Dominic Dale ousts Neil Robertson to set up Mark Williams clash: 2011 Australian Goldfields Open
Welshman Dominic Dale dominated the Bendigo Stadium arena in his second round clash with home favourite Neil Robertson, at 2011 Australian Goldfields Open. The Coventry-based potter cruised into the
quarter-final stage against compatriot and world number one, Mark Williams, after beating the Aussie in a thrilling encounter by the scoreline of 5-4.
The former world snooker champion, Robertson was quite hopeful of winning the first ever major ranking tournament in Australia but unfortunately for him, his hopes were thrashed by some exquisite
snooker skills of Dale. The Victorian cueman’s comeback during the match wasn't that effective, as Dale triumphed over the local hero in the decider to book a quarter-final spot.
The Thunder from Down Under, Robertson trailed 3-1 from the beginning but a frame victory brought him at 4-2 down. Before Dale could crush him, he sprang back terrifically, grabbing back-to-back frames
and pulled level at 4-4 to drag the game into a decider frame. Robertson played well in the last frame, but missed a snooker created by the 39-year-old Dale in the last moments and lost the frame
Speaking to the local media after his defeat, Robertson said, “It was definitely the match of the tournament so far. It's just one of those disappointing things. He made a great snooker with the pink
and black left on the table. I thought I played good in the match but had a bad patch - it's just one of those things and in sport sometimes you get bad breaks.”
Meanwhile, the winner was quite happy with his victory over the home favourite and spoke to the reporters, “It's up there as one of the best matches I've ever played in for drama and excitement. You
just live for matches like that and I loved the excitement. This is a big win for me and to hold myself together was quite tough. I've had a few great matches with Neil and this was definitely one of them.”
The Spaceman will next meet another super star and his compatriot, Mark Williams, in his quarter-final clash. Dale would need to be on the top of his game to defeat Williams, who is having a great
season so far.
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