Gilbert Scrapes Through
David Gilbert won three frames on the black in a dogged display to beat David Morris in a final frame shoot out in round one of the China Open at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Gilbert, a former World Snooker Young Player of Distinction has failed to emulate the ranking title successes of fellow YPD’s Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire, Allister Carter and Ricky Walden despite having the talent to do so.
It is only a couple of seasons since the Tamworth player was making his Crucible debut against Stephen Hendry but unless he produces something special in the final two events, faces a trip to Q School in May.
Ireland’s Morris won the opening frame with a break of 40 before Gilbert cleared the colours to level at one each.
Morris repaid the favour in the next stealing it on the colours before a run of 76 gave him a 3-1 lead at the interval.
Gilbert, whose best run in a ranking event was reaching the last 16 of the Welsh Open in 2009 beating Mark Williams on the way, returned after the interval looking determined to get something out of the match.
He won a scrappy fifth frame to reduce the deficit to just one and despite Morris opening frame six with a break of 60, somehow managed to level the match on the black.
Gilbert started well in the next with a break of 47, his highest of the match, but broke down and had to watch in agony as Morris produce a 48 clearance to move within one frame of a place in the second round.
Frame eight went to Gilbert with the Irishman only scoring a single point, to set up a deciding frame.
Typically, the final frame proved to be a tense affair with both players squandering chances, before the Englishman potted the crucial black to set up a second round match against Ian McCulloch.
Elsewhere, Issara Kachaiwong and Liu Song both won an all-Asia battle against Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon and Noppon Saengkham.
Irish Journeyman professional Joe Delaney saw off the challenge of Wales’ Andrew Pagett by five-frames-to-two.
There were also wins for Liu Chuang, Kuldesh Johal, Kurt Maflin, Anda Zhang and Xiao Guodong.
