Joe O’Connor eliminates Fergal O’Brien from UK Championship

Joe O’Connor defeated Fergal O’Brien in his last-128 clash at the UK Championship, going up 6-4 after O’Brien threatened to come back in the closing stages.

O’Connor, who is currently ranked 54, showed superiority in this game, as he dominated from start to finish. While Irishman, Fergal O’Brien, who is up to number 41 in the one-year WST rankings list, never went ahead in this match.

O’Brien went behind 2-0, before equalizing to draw level at the interval with a 142 total table clearance in the fourth frame. On the resumption, O’Connor came back stronger and won back-to-back frames, with a break of 68 in the seventh, which had him on the brink of victory.

O’Brien tried to stage a fightback in the closing stages as he found some form to win two frames on the bounce, including another century in the eighth frame. However, 2018 English Amateur Championship winner, O’Connor won the frame he needed, winning the tenth with a break of 60.

A notable match in the 2021 UK Championship was Ronnie O’Sullivan’s win over Michael White. Ronnie O’Sullivan started perfectly in his opening match at the UK Championship with breaks of 139 and 131, but he had to work hard for a victory over amateur Michael White.

Seven-time champion, O’Sullivan commenced with two consecutive breaks of 139 and 131, but White struck back with a century of his own and then levelled the score at 3-3. Nonetheless, O’Sullivan won the decisive seventh frame and then rallied away to claim a 6-3 triumph.

O’Sullivan will now face Robbie Williams in the second round. Robbie Williams advanced to the second round after he won 6-4 against Nigel Bond.
In other games played yesterday, Yan Bingtao cruised to a 6-0 victory over Ng On Yee, Martin Gould defeated Barry Pinches 6-1, Zhao Xintong won Yuan SiJun 6-4, and Joe Perry thrashed Fraser Patrick 6-1.

Written by Collins Nwokolo