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DARREN MORGAN BEAT FELLOW COUNTRYMAN ANDREW PAGETT BY 4 FRAMES TO 1 TO SET UP AN ALL WELSH SEMI FINAL AGAINST ALEX TAUBMAN WHO WOULD BE IN HIS SECOND SEMI FINAL IN TWO DAYS.  THE DEFENDING CHAMPION MADE A BREAK OF 104 IN THE FIFTH FRAME TO TAKE THE MATCH.

ALEX HAD OVERCOME JORIS MAAS BY 4 FRAMES TO 2 DESPITE LOSING THE FIRST TWO FRAMES AND MADE BREAKS OF 50 AND 83 IN FRAME 6 TO MAKE HIS WAY TO ANOTHER SEMI FINAL.

IN THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE DRAW BOTH MICHAEL JUDGE AND ANDREAS PLONER WERE TAKEN TO DECIDING FRAMES BEFORE BOOKING THEIR PLACES IN THE SEMI FINAL. ANDREAS PLONER DENIED DAVID CASSIDY OF IRELAND THE CHANCE TO MAKE IT AN ALL IRELAND SEMI FINAL WHILE MICHAEL DEFEATED THE 6 REDS CHAMPION KRISTJAN HELGASON FROM ICELAND.

SEMI FINAL LINE UP:-

DARREN MORGAN V ANDREW PAGETT BOTH FROM WALES

ANDREAS PLONER – AUSTRIA V MICHAEL JUDGE – IRELAND

 

SEMI FINALS

THE SEMI FINAL BETWEEN DARREN AND ALEX WAS THE THIRD SUCESSIVE ALL WALES ENCOUNTER IN CONSECUTIVE ROUNDS AND THIS MATCH WOULD ENSURE THERE WOULD BE A WELSH PLAYER IN THEFINAL.

DARREN WAS CLEARLY DETERMINED TO KEEP HIS HANDS ON THE TROPHY AND GAVE AN IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE.  HE MADE BREAKS OF 53 IN THE FIRST FRAME, 73 IN THE SECOND AND 53 AGAIN IN THE FOURTH TO EASE IN TO THE FINAL AND KEEP HIS AMBITION OF RETAINING THE TITLE ALIVE.

THE SECOND SEMI FINAL SAW MICHAEL RUSH INTO A 2 NIL LEAD AND THEN GO 50 POINTS UP IN THE THIRD.  ANDREAS PULLED BACK HOWEVER TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THE FRAME BY POTTING FROM GREEN.  HE MISSED HIS CHANCE THOUGH AND  MICHAEL TOOK THE GREEN TO BLUE TO TAKE THE FRAME AND PUT HIMSELF ONE FRAME AWAY FROM THE FINAL.  AGAINST THE RUN OF THE MATCHADREAS WENT ON TO TAKE THE NEXT THREE FRAMES TO LEVEL THEE MATCH AND SET UP A ONE FRAME SHOOT OUT TO GET TO THE FINAL. THE DECIDING FRAME PROVED TO BE ONE SIDED AND IT WAS MICHAEL WHO COMFORTABLY WON TO TAKE THE MATCH.

Peter Thomas

4 June 2017