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MARK Selby stumbled into the semi finals of the Masters here at Wembley after snatching a dramatic 6-5 victory over Mark Allen.
Selby, the 2008 champion won an opening frame that both he and Allen played pass the parcel with. Both of them missing a plethora of chances with a multitude of frame ball chances going begging. With just the brown, blue, pink and black remaining it was finely balanced at 42-36 in favour of Allen. Allen, who had removed John Higgins in his opening match looked as though he was going to win the opener as he lined up a routine brown. In keeping with the frame he missed it and handed to to Selby and the Leicester man was not going to relinquish it this time. Sinking the brown, blue and pink to take the frame Selby knew he had had a massive let off.
Taking full advantage of his good fortune Selby kept Allen pinned in his seat as he fired in a break of 67 and runs of 46 and 93 to take a 3-0 lead. Allen, who like Mark had displayed a sense of humour in the misses that were coming from their cues in the opening frame was not laughing now. The comedy was over. It was now time for business.
And what a start he gave himself. He drilled in a brilliant long red and nonchelantly stroked in a break of 114 to reduce the deficit and send himself to the interval trailing 3-1. The Northern Irishman man was now into his stride as he returned, refreshed. But he was also getting a helping hand from Selby who missed a mid length blue to the "green "pocket. With a red available to the corner Allen had no trouble in dispatching it - and then firing in a break of 82. Selby was reeling. His lead had plunged from 3-0 to now 3-2. And you had the feeling that 3-3 was imminant, especially with Allen looking far happier and relaxed about his snooker. Selby though wouldn't have been too happy to see himself miss an easy red to set up the Antrim man. From that opportunity Allen made 35 before being forced into playing safe. Selby's returning safety left Mark a cuttable red to the corner and Mark made no mistake as he mopped up with 36 to level at 3-3.
Dragging himself back into the match that Allen had seized control of was going to be difficult for Mark. Fortunatley for Selby the balls chose this frame to run awkwardly for Allen. In good position on the table Allen then found himself hampered by the black as he eyed up a close range red. As Mark examined ways in which to play the shot he drew guffaws from the audience as he looked here, there and everywhere for inspiration - including at referee Michaela Tabb. On that score there was nothing doing and Allen opted to take both the spider rest and the ordinary rest to try and pot the red. He played it dead weight- but the ball stayed agonisingly in the jaws of the pocket- and allowed Selby in for a decisive 50 to regain the lead at 4-3.
But Allen was not disheartened and he was helped out in no small measure in frame eight by Mark as the former champion missed an easy red to the corner. Allen put together a break of 33, and then forced a loose safety from Selby for a break of 52. With the match tied at 4-4 it was now effectively the best of three.
That easy miss on the red seemed to play on Selby's mind and it was Allen who put together a vital break of 46 to move 5-4 in front. From two good chances in the tenth he could only amass 25 points, and trailed in the frame 45-25 as Selby lined up the final red. It was mid range, but still tricky and Selby missed it. A brief tense safety duel went the way of the Englishman as he forced Allen into going for a long risky red. To Allen's horror the red rolled away towards the centre pocket with the cue ball close in line behind it. With a huge sigh of relief Selby sunk the red and a run of 21 squared the match at 5-5 and set up a final frame shoot out.
And with his confidence restored at the critical moment it was Selby who forced Mark into taking on a red down the left hand side of the table. If he had potted it the black, which was hanging over the lip of the top corner pocket would have been ready and waiting. To Allen's dismay he missed it by a mile - and to compound it he left a red to the centre with cue ball directly behind it. Calmy dispatching the red Selby made 20. All he needed to put him in a strong position was straight mid length red. He missed by a long way but enjoyed some luck as the cue ball rolled away into a safe position in baulk. Holding a 40-0 lead Selby was forced to wait for a chance to seal victory as a safety duel went the way of Allen. As he slammed in a long straight red the Antrim man ended a wait of 56minutes without potting a ball only to miss a delicate black along the side cushion to hand Selby the chance he had been waiting for. As he rolled in the red and followed it with the black a further 22 points followed to leave Mark needing three snookers. He was doomed to disappointment as Selby removed the penultimate red to seal a 6-5 victory as the Wembley crowd rose to their feet to express their thanks at the match that had bewitched them for 4hours and 20minutes.
In the semi finals Mark will play Stephen Maguire who thrashed Ryan Day 6-1 while defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan meets Mark Williams.
Suzy Jardine
Selby, the 2008 champion won an opening frame that both he and Allen played pass the parcel with. Both of them missing a plethora of chances with a multitude of frame ball chances going begging. With just the brown, blue, pink and black remaining it was finely balanced at 42-36 in favour of Allen. Allen, who had removed John Higgins in his opening match looked as though he was going to win the opener as he lined up a routine brown. In keeping with the frame he missed it and handed to to Selby and the Leicester man was not going to relinquish it this time. Sinking the brown, blue and pink to take the frame Selby knew he had had a massive let off.
Taking full advantage of his good fortune Selby kept Allen pinned in his seat as he fired in a break of 67 and runs of 46 and 93 to take a 3-0 lead. Allen, who like Mark had displayed a sense of humour in the misses that were coming from their cues in the opening frame was not laughing now. The comedy was over. It was now time for business.
And what a start he gave himself. He drilled in a brilliant long red and nonchelantly stroked in a break of 114 to reduce the deficit and send himself to the interval trailing 3-1. The Northern Irishman man was now into his stride as he returned, refreshed. But he was also getting a helping hand from Selby who missed a mid length blue to the "green "pocket. With a red available to the corner Allen had no trouble in dispatching it - and then firing in a break of 82. Selby was reeling. His lead had plunged from 3-0 to now 3-2. And you had the feeling that 3-3 was imminant, especially with Allen looking far happier and relaxed about his snooker. Selby though wouldn't have been too happy to see himself miss an easy red to set up the Antrim man. From that opportunity Allen made 35 before being forced into playing safe. Selby's returning safety left Mark a cuttable red to the corner and Mark made no mistake as he mopped up with 36 to level at 3-3.
Dragging himself back into the match that Allen had seized control of was going to be difficult for Mark. Fortunatley for Selby the balls chose this frame to run awkwardly for Allen. In good position on the table Allen then found himself hampered by the black as he eyed up a close range red. As Mark examined ways in which to play the shot he drew guffaws from the audience as he looked here, there and everywhere for inspiration - including at referee Michaela Tabb. On that score there was nothing doing and Allen opted to take both the spider rest and the ordinary rest to try and pot the red. He played it dead weight- but the ball stayed agonisingly in the jaws of the pocket- and allowed Selby in for a decisive 50 to regain the lead at 4-3.
But Allen was not disheartened and he was helped out in no small measure in frame eight by Mark as the former champion missed an easy red to the corner. Allen put together a break of 33, and then forced a loose safety from Selby for a break of 52. With the match tied at 4-4 it was now effectively the best of three.
That easy miss on the red seemed to play on Selby's mind and it was Allen who put together a vital break of 46 to move 5-4 in front. From two good chances in the tenth he could only amass 25 points, and trailed in the frame 45-25 as Selby lined up the final red. It was mid range, but still tricky and Selby missed it. A brief tense safety duel went the way of the Englishman as he forced Allen into going for a long risky red. To Allen's horror the red rolled away towards the centre pocket with the cue ball close in line behind it. With a huge sigh of relief Selby sunk the red and a run of 21 squared the match at 5-5 and set up a final frame shoot out.
And with his confidence restored at the critical moment it was Selby who forced Mark into taking on a red down the left hand side of the table. If he had potted it the black, which was hanging over the lip of the top corner pocket would have been ready and waiting. To Allen's dismay he missed it by a mile - and to compound it he left a red to the centre with cue ball directly behind it. Calmy dispatching the red Selby made 20. All he needed to put him in a strong position was straight mid length red. He missed by a long way but enjoyed some luck as the cue ball rolled away into a safe position in baulk. Holding a 40-0 lead Selby was forced to wait for a chance to seal victory as a safety duel went the way of Allen. As he slammed in a long straight red the Antrim man ended a wait of 56minutes without potting a ball only to miss a delicate black along the side cushion to hand Selby the chance he had been waiting for. As he rolled in the red and followed it with the black a further 22 points followed to leave Mark needing three snookers. He was doomed to disappointment as Selby removed the penultimate red to seal a 6-5 victory as the Wembley crowd rose to their feet to express their thanks at the match that had bewitched them for 4hours and 20minutes.
In the semi finals Mark will play Stephen Maguire who thrashed Ryan Day 6-1 while defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan meets Mark Williams.
Suzy Jardine