In-form Gould ready for Crucible opener

Martin Gould feels he is finding form at the right time and will relish his first-round World Snooker Championship match against Marco Fu.

The Pinner potter, 32, gets his Crucible campaign under way against world number seven Fu on Tuesday morning.

And having impressed by winning three qualifying rounds to secure his place at snooker’s showpiece event in Sheffield, world number 36 Gould is feeling confident.

“The pressure at the qualifying is horrible but I can’t wait to play at the Crucible,” said Gould, who beat Chinese player Liang Wenbo 10-7 in the final qualifying round.

“The first part of my plan has come good, now I have to work hard and make sure I am ready.

“If I can play as well as I have in some of these matches in qualifying then somebody is in for a bit of a treat.

“I have been in form leading up to this but just haven’t had the results to show for it. I have worked really hard to get myself where I feel like I belong – which is at the Crucible.”

Gould has beaten Fu in the first round at the Crucible twice before, in 2010 and 2011.

He has never gone beyond the second-round stage at the event – although in 2010 he only lost a final-frame decider against that year’s winner Neil Robertson.

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