2008 888.com World Championship

READ ALL THE CUE SPORTS LATEST NEWS - JOIN THE GLOBAL CUE SPORTS FORUM

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

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

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN

v

MARK WILLIAMS

Round Two - Match 19

(Best of 25 frames)

Saturday 26 April 19.00

Sunday 27 April 19.00

Monday 28 April 14.30

 

Match Notes

Good evening welcome to the first session, of a possible three, of this second round match and what a match it promises to be as two twice former World champions go head to head... the Crucible is absolutely buzzing tonight as the players are introduced... a wonderful atmosphere... an early miss by Ronnie and an early chance falls to Mark... only 13 for the Welshman, but he plays a good safety shot and that earns him another opening red but he can't create a chance... Ronnie gets his first scoring chance so has made 44 already, leads 52-21... he misses a red, a good 61, he's 47 up with 43 on... Williams lays the snooker on the last red and Ronnie misses it, and leaves a free ball... so Williams is only 30 behind now, he can win the frame, Ronnie misses another snooker and leaves a free ball again... Williams still needs green to black to snatch the frame... he's got a kick on the blue, so a tough pink now, brilliant pink but he's not on the black... O'Sullivan gets the black, a dramatic way to start the match... Ronnie spurns his first chance and Williams has made 24 from the leave so far, onto 43 now and all the reds are open for him.. and the frame is secure... well maybe not,  he's missed the black so Ronnie will play on, he needs a snooker... this is the pattern of the first frame, in reverse, Ronnie gets a snooker, he's still 39 down on the last red... still Ronnie strives to get a snooker from which Mark can't escape... this one is hard... Williams escapes and now Ronnie concedes.

Into frame three, Ronnie's put 24 on the board but let Williams in with a good scoring chance... he's made 36, was going nicely and gets a terrible kick on the black which sends it off line and it's left the red for Ronnie... he's misjudged his position, given the table a thump with his cue and played a loose safety shot, no red left though.. 3 reds left, all on the baulk cushion, O'Sullivan leads by 4 points... Williams has gone in off and it's a gift for Ronnie... and he's 30 ahead on the green, which Williams pots, so he'll need one snooker off the blue... Ronnie flukes the pink so that gives him a 2-1 lead... Ronnie's made an error and given Mark an early chance in frame four... he misses a red on 13 but he hasn't left anything on for Ronnie... another chance for Williams and this time the reds are open.. nicely on to 35 and the lead is 48, still work to be done though, 7 reds still on... down goes the key red, 68 up, 67 left on but no position, so a good 55 but Ronnie will play for the snooker, this is a similar pattern to the earlier frames... not this time, Williams gets another red and it's 2-2 at the interval, interesting match so far, perhaps not quite what everyone expected... Roars from the crowd greet the players on their return to the arena... First red to Ronnie, he gets the pack open, good chance, very good actually, onto 50 now and in great position.. 73 and the frame is safe... this could be a big break now, there's the century... fabulous 140 total clearance and a new high break target for the event... From the sublime to the ridiculous as Ronnie misses a simple red and gives Williams an easy opening... he makes 29 before running out of position.. he's got another starter left by Ronnie... but there's a miss from the Welshman, he's got a 44 point lead but that might disappear quickly now and it has, Ronnie clears up... Mark Williams is trying to turn this visit into a decent chance, he needs to get some reds out of the pack... he's made 40 before missing a red to centre, he leads 60-6 with five reds still available... Williams looks to have thrown the frame away, he's missed a red and left them all on... and Ronnie clears with 59, that was a bad frame for the Welshman to let slip, he's fallen three behind now... O'Sullivan misses another long red, his long potting has been poor tonight... Williams is racing through this break, 54 now, 69 up 67 left... exhibition stuff now from Williams, an amazing plant... he's potting them from anywhere now... a glorious 88 to round off the evening's entertainment.

Good evening, welcome back to this exciting match, nicely poised with Ronnie leading 5-3... Can Williams close the gap or will the Rocket lift off tonight..

Excitement isn't the word for the atmosphere in the audience tonight, they're all fired up, let's hope the players are too... Ronnie caught his break off too thick and left a nice easy red over the middle for Williams... \ promising start for Williams, that cracking pot to the middle keeps him at the table, onto 30, he's knocked a couple out of the pack... he's got everything open now, on to 54 now... onto 64, out of position, there's still 67 on the table... Williams missed red for the frame and O'Sullivan can counter, but he's not on a colour, well not an easy one... he gets the pink but now isn't on a red, so he's 57 down with 59 on... good by Mark and that should be the frame safe and it is... Williams creates the opening scoring opportunity in frame ten, he'd love to claim this frame and level the match... he lost his position, break ends at 27.... O'Sullivan misses a long pot and leaves Williams an opening pot... he's made another 31 and now leads 58-13, four reds left and the frame will hinge on this safety exchange... Ronnie makes the error and so does Williams missing frame ball black... Ronnie's in and looking to clear up, green and blue are near side rails.. he's got the green, can he get on the blue... no problem and what a steal... he's reopened his two frame gap... an error by Ronnie gives Williams a very good scoring chance... the Welshman proceeds smoothly onto 68 and the frame is safe... he's made this break look effortless, a nice 76... Williams misses and Ronnie's already responded with 41 and plenty more on for him and the frame is secure, the break reaches 70 and there's the ton.. off they go to the interval now. Ronnie breaks off on their return and leaves a long red, which Williams pots but two visits later and he's only made 18... Ronnie is at the table, but he's lost position... he's back at the table pretty quickly from this chance could clinch the frame, 45-18 ahead... frame safe, Ronnie now moves three frames ahead.. Williams decides to play on, he needs three 4 pointers to tie, he's laid the first on the green and there's the first points for him... Ronnie gets the green, end of frame... Disaster for Williams in the next, he's gone in-off and left everything on for Ronnie, although the black is out of commission at the moment, that's not proved a handicap, he's 67-8 ahead now, 5 reds left... another frame for Ronnie, worrying times for Mark... but Ronnie has played a risky plant, scattered reds everywhere in the next and Williams is making hay at the moment, onto 48... and now on 75, that's one frame retrieved... and maybe another one here, O'Sullivan missed a black in good position, Williams has responded with 44 so far, it's a huge frame, either 10-6 or 9-7 and it will be 9-7 at the end of the session, a terrific effort by Williams to stay in the match with 81 and 73 to end the night's play.

Good afternoon, here we go then, the run to the line, the final session of this enthralling match. Ronnie has a two frame advantage so it's essential that Williams gets off to a good start this afternoon... perfect length with his first safety... Ronnie powers in the first red... and in no time at all he's put together 58 , onto 71, frame is safe... this look ominous for Mark now... a stunning long red from Ronnie from Mark's break off... he gets an horrendous kick on 60 but Williams misses and Ronnie strokes home the red he needed for the frame... Williams gets a tremendous red but he needs snookers... he doesn't get them it's now 11-7... There's a fabulous red by Williams to get the opening chance in frame nineteen, nicely onto 28, he'll need to move the pack soon... and he got it all wrong, just flicked the edge of the pack and went in off... O'Sullivan strokes in a long red and has made 44 already and leads 51-29 , onto 59, frame in the bag... he clears with 100... Ronnie's already got 147 on his mind in the next and he's only made 16 so far! 56 now and they're on... 72... 80... 96... 3 reds left... 104 and he's put the last two reds on, it's on now... 120 he's on the yellow... absolutely sublime snooker, 147, his ninth, and he's in the quarter finals...

FRAME SCORES

1. 75(61)-70

2. 32-71(65)

3. 72-48(36)

4. 0-86(55)

5. 140(140)-0

6. 81(81)-44

7. 65(59)-60(40)

8. 0-88(88)

FRAME SCORES

9. 7-65(64)

10. 61(48)-59

11. 0-81(76)

12. 102(102)-10

13. 65-32

14. 82(78)-5

15. 0-81(81)

16. 17-79(73)

FRAME SCORES

17. 71(71)-0

18. 62(60)-15

19. 107(100)-29

20. 147(147)-0

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

QUOTES