STUART BINGHAM joked he finally managed to impress his new coach Terry Griffiths after three wins from three in qualifiers this week.
Ballrun beat Chen Zifan 4-1 in the Indian Open and Tian Pengfai 4-1 in the European Masters, then triumphed 5-1 against Me Xi Wen today (Aug 8) to secure his spot at next month’s World Open in China.
It was an excellent return on a week of back-and-forth trips on the train to the Preston Guild Hall and proof the world No 9 is adapting well to his new Cue Creator cue and the guidance of Welsh legend Griffiths.
Bingham said: “I got a seven-out-of-ten mark from the Griff after the Chen match – but that came down to a three after Tian! And that was probably fair enough as my highest break was 36, but I got the job done.
“But Terry is spot on and a good laugh. He knows when to have a joke and when to be serious and what he says gets me in the right frame of mind.
“And today I felt my game came together quite well. I kept it tight because I know he is a good cueist. But I don’t think he attacked enough and I played the right shots and finished with a ton and an 80 when I was on for a maximum.”
Bingham was also happy with a change in his commuting style after travelling from his home in Essex and then back in a day for the first two matches, and making the journey up the night before for today’s clash.
He said: “It’s been good to just chill out on the train and put my headphones on and I think it probably did help me with not having to do the drive.
“I always sleep better in my own bed and other players have said they have got the train before so, as it worked out with my playing schedule, I gave it a go.”
Bingham is next in action at the China Championship in Guangzhou against Yan Bingtao on Wednesday, August 16.
