Bronze Medal Match Ali Alobaidli 2-3 Darren Morgan
64-32, 7-74, 27-72, 62-8, 0-96
Semi-finals
Cheung Ka Wai 3-0 Ali Alobaidle 89-41, 56-48, 72-40 Abdelrahman Shahin 3-2 Darren Morgan 95-44, 62-18, 10-75 (52), 5-84 (74), 72-0 (72)
Darren Morgan won World Games snooker bronze after clinching a deciding frame against Qatar’s Alo Alobaidli, while Sunday’s final will be contested between Cheung Ka Wei of Hong Kong and Abdelrahman Shahin of Egypt.
Shahin’s place in the Gold Medal match was won after perhaps the highest-quality contest of the snooker division so far. The Egyptian built a 2-0 lead in the best of five, with contributions including a 47 built around the lower-value colors and featuring an excellent double and a long green.
But Morgan fought back with two good breaks of 52 and 74 to force the match to a decider. However, his efforts were in vein as Shahin produced a fine 72 under pressure to reach the final.
Cheung defeated Alobaidli 3-0 in their semi-final. After taking the first frame 89-41, the second went down to the wire. Alobaidli needed the pink but Cheung also needed the black, and he added the final two colors to his score to go two ahead. Alobaidli continued to fight in the third but Cheung’s first visit had put 23 points on the scoreboard and he contined to score to keep his Qatari opponent at bay.
In the bronze medal match, a break of 38 got Morgan level at 1-1, and he moved to within one of victory in the third. Breaks of 21 and 19 contributed to a frame score of 62 which won the fourth for Alobaidli, but Morgan was clinical in the decider to add 55 to the scoreboard, and a further 41 meant the bronze medal will be going to Great Britain.
“I was disappointed to not get into the final and play for the gold medal,” said Morgan. “I thought the draw might have opened up for me but I was very nervous in the semi-final. I put myself under it at 2-0 down and played two great frames to go 2-2. At that point I thought I had him, but to be fair to him I went for a long one and didn’t get it and first opportunity he made 72. He had been sat in his chair for two frames so he deserves his final spot.
“Playing the Bronze Medal match with the disappointment of not being in the final was tough and that showed in my performance.
“I came here for a medal and I am delighted to be going home with a medal. If somebody had told me I would have a bronze medal I would have snapped their hands off at the start of the week, but playing so well in the first two matches, my level of expectation rose a little bit. I am very proud to get a medal for Great Britian.”
The Olympic Channel is live streaming The World Games and billiards will feature on July 16 and July 17 when the finals take place. A full streaming schedule and links are at https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming. The match schedule, results, and live scores are at esnooker.pl
Follow @wcbsbilliards on social media for full coverage of the billiards program from our team in Birmingham, Alabama.
Darren Morgan 3-1 Antoni Kowalski 75-56 (52), 20-73, 66-9, 84-0 (73)
Darren Morgan completed his World Games quarter-final win over Poland’s Antoni Kowalski with a 73 break as he set up a semi-final clash with Egypt’s Abdelrahman Shahin.
Morgan had won the opening frame despite the Polish youngster making a 52. It was a 48 followed by a visit of 20 which got Morgan on the board but he was pegged back to 1-1 after a 40 by Kowalski. That was the last meaning visit for the Polish potter, however, as Morgan made a 49 to lead 2-1 and closed out the match with a 73.
“It was always going to be a tough match, Anton is a top up and coming player and has showed that over the last couple of years,”said the Welshman. “I knew I wouldn’t have it all my own way and I knew I would have to play well. After beating Pankaj last night it settled me down. It’s all about me, and if I can hold myself together. I am very pleased with the way I closed the match out because there were a couple of tricky shots.
“You take each match as it comes and the only person I am worried about is me; if I turn up I have a chance against anybody.”
Shahin won his place in the semi-finals with a 3-1 win over 20-year-old Austrian Nuessle. Shain took a low-scoring first frame but Nuessle replied with a 48 to level at 1-1. With notable breaks at a premium, the following two frames were about scoring where possible and Shahin managed to accumulate 70 points to take a 2-1 lead, and 59 in the fourth frame to progress to the semi-finals.
The Olympic Channel is live streaming The World Games and billiards will feature on July 16 and July 17 when the finals take place. A full streaming schedule and links are at https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming. The match schedule, results, and live scores are at esnooker.pl
Follow @wcbsbilliards on social media for full coverage of the billiards program from our team in Birmingham, Alabama.
Pankaj Advani 1-3 Darren Morgan 47-55, 4-84, 63-50, 36-64 Antoni Kowalski 3-0 Ahmed Saif 81-4 (74), 92-31, 89-1
In one of the standout performances of the snooker competition so far, Poland’s Antoni Kowalski defeated Qatar’s Ahmed Saif 3-0 with a break of 74 in the opening frame the highlight from the 20-year-old.
Despite admitting he struggled to adapt to the quick speed of the table, Kowalski was able to outscore his opponent by 262 points to 36 in the match. He took the second frame with visits of 23 and 35 and closed out the win by taking the third 89-1.
Kowalski will take on Great Britain’s Darren Morgan in the quarter-finals after Morgan defeated Pankaj Advani 3-1. A break of 37 in the first frame and 43 in the second helped the Brit to a 2-0 lead. In the third frame, Advani had to clear to the black to remain alive in the match and he delivered what was required with two excellent shots to halve his deficit at 2-1.
However, Morgan used his experience to see out the fourth frame and book a place in the quarter-finals.
“It is disappointing to exit early in The World Games but these are short-format matches,” said Advani. “Darren Morgan is a very formidable player, he has been a champion in the past. He is very seasoned and I thought he got used to the table better than I did, so I wish him luck for the rest of the tournament. It is always an honor to represent India in a major international event and it is a privilege to represent India at snooker in The World Games.”
The Olympic Channel is live streaming The World Games and billiards will feature on July 16 and July 17 when the finals take place. A full streaming schedule and links are at https://www.theworldgames.org/pages/twg2022streaming. The match schedule, results, and live scores are at esnooker.pl
Follow @wcbsbilliards on social media for full coverage of the billiards program from our team in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Darren Morgan saw off a series of snooker legends to win the Wyldecrest Parks World Seniors Championship.
Welshman Morgan beat Cliff Thorburn, Jimmy White and Steve Davis on the final day of the event at the East of England Showground in Peterborough to take the £18,000 top prize.
In fact the 45-year-old from Newport won a total of six matches in the event as he had to get through two rounds in the qualifiers. He conceded just one frame in the tournament, against Davis in the final.
Six-times World Champion Davis, who was also runner-up in this event last year, won the opening frame of the final with a break of 72. Morgan started the second with nine reds and blacks, and went to make 86 for 1-1.
Davis had an early chance in the decider but could only make 14 before missing a tricky red along the top cushion, and Morgan kept his composure with a run of 60 to secure the title.
“It’s got to be up there with the best moments of my career,” said Morgan, who won the Irish Masters during his pro career but never captured a ranking title. “It’s just nice to be back and to be a World Champion.
“I came here just wanting to play well on TV, but I didn’t expect to play that well. In the final I just told myself to enjoy it and not to be frightened of losing.
“It’s been a fantastic tournament with good crowds and a brilliant atmosphere. I’ve really enjoyed seeing all the old friends and getting into the spirit of it.”
Morgan dropped out of the pro game four years ago and insists that he would not contemplate trying to come out of retirement. “It can’t happen, my life is too busy now,” he said. “If someone could put me straight back in the top 32 I would consider it, but it would be too hard for me to get there.
“But if I got offered any wild cards for pro events then I would definitely be interested!”
Davis said: “That’s two years in a row I’ve been runner-up, so maybe next year will be third time lucky. I missed a couple of pressure balls and Darren held himself together very well.”
Results
Last 16 Steve Davis 2-1 Tony Drago Dene O’Kane 2-1 Neal Foulds Karl Townsend 2-0 Steve Ventham John Parrott 2-1 Joe Johnson Jimmy White 2-0 Tony Knowles Dennis Taylor 2-0 Nigel Bond Darren Morgan 2-0 Gary Wilkinson Cliff Thorburn 2-1 Doug Mountjoy
Quarter-finals Davis 2-0 O’Kane Morgan 2-0 Thorburn White 2-0 Taylor Parrott 2-1 Townsend
