Day 6 at the 2024 Masters at Alexandra Palace saw the conclusion of the quarter final stage and brought huge drama and excitement, as well as a second 147. It also saw the defending champion, Judd Trump, exit the tournament.

Here are the reports by WST:

CAPTAIN DOWNS THE JUDDERNAUT

Ali Carter earned his place in the semi-finals of the MrQ Masters, after sending defending champion Judd Trump packing by winning a thrilling encounter 6-5. 

Carter had looked destined for the exit himself when Trump had a chance at match ball at 5-4 ahead, he missed it and the Captain overhauled his opponent to score the sensational win. 
Victory sets up a semi-final showdown with either three-time Masters winner Mark Selby or 2018 winner Mark Allen, who contest this evening’s last quarter-final. 

World number ten Carter is gunning for his maiden Triple Crown title this weekend. He is a two-time Crucible finalist and made the title match here at the Masters in 2020, having been initially handed a place in the event due to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s withdrawal. In the end he was pipped by fellow Essex cueman Stuart Bingham 10-8.

Defeat ends Trump’s reign as champion. The Ace in the Pack lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy at Alexandra Palace 12 months ago after defeating Mark Williams 10-8 in the final. There will be no repeat in North London this year. 

Carter took an early 2-1 lead as breaks of 85 and 103 sandwiched a run of 80 from Trump. Frame four came down to the colours and Trump converted an excellent long pot on the yellow, setting up a clearance for 2-2.

After the interval, Carter regained the lead with a break of 71. In frame six, Trump trailed by 21 points when he missed a tricky pot on the final brown and his opponent capitalised for 4-2. Trump replied with a run of 129, then enjoyed a huge slice of fortune in frame eight as his attempted long pot on the final green missed its target, but he left Carter in a tough snooker behind the brown. That proved crucial as Trump later cleared for 4-4.

Carter attempted a risky red to a top corner when he trailed 8-30 and Trump punished him with 48 to go ahead for the first time. In frame ten, Trump was on the verge of victory, leading by 35 points when he over-cut an awkward pot on the penultimate red to a top corner. Carter fashioned an excellent clearance and pumped his fist as the scoreboard ticked to 5-5.

The final frame saw Carter crack in a red from long range and make a nerveless 64 to wrap up a famous victory

“It was a massive clearance in terms of where I was at in the match. To force a decider was really special,” said 44-year-old Carter.

“I I felt like I let my composure slip to go 5-4 behind. I couldn’t get my head together after that silly thing that happened with the green ball. To make the clearance (to go 5-5) was absolutely brilliant.

“To play Judd on a stage like that is a special win for me. I just want to get home and try to unwind, chill out then come back and do it all again tomorrow.

“Enjoying it and savouring the moment is all part of it. You don’t find yourself in the semi-final of a Triple Crown event every day. This is arguably over the World Championship for me with how big of an event it is. To be here come Saturday is really exciting. Hopefully I can convert and be here on Sunday.”

Trump said: “He played well throughout the game. I struggled. He should never have had that chance. It was terrible from me. I had two perfect chances to win the game and I am dissapointed, but I didn’t play well so I didn’t deserve to win.”

Actually Trump had the run of the balls for most of the match and it all culminated with this outrageous fluke. As himself admitted, Ali lost his composure after that.

MAXIMUM MAN ALLEN WINS EPIC

Mark Allen enjoyed a memorable evening at Alexandra Palace, making a 147 and winning a nerve-jangling decider to beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the quarter-finals of the MrQ Masters.

Allen pulled off a number of magnificent shots to keep his hopes of the perfect run alive in the third frame, including a difficult pink and black. After depositing the final ball the Alexandra Palace crowd were in raptures, with 2018 Masters champion Allen now trailing Selby 2-1.

However, that did little to turn the tide of the match and three-time Masters winner Selby took two on the bounce, making a break of 82 in the process, to move 4-1 ahead.  

Allen dug deep and breaks of 56 and 103 saw him claw his way back to 4-3 down. There was then a marathon 45-minute eighth which eventually went the way of the Northern Irishman, who restored parity at 4-4. He then made it five on the bounce, before Selby crafted 55 on the way to forcing a decider at 5-5.

It was 2022 UK Champion Allen who made the first significant contribution of the final frame, a run of 51, before missing a straightforward red and gifting Selby a path back. He edged his way into the frame, but missed a difficult final red to the top right. After a safety exchange, Allen stepped in and cleared with 23 to set up a semi-final showdown with Ali Carter.

This week’s run represents Allen’s first success at Alexandra Palace since beating Kyren Wilson in the 2018 title match. The Antrim cueman suffered first round defeats in all of his last five Masters appearances, until this week’s 6-5 win over John Higgins in the opening round. He’s now just two wins away from a third piece of Triple Crown silverware.

“It was a really strange game. The maximum probably didn’t deserve to be in that match, it was quite scrappy at times and there were a lot of balls missed. Pressure moments and turning points, but it was great for the crowd to experience that. The buzz that I got was something that I’ll never forget. There were hairs standing on the back of my neck.”

Mark Allen

Number Four Seed

Allen added: “I know it is going to sound so silly, but I genuinely wasn’t feeling the pressure in the last. I completely took my eye off the red on 51. That was unforgivable. It was one of two shots I played that match that I’d love to have back because I wasn’t ready for it. I felt really calm and to miss that I thought I’d lose 6-5. I potted some really good balls at the end.

“This is why I play. This is why we all play. You want to play in these big matches and big events in front of big crowds. Hopefully I can go out there, enjoy it and find some form.”

Here is Mark Allen 147, shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:

It’s quite remarkable that this is the 50th Masters and before this year there had been only three maximums at the event, all by non British players. This week we had two already, one by Ding in round one, his second at the event, and one by Allen yesterday evening. Both have been reffed by Desislava Bozhilova, lucky girl!

I also put some quotes of the winners in bold. It does confirm that what the top layers want is to play in big events, in front of big crowds in big cities. Ali goes as far as saying that the Masters is now bigger than the World Championship. The to players should be listen to, as they are the ones putting bums on seats and bringing the money in for everyone else. They didn’t get where they are by chance, they earned it, they had to work hard for it. They all started at the bottom.

Also, unsurprisingly, Shaun Murphy reacted to Ronnie’s complaints about the venue

…

Murphy, who faces O’Sullivan in the first of Saturday’s semi-finals (13:00 GMT) is looking to claim his second Masters title.

And while he says he can understand some of his 48-year-old opponent’s complaints, it would be better if they were directed to snooker’s authorities rather than the press.

“It is very difficult to follow an event such as the PDC World Championship and it be absolutely crystal clear,” said Murphy.

“There obviously is evidence of a fortnight-long party here, there is no getting away from that but it is an entertainment venue.

“It is an old building, one of our historical buildings that we are proud to visit. Sometimes you have to be careful for what you wish for because we have criticised venues in the past that we no longer go to. 

“I think the venue is very, very good. Could it be nicer backstage? Yes of course. Every venue could be nicer backstage. The arena in Swansea [that hosted the Snooker Shoot Out] was unbelievable, state-of-the-art and brand new but we are not suggesting taking the Masters there.

“If Ronnie has criticisms and things he would like to constructively push he should come through the correct channels and make his voice heard.”

Knowing Shaun, who is a member of the board and definitely not someone to criticise the authorities, this is – in my view – as close as it comes to an admission that, indeed, things could and should be better. He is right that, in a perfect world, those criticism should be addressed to the authorities but he also should ask himself why players go public instead. Here is an answer for him: when I was around the tour, there was a strong feeling, especially amongst the older players, that speaking to the authorities never translates into any change and is therefore a waste of time. I’m not sure that anything has changed in recent years.

Yesterday was the first day of the quarter finals at the 2024 Masters.

First up were Ronnie and Barry Hawkins. Both of them apeared to struggle and how Ronnie eventually managed to win by 6-3, I don’t know! It was a very poor standard for most of the match. More about that match here.

Now I have been at Ally Pally a few times and it’s a peculiar venue. The arena is built in the middle of a vast hall, with a very high ceiling. It’s an old building, with a lot of glasses. The hall is like a greenhouse. It isn’t easy to heat it and the atmosphere is often rather damp, and chilly, especially at the start of play. Later, with a lot of people at the venue, it is still damp – particularly if it rains outside and people come in with wet coats – but it becomes hotter.

Ronnie, who wasn’t feeling too well as he’s fighting a cold, wasn’t happy with the venue as reported by Shane McDermott for “Metro”

“Everywhere’s just dirty, it’s cold, I’m freezing. I have to sit here in my coat. Everywhere you go, you’re going through car parks, it’s bins. I don’t know if you’ve seen over there [media catering area] there’s leftover food and stuff and it makes me feel ill to be honest with you.

“I’m a bit of a clean freak. Coming here gives me the heebie jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here to be honest. I’m sorry, that’s just how I feel.”

The World Snooker Tour said: “We work alongside Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players on and off the table. All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue. Fans love coming here.

“This is underlined by record ticket sales and the fact that all standard admission seats sold out ahead of this year’s tournament.”

While an Alexandra Palace spokesperson added: “We love hosting the Masters and welcoming all the players and fans to the Palace. We work tirelessly to provide an arena and atmosphere that this great event deserves.

“We’ve been proud of the overwhelming positive feedback the venue has received in recent years, and it’s obviously disappointing that Ronnie feels differently. We hope we can change his mind and that he enjoys the rest of his tournament here.”

Having been there myself, I as mentioned above, and having spent hours in the media room, it is true that it can be uncomfortably cold at times and it’s definitely damp. There are a lot of insects inside the building, and often birds too. They leave droppings of course. So I can see Ronnie’s point. That said, it is also true that the personnel at the venue do their best to keep it clean. It isn’t easy with hundreds of people coming and going everywhere. And if there are leftovers in the media room… it’s often because of of the “media people” aren’t as tidy as you’d wish for. Waiters are coming and tidying all the time, during normal working hours at least.

Ronnie will play Shaun Murphy on Saturday, as Shaun beat Jack Lisowski by 6-3 yesterday evening (WST report)

Shaun Murphy produced a stunning performance to beat Jack Lisowski 6-3 and booked a mouth-watering semi-final meeting with Ronnie O’Sullivan in the MrQ Masters in London.

Murphy and O’Sullivan will cross cues on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace for the first time ever in the Masters. Indeed, it is five years since the pair last faced each other in any event on the World Snooker Tour.

Despite that, they have enjoyed a storied rivalry throughout their career. In 2017 they met in two major finals, with O’Sullivan becoming UK Champion and Murphy earning the Champion of Champions crown. Overall, the Rocket leads the head-to-head 13-3.

The Magician is gunning for a first Triple Crown title since he claimed his maiden Masters victory here at Alexandra Palace back in 2015. On that occasion he thrashed Neil Robertson 10-2 in the final to secure the title.

Defeat leaves Lisowski still seeking his first title on the professional circuit. The supremely talented Gloucester cueman has made six ranking finals but is yet to convert one to silverware. Last year at the Masters he scored wins over John Higgins and Hossein Vafaei to make the semis, but was whitewashed 6-0 against Mark Williams.

This evening’s tie looked to be another one-sided occasion when Murphy came flying out of the traps. A break of 75 gave him the opener and although Lisowski levelled with 74 in the second, he was soon placed on the back foot. Runs of 131, 76 and 123 helped him to four on the bounce and a 5-1 lead.

At that point Lisowski did summon a fightback charge and claimed the next two frames to remain in contention at 5-3.

The ninth came right down the final ball and eventually Murphy was left a treacherous shot with the black close to the top left cushion and the white in baulk. He deposited it and saluted the capacity crowd after sealing his place in the last four.

“I was nervous if I’m honest. I got to 5-1 and I didn’t want to blow the lead. I wanted to run across the line. I played so well to get to 5-1, good scoring and good shot making. I wanted to win with style and that didn’t happen. The more the match went on I started to get a little bit edgy. It is a while since I’ve been in this position in a key Triple Crown event. I was nervous and in the end, it was a wonder shot on the black that got me into the next round.”

Shaun Murphy

Number Seven Seed

Murphy added: “If you get intimidated by playing in a stage like that then unfortunately you are in the wrong business and you should seek other employment. That is what you search for as a snooker player. That is what we dream of.

“I’ve been coming here 20 years and Ronnie a lot longer. Our paths have never crossed. We’ve played pretty much everywhere else, including the Crucible and the UK Championship. We’ve played a lot of finals over the years. We have both had the wins over each other stretching over a long time. We like to entertain, I’m sure we will put a great show on and I hope I am the last man standing.”

I have abandoned any hope in Jack Lisowski. I like the guy, I really do, and I had high expectations when he started on the main Tour, but no more… and I wasn’t please to see Peter Ebdon in the crowd again. I’m totally unconvinced that he’s the type of person Jack needs in his corner.

Ronnie booked his place in the semi-finals at the 2024 Masters at Ally Pally this afternoon despite not playing well at all for most of the match. He beat Barry Hawkins by 6-3.

Here are the scores:

And the stats thanks to Kalacs

And this is the report by WST (for now):

HAWK: RONNIE WAS THERE FOR THE TAKING

Ronnie O’Sullivan stepped up his bid for an eighth MrQ Masters title by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019, scoring a 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins who was left frustrated by missed chances.

Hawkins looked the stronger player when he led 3-2, but failed to take opportunities in each of the next four frames, and paid the price as O’Sullivan booked a match with Shaun Murphy or Jack Lisowski on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace. 

“Ronnie was there for the taking,” admitted Hawkins. “I had plenty of chances but I didn’t take them. I kept losing control of the cue ball and making it difficult for myself. I wasn’t intimidated – I felt good – but I just kept missing or running out of position. It’s frustrating but I didn’t deserve to win.”  

World number one O’Sullivan, who won this event in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017, is through to the semi-finals for the 15th time. He is looking for his third title of the season having landed the Shanghai Masters in September and the MrQ UK Championship in December. 

“I must have gone through 25 cue actions then managed to find one that seemed to be ok,” O’Sullivan told BBC Sport. “I could pot a few balls and that settled me down. 

“I have played a lot and travelled a lot since September, and been backwards and forwards to China few times which takes it out of you at my age. I have had a cold for four weeks, and I lost my hearing for a while when I was in China. So I haven’t been well but I think everyone is the same – it’s January. 

“At the end I said ‘sorry’ to Barry because it was so bad. If I had played better than I’m sure he would have too and it would have been a good game. But it often seems that when I play badly, the other guy plays even worse. I didn’t feel pressure at all, maybe that’s why I played badly, you need to feel nerves to gee yourself up. Let’s see how it is on Saturday, it could be even worse. I need 12 pockets on the table instead of six.

“I’ll go Champneys and have a nice chill out tonight, have a massage and a pedicure, then come back on Saturday and hope for the best.”

And more quotes reported by Phil Haigh

By Ronnie:

‘I just feel sorry for Barry. He was playing good until he started playing me and I just dragged him down to the most awful standard of snooker,’ ‘So I’m really sorry about that today. I’m just lucky to get through.’ ‘I said sorry mate, I felt bad for him because if I’d have played alright, he’d have played alright,’ said the Rocket. ‘I’ve just got this ability that if I play bad they play even worse. Not everybody, some of the guys punish me, but it’s just how it is.’

By Barry:

‘I felt good going into the game today and I felt good out there,’ ‘For some reason your mind wanders a bit when you play Ronnie. I let him off the hook, I had enough chances. ‘Kept losing the white today, the cue ball wasn’t very good. I had plenty of chances, no complaints. It’s the way it goes.’ It’s just frustrating because normally all season you’d take them chances and win the frames, but when you don’t do it…it’s just frustrating‘

Here are the images shared on social media, by WST and by Ronnie himself

And some videos shared by ES on their YouTube Channel

This phase and the discussion in the studio once again illustrates the honesty of the snooker players in general. Here, Ronnie plays on the black – surely convinced it pots – then notices that it isn’t correctly spotted and asks Rob Spencer to re-spot it. Now it doesn’t seem to go and he’s got a problem…

The first round at the 2024 Masters concluded yesterday nights and this is what hapened on day 4 at Ally Pally as reported by WST:

Afternoon session

ALLEN ENDS SIX YEAR DROUGHT

Mark Allen won a match at Alexandra Palace for the first time since he lifted the trophy in 2018, coming from 3-1 down beat John Higgins 6-5 in the opening round of the MrQ Masters.

Fourth seed Allen won four frames in a row to lead 5-3, before being hauled back to 5-5. He had lost three matches 6-5 in the first round of this event since his 2018 triumph, but this time the Pistol came out on top thanks to a delightful break of 86 in the decider.

The 37-year-old Northern Irishman was Player of the Season in 2022/23 and picked up that momentum before Christmas, winning the Champion of Champions and the Shoot Out, so comes into 2024 with a winning mentality and determination to add to his silverware collection. Allen will face Mark Selby or Robert Milkins in the quarter-finals on Friday evening. 

Higgins was making an incredible 30th consecutive appearance in this event – a record –  and has lifted the trophy twice but has now lost in the first round on 15 occasions – also a record. It is hard to imagine the Masters without the Scottish legend in the field but he could face a battle to remain among the world’s top 16 as he currently sits 20th in the provisional end of season rankings. 

After sharing the first two frames, Higgins compiled breaks of 83 and 80 to go 3-1 ahead. He led 43-0 in frame five when he missed a mid-range red to a top corner, and that proved a turning point as Allen battled back to take it for 3-2.

The key moment of frame six was Higgins’ miss on the final brown when he trailed 53-54, allowing his opponent to level the match. Again in the seventh Higgins had chances, but a missed long red when he led 45-21 handed Allen the table for a run of 58 to take the lead.

Growing in confidence, Allen compiled the highest break of the match, 123, to go 5-3 up. Higgins then regained the initiative and made 58 and 61 to recover to 5-5. But he had only one half-chance at a red in the decider, missing it from distance. Allen converted an excellent pot to centre and that set up his winning break.

Allen said: “I was edgy all day but then 5-5 was the calmest I felt. I didn’t do a lot wrong from 5-3, so I had to regroup mentally and wait for a chance. For most of the match we both missed balls and made mistakes. I went to the practice room at the interval just to get the feel of balls going into pockets. John then had chances in the next two frames, it was important to get back to 3-3.  

“This was a big hurdle for me to get over, having lost all of my first round games since I won it. The positive I can take from today is how good I felt in the last frame.“

Higgins added: “From 3-1 up I didn’t capitalise on my chances. You don’t usually get that many chances against Mark. If you don’t commit to shots then it comes back to bite you. Every credit to Mark because he potted a great red to the middle in the last frame and showed his bottle.”

Evening session

JESTER SPOILS MILKMAN’S RETURN

Mark Selby scored just his second MrQ Masters match win in five years, thrashing Robert Milkins 6-1 to make the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace.

The Jester from Leicester is a three-time winner of the event, having lifted the famous Paul Hunter Trophy in 2008, 2010 and 2013. He was also runner-up in 2014, but the years which followed have seen Selby struggle in snooker’s biggest invitational tournament. He’s not been beyond the quarters in his last nine attempts. 

If four-time World Champion Selby is to make the semi-finals this year, he will have to get past last season’s Player of the Year Mark Allen. Selby and Allen could hardly be closer matched in the head-to-heads, which stand at 8-8 with eight of those encounters coming down to deciding frames. 

Defeat for Milkins means a disappointing return to the Masters stage. It was the first time he’d appeared at Alexandra Palace in nine years. He’s still seeking a first Masters match win, having lost against Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2014 and Neil Robertson in 2015. 

Selby controlled the opener this evening, before firing in a superb 119 to take the second. It was soon 3-0 after the 22-time ranking event winner made a frame winning 53 in the third.

Both players spurned straightforward reds in the next. Selby swiped the air with frustration after a disturbance from backstage during his shot and Milkins dropped his cue to the floor after failing to step in. Eventually Selby stepped up with 63 to make it 4-0 at the mid-session.

When play resumed Milkins showed a glimpse of what he can do with a fine 88 to reduce his arrears. However, Selby forced himself over the line with breaks of 70 and 74 to wrap up a one-sided victory.

“He’s not been here for nine years, so it is tough to come back into that dragon’s den. He had a good chance in the first frame after I missed an easy black. If he wins the frame there he settles and it is a totally different game. Thankfully he missed, I settled first and managed to kick on from then. “

Mark Selby

Number Five Seed

Selby added: “Mark (Allen) is a class act. He’s very similar to myself. He doesn’t give you too much, his safety game is very good and he scores as well as anyone when he’s on it. I’m expecting a really tough match.

“When you’ve been doing it for so long, you still feel nervous at the start and the end, in between you block it all out. It is easier to do that more than people who haven’t been doing it for that long. Me and Mark have been batting for years and years.”

SELBY ON ROUTINE VICTORY

John Higgins has a rather poor record at the Masters. for a player of his caliber. In the past, he said that, unlike most other top layers, he didn’t like the conference centre. For him, it was too big, and the crowd too boisterous. Maybe he feels the same about Alexandra palace. Mark Allen beat himyesterday, but wasn’t really convincing either.

Mark Selby, on the other hand, played extremely well. It probably helped him that his opponent struggled so much. Mark was never really put under pressure.

We had a dramatic afternoon yesterday at Alexandra Palace as Judd Trump beat Kyren Wilson in a deciding frame. Both layers dominated the match in spells of several frames. Kyren, I feel, was the better player overall but, of course only the final result matters.

TRUMP BEATS WILSON WITH LAST GASP CLEARANCE (WST report)

Defending champion Judd Trump narrowly avoided a first round exit at the MrQ Masters, making a tremendous clearance in the deciding frame to beat Kyren Wilson 6-5.

Wilson came from 5-3 down to 5-5 then had a golden opportunity to knock out the number one seed, but ran out of position in the decider on a break of 51. Trump rose to the occasion by clearing the table with 65 to set up a quarter-final with Ali Carter.

Trump first won this event in 2019 and doubled his tally of Masters crowns last year, and he rode his luck, beating Ryan Day 6-5 and Barry Hawkins 6-5 in the first two rounds as his opponents failed to take match-winning chances. It was a similar story today as he was well below his best, but found an extra gear when it mattered most. 

He has been the player of the season so far, winning three ranking titles in October, and is now looking to become only the seventh player to win the Masters on more than two occasions.  

Breaks of 65 and 76 gave Wilson the first two frames. Trump had a chance to take the third from 32-0 behind, but missed a difficult pot on the penultimate red on 58. Wilson punished him by converting a clever cross double to a centre pocket and clearing for 3-0. Runs of 52, 101 and 83 helped Trump battle back to 3-3.

Frames seven and eight both came down to the colours, and on both occasions Wilson botched a safety shot on the green, handing his opponent the chance to go 5-3 up. Wilson raised his hopes of a fight-back by coming from 35-4 down to win frame nine. In the tenth, Trump led 53-8 when he was unlucky to run out of position, and that proved costly as Wilson later converted a fantastic long red to a baulk corner to set up an excellent 58 clearance for 5-5. 

Wilson had first chance in the decider and made 51 before playing a loose positional shot then missing a tricky red to centre, which he had played a shot-to-nothing, but in fact left a narrow gap which allowed Trump to pot the same red. The Bristol cueman went on to clear the table to reach the quarter-finals of this event for the eighth time..

Trump said: “It was a strange match, it wasn’t the highest standard. I was fighting at 3-0 down. At 5-4 I played a bad positional shot and Kyren made an unbelievable clearance. Then he got control of the decider and I thought he would finish it off. I felt I was on my way home. He took a bit of a risk on the red he went for, but he was unlucky to leave the gap. 

“I felt nervy from the start and my cue ball control wasn’t good. Under pressure in the clearance at the end, I shortened my backswing, it was more of a ‘stab’ but that helped with my position. I felt I wasn’t going to miss unless I had a big twitch. 

“My game is good, I just wasn’t relaxed today and I struggled. At this event I just don’t want to go out in the first round. It was amazing to play in front of these fans.”

Wilson added: “In the last frame (on 51) I tried to play a soft cannon, maybe I should have played a different shot. Then I went for the red to middle and didn’t think I could leave it if I missed. Every credit to Judd, he made a great clearance and showed what a champion he is. I am gutted because this event is the future of snooker, I had my two boys here today and hopefully they learned a lot just by watching the game.” 

I would like to fully understand what Kyren means when he said that this event is the future of snooker. Yes, the Masters is a big celebration of the sport, with just one table and the best players in front of a big crowd, in a big city with outstanding media coverage. Yes, this is what any sport needs for its promotion, but it can’t be done with 128 players at the venue obviously and the young talents also need to be showcased. I know that I may sound like a broken record, but this could be done provided that WST walks away from the money list, and from a rigid ranking system altogether, and adopts a rating system that will provide the required flexibility.

The evening match went as I expected. The solid Barry Hawkins beat an erratic Neil Robertson

HAWK FENDS OFF ROBERTSON FIGHTBACK (WST report)

Barry Hawkins saw off stoic resistance from Neil Robertson to win 6-3 and book a MrQ Masters quarter-final showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan at Alexandra Palace. 

Victory hands Hawkins revenge for his 10-4 defeat at the hands of Australia’s Robertson in the 2022 Masters final. It sets up a repeat of the 2016 final with O’Sullivan, which he lost 10-1. 

The Londoner has enjoyed a brilliant campaign so far, having already registered silverware at the European Masters last August. Hawkins scored a brilliant 9-6 win over player of the season so far Judd Trump to capture the title and win ranking silverware for the first time since 2017. 

By contrast Robertson has endured one of his worst seasons in years and finds his place in the world’s top 16 under threat. He currently sits in 32nd position in the provisional end of season rankings. The 2010 World Champion hasn’t been past the last 32 in ranking competition so far this term. 

The opening frames this evening were fiercely contested and lasted over an hour, before the pair emerged level at 1-1. Hawkins halted the fragmented nature of the game in the third with a break of 96 to take the lead, before adding the fourth to make it 3-1 at the mid-session.

When play resumed world number 15 Hawkins made it 4-1, but at that point 23-time ranking event winner Robertson summoned a comeback charge. Back-to-back century runs of 117 and 110 saw him surge back into contention at 4-3.

However, that rally was soon snuffed out by the Hawk, who composed contributions of 69 and 57 to get himself over the line and into the last eight.

Hawkins said: “It didn’t come easily tonight and everything was a bit of a struggle. I tried my hardest and that is all you can do out there really. He responded well to make back-to-back centuries and go 4-3. It was important to win that next frame, I was pleased to get that one.

“The occasion out there and the crowd gets you bang up for it and gets you more focussed. I enjoy playing out there a bit more than other smaller events.

“It is going to be unbelievable. Any time you play Ronnie is a big occasion, but even more so in this place. It is going to be electric and I’m really looking forward to it.”

It’s been a trend all season for Robertson. He’s still making centuries but can’t win closer frames. The trip to Australia, and meeting his family, doesn’t seem to have changed anything when it comes to his game and his form.

Barry Hawkins is never easy to beat. Ronnie has a good record against him but he will really need to be on his game to win this one.