The Theatre of Dreams and Nightmares
So after a thrilling second day at the Crucible, several more players found out their fates. For some it was a feeling of exhilaration and for the rest, disappointment. Michael Georgiou put a brave face on his potential whitewash and mustered up the courage to take the first frame of the final session but his light breeze was too weak to conquer the Thunder from Down under, who cruised to victory in the next frame with a 10-1 win. Georgiou should be proud that he won three qualifiers to be at the Crucible and made history by being the first player from Cyprus to take part in the World Championship.
Elsewhere, Gary Wilson had a almighty tussle with Luca Brecel, which took the match to a late night decider. After a gruelling tactical battle that resembled a chess match, Wilson managed to climb over the line. Brecel must be kicking himself this morning over his continental breakfast because he clearly had his chances but in my opinion his attacking game ultimately became a thorn in his side.
The avid fans in the Crucible thought they may get an early night but they were denied their hotel beds for several more hours as debutant Tian battled with Maguire. Tian had a 9-7 lead and was itching to cross the line but a fluke by Maguire, bolstered his confidence and set up a late surge by the Scot that Tian could never recover from. Rather like a car crash in slow motion, Tian must have seen that blue flying into the pocket on repeat loop and this was a sickener that he couldn’t erase from his mind.
Ding managed to shake off a resurgent McGill with a 10-7 victory. Ding played well in patches but he clearly still has a confidence issue and this still lingers in his game. This was clearly shown in the match when he missed a shot and started to bang his head on the green baize. Not a good idea, as the table always comes out victorious, a lesson that Stephen Maguire learnt a few years ago when he wrapped his knuckles in disgust and fractured them.
Finally, Shaun Murphy could be about to inflict another potential whitewash on Luo Honghao, leading 9-0 into the final session, Luo looks like a boxer on the ropes and will be lucky if he gets a frame against Murphy to avoid obliteration. Meanwhile John Higgins seems to be rebuffing the statistics on match wins between himself and Mark Davis. The head to heads favour Davis but Davis hasn’t really got going in this match and has allowed a 6-3 lead to occur.
The Crucible never fails to disappoint and if yesterday’s matches are anything to go by, today will be another cracker. The three session format may at times be tiring on the eye but the drama of the baize, spurs on the viewer to remain enthralled. Rather like a play in three acts, this one contains, drama, comedy, tragedy and a new concept, victory. A play that is literally in play and played out in a theatre, one couldn’t ask for a better day out!
Elsewhere, Gary Wilson had a almighty tussle with Luca Brecel, which took the match to a late night decider. After a gruelling tactical battle that resembled a chess match, Wilson managed to climb over the line. Brecel must be kicking himself this morning over his continental breakfast because he clearly had his chances but in my opinion his attacking game ultimately became a thorn in his side.
The avid fans in the Crucible thought they may get an early night but they were denied their hotel beds for several more hours as debutant Tian battled with Maguire. Tian had a 9-7 lead and was itching to cross the line but a fluke by Maguire, bolstered his confidence and set up a late surge by the Scot that Tian could never recover from. Rather like a car crash in slow motion, Tian must have seen that blue flying into the pocket on repeat loop and this was a sickener that he couldn’t erase from his mind.
Ding managed to shake off a resurgent McGill with a 10-7 victory. Ding played well in patches but he clearly still has a confidence issue and this still lingers in his game. This was clearly shown in the match when he missed a shot and started to bang his head on the green baize. Not a good idea, as the table always comes out victorious, a lesson that Stephen Maguire learnt a few years ago when he wrapped his knuckles in disgust and fractured them.
Finally, Shaun Murphy could be about to inflict another potential whitewash on Luo Honghao, leading 9-0 into the final session, Luo looks like a boxer on the ropes and will be lucky if he gets a frame against Murphy to avoid obliteration. Meanwhile John Higgins seems to be rebuffing the statistics on match wins between himself and Mark Davis. The head to heads favour Davis but Davis hasn’t really got going in this match and has allowed a 6-3 lead to occur.
The Crucible never fails to disappoint and if yesterday’s matches are anything to go by, today will be another cracker. The three session format may at times be tiring on the eye but the drama of the baize, spurs on the viewer to remain enthralled. Rather like a play in three acts, this one contains, drama, comedy, tragedy and a new concept, victory. A play that is literally in play and played out in a theatre, one couldn’t ask for a better day out!
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