An entertaining week of snooker at the European Masters draws to a close in Lommel on Sunday when Joe Perry meets Jimmy Robertson over two sessions and 17 frames to determine the successor to Judd Trump in an intriguing looking final.
Perry holds the edge on experience having competed in finals in the past and winning one ranking event title while Robertson will be battling for silverware for the first time in his professional career. Not many would have predicted this final at the beginning of the week but both have earned their right to be here.
Joe Perry
This is a big day for Joe Perry. A win in this final will mean so much not just because he doesn’t know how many more finals he will be in at this stage in his career. Were he to come out on top he would qualify for the Champion of Champions and he would be back in the top 16 in the world rankings and be on course for a spot in The Masters once again.
Perry has worked hard to make it through to this final. If you wanted to be critical you could argue his draw has opened up but that is not his fault. He dispatched the one true top class act he has encountered in the event in Kyren Wilson in fine style and will look to power his way to the title over the course of the two sessions.
Jimmy Robertson
It has been the week of his life so far for Jimmy Robertson who had never been beyond the quarter finals of a ranking event prior to arriving in Lommel. He was made to battle like mad earlier in the week and when he was 3-0 down to Anthony McGill in an earlier round he could have been forgiven for thinking that this would not be the time his barren run ended.
Something changed on that win though and since then he has seen off Mark Allen and Mark King in fine style and fully deserves his spot in the final. He will obviously have to manage his nerves if he is to come through here but he didn’t show too many issues with that in the previous round it has to be said.
Head to Head
These two finalists have met in six previous matches with Perry holding a 4-2 lead but they haven’t played each other for almost two years so how relevant it is remains to be seen. In that time Perry leads 21-15 in frames so if there is a significance in it then Perry would look to have the edge. This is the first time they have met in a tournament in a round later than the last 32. You get the feeling this will be about the day rather than what has gone on before.
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Betting
I think we are in for an entertaining final. Snooker is always much more dramatic when the nerves and tension kicks in and you would think the meaning of this final for both men will ensure that happens here so this should be a really good watch.
In terms of a bet I think over 14.5 frames is the way to go here. Both showed quality from behind in their semi-finals which suggests that this one could go close to going all the way. We wouldn’t need it to go that far for the bet to land as 9-6 either way would get the job done for us. This doesn’t feel like a final that will be won easily so I’ll take the over there.
Tips
WON – Back Over 14.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with William Hill
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