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

JOE SWAIL

v

LIANG WENBO

Round Two - Match 20

(Best of 25 frames)

Sunday 27 April 14.00

Monday 28 April 10.00

Monday 28 April 19.00

 

Match Notes

Good afternoon, welcome to the start of this match... both players knocked out Seeds to get through and will now be looking for a quarter final place...

Wenbo pots a scintillating long red to get the match underway, an encouraging start of 20 points, but no position for him so he runs for cover... Wenbo fires in another long red, it's hard to put this lad safe... his break has now reached 30 and that's a 50 point lead in the frame, now Joe needs a snooker, 5 reds on, but the lead is 73.

It's good to see referee Alain Chamberlain back in action today, Alan's been suffering with tendonitis in his shoulder and was confined to the marker's seat most of the week... Wenbo's scoring again in frame two, this break is up to 25 now and he's already 45 ahead.. another excellent break by Liang, the frame is safe... the break ends at 90, 2-0 to Wenbo, Joe hasn't potted a ball yet in the match... Wenbo misses a red and Joe pots his first red, to great applause... onto 23, he needs to nudge the pack open soon... Joe runs out of position having made 45... Joe's left Liang a chance off his safety... a let off, Wenbo misses that pink, he's 31-45 behind, Swail can win the frame with the open reds.. Swail misses the key red, only a shot away from the frame... he's 30 ahead, two reds on the table... Wenbo has a shot at the last red, a hard one down the rail, he's 22 behind still... he's got it, he's on the yellow now... and that's a great 39 clearance to take a 3-0 lead...Wenbo's left a red for Joe at the start of the fourth frame... Swail was going nicely until he missed that simple black on 37 and he's left all these reds on for Wenbo who starts with a great pot up into the green bag... he's let his position go astray so only 28 at that visit... they're onto the blue, it's all Swail needs but he's rattled it and it's left Wenbo a tough long blue... no that was asking too much, even of Wenbo, he's left it for Swail... he's got it and it's 3-1 at the interval... The Players are back, Wenbo is at the table... he misses on 20 and Swail has a chance now, but the reds are in little clusters at the moment, he's going to have to try and split four reds off the black, which he's done but he's covered the black so can only play safe.. hilarity now.. Wenbo doesn't realise he's fluked a red and sat down, Joe sends him back to the table, laughs all round... the Crucible crowd is taking Wenbo to its heart...  Joe isn't laughing any more as Wenbo piles on more points, he's 49-12 up now, two reds left... Wenbo leaves the last red sitting over the pocket, sadly for Joe, the black stands in the way, Joe is still laughing with Wenbo... Joe tries to go up and down the table to pot it, fails and concedes... Wenbo misses a red, Swail gets it but misses his colour so here's an opportunity for Wenbo, but he's stuck on a red trying to open them up... this time Wenbo's played a great shot off the blue to split the reds wide open, he's got a bundle on here now, he's still in good position, the break is up to 43, he's got a heavy contact on that black so end of break at 44, but he's 52-1 ahead and he's got back to the table, Swail needs a snooker now, 51 behind, 43 left on but that red puts the frame beyond doubt, Wenbo leads 5-1... he's well on his way to 6-2 if he keeps this break going, on 36 so far, now up to 64, two more reds in the open, the break ends at 78, more than enough to win the frame and give him a 6-1 lead.... Joe had a nice chance in frame eight, but he's missed the black off its spots, only 17 scored but at least he hasn't left a red on... Wenbo's unlucky, smashed into the reds off the blue but he's knocked a red as well, no they scattered nicely for Joe... and he's made 47 which secures the frame, so he trails 6-2 overnight

Good morning, we're into the second session of this very entertaining match... here's an early chance for Wenbo, he doesn't capitalise and a chance for Joe... he's 53-6 ahead and has enough open reds to clinch the frame and he does... First chance falls to Joe in frame ten... a good start for him this morning so far... he's missed a red, only 19 made... Wenbo gets back to the table, 23 so far, not the easiest of scoring chances... and only 31 scored at that visit... a difficult chance for Swail now, he adds 24 but leaves that red in the jaws... he leads 44-31 but not for long... there's one red left, Joe has a 48-39  lead... Wenbo's fluked the last red... he's on the green, brown is tucked on the rail, pink is near a cushion... the pink does prove the obstacle, Wenbo has a two point lead and after that long safety battle Wenbo gets the pink... Onto frame eleven and Wenbo has gone for a bizarre 4 ball plant which wasn't on, balls everywhere now... hard work so far for Joe, the balls are spread but black and pink are tied up... he's battled on to 45 now, 4 reds left, break ends at 46, he leads 47-6... Joe hangs on and that's another frame he's pulled back, but he's still three behind, he'd love to win this next one before the interval... Swail opens frame twelve with 19, but that reds stayed out... he gets another chance, Wenbo hasn't found his best form yet this morning... and this run of 38 takes Joe into a 57 point lead now... that 66 secures the frame, Joe will feel much better as they go off for their interval... Wenbo is going like a train on the resumption, he's already on a run of 55 but it ends at 56, he's missed a red... Joe can counter here, still 75 on, no reason why Swail can't clear up here, everything is in the open.. onto 39 now, needs a good shot to get on the yellow.. and after all that hard work he's left the black hanging, what a huge difference that could make, it's 8-5 to Wenbo now and it should have been only 7-6... Joe's brushed that off, he's dominating the next frame, 65 ahead now and that 71 keeps him in touch... Joe's missed a red, Wenbo can build on his early 22 point lead, but he misses a long red so a let off for Joe... now Wenbo has another chance... and now he's 66-16 ahead, needs one more red, he's got it and stretches his lead to 9-6, one more to play this morning... Swail has left Wenbo the opening chance in frame sixteen... oops - he's missed the black at pace and gone in off.. Joe attempts to turn this visit into a scoring chance, a good long red to the yellow pocket gets him into position... Joe's done brilliantly here to turn this into a frame-winner... he trails 9-7 ahead of tonight's session, it could have been worse...

A great start for Wenbo tonight, he's won the opener at a canter... Swail is going well in the next, 38 now and he really needs this frame so the gap doesn't grow any larger... onto 66, just one ball and the frame will be safe... he's forgotten his extension, and referee Alan Chamberlain lets him run off to fetch it... Joe is reunited with his extension and pots a green to leave Wenbo needing snookers, 69 ahead, 67 on the table... On to frame nineteen and Wenbo has won the safety battle and he's got a wonderful chance to make a telling contribution at this visit, 40 so far and it is a winning effort, the break is on to 84 and there's Wenbo's first Crucible century, brilliant break... There's a bad miss by Joe, right in the balls, simple black and there are reds all over the table... only 15 points for Joe... Wenbo has moved on to 60 and that reverse double on the red means Swail is now 60-15 behind with 51 left on... Wenbo drops a red down the rail and he's won the frame now... well not quite, he's gone in off, a billiard player would have been proud of that down the rail... Joe trails 68-19 with 2 reds left... this time it is beyond doubt, Wenbo fires in a red... so he's one frame from victory as they go to the interval.. On the return Joe has a good chance to build a lead, 37 so far, he needs to split the pack after this red... he's found a plant and moves on to 57... this is a great effort from Swail, onto 71, 67 left... and that's his first tournament ton of the season... superb, a 133 clearance.

Wenbo starts the next with a brilliant long red, he's on the pink, a couple of loose reds... he makes 31 but that red doesn't drop... there's a cracking shot by Swail, pots a red, clips the pack and screws back for position... he's battled on to 56 now, still 3 reds left but he's 25 ahead now... this is brilliant from Swail 105 clearance to stay in the match... Can Joe keep the fight back going? Wenbo gets a great long red to be first amongst the balls... he's crafted 37 so far , not much on unless he can move the reds... forced to play safe at 38, Wenbo takes the opportunity of putting the blue safe... another good safety by Wenbo puts Swail in trouble and Joe's gone in off... Wenbo misses the long red but he hasn't left anything easy... Wenbo wound up for a big red, and he's left it on... Joe's got right back into the frame, he leads by two with  one red left... oooh, it's wobbled along the cushion and hung on the pocket lip... he's got up to the blue, the pink stays out, Swail needs one snooker... and he's got a good snooker... Wenbo fails to escape, he's not left the pink on... Wenbo's left the pink on now... Joe gets pink and black and the match continues, Wenbo's celebration after potting the blue was premature... it's 12-11 what drama this is now... so into the 24th of a possible 25 frames... Swail goes in off and leaves Wenbo a red to centre... he's on to 22, one more open red... and he's missed it... Joe missed a tough red to the middle, Wenbo's got a nice red to the corner and held for the black and split the pack but only a hard red to the green pocket on and he hasn't got it... Liang's had a go at a thin cut, not got it and there's a red to the middle for Joe... Swail's pulled off a brilliant shot cueing over the whole pack, he's fighting so hard... he's still going, 43-34 ahead, 5 reds left, now the break reaches 58, 3 reds left, this is an unbelievable break... onto 66 but he's not on the red now... so Joe is 32 ahead, with 43 points left... and he's snookered Liang on both reds... he's escaped and got them safe... Wenbo's gone for a double and left it on... Joe is now 40 up with 35 on, Wenbo needs one snooker on the last red... he concedes.... and we're going to have a very dramatic decider... First red to Wenbo, another brilliant long red, he'll have to come back up from a baulk colour to get position... and he does, onto 26, the key shot will be the split on the pack.. it doesn't work out, 36 and a good safety shot.. well it looked like a good safety, Joe's found a brilliant long red out of the pack... only 18 but a very good safety shot, in fact he's got Wenbo snookered... he left a red but Joe's let it slip past the pocket... Wenbo's left that hard cut back sitting over the pocket... and now Swail has a real chance of compiling enough to clinch the match and another of his remarkable Crucible come backs... he's got a bad bounce off the cushion... missed a red with the rest, a chance for Wenbo... on to 22, 56-37 ahead, a horrible last red along the top rail faces him... he's got it but now the problem is the yellow, it's slightly off its spot and the pink is on the yellow spot covering it.. he's on it...  he's 27 ahead, Joe can only tie... he's missed it... it's right in the jaws but Joe is snookered, but if he hits it, he could  pot it... he's got it safe, left the white right in the jaws... if Joe gets these colours it will go to a re-spot... Joe's got a snooker and Wenbo has hit the black, it's all changed now... it's going back... he hits it direct second time, were those balls replaced correctly? Joe plays a poor safety.. Wenbo misses the long yellow and knocks the green in and he's left the yellow on... he's got it, he's on the green, brown is waiting... pink is near the green spot so pink to black looks to be the only issue left - I spoke too soon, he's missed the brown... Wenbo needs brown and blue... he's done it... he punches the air in delight... he's missed the pink, Swail needs two snookers... he's done it, he leaps in the air with delight, the Crucible crowd give both players a standing ovation and it's richly deserved...

FRAME SCORES

1. 0-104(84)

2. 0-110(90)

3. 61(45)-70(39)

4. 64-43

5. 12-60

6. 15-73(44)

7. 0-78(78)

8. 63(47)-1

FRAME SCORES

9. 94(71)-5

10. 52-60

11. 56-6

12. 85(66)-0

13. 61(61)-63(56)

14. 113(71)-0

15. 16-80(58)

16. 99(92)-9

FRAME SCORES

17. 15-84(51)

18. 69(65)-1

19. 1-131(123)

20. 19-74(60)

21. 133(133)-0

22. 105(105)-31

23. 63(44)-59(38)

24. 74(66)-34(34)

25. 53-79(36)

QUOTES

WINNER

.

QUOTES