Alan Eaton gave the most noteworthy performance in the opening round of the Barrow Individual Snooker League as he defeated last year's runner-up Danny Macdonald.

Macdonald showed a few signs of rustiness at the start of his campaign, which made it difficult for him to overcome Eaton's handicap of 21 as the first match between the two ended in a scrappy 3-3 draw.

The return match finished 4-2 to Eaton, who was the first player to find form thanks to a couple of important steals on the colours.

Three-time Mail champion John Purcell returned in style as he proved too strong in his opening 4-2 win over Tom Millington, the highlight of which was a 60 clearance in the final frame.

Purcell again potted well in the return match, which he won 5-1 to claim all six points from the round, including a highest break of 43.

Moz Edmonds made his debut with the competition and opened with a 4-2 loss against Jack Arnold before hitting back with a 5-1 victory against what is a tough competitor.

Adam Cook defeated Jamie Thompson 5-1 in a match where neither player found any form, but they produced some good safety play in the return, which ended all square at 3-3.

Defending champion Matty Hill had a tough match to start against Neil Rezamand, but showed he is still capable of competing against anyone as he drew the first match 3-3.

Hill then dominated in winning the return 5-1, which included a break of 59 and a 40 clearance.

There was a high-quality match between Tony Mason and John Tyerman, which Mason won 4-2 after breaks of 39, 37 and 35, with Tyerman making breaks worth 32 and 31 himself.

Mason was too strong in the return, which he swept 6-0 thanks to breaks of 62, 43 and 42.

Matty Lamb whitewashed Tommy Barbour 6-0 in what was a shock result on Barbour's table, but he had his revenge by producing a much better performance in winning the return 5-1, with several breaks in the 20s and 30s.

Last season's semi-finalist Dale McLean defeated debutant John Reilly 5-1, but the return finished level at 3-3 and while there were no notable breaks, it was a good competitive match and an encouraging start for Reilly.