Cooper's goose is cooked

5th March 2009 by Richard Bakes

Wayne Cooper looks likely to drop off the main tour at the end of the season. 

He defeated Scotland’s Scott Mackenzie in his first qualifier for the World Championships at
the Sheffield Sports Academy this week. 

Cooper ended the first two sessions 7-2 in front, which included a break of 111. 

Mackenzie then pulled back and led 9-8, but Cooper dug deep and made breaks of 55, 40 and 82
to seal it 10-9. 

Cooper then took on Dublin’s Joe Delaney and led 4-1, before Delaney reeled off six frames on 
the trot. 

Again Cooper found another gear and brought the match level at 8-8 before Delaney made breaks 
of 46 and 60 to win 10-8. 

Cooper’s fellow Bradfordian Simon Bedford started his first match well against Leeds’ David Grace, 
building up a 7-2 lead. 

Frames were then exchanged before Bedford ran out a comfortable 10-6 winner. 

His second-round match was against former world top 16 player, David Roe from Derby. 

The opening sessions went against Bedford, with Roe building up a 6-2 lead, but Bedford’s grit and 
determination saw a remarkable turnaround and he eventually ran out a 10-7 winner. 

Bedford appears to have done enough to guarentee his place on next year’s Main Tour and is now only 
two victories away from the final stages at the Crucible. 

His next opponent is Scotland’s Jamie Burnett in a match due to be completed tomorow. 

In the Bradford Snooker Championships, one of the pre-season favourites has fallen at the last-16 stage, 
with 2004 winner Howard Mawson losing 4-3 to Wibsey Liberals’ Alex McCann. 

Other completed matches include: Jason Walton (Shipley Club) 4, Mick Sharp (Shipley Club) 0;
Mick Bedford (Manningham Ward) 4, Paul Young (Eccleshill Vic Cons) 2; Richard Hagerty (Calverley Cons) 4,
James Fisher (Manningham Ward) 3. 

Sajid Khan, Ilyas Khan (both Cuedos), Mark Slater (Great Horton Cons) and Lewis Walsh (Windhill Cons) 
have also qualified for the last eight. 

The snooker pairs is at the same stage and 2005 winners Slater and Jason Murgatroyd (Great Horton Cons) won
a hard-fought match 3-2 against Tanveer Mohammed and Wahid Khan (Manningham Ward). 

Other results include: M Sharp & R Duffield (Shipley Club) 3, E Ratcliffe & C Richards (East Ward) 1; 
M Bedford & J Fisher (Manningham Ward) 3, A McCann & T Bell (Wibsey Libs) 1; N&A Tipper (Bradford Moor Cons) 3, 
D&C Tolson (Cue Gardens) 2. 

Draws for the singles and pairs will be made at the New Cuedos Snooker Club on Bullroyd Lane tomorrow night (7.00).
NEWS

Cooper's goose is cooked

5th March 2009 by Richard Bakes
