Welsh Championship - Semi Final 2 Result

Merthyr Labour Club was again the venue for the second semi final of the 2016 Welsh Championship, This match saw current champion Darren Morgan take on Andrew Pagett, with Peter Thomas wearing the gloves. Those that came to watch were treated to an excellent display of quality snooker. When the chances were there, each player showed why they have both made the grade.

The first frame started slowly. Some canny safety play from Darren ensured that Andrew wasn't left anything to go at and a brace of mid 30 breaks allowed Darren to take the opener. Darren got in early in frame two with a well earned 65 break followed up with a 22 a couple of shots later to go 2-0 up.

The third frame saw Andrew take the bull by the horns. After a couple of small breaks and a brief safety exchange, he racked up a quickfire 12 red clearance of 102 to get a frame on the board in some style. Early in frame four, Andrew took the chance to open the pack off a red to the corner possibly hoping to keep the momentum flowing. Unfortunately he finished badly on any of the colours and was unable to stay at the table. With the balls well spread, Darren deliberated for a minute or so and went to work, clearing the table himself with 117. Andrew showed great determination in the fifth frame, a break of 69 his response and 3-2 at the interval was a fair reflection of how each player had made the most of the opportunities they had been given.

When play resumed, Darren pulled ahead again. A 58 break early in the sixth frame put enough daylight between him and Andrew to take the frame. Andrew opened up a 46-5 lead in the seventh frame, only for a second in-off the blue to allow Darren back to the table, clearing to the pink for a 70 break that put him a frame from victory.

Frame eight saw Darren with an early chance, from which he was able to cue up an excellent 90 break to book his place against David John in the final.

A shot-by-shot breakdown can be viewed by clicking here