Stu, if you use the results I provided here: http://web2.0calc.com/questions/inverse-matrices_1 you should be able to calculate the inverse ok.
However, I don't think you should expect better marks for solving it as a 3x3 rather than as a 2x2 plus a substitution. The latter is easier and I'm a great believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid! Or in your case, perhaps: Keep It Simple Stu!)