Dan Davy downs Marc Farnsworth in thrilling IPA Pool Tour
Published:
Sean Trivass | March 13, 2016
No messing as always on the IPA Tour and I lost count of how many games of top level pool were played on Saturday, as we slowly but surely whittled the players down to event completion.
The amateur kicked off as scheduled while the Welsh Open continued until we had a last four worthy of any tournament at the highest level as ante post favourite Marc Farnsworth played Rob Donkin, while Dan Davy lined up against Ronan McCarthy – so three professionals out of the four, meaning a massive shout out for Rob who is surely only amateur in name only judged on this performance.
Despite doing very little wrong he somehow came out on the wrong end of a 7-1 beating by Marc, while in the other semi Dan saw off Ronan McCarthy by the same score to set up a mouth-watering clash well worth staying up for.
Watching live and in the room, I could listen to the commentary (well done to all those who stepped up to the plate on that score), and soak up the atmosphere at the same time, but what a match we had with each player’s fortunes turning almost shot by shot – and the in play odds with Coral altering accordingly.
At the start of the contest in a race to seven, the odds were firmly in Marc’s favour (and I guess rightly so after his great 2015 season), at 2/5 with Dan at 2/1. Though clearly no one had told Dan, who won the first, third and fourth frames to race in to a 3-1 lead and finally go favourite outright when Marc went in off the break in frame five.
Money was clearly changing hands rapidly on the Coral site as the odds flip flopped pot by pot or even worse, after a dry break, especially as Marc launched a superb comeback from 6-2 down all the way to 6-5. Not only making a fight of it (as we all knew he would) but getting the crowd almost to their feet in a match we really didn’t want to end.
Once given a chance in the final frame, Dan stepped up to take it with both hands and, despite a nervous positional shot from his last ball to the black (was he playing to the crowd?), he closed the match out to a warm round of applause and a very magnanimous Marc Farnsworth, who was happy to sing the praises of his opponent despite the disappointment.
Moving onwards and everything draws to a conclusion today (Sunday) with the Amateurs final and Professionals later this afternoon/tonight, so there is still plenty of pool to play, watch and bet on – hopefully you are all looking forward to it as much as I am! Be sure to tune in via Coral to see all the action live.
