SKELTON & STEPNEY SALVAGE VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT

There’s no doubt that the new partnership of Scott Edwards and Andy Walters will look upon their ‘Just’ World Open Pairs debut ‘as the one that got away’!!!

 

Against top 16 players Simon Skelton from Nottingham and Mike Stepney from Elgin in the very North of Scotland, they led all the way and held off a late charge to win the first set 7-6. In the second they raced into a 4-2 lead, and still held the upper hand at 7-4 with two ends to play.

 

But that was the last they scored and when the proverbial ‘wheels came off’ as they dropped a single followed by the loosest count of 3 that cost them the set 8-7 and forced the match go to the best of three end shoot out. They never recovered from that upset and bowed out 2-0 on the tie break.

 

Heaving a sigh of relief - both Skelton and Stepney admitted “we got out of jail to win that match!”

 

The Scot admitted “we got over the line, the pressure was definitely on. I felt that they were getting to the jack before us. We knew that we just had to step up and perform to a higher degree. We certainly had to dig deep to keep ourselves in the match”.

 

They continue their 2nd round assault for the title on Sunday 10th January at 10am.

 

 

Reported by Anne Dunwoodie (WBT Press Officer)