Click the image to view the larger photo - use "back" to return here.
Wins for Souquet, Boyes and Feijen as defending champ goes out
THE 25TH ANNUAL Mansion Bet World Pool Masters got underway at the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar as the first three first round matches took place. And there were wins for veteran Ralf Souquet, Niels Feijen and Karl Boyes and all take their places in the quarter-finals over the weekend.
Souquet, a record-breaking six-time winner of this event, took out 2012 champion Karol Skowerski, Poland by 8-4. It was close until half-way through until Souquet turned the screw to run out a winner.
Commented Souquet, “I broke the table in so it should be a little easier for the guys but it will be the same for every player. The first match is always really tough, especially if it is the first match of the whole event. The TV table plays a lot different from the practice table, so it is tough.
“It would be awesome to win. That is my goal and to have won the Masters six times already is amazing but to put a seventh one under my belt would be the icing on the cake.”
Click the image to view the larger photo - use "back" to return here.
The second match saw Niels Feijen, come-backing after a lengthy spell out the game through injury, brush aside a ring-rusty Raj Hundal, coming home an 8-2 winner. Hundal was never at the races as Feijen eased his way through the racks.
“I felt really good and the first couple of games are about logic. I had to get going a little bit and missed an easy shot as I was getting used to the light and the atmosphere but probably 15 minutes into the match I cracked a couple of good breaks and ran some racks.
“My kicking game was pretty good, and my tactics, so overall it was a decent match. Raj had some ring rust as he called it but I played well enough, I was happy.
Niels Feijen vs. Raj Hundal
“My game is pretty decent. I was hitting the ball really well in practice - I picked up my cue after ten weeks and I didn’t know how I would hit the ball but my touch was pretty good and it was a matter of a couple of days and the game was pretty much back. So, it is a matter of match play and mental toughness and everything will click back together.”
Earlier, there were some concerns behind the scenes as Matchroom referees Brendan Moore and Nigel Rees both struggled to get to the southern-most tip of Western Europe in time for the event. In the end, local referee Jason Walker stepped in at the last moment and did a stellar job officiating the opening match of the competition.
Third referee, Desi Bozhilova, finally made it to the venue after her flight was diverted to Jerez and she was in charge of the remaining two matches.
Click the image to view the larger photo - use "back" to return here.
The final game saw defending champion David Alcaide go crashing out of the competition as he fell to late sub, Blackpool’s Karl Boyes by 8-3. Boyes, who came into the event after Tony Drago withdrew through illness, took his opportunity as Alcaide struggled to get to grips with the match.
“I was disbelieving as I only got the call up to play on Tuesday, but not a bad effort for a full-time father,” said a delighted Boyes who can look forward to a quarter-final match against Ralf Souquet.
2018 Mansion Bet World Pool Masters is sponsored by Rasson Billiards who supplies the Official Table; the cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith by Saluc. Predator is the Official Cue of the event and Ultimate Team Gear provide all World Pool Masters apparel.
2018 EDITION
WORLD POOL MASTERS
THE WINNER'S LIST
1993
Werner Duregger
AUT
1994
Ralf Souquet
GER
1995
Daryl Peach
ENG
1996
Ralf Souquet
GER
1997
Earl Strickland
USA
1998
Francisco Bustamante
PHI
1999
Alex Lely
NED
2000
Ralf Souquet
GER
2001
Francisco Bustamante
PHI
2002
Ralf Souquet
GER
2003
Tony Drago
MLT
2004
Thomas Engert
GER
2005
Raj Hundal
ENG
2006
Ralf Souquet
GER
2007
Thomas Engert
GER
2008
Alex Pagulayan
PHI
2009
Darren Appleton
ENG
2010
Dennis Orcollo
PHI
2011
Ralf Souquet
GER
2012
Karol Skowerski
POL
2013
Niels Feijen
NED
2014
Shane Van Boening
USA
2015
Shane Van Boening
USA
2017
David Alcaide
ESP
2018
---
---
Click the image to view the larger photo - use "back" to return here.
"World Pool Masters XXV - Wins for Souquet, Boyes and Feijen" | Login/Create Account | 0 comments
The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content.
PRO9 has established an outstanding reputation as Europes No.1 source for information on American Pool in the UK and Europe.
Upcoming tournament details, prompt match reporting, exclusive images by talented photographers, superb articles by expert pundits, active pool related forums, player profiles and a very sophisticated membership - basically, an incredible information resource for the American style game in Europe.
Since it launched, PRO9 has become compulsory reading, not just for the UKs pool players, but to hundreds and thousands of pool obsessives from around the world every single day.
PRO9s members range from professional pool players, cue-sports enthusiasts, club managers, tournament organisers, pool fans and aficionados, as well as various "movers and shakers" in the cue-sports field, including entrepreneurs in the wholesale and retail sector, as well as magazine editors and television sports promoters.
Growing more and more popular every single year, PRO9 is the best placed vehicle for the promotion of your pool club, billiards brand, associated products, services and opportunities in the truly massive pan-European billiard market.
If you qre reading this, you should check out www.Pro9.co.uk for yourself! Please use these logos and text in your links to www.Pro9.co.uk - thank you.
Forum rules: No advertising, no links to businesses/shops/eBay, no swearing, respect our sponsors and each other, no hate!
Comments