There are six matches left in the qualifying competition for the Scottish Open and they all take place on the final day of the event in Barnsley on Wednesday when the remaining places in the main draw from this week get filled.
Although we’ve had five days of qualifying matches there are still a few appealing names on show for us over the course of the three sessions of play so we should finish up the week with another decent day of snooker.
Morning Session
To be fair the first session of the day is probably devoid of the big names but that only makes for a couple of competitive encounters with a decent opportunity for all four players who are on show. Craig Steadman is one of those and he’ll be looking to make it through to the main draw of one of these events having missed out on both so far. He takes on Chen Zifan who has also missed out on the two main draws so far. The other match sees Ashley Carty taking on Hammad Miah so there are two big opportunities up for grabs here.
Early Afternoon Session
The two finalists of the World Seniors Championship are both in action in this session. Jimmy White was the beaten finalist in that competition but he’ll still be the headline draw in this session, especially as he goes up against a talented Chinese player in Chang Bingyu in a real tough match for the Whirlwind. The other match sees the winner of the Seniors in action as David Lilley gets a chance to qualify for the main draw. In order to line up in Scotland he will need to beat a Scot in Dean Young who will be eager to appear in his home tournament.
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Late Afternoon Session
The last session of action in the qualifying event for the Scottish Open takes place in the late afternoon slot and there is one of the biggest matches of the whole week on show in terms of names as former world finalist Ali Carter takes on the man who has gone one better than him at the Crucible Theatre in Ken Doherty. The other match sees the multi-time world champion Reanne Evans looking to qualify for another tournament. She takes on Mitchell Mann for the right to be in the main draw.
Betting
We’re on a decent roll with our bets this week with the last two not just winning but winning without losing a frame and I’m going to finish the qualifying event with just the one bet. That comes up first thing in the morning where I like Craig Steadman to come through against Chen Zifan with a bit to spare. I say that because the Chinese player has lost both of his Home Nations qualifiers so far by a 4-1 margin to Alfie Burden and Nigel Bond and with due respect to them Steadman is no worse than them if he’s not better than them.
Steadman hasn’t qualified for either of the two previous tournaments so he should be doubly motivated to come through here. Although he lost his qualifier in the last two events he lost 4-3 to Louis Heathcote and 4-2 to Gary Wilson so he was competitive in both but was just edged out. They are both a street ahead of Zifan so this looks a much more comfortable task for Steadman, who scored well enough in those matches to make me think he can’t just win this but can cover a 1.5 frame handicap in the process.
Tips
Back C.Steadman (-1.5 frames) to beat C.Zifan for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfair
Back him here:
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