The Gibraltar Open continued on Thursday as the amateurs continued their fierce battle in a bid to get ahead of each other before the bigs join in the rush on Friday.
There were a couple of brilliant performances much to the delight of the fans. However, only 100 fans will be afforded the opportunity of seeing the finale of the European Series live amidst coronavirus fears. This year’s edition might not come with all the rave of the past years, but it is surely one to watch.
Tony Corrigan showed no pity when he took to the table to dismantle his opponent, Francis Becerra limb after limb. The Irishman completed a humiliating 3-0 whitewash over his opponent, ending Becerra’s Gibraltar dreams from the very outset of the competition.
Corrigan did not allow his Gibraltar opponent a chance to get back into the game as he started the onslaught from the very first frame of the game.
Elsewhere, it was a more even battle between English compatriots Jaymie Thornbury and Adam Ashley. It is something of this sort you would expect of a battle between two aspiring amateurs, not a complete whitewash.
It was a thrilling fiesta of points as both sides took the lead at will in a highly entertaining five frames win. After all, is said and done, it was Adam Ashley, who was the victor, posting a 3-2 victory scorecard in the process. The Englishman later went on to record a 3-0 win over Olivieiro in the quarter-finals.
At some point, Thornbury might have thought that he had a genuine shot at making it through to the next round. However, he was just nipped in the bud by Ashley, who clearly had other plans. Before the professionals join in the part, Ashley is poised to take on the winner of the McLeod and Duran battle.
In the battle between Englishman Rory McLeod and his Spanish counterpart, Juan Pedro Duran. McLeod ran riot over Duran, dealing a 3-0 humiliating defeat who failed to reply even once.
Duran, who ended the game without a frame win can now kiss his hopes of advancing in this tournament goodbye. It is McLeod who is getting the nod to advance instead.
Written by: Roland Arum
