealed that the record never entered his mind.

"I didn't even realise what I'd done until someone told me,” explained Hildyard. “I was just concentrating on winning matches, not worrying about how many breaks I'd made."

Record Breaker Dan Hilyard

Hildyard’s historic run in this week’s £1,000 Under-21 Roll-Up kicked off with a 54 clearance to wrap up a 3-2 win over Southampton singles champion Alex Dunkley. Daniel Woods was next into the lion’s den, but the 16-year-old from Hedge End was a mere spectator as Hildyard clinched a 3-0 win with runs of 52, 57 and 51. And in the first frame of the semi-final against Marchwood’s Shane Castle, he cleared with a 55.

Ken Jones, Hildyard’s coach, said: “These youngsters are just unbelievable. It’s beautiful to watch.” And the former Saints full back added that “the standard has never been higher” in his 30-year’s experience of working with the region’s juniors.

Club Coach Ken Jones

Inspired by watching the youngsters the previous day, club-coach Jones, who recently retired after 30 years in the Docks, made a rare appearance in the £2,500 Senior Roll-Up competition and showed the battling qualities that took him to the 2004 Town Championship title by reaching the final and pocketing £45.  

Picture: Kevin Legg