Hann reaches Masters final

Quinten Hann will tomorrow become the first Australian for 14 years to contest a ranking tournament semi-final when he meets Peter Ebdon in the Citywest Irish Masters.

After eight previous failures at the quarter-final stage 26-year-old Hann finally got it right against twice Irish winner John Higgins in Dublin tonight.

The world number 14 from Melbourne won 6-4 but it was touch and go for the Aussie with the Mohican hairstyle.

He looked to have blown his chance when running out of position on the final colours. His missed on a difficult pink gave Higgins a glimmer of hope.

But the Scot could not take advantage of Hann’s fraying nerves and had to concede defeat.

“If it had gone 5-5 I don’t think I would have won,” admitted Hann after emulating Warren King’s achievement in the 1990 Mercantile Classic at Blackpool. “And I would have been sick.”

King won that match before losing to Steve James in the final at the Norbreck Castle Hotel.

“I was a little worried because John was playing well,” added Hann who was heading for Martin Clark’s record of 10 losing quarter-final appearances.

“So, I’m really happy to win. I suppose you get what you put in. And I have been playing every day since last September or October.

“In the past I hated snooker. I would only pick up my cue two days before coming to a tournament but now I’m putting in the work.

“I didn’t really expect too much this season. But I’ve made a small improvement and I could be provisionally ranked about ninth for next year.”

Hann’s victory was based on his flying start to the game. He opened up with 111, pinched the second frame with a 31 clearance and then left Higgins pointless in the third.

World number four Higgins opened his account before the mid-session interval with a run of 84 and then added another 84 when the game resumed.

Hann’s 62 put him 4-2 up but Higgins kept in touch by claiming frame seven. Then came a major turning point as the Wishaw star missed an easy pink into a middle pocket and Hann’s 42 left him two up with three to play.

Higgins knocked in a fluent 81 for 5-4 and led 52-0 in the final frame. But another error gave Hann an opportunity to fashion what should have been a match winning clearance.

Happily for him his miss on the last pink did not prove terminal.

“The shot that did it for me came in the eighth frame,” sighed the Scot. “My son would have potted it.

“But I just lost concentration because I thought it was going to be 4-4. I’ve just got to keep going and hopefully my next title is just round the corner.”