Gould ready for World Championship opener

Martin Gould hopes he has played himself into form at the right time after coming through three tough rounds to qualify for the World Championship.

World number 18 Gould was an automatic qualifier for last year’s tournament at Sheffield’s Crucible, but he drew China’s Ding Junhui in the first round and was narrowly beaten in a high-quality match against the eventual runner-up.

This time around the Pinner potter had to progress through three rounds at Pond’s Forge in Sheffield.

Gould beat James Wattana 10-2, before seeing off John Astley 10-6.

The 35-year-old then overcame Yu De Lu to reach snooker’s showpiece event, where he will face four-time former champion John Higgins in the first round on Monday.

Gould told West London Sport: “If I am brutally honest I did not play that well in the first two matches but I did enough.

“James really didn’t turn up and I played ok in patches in the second round but I was not at my best.

“I struggled with the conditions, because it was ridiculously hot; it felt like it was about 200 degrees.

“In the third match, Yu De Lu played really well and I think that made me play better. The first session could have gone either way but I got ahead at 5-4 and that was crucial.”

Yu battled back to 7-7 but Gould scored centuries in the next frame and finished off with another ton to go through.

Gould added: “When he got back to 7-7 I really found my form and maybe that has come at the right time because you don’t want to be buzzing and fizzing too early.

“The World Championship is a long tournament so it’s important to pace things right and I got a couple of tons to close that match out.

“They are all tough matches when you play a seed and I have had some great games against John. Hopefully we can both put on a bit of a show and make it entertaining.”