Ronnie and Ding shared the first session of their last 16 match at the 2020 World Championship. Neither player was at his best yesterday evening and the standard of the match wasn’t quite as high as most of us expected.

Here are the numbers:

The start of the match was delayed as WST decided not to pull off Mark Selby and Noppon Saengkham who needed just one frame to finish their match. It could have been worse. Indeed the Selby v Noppon decider was a rather quick one. A deciding frame is usually a cagey affair and can take some time to deliver a result … ask Fergal O’Brien and Davind Gilbert 😉. But, quick as it was, it still didn’t help Ding and Ronnie in their preparation probably. The dressing room was likely not available to them, and, of course, at the start, they didn’t know how long this would take. Philip Studd downplayed it, saying that such things – and worse – are commom in tennis. This is true  but tennis players learn to deal with those delays, as they learn their trade, and, surely, in major tournaments, facilities are equipped and organised in such a way that the inconveniences are minimised for the players. Whatever, it was the same for both players.

Here is the report by WST:

Friday 7 Aug 2020 09:43PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui shared the first eight frames of their Betfred World Championship second round clash to end 4-4 after the opening session.

The Rocket booked his place in the second round with a quickfire demolition of Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. He stormed to a 10-1 win in just 108 minutes, the fastest match in World Championship history. By contrast, China’s Ding required a dramatic final frame decider to book his second round spot, beating Mark King 10-9.

O’Sullivan comfortably leads Ding in their head-to-head record, having won 13 to Ding’s four. However, Ding was victorious 6-4 in their most recent meeting at the 2019 UK Championship, an event which he went on to win. The Asian number one also won their last Crucible meeting, downing O’Sullivan 13-10 in the 2017 quarter-finals.

O’Sullivan took the opening frame this evening with a break of 61. However, Ding immediately responded with runs of 57, 45 and 76 to surge into a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.

When they returned, breaks of 60 and 101 helped O’Sullivan to three frames on the bounce, which saw him move 4-3 ahead. However, Ding pegged him back by taking the final frame to set up an intriguing second session. They return on Saturday afternoon at 2:30pm.

There were mistakes on both sides. Before the MSI, Ronnie seemed to really struggle with the pace of the table; it has been recovered since he played his first match. On several occasions, he caught a baulk colour, or caught it too tick, whilst playing safe, and he misjudged the length of a few shots, which is quite unusual for him. Ding seemed to adapt better. One worry is that twice Ronnie missed a straight shot, cueing across the ball. On the other hand, he also played a few quite remarkable shrewd safety shots. Ding was the better player last night IMO, and when Ronnie was 3-1 down at the MSI, I was just hoping that he could take two of the last four frames. He took three.

Still Ronnie will need to play better if he wants to go deep here, at the Crucible, this year.

Only one last 16 match has concluded and we already have a surprise! I won’t say a “shock” because there are no “shocks” nowadays, as the level down the rankings is far better than it once was and because of the unusual circumstances. I hate the word “shock” anyway…

Kurt Maflin, the qualifier from Norway, has beaten John Higgins by 13-11 from 10-11 down, and he did so with breaks of 80, 75 and 63 in the last three frames. Earlier in the match John Higgins had scored a maximum break, his 10th, but his first at the Crucible.

Here are WST accounts on that match:

John Higgins’ maximum

Thursday 6 Aug 2020 11:38AM

John Higgins composed the tenth maximum 147 break of his career in his second round Betfred World Championship tie against Kurt Maflin.

The run came in the 12th frame this morning and puts the Scot in line for a £40,000 bonus for the maximum, as well as the £15,000 high break prize.

It’s the first time Higgins has made a 147 at the Crucible and he becomes the seventh player to achieve the feat. Higgins’ perfect break is the first to be made at the Crucible since Stephen Hendry’s contribution against Stuart Bingham in 2012. It’s the 11th in total to have been made at the Theatre of Dreams.

The 45-year-old becomes the oldest ever player to make an official maximum break, beating previous record holder Mark Davis.

It’s the sixth 147 of the season, and 157th in snooker history.

Prior to the event Higgins predicted there would be a 147 and stated that this year’s tournament could be the best ever in terms of standard.

Higgins said: “This will probably surpass any tournament with the standard you will see. Everybody will be giving it everything for a month solid and put the tough hours in. Everybody will be hungry, there will be nobody tired or jaded. They will all be going in firing on all cylinders. I really think it could be the best tournament standard-wise. Even though we might not have the crowd, I think it could be the best.

“Everything involved adds up to that. Mentally people will be giving it extra, because the event could have been taken away from them. Everyone will be sharp as a tack. It could break all the records in terms of centuries. I definitely think there will be a maximum break. There are only a select few players that have made one at the Crucible before. I think the whole situation and the crowd gets on top of you normally at the Crucible. I’d be very surprised if there wasn’t one or maybe even two this year.”

Crucible Maximums

• Cliff Thorburn – 1983 World Championship
• Jimmy White – 1992 World Championship
• Stephen Hendry – 1995 World Championship
• Ronnie O’Sullivan – 1997 World Championship
• Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2003 World Championship
• Mark Williams – 2005 World Championship
• Ronnie O’Sullivan – 2008 World Championship
• Ali Carter – 2008 World Championship
• Stephen Hendry – 2009 World Championship
• Stephen Hendry – 2012 World Championship
• John Higgins – 2020 World Championship

You can watch it here:

Higgins and Maflin finished the morning session all square

Thursday 6 Aug 2020 01:15PM

John Higgins came from 7-4 down to level at 8-8 with Kurt Maflin going into the final session of their Betfred World Championship second round match.

A fabulous session at the Crucible saw Higgins become the first player to make a 147 at the Crucible since 2012, and set up a blockbuster conclusion to the last 16 tie tonight. Qualifier Maflin has been ahead for most of the match but can’t shake off a determined opponent. First to 13 frames goes through to the quarter-finals.

The first two frames today were shared, then Norway’s Maflin made a break of 97 to lead 7-4. Scotland’s Higgins made his perfect break in frame 12, potting 15 reds with blacks and clearing the colours to make it 7-5 at the interval.

In frame 13, Higgins made a trademark 55 clearance to pull within one frame, before Maflin gave himself daylight again with a run of 81 for 8-6. Four-time Crucible king Higgins, who has lost in the last three finals, made a 71 to take frame 15.

In the last frame of the session, Maflin led 66-8, but could only sit in his chair as Higgins knocked in a long red to initiate a brilliant  63 clearance, highlighted by a superb pot on the last red to a baulk corner. They resume at 7pm.

On the other table, Noppon Saengkham came from 3-1 down to lead Mark Selby 5-3 at the end of their first session. Thailand’s Saengkham knocked out Shaun Murphy in the first round and has his sights set on another major scalp.

After losing the first frame, three-time World Champion Selby knocked in breaks of 84, 70 and 201 to lead 3-1. But the tide turned after the interval as Saengkham fired 76, 122 and 64 to go 4-3 up. Selby led 48-11 in the last frame of the session, only for Saengkham to clear with 50. They resume at 7pm for eight more frames.

But Maflin prevailed eventually in the evening.

Thursday 6 Aug 2020 10:33PM

Kurt Maflin won a classic second round match 13-11 to make it a bittersweet day for John Higgins at the Betfred World Championship.

Earlier in the day, Higgins earned a piece of Crucible history as he became only the seventh player to make a 147 at the famous venue, and the first since 2012. But the Scot admitted afterwards he would have gladly swapped the maximum for a place in the quarter-finals, having suffered a surprise defeat to Norway’s Maflin.

Four-time champion Higgins has been in the final in each of the last three years, but this time faces an early trip home having been outplayed in the closing stages of a thrilling contest.

World number 43 Maflin had never won a match at the Crucible before this week, but has now knocked out David Gilbert and fifth seed Higgins to book a meeting with Anthony McGill or Jamie Clarke in the last eight. One of those three qualifiers will be in the semi-finals.

Maflin dominated the first two frames of tonight’s final session to go 10-8 ahead, and he led 43-0 in the next, only for Higgins to take it with an excellent 78 clearance. Wishaw’s Higgins won the next two to lead 11-10, but that sparked a Maflin revival as he knocked in runs of 80 and 75 to go 12-11 ahead.

In frame 24, Maflin made 63 before missing a tricky red to a centre pocket. Higgins had a chance to counter but made just 7 before rattling a red in the jaws of a top corner. A safety exchange ended with a Higgins error and Maflin added 29 points for victory.

“It was a really good, hard fought, entertaining game,” said 36-year-old Maflin. “I enjoyed it, it had everything and it was a high standard. It was great to be involved in.

“At the interval I spoke to my dad and he told me to speed up because I was taking too long over shots. He said I’m good enough and I should go for my shots and keep focused. John made it so tough, I gave it everything in the locker. I was running out of gas at 11-10 down but the reserve tank kicked in.

“It feels brilliant. My wife and kids will be proud of the fact that I’m in the quarter-finals. It makes it worth all the sacrifices. I’m ready to play again.”

Higgins said: “Kurt played amazing, to finish it the way he did. He bulldozed his way over the line. I’m disappointed because I had a chance at 11-10. When I come away from the tournament I will reflect on the 147, but at the moment I’d swap that for a place in the quarter-finals.”

Meanwhile, three-time champion Mark Selby came from 5-3 down to level at 8-8 against Noppon Saengkham in their second session. They play to a finish on Friday from 2.30pm.

Leicester’s Selby made a flying start to the session as breaks of 76, 55 and 120 gave him the first three frames and put him 6-5 up. But he didn’t pot a ball in the next two frames as Thailand’s Saengkham took them with runs of 74 and 43.

Selby levelled at 7-7 with an 81 before Saengkham regained the lead with a 105. The final frame of the session was settled when Selby knocked in a cracking long pot on the last red, to square the match overnight.

I highlighted the part above in bold because, quite often, when a player is struggling you read comments from fans “advising” them to play slower and more conservatively. Over all the years I’ve been watching snooker I’ve formed an opinion that this is NOT helpful in the vast majority of situations. I leads to overthinking, loss of rhythm and increased anxiety. Kurt’s dad advice was the right one.

Mark Selby and Noppon Saemgkham are locked at 8-8 after two sessions. Short accounts on this match are also included in the above WST accounts. Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham are also all square at 8-8. Neither is playing well.

Finally, Yan Bingtao leads Judd Trump by 5-3 after their first session and here is WST report:

Thursday 6 Aug 2020 05:56PM

Judd Trump will need a second round fight-back if he is to continue the defence of his Betfred World Championship crown as he is 5-3 down against Yan Bingtao after the first session of their best-of-25 tie.

Trump is aiming to break the Curse of the Crucible as no first-time winner has retained the title the following year, but he’ll have to win ten of the last 17 frames against Chinese ace Yan to reach the quarter-finals.

At the age of 20 years and six months, Yan would become the youngest ever World Champion if he goes all the way to the trophy, a record currently held by Stephen Hendry who was 21 years and four months when he won his first title in 1990.

A scrappy opening frame lasted 38 minutes and went Trump’s way, before Yan levelled with a superb break of 133. Trump regained the lead and made a 65 in the fourth, but his opponent clawed his way back into the frame and eventually won it by clearing from the last red for 2-2.

Yan reeled off three frames in a row after the interval with runs of 91, 42 and 93 to lead 5-2. In the last of the session, Yan had a chance to clear, but missed the brown off the last red when he trailed 67-37. A relieved Trump took advantage to reduce his arrears. They return at 10am on Friday for eight more frames.

On the other table, former champions Mark Williams and Stuart Bingham finished tied 8-8 at the end of their second session. They are back on the baize at 10am on Friday to play to a finish.

Williams led 5-3 overnight and took the first frame today on the colours. Bingham won frame ten with a run of 115 the pinched the next two with late clearances, before making a 76 in the 13th to hit the front at 7-6.

In the 14th it was Williams’ turn to make an important clearance as he squared the match, and the Welshman took the next to lead 8-7. He could have stolen the 16th as well but missed a tricky final green. After a brief safety exchange, Bingham converted a thumping long pot on the brown and added blue and pink to leave the contest in the balance.

It’s fair to say that at 5-2 down Judd Trump looked very uneasy, slumped in his chair. The commentators seem to systematically under-rate Yan just because he’s not what they expect from a 20 years old and because they struggle to “categorise” him. They like to put players in “boxes”; A is fast and attacking, B is a methodical all-rounder, C is “the best with the rest”, etc… They struggle to find a fitting box for Yan and apparantly it annoys them big time! “I don’t know what he is” … in the words of Stephen Hendry. Well, he’s Yan, and he’s the best young prospect our sport has at this point in time.

The last 16 round started yesterday, as the last 32 round concluded. There were only two sessions played as the tables were recovered in the morning

The conclusion of the last 32 offered no surprise.

In the early afternoon Barry Hawkins completed his demolition of Alexander Ursenbacher (source WST)

Wednesday 5 Aug 2020 02:25PM

Barry Hawkins eased to a 10-2 demolition of Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher to reach the second round of the Betfred World Championship.

Hawkins holds a phenomenal Crucible record, today’s victory marks his 10^th consecutive first round win at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams. He’s reached four World Championship semi-finals and a final and has now won 20 of his last 27 matches at the Sheffield event.

Next up Hawkins will face a mouth-watering clash against world number two Neil Robertson. They last met at the Crucible in 2015, when Hawkins edged a thrilling quarter-final meeting 13-12.

It was a steep learning curve for debutant Ursenbacher. However, he did make history by becoming the first Swiss player to reach the Crucible, after a narrow 10-8 win over Andrew Higginson in the final round of qualifying.

Hawkins came into this afternoon’s concluding session with a hefty 7-2 advantage. He made swift work of getting over the line this afternoon. Breaks of 84 and 53 helped him to three frames on the bounce, which sealed the 10-2 win.

Hawkins said: “I know he is a dangerous player and when he gets going, he goes for his shots. I felt like if I kept him tight, I would get my chances this way. A bit more experience under his belt he might develop his all-round game. It’s tough coming here first time. I lost 10-1 coming here first time. He did better than I did.

“The last few years I’ve managed to play some good stuff here. I’ve had some unbelievable matches along the way and I’d like to continue that nice form and that good record. But even getting to the quarters or the semis, you are still going home a loser and you are still not picking up the trophy. I’ll keep trying and see where it takes me.

“It is very strange out there. I found if very hard to concentrate yesterday. In spells I did, but in patches I felt quite flat. I would rather be here playing than not. You just have to remind yourself it is the World Championship, get your head down and give it your all.

“Neil has been in fantastic form this season and got himself back up to number two in the world. He is one of those players that can get on a roll and just steamroll you. HIs long potting is fantastic and his record shows that. It is a tough game, you can’t ask for much harder in the second round. If you have any aspirations of winning this tournament, you need to step up and beat them all. Especially players like Neil. I’m looking forward to seeing where my game is at.”

And in the evening, Martin Gould finished Stephen Maguire off (source WST)

Wednesday 5 Aug 2020 08:19PM

Martin Gould’s marvellous Betfred World Championship campaign continued as he crushed Stephen Maguire 10-3 to reach the last 16.

If Gould had lost his first qualifying match last month he would have been relegated from the pro tour and facing at least a year away from the circuit, as he had not entered Q School. But having scored three victories to make it to the Crucible, the talented 38-year-old is now on the crest of a wave. He made four centuries in a tremendous display against Maguire as he set up a second round match with Kyren Wilson.

Londoner Gould is through to the last 16 in Sheffield for the third time, having reached the same stage in 2010 and 2011. He won the German Masters in 2016 but subsequently suffered a slump in form which has seen him drop to 60th in the world. This is his first run to the last 16 of a ranking event for nearly two years.

Glasgow’s Maguire came into this event as one of the favourites having won the Tour Championship in June. But he couldn’t replicate that form and has now lost in the first round nine times in 17 Crucible appearances

Most of the damage was done by Gould in the first session, firing breaks of 103, 103, 100 and 103 as he built a 7-2 lead. He got the better of a scrappy opening frame tonight to extend his lead, then made a 54 in the next as he went 9-2 up.

Maguire set about a 147 attempt in frame 12 and got to 96 before losing position with three reds left.  That made it 9-3 but Gould took frame 13 with a run of 51 to seal his sixth win in as many meetings with Maguire.

“I loved it out there,” said Gould. “I haven’t enjoyed snooker for the last couple of years but I did tonight. I played really well in the first session, it just felt like a practice match. My form has been there waiting to come out, and in the first session everything came together, it was one of the best matches I have played. Stephen brings the best out of me because I always know I have to play well to beat him.

“I don’t want the run to end here. Kyren will be a tough opponent and I’ll look forward to that challenge.”

This is so strange. Results in the 2020 CLS and the 2020 Tour Championship seem to mean nothing this week. Stephen Maguire won the Tour Championship, he played really great, and here he comes and gets outplayed by someone who was on the verge of relegation.

That said ,Martin Gould on form is a fantastic player. He’s been struggling with mental health issues in recent times, as he explained in his postmatch, speaking to the BBC

…

“I found it difficult at the start. It took someone realising I had a problem to come out and ask me.

“Once I felt comfortable speaking to that person, they helped me get to the next avenue of who I needed to speak to.

“It is very difficult for males to speak up, but there is nothing to be ashamed of really.”

…

Before the tournament, Gould said the coronavirus lockdown “saved” him from falling “completely out of love with the game”.

“It got to the point where you don’t enjoy what you are doing and you don’t want to do it,” he said.

“Nothing to do with social media or anything like that I have seen documented; nothing to do with the abuse on social media. It was my own personal [battle] and [my mind] had gone for a long walk. It was a long road to get it back.

“I spoke to World Snooker Tour and some family and close friends and they helped me out a huge amount.

“I am enjoying playing at the moment and long may that continue because the more I enjoy it the better I play.”

…

Two last 16 matches started yesterday as well. Those matches are played over three sessions. Here are the reports by WST.

In the afternoon Kurt Maflin managed to build a 5-3 lead over John Higgins

Wednesday 5 Aug 2020 04:52PM

Norway’s Kurt Maflin holds a 5-3 lead over four-time Crucible king John Higgins after the first session of their Betfred World Championship second round meeting.

Maflin’s thrilling 10-8 victory over David Gilbert in the opening round was his first ever win at the Crucible. His only other trip to snooker’s Theatre of Dreams ended in a 10-9 defeat against Mark Selby in 2015.

Scotland’s Higgins is bidding for a fifth world title and a fourth consecutive appearance in the Crucible final. He booked his place in the second round with a 10-5 win over Matthew Stevens.

Higgins took control in the early exchanges this afternoon, claiming the opening two frames with breaks of 53 and 69. Maflin responded with a contribution of 79, before claiming the fourth frame to draw level at 2-2.

The Norwegian then made it four frames on the bounce, to lead 4-2. Higgins replied with a fine century run of 101 to pull within a frame. However, Maflin re-established his two-frame cushion with a break of 81 to lead 5-3.

They will return for the second of three sessions tomorrow morning at 10am.

After a slow start, Kurt played really well. It’s a strange thing about John Higgins for me. Although I can see and appreciate his considerable skills, i get bored watching him pretty quickly. I’m not sure why.

And in the evening Mark Williams went 5-3 up Stuart Bingham

Wednesday 5 Aug 2020 09:52PM

Mark Williams took a 5-3 lead over Stuart Bingham in the first session of their Betfred World Championship second round meeting.

There is an abundance of experience between the pair as they have four world titles and 36 Crucible appearances between them, though this is the first time they have met in this event.

The first four frames were shared, neither player making a break over 50. Williams, the 2000, 2003 and 2018 champion, then stepped up a gear with breaks of 97 and 90 to lead 4-2. The Welshman also took frame seven, getting the better of a safety battle on the penultimate red, to extend his lead.

Basildon’s Bingham, who took the trophy in 2015, made a 57 in the last frame of the session to stay in touch. They play eight more frames on Thursday from 2.30pm, with the concluding session on Friday morning.

I won’t go as far as to say that those two played like club players with no eyes yesterday evening, but the standard was surprisingly poor, especially before the MSI. This is a second round match between two former World Champions at the Crucible and for the best part of it they both struggled to build any telling break and were missing all sorts. Then Willo seemed to find a bit of something  but was still far from his best.

Both Mark Williams and Martin Gould expressed reservations regarding the “canned applause”. I can see why. It must be very weird to hear applause whilst in an empty arena, It’s not that bad on televion because, most of the time, the camera focussed on the table. Panning through empty seats whilst applause are heard would feel very, very strange indeed.

This is the menu for today …

Judd Trump, speaking to Eurosport, has apparently been piling praise on his young opponent despite the fact that he has beaten him five times out of five matches they played.

‘He’s certainly doing much better than anyone else for his age, he’s probably five or 10 years ahead of anyone,’ said Trump earlier this season.

‘If he can keep progressing the way he is, he looks like he wants to learn, he’s taking everything in, enjoying himself out there and he looks like he practices very hard so I think over the next couple of years he’ll really break through and win some big events.’

source: Phil Haigh for metro.co.uk

“he (Yan) is very mature for his age and he doesn’t go for anything stupid. He takes his time and he has certainly got a chance of being world champion in the future.”

…

“It’s also good to have young players coming through. It keeps you on your toes and it’s nice to have the 40-plus players not winning everything all the time.”

…

“The future of the game is in really good hands with these Chinese players, and in the future there will certainly be a more even ratio of players from China and the UK.”

source: Eurosport UK

Yesterday was the most dramatic day at the Crucible this year so far, with Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen departing, and Stephen Maguire in serious danger to follow them out of the Championship.

Here are the reports by WST:

Noppon Saengkham beats Shaun Murphy by 10-4 (morning session)

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 12:32PM

Shaun Murphy became the biggest shock casualty of the first round of the Betfred World Championship so far as he lost 10-4 to world number 42 Noppon Saengkham.

Defeat extends Murphy’s poor run of results at the Crucible in recent years as he has now lost in the opening round in three of his last five appearances, and in the second round on the other two occasions.

Overall it has been a fine season for the world number ten – he has won two ranking events in a single campaign for the first time in his career – but the enforced break caused by lockdown ended his momentum and he lacked sharpness throughout this contest.

Thailand’s Saengkham was a semi-finalist at two ranking events in 2018, but to beat a former World Champion at the Crucible is undoubtedly the best win of his career. The 28-year-old from Samut Prakan goes through to the last 16 to face Mark Selby or Jordan Brown.

It may have been a best-of-19 but a turning point came as early as the second frame when Murphy, leading 1-0, missed a straight-forward red on a break of 67 and his opponent punished him with a fine clearance. That set the tone for the match as former world under-21 champion Saengkham pounced on Murphy’s errors.

The Thai led 6-3 overnight and took the first two frames today with breaks of 53 and 63. He had a chance in the next as well but missed a tricky red to centre on 52 and Murphy made a 46 clearance for 8-4.

But that did not spark a fight-back, as Saengkham recovered to take frame 13 with a run of 60 to lead 9-4 at the interval, and he soon wrapped up victory with a run of 76 in frame 14.

“The is the biggest win of my life, it is my dream,” said Saengkham, the third Thai player after James Wattana and Dechawat Poomjaeng to win a match at the Crucible. “I am surprised. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was 6-3 up. I went to sleep at 1am and woke up at 5am. I still can’t believe I beat him. I just tried to concentrate on every shot, just focusing on the table.

“I thought about the people in Thailand watching me, I hope they are happy and proud of me. I would like to play Mark Selby next, I will try my best.”

Murphy said: “That performance did come as a surprise to me as much as anyone, I didn’t see it coming. My preparation has been very good, I have put a lot of time in on the practice table. My form has been good this season with two titles and other finals, so this was a shock to me. But we are all human.

“I was very much below par across the whole match. Probably the worst two days of my snooker year came together at the worst possible time. But that aside, Noppon played very well, I can only heap praise on him. I made mistakes but that was because he put pressure on me and had me under it right from the word go.”

Murphy’s former manager and close friend Brandon Parker passed away last month but he refused to use that as an excuse for defeat. “I came here wanting to honour Brandon’s memory as well as I could,” added the 37-year-old.  “You dream of winning the title and dedicating it to him. But I would never dishonour him by saying that has caused me a problem. This is just a snooker tournament. I tried my absolute best, and I lost.”

Shaun Murphy doesn’t want to make excuses – he rarely does, if ever – but it’s likely that what happened in recent weeks has affected him. He said ” we are all human” and he wouldn’t be human if he was immune to the loss of a dear friend and mentor as well as to the complicate circumstances around Brandon’s funerals. That’s taking nothing away from Noppon’s merit. He played very well and stayed composed all along. He should be proud, and I’m certain that they are very proud of him at home as well.

Mark Allen lead Jamie Clarke by 5-4 at the end of the morning session

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 01:58PM

World number four Mark Allen holds a narrow 5-4 lead over Jamie Clarke after a scintillating session of snooker in their Betfred World Championship first round clash.

Allen fired a barrage of four centuries and is now just one away from equalling Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record for most in a best of 19 match at the Crucible. The Rocket made five in his first round clash with David Gray in 2000.

The Pistol came into this year’s event already in good form, having reached the final of the recent Tour Championship, where he was runner-up to Stephen Maguire.

World number 89 Clarke has more than held his own on his Crucible debut, having negotiated the qualifying stages to save his place on the circuit. He needed to come through three rounds at the English Institute of Sport to avoid relegation from the tour and reach the Theatre of Dreams.

This morning’s encounter got off to a blistering start. Northern Irishman Allen piled the pressure on Clarke, composing breaks of 136 and 105 to move into a 2-0 lead.

Welshman Clarke was undaunted and crafted a century run of his own with a superb 136 to cut his arrears in half. Clarke then needed three snookers in the fourth frame, but got them and clinched it on the black to make it 2-2 at the mid-session.

When they returned, Clarke pinched a second consecutive frame on the black to move ahead for the first time at 3-2. Allen responded swiftly and took to the front once more with back-to-back century breaks of 122 and 104. He then claimed the eighth frame on a re-spotted black to lead 5-3.

However, Clarke crucially clinched the final frame of the session to trail by just one heading into tonight’s conclusion. They return at 7pm.

But ended up beaten by 10-8 in the evening

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 10:45PM

Jamie Clarke made an astonishing Crucible debut by knocking out world number four Mark Allen, winning 10-8 in the first round of the Betfred World Championship.

Allen made five centuries, tying the record for a first round match at the Crucible, set 20 years ago by Ronnie O’Sullivan. But he couldn’t shake off a determined opponent and it was Clarke who finished the match strongly to book a second round meeting with Anthony McGill.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for Clarke, who lost his first nine matches this season and came into the last tournament needing to make it to the Crucible just to keep his professional status. The world number 89 won three matches to make it through the qualifying rounds and has now scored a career-best result against former Masters champion Allen. The 25-year-old from Llanelli is guaranteed £30,000, by far his biggest pay day.

Before the qualifiers started he spent a week practising with Noppon Saengkham in Sheffield and that has clearly paid dividends as both players scored shock victories today – Saengkham knocking out Shaun Murphy.

For Northern Ireland’s Allen it’s a desperately disappointing end to a season in which he has reached  seven semi-finals but failed to add to his tally of titles. He has reached just one Crucible quarter-final in his last nine appearances.

Allen led 5-4 after the first session this morning  and started strongly tonight with a break of 105. Clarke pinched the next by clearing from yellow to black, then compiled runs of 53 and 80 to lead 7-6 at the interval. Frame 14 came down to the colours and Clarke enjoyed a huge stroke of good fortune as  he fluked the brown and added blue and pink for 8-6.

A run of 59 gave Allen frame 15 and he led 44-0 in the next, only for Clarke to make a superb 74 clearance. Five-time ranking event winner Allen made a 76 to close to 9-8, but couldn’t gain a foothold in frame 18. Clarke’s run of 48 put him in control, and when he converted a long plant with five reds left, he was able to add 12 points which proved enough.

“Never in a million years could I have dreamed of this,” said the Welshman. “I went into the qualifiers without a lot of confidence, just hoping to win one match. After that I got on a roll. I am in shock at the moment. I went out there today to enjoy every minute and I was loving the experience.

“Mark was playing well and I was just trying to hang on to him, until the end when I had a chance to win. I will keep the same attitude in the next round and my belief is growing.”

Allen said: “For a debutant, Jamie played out of his skin. With no crowd there it was difficult to put him under pressure. I made too many mistakes on the safety side.”

This match was reminiscent of the Ronnie O’Sullivan defeat to David Gray in the first round at the Crucible in 2000. Ronnie made five centuries in that match and three more 50+ breaks, but was still beaten by 10-9 by David Gray who did’nt score a century all match. Ronnie has spoken about this match a few times, and said that this match was a real shock to the system because it was the first time that he was beaten whilst knowing that he had played really well. Allen won’t say that he played really well despite the 5 centuriesthis year . He looked very nervous towards the end, and made too many mistakes. Many saw him as a real contender for the title and I think this weighted him down. He’s not the best under the pressure of others’ expectations. His record in the Northern Ireland Open is indicative of that.

As for Jamie Clarke, what a performance! He struggled for the best part of his two years as a rookie professional. As David Grace put it on Facebook “‪Jamie Clarke lost the final match to turn pro 5 or 6 times before he finally got his Tour card, now he’s in the Last 16 at the Crucible!”. Take a bow Jamie. Stephen Hendry was in the commentary box for the second session and I can’t remember him getting so “involved” in a match he was commenting on before. You could sense that he was “living” it with Jamie. Not that he ever “took side”, he remained neutral but he was clearly excited by what he was witnessing.

Of the other matches, I didn’t see much.

Martin Gould built a 7-2 lead over Stephen Maguire (afternoon session)

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 06:42PM

Martin Gould rattled in four centuries as he took a 7-2 lead over Stephen Maguire in the first session of their Betfred World Championship clash.

The pair came into this tournament with contrasting fortunes so far this season, as Gould was in danger of tour relegation while Maguire was on a high having won the Tour Championship. But Gould came through the qualifying rounds to secure his pro status and is now playing with freedom and confidence.

After sharing the first two frames, the former German Masters champion reeled off five in a row with breaks of 103, 77, 103, 100 and 83. Maguire took frame eight on the colours but Gould finished the session on top with another run of 103.

He became the second player today – after Mark Allen – to make four centuries in a session. Both are within one of equalling Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record of five tons in a best-of-19 match at the Crucible, set in 2000 against David Gray.

Londoner Gould needs three more frames when they resume on Wednesday evening to reach the last 16 in Sheffield for the third time.

Mark Selby beat Jordan Brown by 10-6 (afternoon session)

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 06:35PM

Three-time World Champion Mark Selby saw off Crucible debutant Jordan Brown 10-6 to book his place in the second round of the Betfred World Championship.

World number seven Selby has picked up two ranking titles this season, winning both the English and Scottish Opens to become the first player to win two Home Nations Series titles in a single campaign.

The 17-time ranking event winner will now face Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in the second round. Saengkham recorded a shock 10-4 win over Shaun Murphy to reach the last 16. Selby will be hoping to progress and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since he last won the world title in 2017.

World number 73 Brown gave an impressive account of himself on his first trip to snooker’s Theatre of Dreams. Despite eventually succumbing to defeat, he can leave Sheffield in the knowledge that he has secured his professional status, which was under threat prior to last month’s qualifying event.

The tie was finely poised coming into this afternoon’s concluding session, with Selby holding a slender 5-4 advantage. Breaks of 50 and 65 saw Selby move 7-4 ahead in the early stages, but Antrim’s Brown refused to fade away. He claimed the next two frames to trail 7-6 at the mid-session.

When they returned, Selby claimed the next three on the bounce to clinch his 10-6 victory and a place in the second round.

“The first round is always the hardest to win. You are always really edgy and you don’t feel you are a part of the tournament until you get that out of the way,” said 37-year-old Selby. “It is very different this year. I still felt nervous at the start. That is just what the Crucible does to you. Whether there is a crowd or not, it is such a prestigious tournament, everyone wants to do well in it. You try that little bit harder than anywhere else.

“I suppose I was a little bit surprised that Noppon beat Shaun. There are no easy games anymore though. I’ve played Noppon a few times and he was fantastic. For the players, I don’t think it was that much of a shock. The viewers watching will obviously put it as a bigger one. Knowing how he can play, it doesn’t surprise me that much.

“I’ve been a bit in and out this season. I’ve had events back-to-back when I’ve not performed at all or looked like winning a tournament. I won two in quick succession and then I went back to not playing great again. That is down to how tough the standard is. Sometimes I haven’t played badly, I’ve just been beaten by the better player.”

For the little I saw, Mark Selby was well below his best, but of course, even then he’s always hard to beat.

Barry Hawkins leads Alex Ursenbacher by 7-2 (evening session)

Tuesday 4 Aug 2020 11:17PM

Barry Hawkins opened up a dominant 7-2 lead over Alexander Ursenbacher after the first session of their Betfred World Championship opening round clash.

Hawkins boasts one of the most impressive Crucible records in the sport over recent years. Since 2013, he’s reached a final, four semi-finals and a quarter-final at snooker’s Theatre of Dreams.

Ursenbacher came through qualifying with a thrilling 10-8 win over Andrew Higginson to become the first Swiss player to reach the final stages of the World Championship.

With his very first shot at the Crucible, Ursenbacher fired in a tremendous long red and made 54 from it, as he claimed the opening frame.

However, from there Hawkins took complete control of the tie. Breaks of 70, 56, 57, 62 and 65 saw the world number 15 pull clear of his opponent and establish a 7-2 advantage.

They will return to play to a conclusion on Wednesday afternoon from 1pm.

Today we have only two sessions as the tables are recovered ahead of the second round.

The morning session saw Ronnie conclude his match on a 10-1 score in no time at all. This is now the fastest match ever at the Crucible and you can read all about it here.

Other than that, the day offered two very interesting encounters.

Anthony McGill beat Jack Lisowski by 10-9. The deciding frame went to the last colours. They played both sessions yesterday.

Those are the reports by WST:

Morning session: Lisowski 4-5 McGill

Monday 3 Aug 2020 01:58PM

Anthony McGill secured a 5-4 lead over Jack Lisowski after the first session of their opening round Betfred World Championship meeting.

McGill is making his sixth consecutive Crucible appearance, dating back to his run to the quarter-finals whilst making his debut in 2015.

Having dropped out of the world’s top 16 in recent times, he needed to come through last week’s qualifying event at the English Institute of Sport. McGill showed tremendous form, dropping just two frames in beating Jak Jones and Sam Baird, 6-1 and 10-1 respectively.

Lisowski is competing at the Crucible as a member of the world’s top 16 for the second consecutive year, having climbed the rankings after a string of impressive runs. He reached the final of the Scottish Open earlier this season, but was denied a maiden ranking title by Mark Selby.

The pair shared the opening four frames this afternoon to head into the mid-session at 2-2. When they returned, breaks of 64 and 87 helped McGill on his way to three frames on the bounce to lead 5-2.

However, Lisowski ended the morning strongly. The Gloucestershire cueman fired in a century run of 107 and followed it up by taking the ninth frame to set up an intriguing final session. They will return to play to a conclusion at 7pm.

Evening session: Lisowski 9-10 McGill

Monday 3 Aug 2020 10:46PM

Anthony McGill’s sensational pot on the final blue in the deciding frame gave him a 10-9 victory over Jack Lisowski in an enthralling first round clash at the Betfred World Championship.

It was classic late night drama at the Crucible as the deciding frame came down to a long battle on the colours. Faced with a death-or-glory long blue, McGill drilled it into a top corner, though it rattled in the jaws for a split second before dropping. He added a simple pink to book a second round match with Mark Allen or Jamie Clarke.

“When I was standing behind the blue, it was horrible,” said world number 39 McGill. “I didn’t have a safety shot. I had to strike it nice and pure and hope it went in. I hit it sweet as a nut but then I wasn’t sure it it was going to drop, and when it did I was so happy.”

Earlier in the evening it was high quality snooker as the pair traded blows. Glasgow’s McGill made breaks of 65, 70, 67 and 51 as he extended his 5-4 overnight lead to 9-6, while Lisowski fired 90 and 84 in the two frames he won.

Gloucestershire’s Lisowski then rose to the challenge as he won three frames in 36 minutes with top runs of 65 and 102 to draw level at 9-9. Both players had chances in the decider and when they came to the blue there was just a point between them, McGill trailing 55-54 when he grasped his chance.

“I enjoyed the battle,” said the Scot. “It’s good to be in that arena in a tight match, pitting your wits against one of the top 16. I felt Jack was always on top when we were on the blue, I was just trying not to leave him a pot. I love it here. I was just praying I didn’t lose in the qualifiers because I feel when I get to the Crucible I have a chance of playing well.”

McGill reached the quarter-finals on his Crucible debut in 2015 and went on to win ranking titles in 2016 and 2017. He then had a dip in form and has slipped down the rankings, but the 29-year-old believes he is back on an upward trajectory.

“I took about five steps back a couple of years ago, my standard was really poor,” he added. “I’m getting a little bit better now, it takes time. Wins like tonight give me a big boost because I know I can come through a tight match if it happens again. It’s good for the belief.”

On the other table, three-time Crucible king Mark Selby came from 3-2 down to lead debutant Jordan Brown 5-4. Northern Ireland’s Brown had the better of the early stages and made a top break of 76 in taking three of the first five frames.

Selby made 50 and 119 to go 4-3 ahead. The eighth went Brown’s way but it was Selby who got the better of a scrappy last frame of the session to secure a slender overnight lead. They resume at 2.30pm on Tuesday.

That blue by McGill is probaby the one of the very best pot under pressure I’ve ever seen. It was a horrible shot, it would have been extremely difficult even in practice, without pressure. Under the circumstances it was extraordinary. Take a bow Ants! For Jack Lisowski and his fans it’s another heartbreak. Sure, he wasn’t outplayed this time, and he showed resilience coming back from 5-2 to 5-5 and from 9-6 to 9-9. But, truth to be said, he should never have been in those positions to start with. As usual, Jack potted a lot of incredible balls, but he also made some silly mistakes, missed some apparently routine balls. The day he cuts those mistakes out, he will be formidable. But will that day ever come?

The afternoon session saw Elliot Slessor coming back at Yan Bingtao. From 8-1 down, he managed to get back to 9-7. It was a brave display after yesterday’s disaster. But he left himself too much to do and, eventually, Yan got over the line.

Here is WST account:

Monday 3 Aug 2020 07:03PM

World number 16 Yan Bingtao staved off a brave Elliot Slessor fightback to win 10-7 in a tense first round clash at the Betfred World Championship.

It had looked set to be a straightforward afternoon for China’s 20-year-old Yan, who held a hefty 7-1 advantage after yesterday’s first session. However, Crucible debutant Slessor came charging back this afternoon and exerted heavy pressure on the Asian number two.

Yan eventually got over the line and is through to the last 16 of snooker’s biggest tournament for the first time, where he will meet defending champion Judd Trump.

Yan fired a break of 67 in today’s opener to extend his lead to 8-1. The next two were shared then Gateshead’s Slessor reduced his arrears to 9-3 at the interval with a sublime break of 123.

From that point world number 69 Slessor began work his way back towards contention. A gritty clearance of 40 helped him steal the first frame after the interval on the black. In a dramatic finish to the 14th frame, Yan inadvertently knocked the black in after potting what would have been a match ball green. Slessor cleared from green to pink to pull within four frames at 9-5. He then cranked up the heat further by taking the 15^th frame to make it 9-6.

A break of 57 saw Slessor make it 9-7 and spark genuine hopes of a remarkable fightback. However, a relieved Yan hauled himself over the line by taking a tightly contested 36-minute frame to win 10-7.

“I was getting a bit nervous near the end and I was very glad to win when I did,” said Riga Masters champion Yan. “If I had lost the last frame we would have had to come off at 9-8 and I did not want to come back later in the evening.”

Yan was asked about an incident in the 14th frame when he accidentally smashed a glass by knocking it to the floor. “It was a tight space with the chairs and the table,” he said. I was trying to step back and get out of Elliot’s way but I knocked the glass with my leg. After that I bumped into the table again so it’s lucky they hadn’t replaced the glass or I would have broken two.”

Meanwhile, tenth seed Shaun Murphy is in danger of a surprise defeat as he trails Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham 6-3.

In the last four years, Murphy has lost twice in the first round and twice in the second round, and if he is to avoid another early exit he’ll need to win seven of the last ten frames when they return on Tuesday morning.

Murphy, the 2005 World Champion, took the opening frame and looked set to add the second until he missed a red to a top corner on a break of 67. That proved a turning point as Saengkham cleared with 64 then took the next three frames with top runs of 67 and 59 to lead 4-1.

Breaks of 75 and 101 brought Murphy back to 4-3 but he then lost a 42-minute eighth frame as world number 42 Saengkham got the better of a safety exchange on the blue. And the last frame of the session went Saengkham’s way too, giving him a handy overnight advantage.

At the time of writing, things look ever more ominous for Murphy as he is now 3-8 down…

Also the Q-school got underway.

The way it’s done, it certainly offers no guarantee that the best players will get through. To illustrate that fact, here is what happened yesterday in the first round: Wu Yize who managed to beat Ashley Hugill and Robbie Williams during the World Qualifiers in July, was beaten by Julien Leclercq from Belgium. Not many of you will know Julien, but, believe me, he’s a very good player. Wu had breaks of 98 and 92, Julien had breaks of 71, 81 and 78. Both are young players with a real potential, one of them is out, whislt some others will get byes to round 3…