Gunnell pinches victory

Friday 5th February 2010, 12:20AM GMT.

Shropshire snooker star Adrian Gunnell was today taking on former World finalist Nigel Bond for a place at the Sanyuan Foods China Open.

Gunnell, from Telford, held his nerve to defeat Norwich cueman Barry Pinches in the third qualifying round at Prestatyn last night.

It was Pinches who had looked the more fluent at the table, with high breaks of 112 and 102 during the course of the evening.

But Gunnell refused to throw in the towel and ground out a gritty victory to stand just one win away from a flight to Beijing for the China Open, which runs from March 29 to April 4.

The Shropshire potter has done well in the Far East in the past, equalling his best ever result in a ranking tournament by making the last 16 in 2005.