Qualifying Rounds
Plymouth Pavillions,
Plymouth, England
(Jul-Sep, 1998)
Results provided by Janie Watkins
([email protected])
(Players are English unless stated)
Round 5
(Monday 17th August)
Robin Hull (Finland) 5-3 Jonathan Birch
Matthew Couch 5-3 Tony Chappel (Wales)
Patrick Wallace (N.Ireland) 5-0 Lee Walker (Wales)
Steve James 5-2 Joe Delaney (Ireland)
Leigh Griffin 5-3 Paul Davies (Wales)
Jimmy Michie 5-3 Peter Lines
Colm Gilcreest (Ireland) 5-0 Mark Davis
Stuart Pettman 5-3 Jason Prince (N.Ireland)
Joe Swail (N.Ireland) 5-4 Anthony Davies (Wales)
Nick Pearce 5-2 Steve Judd
Dean Reynolds 5-2 Mark Gray
Joe Johnson 5-3 Gary Ponting
Drew Henry (Scotland) 5-4 Darren Clarke
Marco Fu (Hong Kong) 5-0 Mick Price
Sam Chong (Malaysia) 5-2 Paul Wykes
Gerard Greene (N.Ireland) 5-2 Eddie Barker
Ian McCulloch 5-4 Marcus Campbell (Scotland)
David Roe 5-4 Michael Holt
Rod Lawler 5-0 Mario Geudens (Belgium)
David Gray 5-3 Paul Cavney
Euan Henderson (Scotland) 5-2 Barry Mapstone
Alex Borg (Malta) 5-3 Neal Foulds
David McDonnell 5-3 Karl Broughton
Shokat Ali (Pakistan) 5-3 Karl Payne
Michael Judge (Ireland) 5-0 Barry Pinches
Robert Milkins 5-1 Bradley Jones
Tony Jones 5-2 Nick Terry
Mark Johnston-Allen 5-4 Willie Thorne
Dene O'Kane (New Zealand) 5-3 Mark Bennett (Wales)
Jason Ferguson 5-0 Nick Walker
Quinten Hann (Australia) 5-0 Mark Fenton (Wales)
Alan Burnett (Scotland) 5-2 Dennis Taylor (N.Ireland)
The seeds from 32-64 join in the fray today, coming cold into
matches against the players who have acclimatised for the past three
weeks at Plymouth - so this first tournaments always throws up some
upset - good value at the bookies if you can spot the upsets!
Upset No 1: Finland's Robin Hull ousts Jonathan Birch 5-3 to book a
match against defending Champion Dominic Dale at Preston in October.
Upest No 2: In the battle of the WPBSA Coaches - England beat Wales
as Scunthorpe's Matthew Couch defeated Swansea veteran Tony Chappel
5-3.
Upest No 3: Patrick Wallace does it again. This time defeating
Newbridge's Lee Walker 5-0 to book himself a place at the venue for
the first time in his career. Wallace will meet
Nigel Bond at
Preston.
Upest No 4: Leigh Griffin puts paid to Cardiff's Paul Davies 5-3.
Upest No 5: Well not really an upset, but the lower ranked player
prevails in the local Leeds Derby - as Jimmy Michie defeats Crucible
debutant Peter Lines 5-3.
Upest No 6: Colm Gilcreest breezes through 5-0 against Mark Davis of
Sussex.
So 6 out of 10 seeds perish this morning. One match wasn't played.
The WPBSA double booked Jason Prince to appear at a "launch" in
London and his match against Stuart Pettman will be played on
Tuesday.
Afternoon Matches:
The seeds fared a lot better after lunch, with only two managing to
reach their seeded position.
Upest No 7: The great new hope of snooker Marco Fu, proves it has
been no fluke so far as he hammer's Nuneaton's Mick Price 5-0 - the
wheels falling off for The Wheels in Motion Player.
Upest No 8: The greatest win of his career - and now the greatest
match to come - as Malaysia's Sam Chong show his class again,
defeating Paul Wykes 5-2 - and now he gets star prize - a match
against Ronnie O'Sullivan at Preston. I
wonder if Malaysia flies
direct to Manchester airport - book the tickets boys!
Enough of the upsets! - How did the rest of the seeds fare:
Veteran campaigners - Steve James, Joe Swail, Dean Reynolds and Joe
Johnson have seen all this before and they got through their awkward
opening matches.
James beat Delaney 5-2. Joe Swail sneaked over the line 5-4 against
Barry's Anthony Davies - who must be thoroughly sick of losing
matches 5-4.
Dean Reynolds beat fellow East Anglian Mark Gray 5-2 and Joe Johnson
beat Gary Ponting 5-3.
Also through today so far are Nick Pearce 5-2 v Judd; Drew Hendry
5-4 over Darren Clarke; Gerard Greene beat Eddie Barker 5-2, Ian
McCullock nicked the battle 5-4 against Marcus
Campbell. David Roe of Derby made a good start to what he hopes will
be a revival after a couple of lean season, squeezed home 5-4
against Michael Holt, while Liverpool's Rod Lawler also made a
better start than last year as he romped through 5-0 against
Geudens. Baby faced David Gray, who made an impact at Sheffield this
year came through his opener 5-3 against Paul Cavney and Scotsman
Euan Henderson beat the young English hopeful Barry Mapstone 5-2.
Highest break today so far a 132 to win the match from Henderson.
Gary Ponting opened up his match with 120 as he opened up a 2-0 and
3-1 lead over Johnson, but 75 from Joe turned the game in his favour
as he took 3 on the spin to win.
Marco Fu stamped his authority with consecutives runs of 50, 81 and
77.
Sad seeds tonight were Neal Foulds, Karl Broughton, Bradley Jones,
Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor, who all got baulked in their
attempt to gain their rightful play at Preston.
First up was a great result for Alex Borg, his first trip to a
venue - delighted Belgians will be booking the trip to watch Alex
play Stoke's Dave Harold. Borg put paid to
Neal Foulds in a close
game, where they both had their chances.
David McDonnell's breaks of 74 and 73 helped him to victory over
Karl Broughton - McDonnel plays 1997 World Champion
Ken Doherty.
Robert Milkins stormed past Bradley jones 5-1, helped along by a 60
and a 61.
Thorne and Johnston-Allen toughed it out to a final frame decider.
The highest break of the encounter - a 52 from Thorne.
Johnston-Allen took the decided 71-8.
Dennis Taylor looks destined to continue to slide down the rankings.
Now the game's elder statesman Taylor was defeated by the promising
Alan Burnett, who has overcome the bitter disappointment of failing
to qualify for last season's main tour, when everyone expected him
too. A break of 122 from Burnett was the highlight. Burnett will
line up against fellow scot Graeme Dott.
6 of the seeds made it: Shokat Ali hit 69 and 51 in defeating Karl
Payne 5-3
Michael Judge made Irish eyes smile as he ran in consecutive breaks
of 52, 77 and 95 to rip the heart out of his match as he went on to
beat Barry Pinches 5-0.
Tony Jones beat Nick Terry 5-2. An 80 from Terry the only break over
50.
Dene O'Kane swelled the overseas army as he beat Welshman Mark
Bennett 5-3, running in 78 in the final frame.
Jason Ferguson cheered up his Wheels in Motion team, with a 5-0 win
over Nick Walker. Ferguson hit 55,86,62 to show some good early
season form.
The irrepressible Quienten Hann breezed past Mark Fenton 5-0, with
two breaks of 54 - and now book your tickets for Hann versus John
Higgins. Not the easiest opener for the new World champion!
Stuart Pettman beat Jason Prince 5-3. Prince compiled a 129 in Frame 3, but it was Pettman who
knocked in a vital 50 to take the match in Frame 8.
Round 4
(Sunday 16th August)
Marco Fu (Hong Kong) 5-3 Adrian Gunnell
Sam Chong (Malaysia) 5-3 Richard Somauroo (Mauritius)
Eddie Barker 5-2 Tom Finstad (Canada)
Mario Geudens (Belgium) 5-4 Jeff Cundy
Paul Cavney 5-1 Phaitoon Phonbun (Thailand)
David McDonnell 5-1 Shawn Budd (Australia)
Eagerly anticipated was the entry of 
