Collins won the final 3 frames to 1. He took out the first 53-41 before Cox fought back to snare the second 54-39. The third was a closely fought affair before Collins prevailed 43-40, however, he sealed the championship with a convincing 48-8 in the fourth and final frame.

A full field of 32 players contested the two day event. Organisers changed the format this year with the majority of the players coming from the Manning competition. There were some invited players taking part from Port Macquarie and the Central Coast although all had links to the Manning.

In the semi-finals Collins beat Barry Carlaw from Wingham while Cox downed Ben Jones from Taree.

Club Taree Snooker president Simon Magin said the tournament was an outstanding success. He said the new format proved popular with players and sponsors.

“We’ll be staying with that format for many, many years to come,’’ he said.