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MARK Williams ended Stephen Hendry's interest in the Grand Prix title with a 5-2 victory in Glasgow.
Williams, who is only just regaining his confidence after a couple of years in the wilderness enjoyed a feast of luck with the run of the balls while Hendry struggled with his long potting throughout the match.
Both players looked nervous in the early stages and both missed a unusual amount of chances, and easy pots that they normally would make and the first frame remained in the balance till the final four colours as both players seemed intent on throwing the frame away, with Williams missing the most elementary brown. Yet Hendry was unable to take full advantage and having negotiated the brown and blue left the pink sitting close to the "yellow" pocket. Blessed with the ability to pull out the "miracle" pot Mark hammered in the pink to take the first frame.
And both players continued to struggle in the second frame, finding it difficult to put together a break of any significance, Hendry's highest break was 13 while Mark's was only slightly better with 25. Both seemed to lose their confidence as yet again the scrappy frame was upsetting the rhythm of both players with Williams by some miracle eked out a lead of 50-38. Hendry under pressure from a Williams safety that left him with the length of the table to travel caught his safety too thinly and left the Welshman with a pottable brown from mid range that Williams nailed. Still though he couldn't complete the job as he left a blue that Hendry sunk - and then went for an ambitious pink that rolled into mid table. Hendry helped himself to the gift as he potted pink and then the black to steal the frame.
Neither player was playing their "a" game- and their "b" games was struggling to appear too. No more so than in frame three as Williams clipped in a long red and made 28 only to snooker himself on the red by the yellow. In a reckless shot Williams tried to swerve round the yellow and pot the red. He missed by a mile. Hendry though still struggling with his safety double kissed the final red leaving Mark with a straightforward red and pink to go 26 in front with only 27 on the table. Trying to roll the yellow in he enjoyed some luck as the cue ball trundled away to safety. Hendry to bungle his safety is leaving the yellow sitting in the jaws of the top pocket leaving Williams to complete the formalities by sinking the yellow adding green and brown to firmly put the frame to bed and take a 2-1 lead.
Hendry looked to be trying too hard and seemed to be dwelling on not being able to take his chances. Admittedly Williams wasn't that much better but he was able to string a few shots together. Locked at 17-17 a 30 break from a misjudged safety from Stephen was to lay the foundations for a 3-1 lead for the Welshman as trailing by 47-17 Stephen lined up the last red which was sitting on the lip of the top corner pocket. With the cue ball in the jaws of the "green" pocket Stephen cued the shot- the red wobbled in the jaws and stayed out - and worse still rebounded towards the centre pocket with the cue ball following. As Williams gathered himself Stephen realised he was going 3-1 down and it duly happened as the Welshman added 15 to settle the frame.
Hendry's traumas continued in the fifth frame as trailing 0-23 and tucked up under the baulk cushion he tried to pot his way out of trouble. A reckless long red to the corner didn't even look like going in and only succeeded in crashing into the pack of reds. Still Mark couldn't take full advantage as he made eight before leaving Stephen in at close range. From it Stephen made 32 before missing a long red to the "yellow" pocket to gift Williams the chance. Dropping the red in to the corner Williams mopped up with 47 to go three frame clear at 4-1.
Hendry's loose safety gave Williams a wonderful chance in the sixth frame and the Welshman strolled round the table stroking in a 57 break before missing a sitter of a red that would have in all likelihood seen him to go on to clinch victory. The red was to cost him the frame as Stephen rolled in a 51 and then cleared from brown to black after Williams left the brown sitting close to the top corner pocket on the side cushion.
Hendry too had the first opportunity in frame seven when the Welshman attempting to roll in a long red from the baulk line left it sitting in the jaws of the corner pocket. Hendry in at prime position was going nicely on 13 until in trying to drop the black in dead weight left it hanging over the lip of the top pocket. Williams this time was to make no mistake as he stroked in a long red to the "yellow" pocket and made 55 before putting Stephn in trouble behind the green and the pink. Left a red to the centre Williams rolled it in and followed it with the black and drew the concession of victory from Hendry to enter the quarter final draw.
Meanwhile Peter Ebdon produced a consistent display to beat Mark Davis 5-3 and move into the draw for the quarter finals.
Ebdon though did not have an easy time of it as Davis proved he was ready to compete with the Dubai based Englishman as they shared the opening two frames. Unsurprsingly it was a dogged protracted tussell between Ebdon and the Hastings man that swung one way and then the other as neither player seemed able to take control of the match.
Peter's initial break of 68 in frame 3 came to end when he missed a frame ball pink. Davis countered with 38 but still needed snookers if he was going to snatch the frame from Ebdon. He forced an in off from Ebdon first then concocted a vicious snooker that left Peter stuck on the pink with the just the final six colours remaining. Ebdon's failure to escape gifted penalty points to Davis but he couldn't throw the sucker punch as his safety allowed Peter in and this time Ebdon made no mistake.
To Mark's credit he refused to allow it to affect him as he replied to Peter's break of 40 with a 46 of his own. And after Mark bungled his safety to leave Peter with a red to the centre the former champion could only make 6 before in powering a red into the jaws- only for it to shoot across the top cushion and drop in, as too did the cue ball. Breathing a sigh of relief Mark came to the table and dispatched the colours up to the pink to level at 2-2.
Both players returned from the interval in better touch and Davis very quickly made a 87 that was to see him go ahead for the first time in the match since takeing the first frame. Peter though replied in kind with an effort of 88 to level at 3-3 . The match was now the best of three.
With Peter's confidence rising he drilled in along red to the corner off what looked like a solid break off from Mark and quickening his stride stroked in the 263rd century of his professional career with an effortless break of 135 that equalled the highest break of the tournament.
Mark needed both of the remaining two frames if he was to win the match but left in trouble behind the black from Peter's safety gave him the problem of escaping and not leaving anything easy for Ebdon. In escaping though Mark left Peter with a long straight red from the baulkline. Ebdon though missed it by some distance and presented Mark with a mid length rd from the middle pocket. Davis seized his chance and cued the shot perfectly only to surrender his opportunity on 22 when he missed an easy red to the centre. Left in at short range Peter sank a red with the rest and compiled a match winning break of 64 to wrap up victory.
Suzy Jardine
Williams, who is only just regaining his confidence after a couple of years in the wilderness enjoyed a feast of luck with the run of the balls while Hendry struggled with his long potting throughout the match.
Both players looked nervous in the early stages and both missed a unusual amount of chances, and easy pots that they normally would make and the first frame remained in the balance till the final four colours as both players seemed intent on throwing the frame away, with Williams missing the most elementary brown. Yet Hendry was unable to take full advantage and having negotiated the brown and blue left the pink sitting close to the "yellow" pocket. Blessed with the ability to pull out the "miracle" pot Mark hammered in the pink to take the first frame.
And both players continued to struggle in the second frame, finding it difficult to put together a break of any significance, Hendry's highest break was 13 while Mark's was only slightly better with 25. Both seemed to lose their confidence as yet again the scrappy frame was upsetting the rhythm of both players with Williams by some miracle eked out a lead of 50-38. Hendry under pressure from a Williams safety that left him with the length of the table to travel caught his safety too thinly and left the Welshman with a pottable brown from mid range that Williams nailed. Still though he couldn't complete the job as he left a blue that Hendry sunk - and then went for an ambitious pink that rolled into mid table. Hendry helped himself to the gift as he potted pink and then the black to steal the frame.
Neither player was playing their "a" game- and their "b" games was struggling to appear too. No more so than in frame three as Williams clipped in a long red and made 28 only to snooker himself on the red by the yellow. In a reckless shot Williams tried to swerve round the yellow and pot the red. He missed by a mile. Hendry though still struggling with his safety double kissed the final red leaving Mark with a straightforward red and pink to go 26 in front with only 27 on the table. Trying to roll the yellow in he enjoyed some luck as the cue ball trundled away to safety. Hendry to bungle his safety is leaving the yellow sitting in the jaws of the top pocket leaving Williams to complete the formalities by sinking the yellow adding green and brown to firmly put the frame to bed and take a 2-1 lead.
Hendry looked to be trying too hard and seemed to be dwelling on not being able to take his chances. Admittedly Williams wasn't that much better but he was able to string a few shots together. Locked at 17-17 a 30 break from a misjudged safety from Stephen was to lay the foundations for a 3-1 lead for the Welshman as trailing by 47-17 Stephen lined up the last red which was sitting on the lip of the top corner pocket. With the cue ball in the jaws of the "green" pocket Stephen cued the shot- the red wobbled in the jaws and stayed out - and worse still rebounded towards the centre pocket with the cue ball following. As Williams gathered himself Stephen realised he was going 3-1 down and it duly happened as the Welshman added 15 to settle the frame.
Hendry's traumas continued in the fifth frame as trailing 0-23 and tucked up under the baulk cushion he tried to pot his way out of trouble. A reckless long red to the corner didn't even look like going in and only succeeded in crashing into the pack of reds. Still Mark couldn't take full advantage as he made eight before leaving Stephen in at close range. From it Stephen made 32 before missing a long red to the "yellow" pocket to gift Williams the chance. Dropping the red in to the corner Williams mopped up with 47 to go three frame clear at 4-1.
Hendry's loose safety gave Williams a wonderful chance in the sixth frame and the Welshman strolled round the table stroking in a 57 break before missing a sitter of a red that would have in all likelihood seen him to go on to clinch victory. The red was to cost him the frame as Stephen rolled in a 51 and then cleared from brown to black after Williams left the brown sitting close to the top corner pocket on the side cushion.
Hendry too had the first opportunity in frame seven when the Welshman attempting to roll in a long red from the baulk line left it sitting in the jaws of the corner pocket. Hendry in at prime position was going nicely on 13 until in trying to drop the black in dead weight left it hanging over the lip of the top pocket. Williams this time was to make no mistake as he stroked in a long red to the "yellow" pocket and made 55 before putting Stephn in trouble behind the green and the pink. Left a red to the centre Williams rolled it in and followed it with the black and drew the concession of victory from Hendry to enter the quarter final draw.
Meanwhile Peter Ebdon produced a consistent display to beat Mark Davis 5-3 and move into the draw for the quarter finals.
Ebdon though did not have an easy time of it as Davis proved he was ready to compete with the Dubai based Englishman as they shared the opening two frames. Unsurprsingly it was a dogged protracted tussell between Ebdon and the Hastings man that swung one way and then the other as neither player seemed able to take control of the match.
Peter's initial break of 68 in frame 3 came to end when he missed a frame ball pink. Davis countered with 38 but still needed snookers if he was going to snatch the frame from Ebdon. He forced an in off from Ebdon first then concocted a vicious snooker that left Peter stuck on the pink with the just the final six colours remaining. Ebdon's failure to escape gifted penalty points to Davis but he couldn't throw the sucker punch as his safety allowed Peter in and this time Ebdon made no mistake.
To Mark's credit he refused to allow it to affect him as he replied to Peter's break of 40 with a 46 of his own. And after Mark bungled his safety to leave Peter with a red to the centre the former champion could only make 6 before in powering a red into the jaws- only for it to shoot across the top cushion and drop in, as too did the cue ball. Breathing a sigh of relief Mark came to the table and dispatched the colours up to the pink to level at 2-2.
Both players returned from the interval in better touch and Davis very quickly made a 87 that was to see him go ahead for the first time in the match since takeing the first frame. Peter though replied in kind with an effort of 88 to level at 3-3 . The match was now the best of three.
With Peter's confidence rising he drilled in along red to the corner off what looked like a solid break off from Mark and quickening his stride stroked in the 263rd century of his professional career with an effortless break of 135 that equalled the highest break of the tournament.
Mark needed both of the remaining two frames if he was to win the match but left in trouble behind the black from Peter's safety gave him the problem of escaping and not leaving anything easy for Ebdon. In escaping though Mark left Peter with a long straight red from the baulkline. Ebdon though missed it by some distance and presented Mark with a mid length rd from the middle pocket. Davis seized his chance and cued the shot perfectly only to surrender his opportunity on 22 when he missed an easy red to the centre. Left in at short range Peter sank a red with the rest and compiled a match winning break of 64 to wrap up victory.
Suzy Jardine
At times it was a missfest.
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