Gould clinches first title with German Masters victory

Martin Gould celebrated the first ranking title of his career as he beat rising star Luca Brecel 9-5 at the German Masters.

The Pinner potter was in his third final, having lost to Shaun Murphy in the 2011 Players Tour Championship and John Higgins in last year’s Australian Open.

But he was able to go one step further in Berlin thanks to two centuries, one at the end of the afternoon session and the other at the start of the evening, which seemed to break the resistance of the 20-year-old Belgian.

After a tight couple of frames, Gould had made 72 and 83 to lead 4-2 and ended the afternoon 5-3 up with a fine 104 break.

The 34-year-old west Londoner made the perfect start to the evening with his second century, a 110, and took the next frame to lead 7-3.

Brecel, the world number 36, was in his first ranking final and made a fight of it but Gould closed it out to lift the trophy and, provisionally, a place back in the world’s top 16.