Tamworth pro Dave Gilbert has been chatting to the Tamworth Herald about his career so far and his hopes for the rest of the season…
Dave told the Tamworth Herald:
“Losing in the qualifiers of the Worlds and the UK both hurt but the Hendry game was probably the biggest disappointment – it really knocked me for six.
“I thought I would gain confidence from that match because I felt I had proven I could play in front of the cameras.
“I was only a couple of balls away from getting through to the last 16 and that missed black in the last frame haunted me – I wish I could go back and have that one again.
“If I had won that I’d have been through to the latter stages of a tournament for the first time and that could have made a difference.
“That’s what annoyed me about it – I didn’t feel as though he won the match, I lost it.
“I had played well against Matthew Stevens in the qualifiers and to beat Hendry would have been a big thing for me.
“After 2007, I thought I was going forward and wasn’t that far off from getting up there in the rankings but I’ve lost quite a few matches this year that I should have won.
“It’s knocked me about a bit and I certainly feel I should be higher in the rankings than I am.
“At the start of the year I wanted to win all my first round qualifying games and look for a top 32 ranking but realistically now that’s a long way off for this season.
“Now, I have to win all my first round games – in the China Open, Welsh Open and the Worlds – and make the venues to stay in the top 48.
“I haven’t picked my cue up since the UKs but I’ll be getting my head down to practice after Christmas.”
“To lose in the first round is fatal for your ranking but in the UKs, Liu started like a train – I was 5-0 down in what seemed like five minutes!
“I missed a half chance to get back in it at 5-1 and, to be fair, my head dropped.
“These young Chinese players are dangerous because they don’t seem to know what a safety shot is and when you think you’ve got them safe, they pull out a pot from nowhere.
“You’re either sat down for most of it while they’re potting but, if not, then you do get a few chances yourself.”
Provisionally ranked right on the bubble at number 48, Dave does have a lot to do as he seeks to remain inside the top 48 bracket for a second successive season. He has shown glimpses of his talent this season, his best performance probably coming against Matthew Stevens in the Grand Prix qualifiers, but he has yet to really push on that extra step and establish himself as a rising star.
Now aged 27, he really needs to make that push sooner rather than later…