Pool H
James Wilson topped Pool H after
wins over Geert de Vos and Rick
Hofstra. The Yorkshireman got
his campaign off to a flying start
with a 5-2 victory over Hofstra,
before second seed de Vos also
defeated the Dutchman by the
same scoreline.
P
James Wilson
Geert de Vos
Rick Hofstra
2
2
2
W
2
1
0
L
0
1
2
+/+6
0
-6
Pts
4
2
0
With the stage set for a thrilling
final group match it was Wilson
who held his nerve, coming away
with a second 5-2 victory in as
many matches and booking his
place to face Tony O’Shea in the
quarter finals.
Pool H Results
James Wilson 5-2 Rick Hofstra
Geert de Vos 5-2 Rick Hofstra
James Wilson 5-2 Geert de Vos
Quarter Finals
In the quarter finals James Wilson defeated Tony
O’Shea 3-1, with the Yorkshireman more clinical on
doubles than his Stockport-based counterpart. The
pair landed ten maximums between them, but it
was clinical finishing from Wilson which proved the
difference between the two.
“James played really well there,” said O’Shea. “I
had some chances early on, but if you don’t take
your chances against a player like James you are
going to be in trouble.”
Stephen Bunting meanwhile defeated Benito van de
Pas 3-0 in sets, dropping only one leg along the way
and whilst his scoring power was no match for that
which he had achieved against Martin Adams on the
previous evening it was still more than enough to
defeat a below par van de Pas.
Many observers had written Michel van der Hoorst
off before the competition, with the relatively
unknown Dutchman facing a tough group featuring
Scott Waites and Richie George. Michel however had
proved the doubters wrong by defeating them both.
The quarter finals though were a different story
as his compatriot Wesley Harms romped to a 3-0
victory, dropping only two legs along the way.
Gary Robson missed double twelve for a nine-darter
that would have seen him take home a £30,000 car.
In truth the attempt at double was a long way away
and it seemed to unsettle Robson, allowing Ross
Montgomery to claw his way to a 3-2 victory in a
scrappy match.
“I didn’t look once the second treble went in,”
said Robson. “I just thought this is going in, but
unfortunately it didn’t.”
‘Gary missed a lot of doubles, he should really have
won that match,” said Montgomery. “Fortunately
for me I think that the missed nine-darter got to him
and I was able to take the victory.”
Semi-Finals
James Wilson came through a rather one sided semifinal with Ross Montgomery, who could muster only
three legs as he slumped to a 3-0 defeat. Wilson
took the first set 3-1 against the Montgomery throw
and then backed this up with a 3-1 win in the second
set, before completing the victory with another 3-1
win in the third and final set of the match. Wilson’s
average rose continuously throughout the match
and he ended up with a 94.91 average, the highest
of any of the semi-finalists.