Another maximum joy for Hans Nirnberger

It is questionnable why so many people call SEBC player Hans Nirnberger Jack _ as Max seemed to be a more appropriate nickname. In December 2005, Nirnberger became the first Austrian snooker player to compile a 147 maximumbreak. That achievement had not been matched by anyone until Saturday, Feb. 2. While practicing against club mate Stefan Vesely at their home club KÖÖ5, Nirnberger again managed the perfect break of fifteen reds, fifteen blacks and the six colours in sequence. His second maximumbreak was a nice build-up toward the 5th ASL Grand Prix of the season, last weekend at the 1. UWBC club in Wels. The Boschhalle in that same city is to host the Austrian Open as well as the IBSF World Amateur Championships in October and November 2008. Nirnberger, who already won three of the four previous Grand Prix events, added another title by beating 15Reds player Sebastian Hainzl in the final, 4-1.

...A lineup of winners from the 5th ASL Grand Prix in Wels: Hainzl, Nirnberger, Pichler...

The top-ranked Nirnberger had no easy path to the final. Both his round-robin matches against Alexander Trinkl and Markus Sallaberger went to full distance into a deciding frame. Nirnberger's next opponent was Christian Hackl, the player from Top Snooker Graz who made it all the way to the final last month. Hackl had a 44 break to level the score at 1-1, but Nirnberger won the next two to set up a quarterfinal clash with Felix Pleschek. The reigning national champion from Graz led 1-0 and 2-1, but breaks of 38 and 42 earned Nirnberger the victory. In the semifinals, he outplayed Tegshee Nyamaa, also from Graz. Nyamaa had surprisingly advanced from a round-robin group with former multiple national champions Robert Bütof and Bernhard Müllner, and eliminated Clausdieter Franschitz of ISC and Richard Kornberger of Top Snooker Graz before Nirnberger stopped him. Nirnberger had breaks of 40 and 50 and four more contributions over 20 for a quick-firing 4-0 win.

The seventh-ranked Hainzl was upset in his opening match by Joachim Gantner from Rankweil's PBSSC, who had a 31 break in the decider for a 2-1 win. Hainzl still won the group by beating ISC's Graeme Fish 2-0. The runner-up of last year's national championships defeated Salzburg's Snooker Bulls' Peter Pertiller 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals, where Bütof was supposed to be his opponent. Bütof had won his round-robin group without losing a frame and then whitewashed Paul Schopf from 1. UWBC 3-0 in the last 16 on Saturday. But Bütof did not make it to the venue in time on Sunday morning, handing over a semifinal spot to Hainzl without playing. Bütof is probably tho only player in ASL Grand Prix history who didn't lose a frame but still did not win the event. Hainzl entered the final after beating Snooker Bulls' Alexander Pichler 4-1 in a tight match, with many close frames and even a respotted black in the fourth. Pichler saw off Nyamaa 3-2 in the small final to finish third, while Hainzl and Nirnberger played a high-class final. Nirnberger had a 40 break on his way to a 2-0 lead before Hainzl snatched the third. Nirnberger did not allow Hainzl to come any closer and added two more frames for a convincing 4-1 victory and his fourth ASL Grand Prix title of the current campaign. Only 15Reds player Chau Zi Kim has been able so far this season to beat Jack _ in the final of October's event. Whose next?

5. ASL GRAND PRIX 2007/08
[Wels, 09/02 - 10/02]

Results:

quarterfinals:
Hans Nirnberger - Felix Pleschek 3-2
Tegshee Nyamaa - Richard Kornberger 3-0
Sebastian Hainzl - Robert Bütof w.o.
Alexander Pichler - Chau Zi Kim 3-1

semifinals:
Nirnberger - Nyamaa 4-0
Hainzl - Pichler 4-1

final:
Nirnberger - Hainzl 4-1

Break list:

- 74 Chau Zi Kim
- 50 Hans Nirnberger
- 49 Felix Pleschek
- 44 Christian Hackl
- 42, 40, 40 Nirnberger
- 38 Nirnberger, Sebastian Hainzl
- 35 Nirnberger
- 34 Kim, Nirnberger, Hackl

Click here for full tournament results.

text: Eric Willemsen [Vienna] / picture: 1. UWBC [Wels]