2008 888.com World Championship

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Ladder - QUALIFYING RESULTS  - CRUCIBLE RESULTS  - INFORMATION - MATCH NOTES - PLAYER CUEFACTS

GALLERIES: No. 1 Preliminary Rounds - No. 2 Qualifying Rounds

JOHN HIGGINS

v

MATTHEW STEVENS

Round One - Match 1

(Best of 19 frames)

Saturday 19 April 10.00

Saturday 19 April 19.00

Match Notes

Good morning and a very warm welcome to a very chilly Sheffield...

There's a great welcome from a full house at the Crucible to greet both Stevens and the defending champion...

Matthew breaks off and the 2008 888.com World Championship is off and running...

Stevens smacks down the first red and lands nicely on the blue... Neither player will settle until they get a frame on the board

and this is a good chance for Stevens to put some early pressure on Higgins... His break has reached 24, it's not plain sailing yet and he's kept the break going with an excellent long red to the yellow pocket... but he loses ideal position and the break ends at 46... Stevens gets another good red and he's favourite to take the opener now..

John Higgins has got amongst the balls in frame two, onto 20 so far.. but his effort ends at 37... Another chance falls to the Scot... and he clinches the frame, so honours even and game on...Higgins is a long way off with an attempted long red to start frame 3... and another long range red misses its target...

but he's got away with it twice... Not this time as Stevens gets the opening red and he's nicely in amongst the reds now with the black on its spot, 32 and counting...

I hesitate to say at this early stage, but it's all blacks so far, and on to 72 now... this looks sets to be a match of the highest quality, it could quite easily have been the final, but it's a wonderful curtain raiser to this year's championship... on to 81, but there is one right tight on the rail near the blue pocket, which looks to be the obvious problem... there's the century and here comes the key shot, black to get on the last red... but the black stays out at pace - or does it, he's fluked it, that's got the crowd cheering... but the red stays out down the rail, great attempt. Higgins catches the pack too thin on his break off and Stevens slams down a long red to start frame four...

Only 18 this time and a good long red from Higgins but no position... here's another chance for Higgins now... he hasn't made much of that visit and the lead is only 34-23.. and another opening for Higgins... and he clinches the frame, so it's 2-2 at the interval..

The players are back in the arena and Higgins pounces on a safety error by Matthew... It's very early in the frame but these reds are very nicely open, as is the black... 32 now for Higgins and he's not averse to a 147 attempt, he's made five in tournaments... he's got a bit of a kick there and he can't stay on the black now, but on to 57 and looking to clinch the frame... and there's the red he needs and Higgins will lead for the first time... this is a brilliant break, can Higgins complete the century as he moves on to 83... no he can't he misses a red with the rest... An early 37 point lead for Higgins in frame six... and now his break passes 50 and he's opened a two frame lead...

at last a chance for Stevens, who's sat out the last two frames, but he's missed at 38 and left the balls on for Higgins... he loses position at 31 and has a two point lead with two reds left... it's still anyone's frame.. not now as Higgins gets the last red... so that's four on the spin for Higgins, from 2-1 down...

Higgins is gong up through the gears now, he's rattled along to70 in the next... the frame is safe, Higgins will try and complete the century here...

not to be as he missed a pink... The Scot is off and running again in the last frame of this morning's session and how happy he would be to take a 7-2 lead in tonight's final session... We had the pleasure of spending two weeks at John's home base, The Craigpark Masters in Glasgow recently and it was a privilege to watch the Champion preparing for his defence, and despite it being such a crucial time for him, he took a lot of time out to chat with the visiting European players, fans, families and to have practice session with some of the juniors, an experience they will never forget... The break has reached 40 and still plenty of open reds... that one slips away with the rest so a good 61 lead but there are still enough points for Stevens to come back into the frame... Higgins misses the thin edge of a red so a useful 4 points for Stevens, but the last five reds are all safe still... Higgins gets back in to mop up the frame and secure a 7-2 lead at the end of an excellent morning's work...

Join us again at 19.00 for the conclusion of this match and keep up to date with all the other matches with our LIVE NOTES

Good evening, welcome back... is there anything Matthew can do to erode John's lead tonight... Higgins immediately forces Stevens into a hard safety shot and that's left a red to the centre for the defending champion... a rare miss by Higgins as he leaves the black on the jaw having made 25... Matthew needs to make the most of every scrap that Higgins leaves him and if he can get a nice split on the reds, he'll have a good chance here... he can't and only makes 16... The Welshman gets another chance and he's done enough to win the frame... Stevens is back at the table in frame 11 and a good red from distance keeps this little break going... now he's scattered reds all over the place as the break moves up to 26... he's made 58 before pushing that red onto the far jaw of the middle pocket... no damage done and a bad miss by Higgins leaves reds on for Matthew... so Stevens wins the first two frames of the night, now only three behind and that will give John Higgins a little to think about now...

Stevens is on a roll at the moment, he's already opened the pack in frame 12, he's unlucky not to land on an easy red though... so only 16 and safe to the top cushion as there are reds down in baulk... Higgins leaves a red right in the jaws, it's not happening at all for him yet tonight... maybe this is the lifeline that Higgins needs as Stevens carelessly goes in off in the centre pocket from that red... Higgins only adds 17 and he's left Stevens an opening red... and that's all he gets... Higgins cracks in a great red but doesn't get position, second best though as he lays a snooker and every red is open, this is fraught with danger for Matthew... After a scrappy exchange Stevens gets a chance to increase his lead in the frame... and he leads 45-18 with two reds left... Have you ever thought being a professional snooker player would be your dream job? But then you wake up in the morning and you're job-hunting. Well look no further as GCS has teamed up with Spectrum Personnel who offer a wide range of jobs... just click on the banner at the top of the page to check through all the opportunities available... Stevens has potted a superb long red to the green pocket, it's hard to get on the last red, so he pushes a colour safe and leads 46-18 with one red left... Stevens gets it and he's won all three frames. Now he only trails 7-5 and it's a totally different match now... At last Higgins gets in amongst the reds, 41 now but he hasn't split the pack yet... he's still picking them off and the break reaches 67 with 75 left and Higgins gets the vital red and black to go 75 up with 67 left on, he's stopped Stevens charge at last... he will feel better at the interval...

The players return and now it's the run to the line... Higgins gets a red and he's taking on a touch long pink and it's in, good shot  and that's earned him a good opening now... Higgins has compiled 44 so far... and now the frame is safe, can he make a century? Yes he can, and he's just one frame from victory now... Stevens makes 24 in the next but can't keep the break going so a rare safety exchange develops... There's a stunning red by Stevens, he's having a go at everything now... a good snooker by Matthew forces an error from Higgins... Stevens falters on 29 and Higgins counters, 34 and counting... this looks like the end for Matthew now, Higgins is motoring again after that crisis earlier tonight... he's 56-29 ahead, 3 reds left... and he's moved on to 63, plumb on the red, it's all over bar the applause... and maybe another century.. and he does, a superb finale from Higgins...

FRAME SCORES

1. 0-81(46)

2. 125(37,88)-0

3. 0-112(112)

4. 67-23

5. 83(83)-0

6. 91(54)-0

7. 67-42

8. 85(85)-0

9. 77(60)-4

FRAME SCORES

10. 25-68(52)

11. 1-99(58,41)

12. 18-62

13. 75(75)-1

14. 124(120)-11

15. 103(103)-29

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FRAME SCORES

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

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QUOTES