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

MARK SELBY

v

MARK KING

Round One - Match 11

(Best of 19 frames)

Monday 21 April 14.30

Tuesday 22 April 10.00

 

Match Notes

Good afternoon, welcome back to the Crucible and sit back and enjoy the opening frames of this match as Mark Selby bids to go one better than last year...

Selby receives a rapturous welcome from the Crucible fans.. the first pot goes to King and he's laid a snooker and that now gives him the first scoring opening... the reds are well spread already but black and pink are covered at the moment... so only 19 points for King... King gets another opening, but he can't close out the frame although he's got a useful 48-0 lead... At last Selby pots his first ball and he can still nick this frame... 24 so far for Selby but a very hard last red... he's got it with extended rests and spider... this is a fabulous 55 clearance and Selby takes the first... It's level scores in frame two, only three reds left... Selby is at the table and it looks like he's going to pinch this frame as well if he can get an angle onto the last red... he can't so it's all on the last red now... King attempts to double the green and fails... and Selby snookers him leading by 4 points... King's got back to take green to pink to win the frame... this time it's Mark King's turn to come back from behind, Selby put 46 on the board but King is responding well, onto 23... King is one of five Essex players at the Crucible this year, an amazing achievement for one county. Essex has always had a strong amateur scene but at the moment it is Yorkshire and in particular Leeds, which dominates the English Amateur circuit... a good 60 by King but he's only 14 ahead with one red left... and there's still one red left and King is furious, he's left the red on, he swings his cue in frustration... not a wise thing to do in the confined space of the Crucible! Now it's Selby's turn to smack the table, he's got a terrible kick and that's ruined his position on the blue... so King has a one point lead on the blue, Selby has a bruised hand and King has nearly decapitated a member of the audience - it's all happening... both players will have to watch themselves though with the stringent code of conduct imposed on them... they could easily earn themselves a warning for any show of petulance.... Eiran is the referee and he won't stand any nonsense from anyone...ooh King nearly went in off there... King has left the blue on, the pink isn't on its spot but the black is over a  pocket... and Selby gets blue and pink... Selby gains a 35 point lead in the fourth until that green stuck to the jaw and refused to drop... King is right back in the frame, on a run of 44 now.. his breaks ends at 58 and Selby has snookered King on the blue... King's got blue and pink to level at the interval... Selby is pushing on in frame five, he's on a break now and leading 45-8 and he's taken the frame to regain the lead... King is cracking in some good balls in frame six... onto 41 now and despite the roars from the other table, he's won the frame and on 96 now, a century would be nice and even better he is still on for a maximum... but the last two reds are both on the side rail... 105, and he's got behind the red off the black, it's a left hander's shot but very hard down the rail... he's puffing and blowing a bit! a scream of anguish as the red stays out, what a shame.. anyway he's back level again... Selby is motoring along on 48 in the next and goes ahead again after that run of 76... King is set to level again, he's carved out a run of 55 and leads 56-0 but that missed pink could cost him... it doesn't and he's closed out the frame

Mark King has knocked the blue in off the break... the only time I've ever seen that before was when Rex Williams did it at the Rothmans at Reading one year... no damage done as Selby misses a mid range red on 21 and King's already made 44 in response, he's missed the black on 53 but what a fluked snooker he's got there... Selby survives and what a brilliant plant he's picked out now.. still a chance to retrieve this frame.. 57-27 behind with 4 reds left, all now open and now on the yellow and only 7 points behind now... this looks like a repeat of the first and third frames when Selby cleared up from behind... he didn't get on the blue so the break ends at 58 and he's two points ahead... King's not hit that safety very well and the blue is on and so is the pink, Selby takes a 5-4 lead overnight...

Good morning and welcome back to the conclusion of this nicely poised match... Selby's created the first chance and progressed to 33 so far, he breaks down on 41...

King is responding well again, as he has all match, onto 16, King's contribution ends at 43 but he's back at the table and clearing up to take the frame and level the match.

King's started well again in frame 11... he's moved along to 38 now, now 55 but position is getting harder and there are still 5 reds left... good shot from blue to the next red and this is all he needs... he's got it and should take the lead now... he does so King's taken the first two today, something for Selby to think about... more now if King can capitalise on this opening in frame twelve... King is going like a train this morning, this break is up to 37 and there are plenty of reds in the open... he's missed on 42, so a chance for Selby to counter-punch, that was more like a sucker punch as Selby missed his first attempted red ... King has gone 63 up with 59 on, he's lost position but Selby is in trouble now... Selby concedes and King has won all three this morning... at last a chance for Selby, but he's sat in his chair most of the morning so it's not easy... and he only makes 16 at that visit... King comes to the table with the chance to score and he's onto 26 already... and he's well on the way to winning all four frames to the interval.. and that excellent 63 break puts the frame safe, although Selby is playing on needing 4 snookers. It's unusual to carry on that far behind in the frame before an interval, Selby can spend time on the practice table in the break... Selby gets one snooker... but King eventually claims the frame...  a lot for Selby to worry about at the interval.

The players return, will that interval change the pattern of the match.. The safety exchanges are spreading the reds well so an error could be costly... King makes the error and Selby is carefully embarking on a break... the reds are well spread but black is tied up.. he's made 40 and leads 59-4 now but there are still seven reds on the table, so King could get back into the frame... King's missed a red by a mile and Selby slots a good red down the rail and he should win the frame now and he'll be extremely relieved... King is coming back to the table but he needs 4 snookers at the moment... so Selby leads 75-20 with two reds left... at last King does concede so Selby has a frame on the board today... that's given Selby a boost and he's on a break of 48 already in the next... 65 now and the frame is secure... it looks like Selby has weathered the early King storm... and there's a century for Selby, that's more like his form this season... Oh dear, Selby was motoring again in frame 16 but he's forgotten to pot that simple black off the spot and what a reprieve for Mark King... King has grabbed this chance really well, onto 53 now, one more red needed and what a turnaround this could be again... and onto 76 and the frame is safe, what a brilliant break by King... and a great century by King, a fabulous 116 clearance.... Selby makes 21 in the next but they're engaged on a safety exchange now... Selby has King in trouble on this safety, he's spent over a minute trying to sort out a good response.. it's worked out well because now he's found a good red to the centre pocket, these balls aren't well set for a break at the moment though... it's very tight and tense now... King lead 27-22, 3 reds left and this safety exchange could be crucial to the outcome of the match... Selby lays a snooker and King is in trouble on the last red... he's gone in off and the red is on, disaster for King. Selby leads 34-27 but the yellow is near a cushion so not plain sailing from here for Selby...  he's got the hard yellow so he's snatched the frame out of King's grasp unless King can get a snooker on the blue... he can't... Selby has put 23 on the board but he's mis hit that safety, a tough red on for King... the possibility of this match being pulled-off is looming... If Selby does level at 9-9 then the time will be over-running into the afternoon session. On the basis that Hawkins-Carter were pulled off, then this match would be also... but it might not happen as King is at the table... and now he's got a great chance to win the match... King is now 48-23 ahead with this 48 break and four reds left... three now and they're all open for King... just one red needed now... it's there and what a great victory this is for Mark King...

FRAME SCORES

1. 55(55)-48

2. 47-61.

3. 70-60(60)

4. 35-69(58)

5. 88-8

6. 0-112(112)

7. 76(76)-0

8. 18-80(55)

9. 70(58)-57(53)

FRAME SCORES

10. 42(41)-72(43)

11. 0-73(73)

12. 1-64(42)

13. 20-71(63)

14. 83(40)-20

15. 108(108)-4

16. 17-116(116)

17. 53-27

18. 23-71(71)

19. .

FRAME SCORES

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

.

QUOTES