Gunnell to shine for home fans

Snooker star Adrian Gunnell is determined to avoid a dose of pre-Christmas gloom and provide home interest at Shropshire’s biggest sporting event of 2007.Click here for all the Maplin UK Championships build-up

Gunnell sets out on one of the biggest weeks of his career on Tuesday when he bids to get the first of two victories required to book his place in the field for the prestigious Maplin UK Championships at Telford’s International Centre in December.

As well as having the incentive of appearing in front of his home crowd for the first time in a ranking tournament, a prolonged run in the sport’s second biggest competition would leave Gunnell - provisionally ranked 36th - with an excellent chance of breaking into the elite top 32 for the first time.

And the Telford cueman is determined not to waste either opportunity.

“It’s important because I would love to make it to Telford and for the top 32,” he said.

“It was massively disappointing not to qualify for the Grand Prix earlier in the season but I made up for that by reaching the last 32 in the Northern Ireland Trophy and I’m in a decent position.

“There’s more ranking points in this competition so it’s vital I at least win my first match and then go on from there.

“Qualifying for Telford would be fantastic and I’m desperate to be there. I would obviously disappointed to lose at the time but I think it would really hit me when the tournament is on and I’m not a part of it.”

Gunnell will have to wait until tomorrow to learn of his opponent in Tuesday’s encounter, with Liang Wenbo, Ashley Wright and David Roe his potential opponents.

Victory in that match would then set up a final qualifying meeting with Welshman Matthew Stevens, who won the UK Championship in 2003 and has twice reached the World Championship final.

But despite a tough looking draw, Gunnell - who has been doing extra exhibitions in recent weeks - is excited rather than daunted about the challenge ahead.

“I was obviously disappointed to lose in Ireland (to Peter Ebdon) but I just had a bit of bad luck rather than doing anything wrong,” he added.

“There was no problem getting back on the practice table and I couldn’t be much happier with the way I’m playing.”