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

ALI CARTER

Round Two - Match 21

(Best of 25 frames)

Friday 25 April 14.30

Saturday 26 April 10.00

Saturday 26 April 19.00

 

Match Notes

Good afternoon, don't blink, this promises to be a feast of potting from these two young stars...

The first chance to settle into the match falls to Ali Carter after Murphy tried a plant which wasn't on, smoothly onto 50 and plenty on here for a big break, the first frame is in the bag for Carter and still going well on 89, unlucky he goes in off on 97 so no century...

Here's the first scoring chance for Murphy, who is not wearing his dancing trousers today! I wonder if there's some obscure dress code rule that dictates that you can't play looking like you've just come off the set of Come Dancing! Murphy loses position and plays safe with 21 on the board... Murphy's created another opening but only moves 37-0 ahead... and he's let Carter in... 24 from that visit.. Carter gets a a fluke, two reds in the same shot, and he was playing safe! but he's played a terrible positional shot... a good red, if he can get on the yellow off the blue, he can clear up... perfect... he's gone all round the table but he's got the clearance.

Murphy's powering along in the third, 44 already but it ends at 49... and he's given the chance to Ali.. on to 35, 15 behind, 3 reds to go... 44 and he's played safe on the last red... in fact he's snookered Murphy who fails with his attempted swerve... Murphy weathers the storm and he's cleared the colour to take the frame... Carter's put together 33 so far in frame four and in decent position.. break ends at 65 and he leads 65-13 and that's enough to lead 3-1 at the interval..

Carter obviously enjoyed the interval, he's embarking on a break in frame five... he breaks down on 24 and he's left the chance for Shaun, who turns it straight back and that 36 is enough for the frame for Carter... Carter's opened a 33-5 lead in frame six, but he's let Murphy back to the table... and he's made 41 so far... break ends at 53, he's 64-33 up on the green, which he's left on for Carter but Carter leaves the brown on and concedes... Ali is going well in frame seven, and helped there by a fluke he's now 38 up ... they're embroiled on a safety battle now, Carter leads 45-0, Murphy is desperate to get back into this frame, he doesn't want to slip further behind in the match.. that red by Ali gives him the chance to lay up tight behind the black which is giving Murphy a problem, all the reds are wide open.. and that gives Carter the opening he needed to go on and win the frame and he's 5-2 up now... Carter is going great guns in the last of the afternoon, 31 with that pink and in good position... on to 61 and still looking good.. he's got this one in the bag, can he round off in style with a century... yes he can, brilliant performance by Ali this afternoon, Good morning, welcome back, this is the second the three sessions on this match... First blood to Murphy and he needs a good start today to recover from 6-2 down.. he's got a lot of work to do here, only one open red left, he's on 32 though and if he can split the pack open he'll have a great chance, the break ends at 38 and now Carter has a chance, a few reds open now but the pink has gone to the side cushion... Carter takes a narrow five point lead and the last red is safe... it's very tight, Ali is two points up now on the green... now 14 up on the pink... this is the longest frame of the match... so Carter goes 7-2 ahead, what a big frame that was,,,

Ali has created an opening in frame ten, the reds are beautifully spread... 27 on the board already... the frame is safe now he's pieced together 67...

An error from Carter and now here's a chance for Murphy to put a break together... this is much better from Shaun, 54 now, he's 58-20 ahead... four reds still on the table... he misses the red on 60 and it was frame ball... Shaun leads 65-20 with three reds left, he needs just one of them.. Carter gets a red but no colour so Murphy wins the frame... Carter is back in the groove in frame twelve, on 56 at the moment... Carter misses the red for the frame on 64.. Murphy will try and mount a comeback here, he's made 30, needs the last red and the colours, the pink is on the side rail... he's made 52 and now it's all about the safety exchange on the pink... Murphy is very unlucky, potted the pink but went in off. Carter takes a 9-3 lead into the interval.

Back they come, reds scattered all round the table and Carter has declared a foul on himself, very sporting and he's handed a great opening to Murphy... he's fluffed that with that miscue, so Carter gets a reward for his honesty, another chance... and Carter makes the most of it, 64-7 ahead, on a run of 60, one more red needed and that run of 94 he's gone 10-3 ahead now... the tactical exchanges are resolved in Carter's favour, he's moved 39-13 ahead in frame fourteen, and he's in reasonable position to compile a frame winning break... a good long red there helps his cause, the break reaches 41, the lead 61-13, he needs one more red, which he's got only three reds left and the frame is on Carter's side of the score board... Murphy is under massive pressure now and that long red eludes him, it doesn't pass Carter by and he's in again... and onto 49... before missing a black... oh dear, what has Murphy done there, pots the black goes into the pack and he's stuck in a circle of reds and on nothing... Carter has Murphy in trouble with the safety now, he's 54-8 ahead and Murphy's snookered, two misses so far and even if he does hit them, it's going to be hard to get safe... Carter misses the red on offer so can Murphy do something with this chance, so far so good, the green looks to be the only awkward ball, on the baulk cushion but not far from the pocket... he's not got on it so chooses safety... Carter leads 58-45... a good long green by Murphy, he's not on the blue, so safe again, Carter's lead shrinks to six points... there's a cracking blue by Carter, just the pink with the rest and he'll go 12-3 up and it's in and he is one frame from the quarter finals... Cater smashes in a great long red, he's full of confidence now... he's missed a yellow, which is now blocking the corner pocket, 22 made... Murphy clears that, splits the reds... he makes 23 and plays safe... Murphy misses a red down the rail, Carter gets another chance...he can't turn it into a frame winning chance, so some tense safety now with three reds left, and Carter with a six point lead.. Murphy gets in, and now he can win this frame and send the match into its final session tonight... he's 18 ahead on the yellow... and now he's 23 up on the brown... and he will be back tonight at 19.00 to try and climb the proverbial mountain.

Good evening, welcome to the final session this match... Can Shaun Murphy pull off some sort of miracle or is it just a matter of time until Ali Carter books a quarter final match against Peter Ebdon.. The players are introduced, Murphy as "The Magician" and he'll need to be tonight... Murphy gets a red but not a colour and the chance goes to Carter... only 15 for Carter from that visit... he's back at the table and building a good lead now 43-1 ahead and he's wrapped up the match, a memorable win for him and he goes through to face Peter Ebdon.

FRAME SCORES

1. 4-98(97)

2. 37-56

3. 82(49)-48(44)

4. 13-65(65)

5. 6-60(36)

6. .64(53)-36

7. 1-87(41,45)

8. 0-100(100)

FRAME SCORES

9. 44(38)-64

10. 0-68(67)

11. 83(60)-21

12. 53(52)-76(48)

13. 7-95(94)

14. 13-75(55)

15. 57(37)-69(49)

16. 62-30

FRAME SCORES

17. 1-60(45)

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

ALI CARTER

QUOTES