He overcame Billington Band Club's John Gibson 4-2 to pocket the £400 top prize.

And he also landed the award for the night's highest-break which was sponsored by Club Fruit Services.

The match, at the Ighten Leigh Social Club, got off to a cagey start.

There was a lot of safety play in the first frame, but Mercer eventually got in with a 28-break to go ahead and later sank the pink to win.

Gibson started the second frame well but broke down on 20 when he could have made a siseable run.

Mercer came back with 24 but ran out of position and let Gibson back into the frame.

Gibson looked set for a clearance but snookered himself on the last red.

But Mercer let him in again only for the Billington cueist to miss a straightish blue for the frame and Mercer mopped up 2-0.

The third frame was pretty much all Mercer as he set his stall out to claim the second Moorhouse's Golden Cue title.

He had a 32-break early on.

A he followed that with a cracking run of 72 to win the frame 104-0 and pocket the extra pound-a-point prize for the night's top break.

With the title just one frame away, Mercer made a few mistakes in frame four.

And when the eventual champion missed the pink, Gibson stepped in to register his first frame of the night.

Another cagey battle followed in frame five, but Mercer missed a black off its spot and Gibson won the frame to get back to within one.

A real fightback looked on the cards when Gibson started the sixth frame with a run of 25.

But when Mercer got back to the table he looked a lot calmer than in the previous two frames.

He hit back with a run of 59 that could have been a lot more and left Gibson requiring snookers.

He made a valiant effort at getting them, but eventually had no choice but to concede the frame and the match.

David Grant, of sponsors Moorhouse's, was on hand to present the prizes and pledged even more support for the competition when it starts again later in the year.

It is now hoped that small and large table events can be run with the eventuial winners of each competition qualifying for the showpiece finale.

Plans for that are still very much at an early stage.

But they will be published here as soon as they are finalised.

On Monday, Mr Grant presented defending champion Jonny O'Reilley, beaten at the semi-final stage this time around, with a £50 for the top break of 131 during the earlier rounds of the competition.

David Howe acted as referee for the evening, having officiated throughout the quarter-finals and semi-finals along with Gary Evans.

And thanks also go to Neil McGovern of the Ighten Leigh Social Club for organising the whole event, all the players who entered and the clubs who allowed their tables to be used in the earlier rounds of the competition.