MATCH 1: Justin Hood vs Ryan Meikle
Justin Hood, who is affectionately known as “Happy Feet”, has been one of the stories of the tournament so far. His standout performance was one of the games of the competition, when he saw off 6th seed Danny Noppert.
However, Ryan Meikle has quietly gone about his business thus far. “The Barber” stunned Johnny Tata from two sets down in the last round and provided a stern test for Hood’s fairytale run, despite the 4-1 scoreline.
In a game with struggles on the outer ring, Hood still found a way through and will face the tough task of the winner of this evening’s clash between Josh Rock and Callan Rydz.
Result: Justin Hood 4-1 Ryan Meikle
MATCH 2: Ricky Evans vs Charlie Manby
Another all-English tie was next up on the bill for the final afternoon of Round three, with two of the fan favourites clashing. “Rapid” Ricky Evans beat the highly fancied James Wade to book his post-Christmas spot, whereas “Champagne” Charlie Manby is showing that, despite only being 20 years old, he has nerves of steel.
The match was tied at two sets apiece after four sets, largely due to Manby struggling to convert his scoring dominance, with a number of missed doubles. Evans’ troubles were the opposite, and once his young opponent started to find the outer ring with more regularity, the outcome became inevitable.
A 4-2 win and through to the last 16 on his debut, not a bad start for “Champagne Charlie”- he will relish the chance to take on a fellow young star in Gian van Veen next.
Result: Ricky Evans 2-4 Charlie Manby
MATCH 3: Nathan Aspinall vs Kevin Doets
Another Englishman with a huge fanbase was last onto the stage in Nathan Aspinall. He took on the Dutchman Kevin Doets, who ended the campaign of the charismatic Kenyan, David Munyua, last round.
“The Asp” had looked very solid so far and would have relished a round of 16 tie against a rival from this year’s Premier League in Luke Humphries, but the Dutch world number 40 had other ideas. Easily the contest of the session, in which both players averaged over a ton at multiple points and hit 100+ checkouts galore. The “Asp” put himself ahead by three sets to two, with an incredibly well timed Big Fish. However, Doets fought back with a 164 and stunned the 15th seed by winning the final six legs of the match.
The prize for his second consecutive run into the round of 16? A matchup with the world number two, and former World Champion, Luke Humphries.
Result: Nathan Aspinall 3-4 Kevin Doets