2007 888.com World Championship

MATCH BY MATCH LIVE MATCH NOTES [CLICK ON MATCH FOR LIVE COMMENTARY, NEWS, QUOTES]

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STEPHEN LEE v MARK SELBY

Round One - Match 14 (Best of 19 frames)

...  Join us Tuesday evening at 19.00 BST for the start of this match... Two players capable of big breaks... but who will prevail... Stephen Lee is back after missing the China Open for family reasons... he assures all is well now but he may be short of match practice as his last major event was the Welsh Open and he lost his first match there, as defending champion, to Nigel Bond...

...well a slight delay at the start of the match as someone forgot to switch off the logo that is beamed across the match table, but a little laughter to relieve the tension... an early missed red by Selby, it'll take them a few shots to settle down... Selby has been spending time between major snooker events by competing up at some pool events, with considerable success... you can read about Mark's pool exploits on the GCS News pages... Lee's misjudged his safety shot and leaves a sitter for Selby... there wasn't much on for Mark so he's played safe after scoring just 14... it's hard to determine at the moment what sort of form the boys are in, but Lee, in particular, has found very good length with his safety shots... but he's pushed a red out with that shot  and gets away with it as Selby hits it too thin... so Lee gets his first chance and the red safely disappears... well he's made 15 but he's played a poor shot to leave himself cueing over a red and in fact he's fouled... that gives Lee another chance... and he's motoring here, up to 29 but he'll stall now with the last three reds on the top cushion... a great pot to take the red along the rail, as we'd expect Lee is cueing well... he plays safe with a break of 36 under his belt and leads 51-28... Both reds are on cushion and black, brown, green and blue are all in a huddle near the green pocket... Lee's dug one of the reds out and deposited it in a pocket and now he's added the black he leads by 31 on the last red... and he's potted another good red along the rail... it will be 1-0 to Lee now...

... A missed red by Selby gives Lee a red right at the start of frame two... he's mis-cued on the black but Selby misses a red to middle so no damage done for Lee... and he's spotted a plant and landed plumb on the black, we'll see how confident Lee is tonight by whether he picks off loose reds or attempts to split the pack early, his usual game is to take out the open balls first... he's split them that time and very nicely, off the blue... he got a kick on the next red but a nice long blue takes the break to 26 and keeps him at the table... Lee takes times out to wipe his hands... it's very hot under the tv lights over the table.. but his break is now up to 54 and he's looking very good in the balls... better than that as he makes a century... this will ring alarm balls with Mark Selby... a fabulous 126 from Lee, silky smooth and marvellous to watch... that really was a sizzling break to add to our Sizzling Snooker Thermometer...

... into frame three and after a couple of excellent length safeties Lee creates a chance for himself... but he's fluffed it this time and now Mark Selby can counter-attack... but he's missed the red to the centre pocket... that's a bad miss for Selby, not least because he's back in his chair, sitting out... it's catching Lee has missed a sitter now... At last Selby pots a ball, he's been sat out for more than half an hour... it's only the red though as he's got no position... they're exchanging safety shots and a couple of fouls, Selby hasn't settled yet... and a huge roar goes up from the next table as Joe Swail adds to the century count... Lee's broken the deadlock with a red in the jaws and he's got the white out and can build another break... and he's doing nicely so far as he leads 54-5... and a break of 64 gives him a 3-0 lead...

... Lee's broken off in frame four, he'd love to win this and lead 4-0, and Selby will be glad when the breaks comes so he can get to the practice table and regroup... Lee has taken he first red and he's immediately split the pack, a sign of his growing confidence... and already the break has reached 50 with a succession of little nudges to bring balls into play... a good positional shot off the green to get behind the red he needs for the frame... in goes the red and the break goes to 67 and there's only 59 left... the breaks ends at 67... Selby's come back to the table... he'll try and take 3 reds with blacks and then leave the snooker off the last red... as he lost position he's laid the snooker with two reds left... Lee's escaped that so Selby takes one more red and black... he's now got the snooker and Lee has missed it, so the score is now 67-28 with the last red... Lee's rifled in the yellow and that puts the frame beyond doubt now...

... the interval is over and Selby will be very anxious to get himself into the match very quickly now... first he must find a way out of an excellent snooker laid by Lee... a nice escape into the pack... Lee's found a red though, very hard cueing over the pack, but it's safely into a centre pocket... Lee is cueing so well tonight, his cue action is like pure silk... and the break reaches 62 but he's left himself very awkward here, bridging over reds with spider and extension but in it goes... and it's 5-0...

...a couple of good safety shots from Selby will make him feel a bit better, but what he really wants is a nice easy opening to get some points on the board... and at last he's found a red, now what can he do... not much, but we're going to have a re-rack as they got bogged down... well again Selby has a chance in the re-started frame... he's made 22 and run for safety, he'll feel a little better after making some hard shots... and Lee has hit a bad safety so Selby is straight back to the table... and at last Selby has made a telling contribution and he's going to put his first frame on the board... the break ends at 51 but he's in the match now...

... Lee's first in as we move along to the seventh frame... but he's missed the black, well the black seemed in but obvious didn't like the dark of the pocket and hopped out again... so Selby can take over and make some more inroads into the score... and he is, he's rattled along to 56 and has got a 60 point lead now... and there's another frame for Selby... Lee now needs to win another frame, he'll feel some of his evening's work has been wasted it he doesn't retain a good lead overnight... we've really got a match on now, Selby does look in good form, now he's had a bit of time at the table to prove it and he can score as heavily as Lee... the spectators could be in for a real treat...

... Selby's smacked a red in and he's looking confident now.. should he win this frame, then the last of the night will be so important as it could be 5-4 or 6-3 and now Selby feels the better of the two players although Lee still leads 5-2... Selby's played a fabulous positional shot, right round the table to get on the one red behind the pack... he's beginning to assert himself as the break goes to 32... the shots that Selby missed earlier in the match are going in with ease now... a good red to centre keeps the break going, at 41... but he's lost position at 48... over on the other table Mark Williams and Joe Swail are now locked at 9-9, who will win the decider? Lee has his first chance for a couple of frames, can he get back into this frame and stop Selby's momentum... he's rattled up 39 in very quick time, he's got one easy red and one down on the baulk cushion... Lee's butchered his position shot from the penultimate red, he's hanging his head, he's not on a colour although he could lay a nasty snooker on the last red.. he's only 8 points behind now... So Selby is snookered on the last red and the score is 48-40 in Selby's favour... a good escape, will Lee be tempted by the long red... he was and it's stayed out and gone over the other pocket... Selby is favourite now to close to 5-3 down... he's not got nicely on the yellow...  he's taken it on, missed it and got it safe... Selby leads by 15 now on the yellow... and Joe Swail has completed an epic victory over Mark Williams and yet another seed fails to progress... five of the top sixteen out now... uproar from the adjoining table as the audience hail the very popular Joe Swail... we're still on the yellow but Selby has forced a foul and miss from Lee and his lead stretches to 19 points... and 4 more points for Selby... Lee must hit it this time, he has but it's stuck on the pocket... green is frame ball for Selby... and it's in... Lee is playing for snookers on the brown, he's 28 behind, he's laid a couple but Selby has escaped so far... another good shot from Lee, it's not too difficult to hit, which Selby does... Lee's opted to pot brown so he's 24 down on the blue, which he's also potted so now he's 19 behind on the pink, one snooker to tie... Selby's got the pink near the jaws, but Lee's kept it out but no snooker yet on the pink... there is now but Selby's laid it... Lee fails to escape and concedes...

... An in-of by Selby gives Lee the opening at the start of the last frame of the session but the balls aren't set nicely so just 8 points and a safety shot... Selby's made himself an opening, he faces the same problem that the black is out of the game at the moment so he can only score from blue or pink... he's missed a red, but he had left himself cueing over two balls... Lee hasn't punished him, it's getting scrappy now, the balls are spread but not into nice positions... just 14 for Selby there before he's forced to play safe again, he leads 27-13... Selby's added more to his total and leads 47-13 but he's missed a dolly pink to the middle... Lee breathes again as that was frame ball... there's one red left... Lee's left it over the pocket and that's frame to Selby, he just trials by one frame and they resume Wednesday afternoon at 14.00BST... Join us again...

Good afternoon, welcome back to the Crucible Theatre as we resume this close match... Mark Selby recovered from a dreadful start last night and now this match is anyone's for the taking... Lee's attempted a red to the green pocket, it stays out but he's played it in such as a way as to cover it... Selby's taking on a red with rest, extension and at full stretch, he's got it and has carved out an opening for himself and he seeks to level the match at 5-5... Selby's progressed nicely to 25 and apart from the pink, which has gone done to cuddle the yellow, all the colours are available... well what happened there... he's tried to hit a red very thin for safety and missed it completely... the break ends at 52... Lee has chosen to play the hard safety himself, he may regret that as he gets a double kiss... that's left Selby a red and he's got a 51 point lead now with 4 reds left... and a clever shot from Selby, he's chosen to play a red as if snookered, up and down the table to clip it in the middle and that's the frame winner for Selby...

... and Selby carries straight on in frame eleven, finding a red in the pack to get started... the break ends at 35, he's missed one down the rail and the red rattled and didn't drop... Lee's dropped Selby into a snooker, not to hard to hit and Selby's pleased to get it reasonably safe... Lee's missed a yellow down to the yellow pocket, no damage for Selby and in fact there's a mid-range red for him to try with the rest... that's gone across the jaw, maybe a kick... Lee's picked out a red to centre and he's nicely on the black... which he misses, trying to hit it very hard to force an angle... Selby's back in, but the reds need splitting and the black is out of the game... Selby's keeping this going well, onto 31 and now leads 66-1, that's the lead in the match for Selby for the first time... he's potting everything now and making it look easy, a great start to the afternoon for the Leicester man...

... Selby's missed an open red to the corner... he's left it tight along the cushion for Lee, not too hard as it's close to the pocket, and the black is waiting.. well there's a surprise, Lee turns down the pot and plays safe... and with the position of the balls now we could have a re-rack and we do... we'll start the frame over again... we've got a repeat of the first start as Selby takes on long red to the top corner and it stays out... one possible red for Lee but it's tight, strange that he's thinking about taking this on when he refused a red a couple of minutes ago... and there's a red in baulk he's chosen to take that on... and he's left it sitting over the yellow pocket... Selby's opened a 62-20 lead and Lee's played a poor safety there, just this red and Lee will need snookers... but that one doesn't drop for Selby... however he's found the red he needs and now leads 7-5..

... Selby's marching on, he's opened at 56-12 lead in frame thirteen... there are two reds left and Lee is desperately trying to find a way to retrieve this frame... and he may do, Lee's forced a miss from Selby and there's a free ball for Lee, just 31 the deficit now on the last red... well Lee's totally messed that up and has offered his cue to the audience to see if they can do better... but Selby certainly can and he's taken an 8-5 lead at the interval, he's won all four frames today...

... they go off for a much needed interval, a chance for Lee to gather his thought... while Selby would have rather not had the break now...

... The players return to the arena... Lee must win this frame to have any realistic chance in the match now and he's started with a good red to the green pocket... and another great red but how unlucky for Lee as the white flies into the green pocket... maybe it's just not his day... Lee's got 24 points on the board now but he's left an opening for Selby... he can't gain position and Lee can't pot the next red, so a little scrappy at the moment... This could break the stalemate as Selby's put him in a tight snooker and all the reds are open... and Lee hasn't escaped... and so another opening for Selby... this time he falters and Lee is gratefully adding to his score, one more red and colour and he's got his first frame of the day... he's done it... there's still plenty to play for in this match at 8-6... that's broken eight frames in succession for Selby...

... the first red eludes Lee, he hasn't left anything for Selby to go at... and he's sent the red down to the baulk end which complicates the safety... not for long as Selby finds a red and he's put 32 together so far... and a good long red to keep it going...  he's moved the break along to 48 but given himself awkward cueing by landing right on top of a red... this makes the pot and cue ball control difficult... he's played that well and is 64 ahead now, just one more red to lead 9-6... down it goes, this is superb from Selby...

... Lee breaks off and he now has to win every frame to stay in the match... a very tall order... Selby accumulates 11 points and runs for safety... a foul from Selby as he fails to roll up to a red, but there's no advantage to Lee.. there is now and he's back at the table but he's tried to sneak a red in that looked very tight... no damage done though... Lee leads 24-11... Selby's cracked in a red and the rest of the reds are all open for him... this is a match-clinching opening for him... Selby's moved ahead now in the frame... 40-24 and the break reaches 29... Lee stands on the verge of defeat after Selby's remarkable recovery... but he's missed the blue on 36... he's close but not quite there yet... Selby leads 47-24, he's left nothing for Lee as the white is touching the red... there are 3 reds left... Lee's got it safe and he's clinging on in this match by his fingertips, one error now and he's out... Lee's not going down without a fight, a brilliant red... and he's pulled a frame back, but he's still 9-7 down...

... Now Selby has the first chance in frame seventeen... can he make something of this and can he hold his nerve.... so far so good, he's made 30, he will need to nudge some reds open soon... Selby appears to be pulling faces but actually he's communicating with Michael Holt on the adjoining table who was asking what the score was... meanwhile Michael Holt is going through his full repertoire of facial agonies... Selby's broken down on a 41 point lead... only a safety for Lee at the moment... Another chance for Selby as Lee's safety pushes a red over a pocket... six reds left, can he add to his 45 point lead... up to 51 points now and down to five reds... red and black will put him 59 up with 59 on.... the winning line is clearly in sight... but he's played for blue so he'll need another red now... he's got it and he's won.... Lee concedes

FRAME SCORES

1. 76(36)-28

2. 126(126)-0

3. 80(64)-5

4. 76(67)-36

5. 71(71)-0

6. 0-73(51)

7. 1-89(84)

8. 49(40)-74(48)

9. 13-47

WINNER

FRAME SCORES

10. 10-67(52)

11. 5-91(35,56)

12. 20-63(57)

13. 37-61(32)

14. 79(55)-26

15. 0-73(73)

16. 55(31)-47(36)

17. 0-58(41)

18.

19.

QUOTES

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