The first round of the main draw of the Northern Ireland Open continues inside the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Tuesday when another 15 matches take place on a day where the big names on show will be out to avoid an upset.
We lost two of the biggest names in the game on Monday in Mark Allen and Neil Robertson and one or two others scraped through so those household stars taking to the baize on Tuesday will be on edge to avoid following them out of the tournament.
Morning Session
We have no top 16 players on show in the morning session but we do have a former world champion headlining the action as Stuart Bingham will be on the main table. He meets the Chinese player Xu Si for a place in the last 32 while on one of the other tables another Chinese cueist will look to make it through when Yuan Sijun takes on Jamie Clarke. The Shootout champion Chris Wakelin will be hoping to progress in the competition as well. He goes up against Alfie Burden.
Afternoon Session
As always in a Home Nations event we have two sets of matches in the afternoon session and it will be the former finalist and European Masters champion Barry Hawkins who will be on the main table first up. He takes on the Chinese player Jiang Jun. Another Chinese player will be on show too as the Wuhan Open semi-finalist Lyu Haotian meets the in form Tom Ford in a good looking game. Two elder statesmen of the tour meet on the other table when Ricky Walden takes on Dominic Dale.
The former Welsh Open champion Joe Perry will be the man to head up the second set of matches in the afternoon. He will look to go closer to another Home Nations title when he takes on the very competent Michael White who loves the main stage. The other two matches throws up the chance for a player down the rankings to make the last 32 as Ken Doherty meets Ian Burns in one and Ross Muir faces the amateur player Rory McLeod.
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Evening Session
The English Open and Wuhan Open winner Judd Trump continues his quest for a third ranking title in succession first up in the evening session. He is understandably on the main table when he takes on the Shootout finalist Julien Leclercq who has the potential to be awkward if allowed. Jimmy Robertson will look to make it into the last 32 of another ranking event on one of the other tables when he meets Peng Yisong while the other game sees Mark Davis going up against the World Championship quarter finalist Jak Jones.
The second set of matches in this evening session will see Anthony McGill taking to the main table. He fell over the line against Jimmy White in his held over qualifying match here on Sunday and will hope for an easier time of it when he meets the home amateur Robbie McGuigan. Stephen Maguire will look to progress to the last 32 in one of the other matches. He will go up against James Cahill while Sam Craigie will look to follow up his fine win over Kyren Wilson in qualifying when he takes on Hammad Miah.
Betting
Joe Perry finally won his first match since the European Masters qualifying in when won his qualifying match for this tournament but he beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha who is trying to prove himself at this level and I think he needs a more complete performance and better opponent on his CV before I sense some decent form is coming out of him. I think he is vulnerable against a Michael White who has been performing much better.
Apart from the British Open, White has qualified for every tournament this season and has been unlucky when he has got there as he has lost in a deciding frame on each occasion. Two of those losses were to Matt Selt and Ricky Walden though and both of those have shown some good form this season which you can’t really say about Perry. This wouldn’t be the first time that Perry has started a season slowly and he looks short of confidence to me. I think the even money on White winning this one will land.
Tips
Back M.White to beat J.Perry for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
