PTC Grand Finals 2011 - the quarter-finals (part I)

Martin Gould gets a place in the semi-finals

Back in business, snooker is choosing its contestants for the semi-finals and the ultimate test is of course, to pass the quarter-finals :-)) The first two matches were very different because if the first one had quite a tight scoreline, the second one ended on a very clear final result.


The EPTC6 winner, Michael Holt and the PTC 6 runner-up, Martin Gould were the ones who opened the day and although the first part of the match was a chance "to warm the cues", so the game was a scrappy one, in the end things started to have a more alert rhythm.
Holt was the one who broke the ice by taking over the opening frame, but runs of 46 and 30 brought Gould his first victory. One more time Holt put his nose in front, but this time Gouldie`s response was a more complex one, as the ex-croupier hit in breaks of 96 and 100 to win the next three frames and set the score at 4-2 in his favor.
For the first time in the semi-finals of a televised event, Martin Gould is more than happy with his performance, although, as he declared for World Snooker "I made some silly mistakes in the early part of the match”. With the Championship League just around the corner, Martin is still pretty determined to win this event and I’m sure he’s going to be a genuine rival for the player that will face him.

Matthew Stevens, the second name for the semis

The second match of the day was a very interesting one. It was played by the Welshman Matthew Stevens and by the Scotsman Marcus Campbell and for me, it was a real treat of snooker. Even if the final score was 4-0, the match was played in a very gentle manner. It seemed like Matthew was in no hurry to win this and just let it be, you know? It was like time was flying slowly while the balls were disappearing into their indicate pockets :-))


Stevens took the first two frames of the match with breaks of 62 and 49, while Marcus had a huge chance to pull one back during the third one. At just 25, Matthew missed a long red, this giving his opponent a very good opportunity to "feel the snooker table" (he didn’t visit it too often), so Scotsman hit a 60 break, but lost position and the frame ended up on a safety shots battle. 

Marcus Campbell`s smile is not exactly a happy one

Unfortunately for Campbell he fouled and left Stevens with a free ball, "The Welsh Dragon" taking a blue as a red and hitting a 42 as to go 3-0 up.
Frame four saw Matthew stopping at 56 as he was losing his attacking position, Campbell receiving yet another chance to avoid the whitewash. And one more time he didn’t take it, Stevens potting some of the remaining balls in order to set the final score at 4-0.


The quarter-finals round continues tonight with two more great matches:


See you later peeps! :-)