Kurt Maflin beats Martin O'Donnell to win 2011-12 season tour card - World Snooker Q School Event 3
Norwegian, Kurt Maflin, has grabbed the pro tour card after he took care of Martin O’Donnell with a convincing score line of 4-1 in the quarter-final clash of the World Snooker Qualifying School (Q School) Event three, held at the World Snooker Academy in
Sheffield, on Saturday, May 28.
The 27-year-old Maflin did not have a very good run in the first two events of the Q School 2011, as he crashed out of the first round of both previous tournaments. He faced a 3-4 defeat at the hands of Craig Steadman in the first event, while in the second
event he lost to Alex Davies by 3-4 score line.
The Lewisham potter started his third event campaign with a walk-over victory against Li Yan and after that he made a superb comeback into the game, as he surged forward in the draws beating Chris Norbury, Mitchell Travis and David McLellan, to setup a clash
with Martin O’Donnell in the quarter-final stage.
He expressed his joy after the win and said, “I'm over the moon to be back on the tour. There was a bit more pressure today because it's the last event, but I played well and didn't feel nervous.”
He added, “Last season I qualified for the China Open (where he lost to Ding Junhui 4-5) and made a 147 in a PTC event, but otherwise it was horrible. I'm definitely looking to make more of an impact next season. I am thinking about coming over to the UK
full time as it would help my snooker, but it's something I need to discuss with the family when I get back to Norway.”
Maflin went 0-1 down in the very beginning of the match, as O’Donnell took the scrappy first frame 20-62 with a fine half-century knock of 53 but the London-born, Maflin, bounced back in the very next frame and pulled back the game at 1-1, after he potted
a superb 66-point clearance to win the second frame 67-1.
Maflin made a huge impact in the next three frames, firing some sensational knocks of 86, 128 and 85, as he grabbed three consecutive frames to ensure his pro tour place for the next season.
Tags: