Champion of Champions Day 2
After a dramatic first day that saw Neil Robertson come through as the victor, day two was always going to have a lot to live up to. In the first match of the afternoon, Mark Allen was up against Matthew Selt.Allen has played well in recent tournaments and has been knocking on the door for some silverware. However this first match hurdle was again going to be a test of his ability as Selt always poses a threat to anyone he plays. The game itself could have gone in Selt’s direction with Matthew managing to level peg 60 points all in frame two after losing the first frame. However the “Pistol” wasn’t going to be deterred and kept his composure to take the frame on a re-spotted black. With a two frame advantage, both players ended up in a scrappy frame in the next but Mark managed to pull himself together first and take the frame Now 3-0 up, it looked that could be be a whitewash for Selt.
However a sickening fluke by Matthew on the final black in the next frame was the start of a fight back that he badly needed at this stage of the match. The black aimed at the right corner pocket, missed, came off the opposite cushion and landed in the right middle pocket instead Whatever the circumstances, Selt clawed one frame back and avoided a whitewash whatever the final result. This good fortune minus another fluke spilled into the next frame with Selt taking the frame with a break of 59. Now only a frame behind, the match looked closer and had the potential to go to a decider if Selt could win the next. However Matthew’s dreams were dashed as Allen did the business and put the match to bed, making a 108 break and dispatching his opponent, 4-2.
In the second match of the afternoon there isn’t much to talk about as Mark Selby played Yan Bingtao. Perhaps this was a match to forget for Yan as he never really got into the match and squandered the few chances that he had. Know for his fancy footwear, Bingtao could have played his part of the match sitting down because a forceful Selby bullied him into submission in frame after frame. Another match and another whitewash with Bingtao literally being sent to Coventry. Final result, 4-0 to Mark Selby.
So we were treated to great clash of minds and characters in the evening session with an Allen/Selby showdown. Allen took the first frame in an unremarkable frame that was only remarkable in the fact that he sunk the pink in stylish fashion. However undeterred, Selby fought back and won the second after trailing 70 points to nil. This was a huge boost for Selby and landed him the next to make it 2-1 in his favour. Allen then managed to salvage the next frame after losing two frames on the bounce. This match had the potential to go to the wire at 2-2 but Allen stoke the next frame to make it 3-2 and then another to make it 4-2. Then the Allen train just proved too strong for Selby and before he knew it, he was packing up his cue after losing 6-2 to the man from Northern Ireland.
However a sickening fluke by Matthew on the final black in the next frame was the start of a fight back that he badly needed at this stage of the match. The black aimed at the right corner pocket, missed, came off the opposite cushion and landed in the right middle pocket instead Whatever the circumstances, Selt clawed one frame back and avoided a whitewash whatever the final result. This good fortune minus another fluke spilled into the next frame with Selt taking the frame with a break of 59. Now only a frame behind, the match looked closer and had the potential to go to a decider if Selt could win the next. However Matthew’s dreams were dashed as Allen did the business and put the match to bed, making a 108 break and dispatching his opponent, 4-2.
In the second match of the afternoon there isn’t much to talk about as Mark Selby played Yan Bingtao. Perhaps this was a match to forget for Yan as he never really got into the match and squandered the few chances that he had. Know for his fancy footwear, Bingtao could have played his part of the match sitting down because a forceful Selby bullied him into submission in frame after frame. Another match and another whitewash with Bingtao literally being sent to Coventry. Final result, 4-0 to Mark Selby.
So we were treated to great clash of minds and characters in the evening session with an Allen/Selby showdown. Allen took the first frame in an unremarkable frame that was only remarkable in the fact that he sunk the pink in stylish fashion. However undeterred, Selby fought back and won the second after trailing 70 points to nil. This was a huge boost for Selby and landed him the next to make it 2-1 in his favour. Allen then managed to salvage the next frame after losing two frames on the bounce. This match had the potential to go to the wire at 2-2 but Allen stoke the next frame to make it 3-2 and then another to make it 4-2. Then the Allen train just proved too strong for Selby and before he knew it, he was packing up his cue after losing 6-2 to the man from Northern Ireland.
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