It was the first time in more than three decades that a father-son duo clashed in a professional match.
Oliver Lines beat his father Peter Lines en route to topping Group J of the WST Pro Series in Milton Keynes on Tuesday.
Not since 1986 had a father-son double act faced one another on the Main Tour, although Barry and Luke Pinches did cross paths in Q School three years ago.
Oliver and Peter Lines have followed in the footsteps of Neal and Geoff Foulds, who encountered each other twice in professional competition 35 years ago.
On both of those occasions the son prevailed, and it was the same outcome here as Oliver overcame Peter with a 2-0 scoreline.
Ever since the former joined the pro ranks in 2014 after winning the European Under-21 Championship, there has been an expectation surrounding a possible meeting with his father.
Finally, the pair can put that to one side now that it has finally happened, and they probably hope that there aren’t too many other head-to-head battles against one another in the future.
For Oliver, the 25 year-old was in terrific form throughout the day’s action as the first stage of the inaugural WST Series resumed at the Ballroom.
Lines won six out of his seven round-robin fixtures to top Group J ahead of fellow Englishman James Cahil on frame difference.
The pair advances to the next phase of the competition, while the other six competitors – including Martin Gould and top-16 member David Gilbert – have been eliminated.
What is the WST Pro Series?
The format for the WST Pro Series is quite similar to that which was utilised for two out of the three editions of the Championship League that were staged during 2020.
There are 16 groups comprising eight players in each, with a round-robin phase determining the top two who will advance to the second group stage.
Eight groups in the first stage already took place in January, while the outcome from the remaining eight groups will be determined over the coming days.
Shaun Murphy, Kyren Wilson, Stuart Bingham, and Jack Lisowski are among the bigger names who have already made it through.
The 32 players who progress to stage two will be split into four more groups of eight, with the top two again moving forward from each to contest the final group.
That remaining set of eight players will subsequently battle it out in the same fashion to become the overall champion.
There is a total tournament prize fund of £420,500, broken down in various ways throughout the three group stages.
The winner, however, stands to collect at least £30,000 in an event that incorporates a sprint best-of-three frames format throughout.
What’s Next?
On Wednesday, Group H takes place with Ali Carter, Mark Davis, Tian Pengfei, Chang Bingyu, Simon Lichtenberg, Dylan Emery, Kuldesh Johal, and Hamim Hussain set to be involved.
Live coverage will be available via an account with several online bookmakers, as well as around the world through the Matchroom.Live streaming service.
Click here to view the full draw (Times in CET)
