Imperious Desperques takes title for the ninth time
MARTYN DESPERQUES lifted the Overseas Trust & Pension Individual Snooker League title for an incredible ninth time in its 12 years by repeating a 5-1 win of 2017 against Seb Priaulx.
For the first time, both semis were held on the same day as the final at the Gremlin Club, which could be the shape of things to come as possible changes to the format are discussed.
The semis could not have been more contrasting as Desperques took to the table first against John Skillett, winning 4-0 in little more than an hour.
A 50 clearance, 49 break and a few 30s from Desperques meant that Skillett was unable to pass the 25 points mark in any frame and was soon denied a first final appearance.
But it was a different matter for Priaulx as he took on last year’s runner up Glenn Le Prevost.
The league aggregates suggested the left-hander would return to the final, but a nip-and-tuck affair that was often scrappy came down to a deciding seventh frame.
Priaulx’s adopted mindset of going for everything yielded some fortune and, with the scores level, a 37 break was followed by an accidental snooker which saw Le Prevost concede.
The nine-frame final saw Desperques back in his stride to take the first four frames, but Priaulx will rue not taking the opportunities that came his way – particularly the second frame to get an early foothold in the match.
A 32 in the next handed the momentum to Priaulx, but Desperques replied with a 46 and then went 4-0 up with the night’s highest break of 67.
Priaulx avoided the whitewash by holding on to his early advantage to win the fifth frame 64-44, but he could not stop Desperques claiming his second individual title this season.
A wicked snooker behind the blue yielded 20 penalty points for Desperques and while he needed a couple of chances to close the match out, he duly took the final frame 81-37.
