Pinner potter Martin Gould has set his sights on reaching a major snooker championship final after sending seven times World Champion Stephen Hendry crashing out of the Welsh Open on Tuesday.
The world number 63 caused a huge upset by beating the once invincible Scot 5-3 at the Newport Centre, setting up a last 16 clash with Joe Swail.
Gould, 27, ranked the victory as the highlight of his ten year professional career, which has included impressive wins over other household snooker names Stephen Maguire and Matthew Stevens.
"It's just fantastic," said Gould. "I've played Stephen once before at the North- ern Ireland Trophy in 2007. He beat me 5-3 that day and I suppose there was an element of revenge involved when I knew I would be playing him here.
"But I never expected to play so well against someone who has won every- thing in snooker a multitude of times. He has that aura and swagger about him but I just had to concentrate on myself and forget who I was playing. I always knew there was something ready to come out of the tank that would surprise a few peo- ple."
Hendry certainly will not forget Gould - a part-time poker club croupier - in a hurry. He has now lost his opening match in four of the first six ranking events of the campaign, putting his place in the top 16 under threat.
The 40-year-old managed just two breaks over 40 while Gould, a two-times English Amateur champion, registered the highest break of the tournament so far [2014] 135.
"He won the first frame and had the match been played a year ago I would have crumbled," added Gould. "But I've been doing a lot of work on the mental aspect of my game with a guy called Dale Hall, who has also helped sharpen up my cue work."
Gould, who has honed his skills at North Harrow Snooker Centre on Pinner Road for seven years, qualified for the Welsh Open after beating Matthew Selt, John Parrott and Nigel Bond earlier this month.
Now through to the last 16 of a rank- ing event for the first time in his career, Gould is determined to stay in the lime- light and make a name for himself.
"Without sounding disrespectful I think I should have won 5-0," he commented. "I've always had the belief and confi-dence in myself to achieve something in the game.
"After beating Stephen my phone has not stopped ringing and people were waiting for me to sign autographs. All of that is new to me but it is something I'm determined to experience on a regular basis rather than once in a blue moon."
As the Observer went to press yester- day (Wednesday) Gould fancied his chances of overcoming Swail en route to a dream final.
"If I can play to my best then I can beat anybody."
