Today saw the 2008 Masters qualifying event come to an end with Judd Trump claiming the coveted spot in January’s main event. Click below to read what he and others have had to say following their matches, hopefully more quotes will come to light during the next few days and I will be able to add them to the page…
Event winner Judd Trump said of his victory:
“I’ve never been to Wembley, even to watch a match, so it will be a great experience for me,”
“I’ve watched the Masters on TV since I was young, I remember watching Jimmy White and a few others, so I can’t wait to play there myself.”
“I didn’t play brilliantly in the final but I did enough to win,”
“I’ve been playing with a lot of confidence all season so this will give me even more. I’m going to stay in Sheffield and practise for the next few days, and look forward to the Maplin UK Championship qualifiers next week.”
And also…
“The money would be nice, but I just want to play at as many venues as I can,”
“Hopefully I can take the form I’ve found over the last few days in Sheffield with me to London.
“The Masters is a great tournament, it’s the top 16 players, it’s another great experience for me.”
“I was pleased to win by that margin against Mark but, to be honest, no one has got close to me these last few days. Only Dave Harold, but I beat him 5-3.
“I played pretty well in all of my matches. I’ve still not played brilliant, but I feel as though I can go to the Masters and win it, there’s no reason why not.”
“I’ve being playing a lot more consistently than I was last season,”
“The Masters is a one-table format, which I’ve only ever done once, which was this year at the Grand Prix.
“It’s another learning curve for me. I don’t mind who I play at the venue, as long as I can take this form with me I know I can beat anyone.”
Following his last 16 defeat to Ken Doherty, Ian McCulloch had this to say:
“I played all right, but I missed a few balls. I was unlucky in the last frame, and if it had gone 4-4 then it was anybody’s match.
“Ken played well, he’s a tough player. But he got out of jail on a couple of occasions.”
“I played okay against David Gilbert in my last match, but I’ve had zero form this season.
“I’ll go home and get ready for the UK Championships, a tournament I’ve done well in over the past few years.”
Dave Harold following his early defeat to eventual winner Judd Trump:
“It was a really high quality match,”
“Judd played really well to win and had quite a few good breaks.”
“It would have been really nice to have played Jamie in the next round, but I wasn’t looking that far ahead,”
“I knew it was going to be tough against Judd, he’s been playing well recently, but I gave myself a lot to do at 4-1 down.”
And his fellow Stoke cueman Jamie Cope following his round one win against David Grace:
“I was all right in patches, but the main thing was to win,” said Cope. “I had some nice breaks, but I’ll need to have more of them if I’m going to beat Judd.
“I’m looking forward to playing him. He’s another young player who is trying hard to win a title. It should be a good match.”