British Open snooker 2021: 'There is no need to be that slow' – Stephen Maguire slams Martin O'Donnell, Mark Allen exit
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 18/08/2021 at 22:52 GMT
Iran's leading player Hossein Vafaei enjoyed one of the best victories of his career with a 3-2 win over Champion of Champions holder Mark Allen in the last 64 of the British Open in Leicester. Stephen Maguire hit out at Martin O'Donnell for averaging 36.7 seconds a shot as the former UK champion came from behind to complete a 3-2 win to reach the last 32.
Fluke or not? Maguire notches three-ball plant
Stephen Maguire completed a 3-2 win over Martin O'Donnell in the British Open last 64 before blasting the go-slow tactics of the world number 47 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
The sickened former UK champion admitted he was on the verge of "smashing" the balls up and making a rapid return to his home city of Glasgow with O'Donnell averaging a tortuous 36.7 seconds a shot for the match.
But the Scotsman kept calm to take his place in Thursday's draw for the last 32 on Friday with breaks of 71 and 58 from 2-1 behind after former Shoot Out semi-finalist O'Donnell had opened with a knock of 70.
"He was in the balls (in the fourth frame) and I think he only made 40. He missed something and played safe. That was his chance to win the match," said world number nine Maguire, who came out at 28.4 seconds above his usual AST of 24.55.
"I thought I did really well to hold my patience out there. There were times I felt like smashing them up and getting out, getting home. I don't like matches like that, I don't enjoy them.
To be honest, I don't think there is any need to be that slow. I've played the game for years. You don't need to be that slow.
"It's my fault for letting it get to me, but I did. Listen, I threw in the towel three or four times at tournaments last season, just lost the plot and gave the guy the match basically.
"I promised myself I wouldn't do that, but I swear to God I was so close there. But I never so there you go."
World number 43 Hossein Vafaei completed a 3-2 win over Mark Allen in the second round.
World number 10 Allen missed an easy blue after Vafaei had broke down on 55 in the deciding frame and Iran's leading player made no mistake a second time in punishing Allen's profligacy.
The Champion of Champions holder had held a 4-0 head-to-head lead over 26-year-old Vafaei and will be disappointed to lose at such an early stage of the season's second ranking event after edging his former partner Reanne Evans 3-2 in the opening round 'battle of the exes'.
Both men hit breaks of 51 in sharing the opening two frames before Vafaei edged 2-1 clear only for former Masters winner Allen to roll in a 61 in forcing a decider he would ultimately lose.
Mark Williams recovered from trailing fellow Welshman Dominic Dale 2-0 to complete a 3-2 win courtesy of breaks of 72, 44, 48 and 44 to secure his spot in the third-round draw.
“He should have won that match," said the 1997 British Open champion.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/04/27/3122425-64004228-2560-1440.jpg)
‘He likes doing things his own way!’ – Selby cracks up as Williams tries to clear colours with rest
"Why he didn’t agree to a re-rack in that last frame I don’t know. I was never going to play up the table and leave him something easy and I thought he was never going to either.
"I just suggested the re-rack, he said no and played up the table. Thank you very much.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement