Gunnell is ready for Marco test

Shropshire snooker ace Adrian Gunnell is relishing his crack as the sport’s man of the moment next month.

Telford-based Gunnell reached the final stages of the Northern Ireland Trophy with a straightforward 5-0 victory over Jamie O’Neil at Prestatyn yesterday.

And his first assignment in Belfast at the start of next month will be a meeting with Marco Fu.

Fu defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan to land the Grand Prix in Aberdeen last weekend.

But Gunnell is far from daunted about going head to head with the winner of the last ranking tournament.

“Marco is a fantastic player and he is a joy to watch when he is in full flow,” said Gunnell.

“He scored really heavily when he was in amongst the balls and plays the game the way it should be played.

“But I beat him 5-1 to qualify for the China Open last year and I am cuing very well at the moment.

“Even by my standards I was very miserable after not qualifying for the Grand Prix but I’ve got a new lease of life at the moment.”