The second day of the World Snooker Championship sees eight more men begin their journey and quest to be crowned world champion while four others are back to conclude their first rounds on a busy day inside the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on Sunday.
Day 1 Recap
Mark Selby and Stephen Maguire sealed their spots in the last 16 of the tournament on Saturday and at the end of play there were two matches still in operation. Kyren Wilson leads David Grace 5-4 and Ronnie O’Sullivan leads Gary Wilson by the same scoreline.
I was hoping we would get a decent handicap line on Wilson after that first session but the odds on the -2.5 is a little short for me to take especially as I’ve got outright money invested in him. We have one century in the O’Sullivan match so hopefully there are two more in that one to make up for the loss in the Stephen Maguire match.
Shaun Murphy vs Yan Bingtao
The only match to get underway in the morning session on Sunday is one of the more interesting matches of the first round. Shaun Murphy has had his struggles against Yan Bingtao in the past and the way the Chinese youngster came through qualifying he could well have his work cut out once again.
The two have met three times and Bingtao has won twice. Their last two meetings have gone the distance albeit over a shorter format but I don’t think the format is going to hamper Bingtao. Whether the occasion gets to him or not remains to be seen but he is young and fearless so it should inspire him if anything.
Murphy is a genuine contender for this tournament if he can come past this match but whether he wins or not I don’t think either man is going to run away with this. I’m expecting a tight first session to set up plenty of drama on Monday afternoon. Over 16.5 frames looks the way forward in this one.
Stuart Bingham vs Peter Ebdon
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be getting the afternoon limelight but on the other side of the curtain two former world champions will be getting their first round clash underway with the 2015 winner Stuart Bingham takes on the 2002 victor Peter Ebdon.
I think this has the makings of a really tight tussle and which could go all the way but I would like to see the first session before getting involved because Ebdon had to come through a real battle in the final qualifying round and he put a lot into that and hasn’t had too much time to recover and go again. I’m going to watch the first session and act on what I see but I would be surprised if this isn’t close.
Marco Fu vs Luca Brecel
The evening session sees Marco Fu and Luca Brecel starting out on their journey for a place in the second round. Fu will be out to build on his run to the semi-final last year while Brecel will be aiming to prove he is more than dangerous so this has a good feel about it.
Fu has been one of the players of the season so far with his scoring a real highlight but having come through the qualifiers in fine fashion there is every chance that Brecel will lay it down to the man from Hong Kong in this match.
Just by the nature of the way that Luca Brecel goes for his shots I think this will be a high scoring match. He doesn’t play much safety and when he misses he is likely to leave himself open to Fu’s power scoring. You can get a shade over even money on Fu to nail a couple of tons in this match and that looks worth taking to me.
Mark Allen vs Jimmy Robertson
Mark Allen will be out for a good run in this tournament and that begins on the other table in the evening session when he takes on the Essex qualifier Jimmy Robertson. Robertson will be hoping this is third time lucky after first round defeats on his previous two visits to the Crucible.
Robertson battled through qualifying but I don’t think he ever fully felt comfortable against Lawler in the final round of that event. He should get more of a rhythm against Allen but I’m not convinced he has a safety game good enough to keep the Northern Ireland star at bay. Allen is being asked to give up a 3.5 frame handicap in this one and that looks about right.
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Tips
WON – Back S.Murphy vs Y.Bingtao – Over 16.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Winner Sports
Back it here:
Back M.Fu – Over 1.5 centuries for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Paddy Power
Back it here:
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