EPTC 6 - the last day
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| Michael Holt - the EPTC 6 event champion |
With great names on board, this EPTC proved one more time that top class snooker can be played anywhere in the world no matter what as long as you have talent and passion on your side :-)) And I think these two ingredients define well enough EPTC 6 champion Michael Holt. The young man from Nottingham, the one who had an awful start in this series of PTC events kicked ass during this tournament from beginning until the end.
Last day of the competition and the nerves were kicking in, as time was running out and the players needed to do their best in order to qualify for those 24 spots in the Grand Final next March.
During the Last 16 round, Mark Selby ended Ricky Walden’s dream of going forward with a very tight 4-3 score, Michael Holt put Jamie Cope in the corner 4-2, Peter Ebdon eliminated the only Thai standing, Issara Kachiwong 4-3 and Shaun Murphy beat the 1997 world champion Ken Doherty 4-2.
Joe Jorgia struggled for a 4-3 result against Michael White, as Matthew Stevens whitewashed Barry Hawkins 4-0, Stuart Bingham rained on Ryan Day’s day with a 4-1 score and John Higgins continued his outstanding performance as he defeated Mark Allen 4-1.
Another step towards the final, as in the quarter-finals Michael Holt won 4-2 over Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy did the same in the match played against Peter Ebdon, Joe Jorgia ended on the same result his encounter with Matthew Stevens and John Higgins kept it casual, as he beat Stuart Bingham 4-1.
The semis is were things got even hotter, as Michel Holt succeeded in defeating the EPTC 2 champion Shaun Murphy in a very tight match 4-3, after being lead 3-1 and John Higgins booked himself again a place in the final after wining 4-2 over Joe Jorgia.
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| John Higgins - this time, the EPTC 6 event runner-up |
The match started only to see Michael fly to a 2-0 lead, but soon John made a comeback, first by winning a very scrappy frame with only 3 points advantage (69-66) and second by hitting a beautifully 100 break. At 2-2 things could go either way, so John made it 3-1. That was going to be his last act of potting the balls last night, as "The Sheriff of Nottingham" sealed his victory with breaks of 74 and 65 for a final 4-3 scoreline!
Just after the match, the 32 year-old sportsman said: "I've always said that I can play the game and I'm good enough to win things. In fact I stopped saying it because people thought I was lying. I just needed some confidence and to be able to handle the situation when it mattered. I did that today - I didn't get nervous or twitch a ball in the final, I felt great. I couldn't have had a tougher draw as I had to beat Stephen Maguire, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy to get to the final. It's definitely the best moment of my career and hopefully I can kick on now and get up the rankings."
This title is a big deal for Hotly, as it’s his first ranking title so congratulations are in order!!! :-) He added that he would like to dedicate it to his father who, as you know, is recovering from a stroke he had a couple of months ago. So it’s really a great pleasure for me to announce you that Michael is definitely on the road to Ireland for the 2011 PTC final. With 10,000 Euros in his pocket and 2,000 ranking points I hope his confidence will “feel better” as to keep him in good form and see him win more events. He is without any doubt a very talented snooker player, who brings joy and class to this sport so hopefully we shall see him lifting another trophy in no time. :-)
All these being said, I thank you for tuning in on these past few months with what happened in the PTC/EPTC series and I end this by congratulate the staff that put together and cared for these events, all the players and especially the 12 different winners :-))
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