TEN-year-old Shane Castle made a winning start on his international debut today in Leeds. But the Auld Enemy clash must have come as a welcome respite for under-fire Scottish chairman Stevie Baillie.

The power battle north of the border has seen a war of words over the last few months on two separate websites.

Strong-willed, determined, stubborn and sometimes vicious are words that could be used to describe the main players in this struggle. But what characters. And what a sense of humour lies just under their thick skins.

Just months before Scottish Snooker Ltd, the national governing body, hosted the prestigious European Under-19 Championships in Glasgow, their colourful chairman stepped into the playing arena at the IBSF World Championships in Thailand for a Masters match against a well-known Aussie slowcoach armed with a pillow and a book.

And he used both items during the match to the fury of his opponent.

And he didn’t mind the story and picture appearing in CueSport magazine.

Priceless.

On the other side, a dad of a top junior was involved in a ‘full and frank discussion’ at the SSL AGM and discussed the issue on the opposing website.

“Over the years,” he said. “Loads of guys have been GOING to knock me out. Despite pushing 50, I still have my own teeth.

”The next guy to actually do it, will be the second. Going back 20 odd years, I remember it well, The Morvern Bar in Springburn, big specky guy, BANG.”

Although we are all supposed to step back and shake our heads in a disapproving way, you can’t help but smile and wonder how powerful Scottish snooker would be (and what a fun time all involved would undoubtedly have) if these concerned could find a way of sitting at the same table.

The dad continued: “I’m proud of the fact that over the years, I have never felt the urge to settle an argument using force. I suppose that will exclude me from joining the board, under this regime anyway.”

LOL, as they say.