Final defeat after Gould-en tournament

A professional snooker player from Pinner suffered an agonising defeat earlier this month in his quest to win a first ranking title. World number 26 Martin Gould lost 9-8 to John Higgins in the Australian Open final in Melbourne in only his second ranking final. The dramatic victory draws Higgins, 40, level with Ronnie O’Sullivan and to within one of Steve Davis’s total for ranking tournament wins. Fellow Scot Stephen Hendry leads the way with 36. Gould, 33, made a break of 138 in the 11th frame but Higgins held his nerve in the decider to take the £36,000 prize. The Pinner potter was also helped by a break of 101 in the third frame and led 4-2 before the pair reached the interval locked together at 4-4 with Higgins managing a 112 in the seventh frame. For more on this read the next edition of My Pinner & Hatch End News out on July 17.