Stevens feels the Pinch
Matthew Stevens took nearly four hours before overcoming the obstinate resistance of Barry Pinches to edge into the Last 32 of the totesport.com Welsh Open.
It was edgy and it was tense, but eventually Welsh favourite, Matthew Stevens, won a scrappy encounter against Barry Pinches 5-4 to book his place in the Last 32, and a rematch of their 2005 Word Final, against Shaun Murphy.
Pinches, sporting the colours of his favourite football team, Norwich City, beat Patrick Wallace and Martin Gould in the qualifying rounds last week and was match fit coming into the final stages.
The Norwich cueist, now in his twentieth season as a professional, started brightly. He constructed a break of 61 in the opener before losing position.
Stevens reacted to make 31 but missed a red down the rail and Pinches closed out the frame.
Stevens levelled in a low scoring second frame.
Pinches again took the lead, this time on the back of an excellent run of 80.
Again Stevens levelled. In a frame that lasted thirty-nine minutes, the Carmarthen man snatched victory on the pink.
Buoyed by that Stevens rattled in 87 to take the lead for the first time.
But not for long. Pinches made 43 in the sixth before letting Stevens in. He broke down on 34 and Pinches took blue and pink to level the scores.
It was tit for tat for the next two frames. Stevens took the seventh with a run of 58 and Pinches sent the match into a decider, making 78.
The final frame was as nervy and tense as it was possible to be.
It lasted fifty-two minutes. Stevens opened with 44 but lost position. Pinches couldn't mount any sort of counter attack and was left chasing snookers on the last three reds.
But it wasn't until Stevens potted the yellow that he could put the match beyond Pinches' reach.
"It was a bit of a battle", conceded a relieved Matthew Stevens.
"Barry made a few good breaks and I missed a few balls.
"I never really got into my stride. All first round matches are tough, you're just trying your best to get through.
"Anyway, I've won, so that's the main thing.
"You want to play in the televised matches. It will be a special occasion against Shaun [Murphy]. He's one of the best in the world and we both know it will be a tough match, if we play well.
