The first day of the World Championship sees five matches head on their way inside the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield with the defending champion looking to be the first man into the second round of the competition on Saturday.
As ever the honour of starting the tournament goes to last year’s winner which was Mark Williams and his is the only match that concludes on the first day. The other four that start out will all have their second sessions played on Sunday.
Bet on the snooker with sponsors Betfred. New customers can get £30 in free bets + 30 FREE SPINS when you bet £10. Ideal for the Sheffield extravaganza! Click the image above to take up this promotion. 18+ T&Cs apply
Mark Williams vs Martin Gould (Saturday 10am & 7pm)
The first match on table one in the tournament will see Mark Williams beginning his title defence when he takes on the capable Martin Gould, who hasn’t had the best season of his career but has done well to make it through to this event and will be looking to cash in now that he is here.
Williams hasn’t exactly pulled up trees this term either although he has been quite forthcoming about his priorities although he is sure to want to do himself justice in this tournament. You would think the qualifiers will have sharpened Gould up a little so this could be a smelly match for Williams but there isn’t a huge amount that stands out in truth so I’ll leave this to begin with and see if there is anything for us at half time.
Luca Brecel vs Gary Wilson (Saturday 10am & Sunday 2.30pm)
On the other table in the morning session on Saturday, Luca Brecel will begin his tilt at a world title when he takes on a Gary Wilson who impressed in the qualifiers and who could be about to make an impression on the biggest stage of them all.
These two men have something in common heading into this match. Neither of them have won a match at the Crucible before but as Michael Buffer would say ‘someone’s 0 has got to go’ here. There is a case to be made for Wilson in this one but my bet on the match is going to come via another market.
I like the idea of a few breaks here. I think we’re going to see a number of frames in this match and the way Wilson scored in the qualifiers once he settles into his work here I can see him putting a few runs together. We all know Brecel likes to score heavily too so over 11.5 50+ breaks is very appealing. Wilson notched three tons and five 50s in beating Liang Wenbo and had nine other 50s in qualifying. Assuming this goes 10-7 or closer we should get the requisite breaks in here.
Ding Junhui vs Anthony McGill (Saturday 2.30pm & Sunday 10am)
The second match of the tournament to be concluded will see two men looking to make up for very ordinary seasons by their standards going against each other when former finalist Ding Junhui takes on Anthony McGill for a place in the second round.
Ding has been rotten this season and needs a massive improvement to make it beyond the first week of this event but he’s come here in bad form before and gone a fair way so writing him off too soon could be folly. McGill had a nice pick-me-up in qualifying when he won three matches but the fact he trailed Robert Milkins 7-2 in the final round is a concern. If he is as sloppy out of the blocks here Ding could overwhelm him. There is a little too much guesswork needed here for my liking so I’ll watch the first session and assess afterwards.
Neil Robertson vs Michael Georgiou (Saturday 2.30pm & Sunday 7pm)
The second favourite for the title and former champion Neil Robertson begins his quest for a second world crown in the afternoon session on Saturday when he takes on the former Shootout winner Michael Georgiou, who did well to come through qualifying.
This is Georgiou’s debut on the grandest stage of them all and while I wouldn’t be surprised if he settles well, I just think he’ll be outclassed here. These two met as recently as the Welsh Open in February and Robertson won 4-0 on that occasion. Their previous meeting the Australian won 4-1 so when he gets on a roll against the Cypriot it is usually curtains.
That is exactly what I expect to happen here. Unless Georgiou scores lights out in this match I just don’t see Robertson giving him the chances to win more than four frames in his current form. Robertson will hit Georgiou with a barrage of breaks and when he isn’t scoring you would expect him to win the safety exchanges. I expect Robbo to cover 5.5 frames here.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Stephen Maguire vs Tian Pengfei (Saturday 7pm & Sunday 7pm)
Perhaps the most interesting match on the first day of competition is the last one onto the scene when Stephen Maguire takes on the second debutant to take to the tables on Saturday in the Chinese player Tian Pengfei.
I say it is interesting because Maguire’s first round record in the last six years is bordering on a shambles for a player of his ability. Admittedly he has had to qualify in the last two years but he has only won one of his last six opening matches in this tournament. At times you could say he has been unlucky with the draw but defeats to Alan McManus and Dechawat Poomjaeng don’t sit well. He hasn’t lost any easier than 10-7 though. This is Pengfei’s debut so he’ll need to hit the ground running but apart from a few frames against Matthew Stevens he played well in qualifying and looks in decent touch.
This has all the makings of another Maguire struggle about it and whether he wins or he loses I fancy we’ll be seeing a 17th frame before the conclusion of it. If the Scot was in better form then I’d give him a shot at winning comfortably but this just looks a close match to me. I’m on over 16.5 here.
Tips
Back L.Brecel vs G.Wilson – Over 11.5 50+ breaks for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfair
Back it here:
WON – Back N.Robertson (-5.5 frames) to beat M.Georgiou for a 4/10 stake at 2.15 with Betway
Back him here:
WON – Back S.Maguire vs T.Pengfei – Over 16.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Boylesports
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019
