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

SHAUN MURPHY

v

DAVE HAROLD

Round One - Match 9

(Best of 19 frames)

Tuesday 22 April 19.00

Wednesday 23 April 14.30

 

Match Notes

Good evening and a warm welcome to the opening session of this match

The first chance falls to Stoke's Dave Harold who's pieced together 22 so far,  break ends at 31 and Murphy responds with 29 and now he's back at the table and already added another 37 and the frame is safe. Murphy leads 32-15 in the second, and this safety exchange will be crucial now with 6 reds left... and this is now a very long safety battle in this frame... Murphy's broken the deadlock now 30 up on the last red.. well here's a situation... Harold has knocked the brown in and in it going back on its spot it's snookered Murphy on the yellow, which he needs, much head scratching from Murphy before he takes brown as free ball and puts it safe but Harold can still win the frame, 26 behind on the yellow... Harold gets the yellow and now green and brown are safe and blue is not far off a cushion either... Harold takes the green, will he double this brown, no of course not, a solid safety shot... and still they're battling on the brown, Harold is 15 behind and Murphy's missed that long straight brown by a wide margin.. and he's knocked the blue into play... Harold gets the brown, the safety will resume on the blue... Harold takes a good long blue, the pink and black along the rail to level after that gruelling 45 minute frame... Harold makes 16 but leaves an opener for Murphy... Murphy is sporting a very snazzy stripes down his trousers tonight, and this is a snazzy break so far, onto 57 now and in prime position... Murphy has whistled through this break, 87 in a six minute frame... Murphy is beginning to go up through the gears now, a wonderful long red to the yellow pocket and he's already onto 24 but he's got a terrible bounce off the cushion and that's cost him position... Harold responds with 39 and Murphy counters again at this visit and his lead is 55-39 with 2 reds left... Murphy loses position, but a good safety to end that run of 39... he's 63-39 up on the last red... Murphy clears up to take the frame and a 3-1 interval lead.... Murphy is looking good on the resumption, he's on a break now... his break reaches 43 but the white's slipped away there a bit... he's got a 62 point after that run of 55,  lead but he's left Harold a chance which he doesn't take and Murphy stretches his lead to 4-1... Murphy attempting a maximum here, on 72 now... he's missed the red... he's livid and he hasn't won the frame yet either, he has now as Harold made 24 but sees that black bounce off the table, we've seen a few of those this week but Murphy eventually closes out the frame... he's off again in the next 37-4 ahead already... Murphy breaks down leading 45-4... now 62-28 with one red left... Harold escapes the snooker but leaves the red on, Murphy now leads 6-1 and now 7-1 after that 78... a rare miss by Murphy, he's broken down on 22 and left Dave a chance... and Harold's made 41 so far at this visit... the break ends at 48 but Harold leads 53-22 in the frame... Another chance for Harold to retrieve a frame, the last of the evening... not yet, Murphy gets the yellow and is 33 behind on the green, so Harold is favourite still for the frame...

This match concludes on Wednesday afternoon... Harold has a mountain to climb in this match, but we all know he'll fight it out to the very last shot... and Murphy has given Dave an early chance... he's made 29 so far but he's broken done on 30 and let Murphy to the table who doesn't add to his score and Dave has now moved 54-28 ahead with two reds left, both safe... but here's a chance for Murphy to clear up to pinch the frame... he gets back to 3 behind on the green, back to the tactical battle now... this is a long opening frame, they're on their third frame on the other table - but it is Ronnie of course! Harold's got the green... added blue to black and that's the frame won... this looks much better by Murphy, h's pieced together 29 already in the next... and no past 50... the frame is won now, Murphy can concentrate on a clearance, possible 136, there's the century... and it ends at 102, but that's 8-3 to Murphy now... Harold makes 19 but lets Murphy in and he's already motored onto 47, 70 now and that's the red he needed to secure the frame... Murphy's made a great attempt to compile a maximum to go out with a bang in this match, but he's missed on 73, Harold needs snookers now and he's not going to get them... Murphy marches into round two and will face Ali Carter...

FRAME SCORES

1. 74(44)-31

2. 65-68

3. 87(87)-16

4. 77(39)-39

5. 78(55)-13

6. 84(72)-24

7. 69-28

8. 78(78)-7

9. 32-72(48)

FRAME SCORES

10. 51-72

11. 102(102)-0

12. 73(72)-19

13. 74(73)-0

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FRAME SCORES

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

.

QUOTES