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

DING JUNHUI

v

STEPHEN HENDRY

Round Two - Match 18

(Best of 25 frames)

Friday 25 April 10.00

Friday 25 April 19.00

Saturday 26 April 14.30

 

Match Notes

Good morning and welcome to the first session of this mouth-watering tie... the first real scoring chance falls to Hendry... Hendry looks to be in prime form, the break moves on to 53 and all the reds are open and waiting for a big break... 75 and counting... the first frame is in the bag... and there's century number 715 for Hendry, a superb start... 124... Ding gets 13 but no position, that safety wasn't good enough, he's left Hendry a red, Hendry's falters, only 17 on the board, so another opening for Ding... only 17 from that effort, Ding leads 43-17 and now he's got his third chance of the frame as Hendry misses a long range red... another miss by Ding, only 13 scored, he has built up a 56-17 lead with 4 reds left... Ding has Hendry snookered here, hit and hope looks to have worked for Hendry, no, Ding finds a red and now he can close out a rather scrappy frame... I spoke too soon, he's left that red on the jaws, he's not at the party so far this morning... Hendry's at it now, he's missed a red, so Ding has a 34 point lead with two reds left, both safe... a foul from Hendry, a free ball for Ding and now he can clinch the frame, not without a struggle, Hendry needs a snooker... and the balls are nicely set for snooker... eventually Ding has the frame on the board... Ding has woken up in the third, only 14 so far but looking good, he will need to chip more reds out of the pack soon, they're covering each other... no he's still not quite on the mark, he's let that red slip by, no damage done except it let Hendry play a good safety shot... Ding's not the best of 10am starters, not many are, I remember over in Prestatyn a couple of seasons ago when he was in the qualifiers, his management were hauling him out of bed at 9.45, he nearly played in his pyjamas! Hendry gets a kick, and he's faced with a tough black to keep the break going, good shot with the rest, he moves on to 32.. Hendry's break ends at 61 but he's done enough now to secure the frame... a good long red by Ding and one good positional shot off a baulk colour and he'll be right amongst the reds, but he's only put 22 points on the board, and he's let Hendry in... there doesn't seem to be any spark from Ding yet this morning... at least he has the interval after this frame to get himself awake... that miss from Hendry has sprung Ding into action... but he's missed the black, he's just not at the races yet... and Hendry opens a 3-1 lead at the interval

Hendry is carving out an opening on the resumption, 31 but it's not easy to keep getting on a red yet... he's stuck on the back of the pack so end of break. Another chance for Hendry and that 34 gives him the frame and a 4-1 lead... Ding's trying hard to make something happen for him, but he can't get on a colour off that opening red, he's growing very frustrated... worse now Ding as Hendry flukes a red... there's no colours on at the moment... Ding's one in off and now the balls are in better positions if Hendry can slot home an opening red, he can.. the balls continue to fall in awkward places and Hendry can only make 15 and there's a cracking long red from Ding... he can't create position either... four reds lefts, Hendry leads 29-15... Ding's left a red over the pocket for Hendry... and Ding needs one snooker on the yellow, Hendry's done enough and leads 5-1 in this very low key encounter... you expect the match to spark into life at any minute, but it hasn't so far..

Hendry's got a red from Ding's break off, which hit the blue.. Hendry looks comfortable on this break, he's in perfect position and leads 39-0... this is more like it, frame safe, break moves on to 43... and the lead grows to 6-1, one more frame to come this morning... Ding has a decent opening in frame eight, he's opened up the reds... this is much better by Ding, onto 44... that pinks makes the frame safe... now Ding is flying, can he finish off with a century... no but that 80 break gives Ding a bit of a life line ahead of tonight's session...

Welcome back, this is the second of three sessions of this match... Ding will need to be quick out of the blocks tonight, to pull back the 6-2 deficit... Ding's left a red on for Hendry, from his break-off, but Hendry misses the target, gets safe though... Ding doesn't and Hendry has popped in 46 and is in prime position to make a big break... he's let that red slip on 57 and if Ding can get the pack open, he'll have a chance... he got the pack open but has missed the next red, a gift for Hendry and that's another frame on the board for the Scot... Hendry's gaining a lead in frame ten, 36-0 ahead on a run of 31, break ends at 49, he's played a good safety... Ding's pulled out a cracking red there and he's stuck the white tight up behind the brown... Hendry is a long way off with his first escape attempt... 4 attempts, 4 misses, this is getting expensive for Hendry, he's coming off four cushions, and gets them that time and perfectly safe... and after all that Ding plays a loose safety and Hendry smashes in a long red... and for no reason whatsoever Hendry misses the pink... Ding's got a red and trickled a tough green in... he's come back to 31-55 down... there are three reds left, two on the side rail, all the colours are in the open... Ding's right back in the frame now, 9 behind on the yellow... a fabulous shot by Hendry on the yellow, long pot, screwed back on the green and he's on the brown, he's 18 up, this blue with the rest will seal it... it doesn't drop... Hendry hit that bad, missed the blue and nearly ran the white in... they're still sparring on the blue... Hendry gets it, another frame on the board 8-2 ahead...

Bad safety from Ding, long red from Hendry... The 7 times champion is looking very good now and he's punishing Ding heavily for these errors... Hendry moves on to 51 and he's potting everything from everywhere now until then, when he went right across the ball and missed a sitter... Hendry's manufactured a cannon there to pot a red, which reminds me, you can watch live streaming of the EBOS billiards this weekend on GCS, live from Pontin's featuring the great Geet Sethi, eight times a world champion... Few people will know that Geet actually etched his name into snooker history, becoming the first player to compile an official 147 in an Amateur Championship... that was back in 1983 in the Indian Snooker championship... Hendry's missed a long red, there's enough left for Ding to win, and everything is in the open apart from the yellow.. every chance now, the yellow is gone, brown to black to pinch the frame... he's missed the black and left it... that's disaster, he'd done so well to get back in the frame, so it's 9-2 to Hendry and might knock the stuffing out of Ding.. Hendry continues to relentlessly pile on the points, he's opened the reds, one good shot from yellow and he'll be right in amongst them... he didn't get on a red, only 20... he hasn't had to wait long for another chance... which he doesn't convert... the lead is 53-8, 4 reds left... Ding's stuck a red up but the other three are all in a line on the top rail.. Hendry is eyeing up a 3 ball plant on them and he's got it, so that's going to be the frame winner... and now he's planted the last two along the rail... Ding concedes..

They return from the interval... good safety there by Ding... so good he's forced a foul and miss from Hendry... he'll get a warning now because he's not snookered. safe that time and now Hendry puts Ding in trouble, but he's got away with catching the middle pocket jaw... this is a very long safety exchange, now being conducted from the top cushion as reds are pushed up towards the baulk end... this is remarkable, twenty minutes into the frame, 3 reds potted, 10-11 ... Ding snookers Hendry and that's produced a chance for Ding... and a great effort here, 58 now and he's won the frame... Hendry's broken down early in the next and given Ding a good scoring chance... the break's going to end at 34 as he's stuck on the pack... given another chance Ding makes no mistake, he's pulled another back...

Hendry's gone off the boil a bit, he's given Ding another chance.. if Ding could get back to only 10-6 down overnight, we'll still have a match on tomorrow... he needs one more red, 62-19 up... he's missed it, the break ends at 62... a stunning red from Hendry, now can he dish up... yes he can, that's a body blow to Ding...

Hendy's gifted Ding a chance in the last frame of the evening... 24 and counting, he'll need to break the pack pretty soon... only 32 as he went for a long red... nothing easy on for Hendry... and now Hendry goes in off ... and now he's butchered a safety shot... time to chew the comfort blanket! Ding pots a good red to get started again... and he's taken these well and that's another frame for Ding to end the night's entertainment.

A warm welcome back to the Crucible... Hendry starts the proceedings with a brilliant long red... in no time at all Hendry is in prime position, onto 31... this is a fabulous break, onto 79, century is the next target, the frame is safe.. Hendry could set a new high break target here, he's on for a 146... without consulting my statistical records, I don't think there's ever been a 146 at the Crucible... not to be he gets a bad kick...

Ding gets a change in frame eighteen, possible his last chance... he's moved on to 51, still got reds in the open.. and that's a frame-winning 79... he hangs on in the match, but still a near impossible task for him.... Ding's first to the table in the next... but he's played that safety all wrong and left a red for Hendry... this looks like the end for Ding unless Hendry makes an error, he's on 47 d... he does make a mistake, missed that black... he is 47-18 ahead.. and Ding clears with 63 to pull another frame back, it's not over yet... Hendry now has a real chance to clinch the match, smoothly along to 51... 70 now and that's enough to take Hendry through to play Ryan Day in the quarter finals... Ding's still having a go, but it's a forlorn hope with only 59 left on the table... he's taken 23 and laid the snooker on the last red and there's the first foul from Hendry, Ding needed three snookers... Hendry slots the red he needs and Ding concedes.

FRAME SCORES

1. 0-128(124)

2. 71-26

3. 23-91(61)

4. 34-57

5. 0-73(39,34)

6. 20-53.

7. 0-116(84)

8. 80(80)-1

FRAME SCORES

9. 17-73(57)

10. 46-75

11. 56(56)-60(51)

12. 14-68

13. 108(93)-10

14. 128(94)-11

15. 62(62)-67(48)

16. 132(94)-7

FRAME SCORES

17. 0-112(112)

18. 79(79)-1

19. 81(63)-47(47)

20. 27-71(70)

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

STEPHEN HENDRY

QUOTES