Day four from the World Cup in Bangkok and with just one more day to go in the group stages, a clearer picture is emerging as to who the likely quarter-finalists will be…
Having won seven frames from their first three matches, Tony Drago and Alex Borg needed a big win in their final match today if they were to put Malta into contention to qualify for the quarter-finals stage.
Perhaps even Tony and Alex could not have imagined that they would defeat the UAE 5-0 however, Drago in particular impressing with breaks of 100 and 70 while Borg also more than played his part. As a result they have leapt up to the top of Group B with just one day to go and have put the pressure on both China and Australia now who each begin their final matches tomorrow tied on nine frames won each. Thailand 1 too are also not yet out of contention having won seven frames so far, though will require at least a 4-1 win against China tomorrow if they are to progress at the expense of their fancied opponents.
Moving on, Group A saw another narrow win for the Welsh today against the impressive Pakistan team while Irish duo Ken Doherty and Fergal O’Brien edged out Germany to keep their hopes alive of taking the second qualification spot. With 11 frames under their belts I would suggest that Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens will almost certainly be in action at the weekend but beyond that there is little to choose between Germany and Ireland who have each won nine, as well as Pakistan on 7.
As far as Germany are concerned however, they have now completed their four matches which means that nothing less than a five frame defeat for the Republic of Ireland team and a 3-2 defeat for Pakistan tomorrow will do if they are to progress. At present therefore Ireland would appear to be the favourites to qualify in second spot but with a difficult match against Wales to come tomorrow, they are not quite home and dry just yet.
While there are possibilities in Group A, Group C is a done deal as both England and Northern Ireland secured their places in the quarter-finals earlier today with victories against India and Belgium respectively. What remains to be seen is who will go through as the group winners and that will be settled tomorrow as the two teams meet in what promises to be a cracking tie.
Similarly Group D is also close to being settled as Scotland and Hong Kong head the table with 10 and 9 frames won respectively. In theory a landslide victory for either combined with a landslide win for either Thailand 2 or Poland in Friday’s other match could change that scenario but we shall see…
To view the latest tables please click here.
To view today’s match results please click here.