Borg in group decider

Malta snooker champion Alex Borg stayed on course for a place in the last 32 of the IBSF world championships with a 4-2 win over Malaysia's Lee Hwa Meng in Jiangmen, China, yesterday.

The top four from each of the eight groups will make it to the next round. Group F is already won by N. Ireland's Dermot McGlinchey with nine wins from 10 matches.

Borg is one of three players with seven wins and a match still to play. The other two are China's Liang Wembo and James McBain, of Scotland.

The Maltese player's rival today is David John. The latter needs nothing less than a victory to claim one of the berths in the knockout stages of the tournament. The Welshman has six wins from nine matches. Frame difference may be taken into account to determine second to fourth places as Wembo and McBain will be involved in another decisive group match today.

Yesterday, Borg hit breaks of 76 and 96, suggesting he is playing confidently after a jittery start. He was never in arrears, claiming the opening two frames after the break to make sure of the win.

Meanwhile, James Mifsud's chances in Group D are over.

The Australian cueist of Maltese origins, and brother of last year's IBSF world snooker champion Steve, has no chance of qualifying after losing six of nine matches.