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Snooker/Billiards/Pool : St Bernard’s Famous Grouse Open Singles Snooker Tournament reaches its penultimate stage

The St Bernard’s Famous Grouse Open Singles Snooker Tournament reaches its penultimate stage this week with four of the best snooker players in Gibraltar competing for the top spot, the prizes, the trophies and the ranking points in the two semi finals.

On Tuesday 5th December Andrew Olivero played Yewhung Chin in the first semi final.

In this best of five frames contest, two of the best potters in local snooker faced each other. In forty five minutes of laboured snooker Yewhung just managed to reach a twelve point lead on the pink only for Andrew to take the pink and black and so steal the frame, 55-54.

The second frame stumbled along to the last two reds, Yewhung took both, separately, and the yellow to gain a six point lead on the green ball. They shared the green, brown and blue with Yewhung, nine points up, needing just the pink. However a further twist came when Yewhung fouled the pink and Andrew finally potted it and later, after 42 minutes, the black to take the frame 56-46 and a two frame lead.

The third and apparently deciding frame started more or less the same until Yewhung decided to stop taking any risks or giving any chances. He proceeded to amass points two and three balls at a time and when he did miss he left the cue ball safe. Eventually he shut Andrew out to win the frame 78-19 in 32 minutes.

The fourth frame took 33 minutes with Yewhung again taking no chances and concentrating on smash and grab tactics. Despite continuing to miss many pocket attempts he left Andrew very little, if anything and ran out 63-22 winner to level the frame score.

The deciding fifth frame pitched two very careful players against each other. Neither had full confidence in their own open playing style and neither wanted to lose. There were no breaks at all as each ball became a battle and nervous tension was obvious in both players and the spectators. The reds were shared and then the colours, until we ended up on the pink ball with Yewhung needing one ball and Andrew needing both to draw; for a re-spotted black. Andrew got the pink but Yewhung got the black and took the frame 41-35 and the match three frames to two. A magnificent epic of a game of snooker

The second semi final features Sean Galligan and Francis Becerra and will be played at the St Bernard’s Catholic Social Club on Thursday evening at 7.00pm. This will also be a best of five frame match.

St Bernard’s Social Club cordially invites all to come and watch what promises to be another feast of sporting entertainment in another successful ‘Famous Grouse Open Snooker Tournament’.

Click here to play snooker online.

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