China Open match discussions thread

[PaulTheSoave]

Yes! Start a poll! The best arse on the circuit!

Female arses excluded of course! Oops, sorry.

[Maija]

Whose snooker players arse do you prefer then?

Finally we're getting to the core of snooker!

But... what song? Now I'm confused, Paul. This whole 'friendly you' is terrifying!

[PaulTheSoave]

Ooh! The very romantic music accompanied on the 147 Maguire video! Yuk!

Finally we're getting to the core of snooker!

But... what song? Now I'm confused, Paul. This whole 'friendly you' is terrifying! Ageing does wonders

Even would like to meet at a tournee, or at a Muse concert!!

(I am on your side, I have lost my way, Radiohead!)

[hegeland]

So, match has started. It feels strange to skip a night's sleep.

Anyway, Maguire is in amongst the balls with a good chance of making a substantial break.

Goodnight!

[Maija]

Goodnight!

Good morning, hegeland

Despite being completely aware of the clock issues, I still messed up, but here I am and boy, am I tired!

Cagey affair, this first frame, the colours being all over the place. Mags only got to 36 (48 in total) before he had to play a safety. Murf has still to pot a ball, but not for trying. Safeties on the board now.

@Paul: Oh THAT music. Didn't watch the online video, I recorded it from Eurosport, so no romance me.

[attilahun]

Murphy has potted the remaning reds...but now comes the hard part...the colors......

[TheStranger]

Murphy narrowed the gap to an 8 point difference (49-41) but had a difficult angle straight down the middle of the table for the blue; Maguire goes for a safe play and leaves Shaun with a long shot that he has to play safe as well.

Maguire's now left the blue adjacent to the pink, with the white and black both on the right rail; Murphy's shot left the white kissing the black on its way back from the shot, possibly leaving the blue makeable.

Maguire pots the blue on the bottom right pocket, and subsequently the pink, to pretty much clinch the frame at 60-41 (Murphy conceded).

Replay now shows Murphy's poor position after potting the brown, which led to the sequence of safeties from a few minutes ago.

[attilahun]

Frame 1 to Maguire

[Mignon]

Slow and scrappy.

Good morning everyone!

[TheStranger]

Second frame begins with some tactical play, including an attempt to bring one of the reds back into the pack; the white was snookered behind the brown so Murphy ends up using a masse shot to get around the brown and touch the red near the left center pocket.

The contact shot leaves Maguire with position to score the first point of the frame. Blue in center right extends his break to 6 points, and another convenient red to the same pocket moves him to 7.

A gentle run to the blue keeps the break alive and positions him well for a red to bottom left, which frees the pink.

The pink is notched in on center left, giving Maguire a break of 19 so far, and good position on a red at mid-table.

Another pink and that's 26, with 107 points left on the table.

Blue to center right and the white comes south to break a few of the reds open. Maguire's break is at 32.

Stephen now asks for a rest to play the red safe towards the pack and send the white in a tough position for Murphy to fight back from.

With the reds clumped together at the far end of the table, tactical play has resumed.

Now Murphy makes a long pot to bottom left get on the board. He pockets the brown, then follows up with a relatively easy red to center right.

A pink on bottom right is followed up with a red to center left and good screw to position himself for another shot on the pink.

Murphy's break now up to 19.

With the rest, he scores a red on the bottom right pocket.

Another pink and that extends his break to 26.

A good rebound after a red to bottom left and he has a chance to take the lead on the next pink. 33 now.

With a gentle red to bottom left and a pink to center left, Murphy is now up to 40 on this break.

47 now with 51 remaining on the board.

54 now for Murphy, but with a bit of a quandary as the two remaining reds are not too far apart near the bottom rail.

Murphy cannot pot the red on bottom right and Maguire's back on the table, but Stephen cannot capitalize and he sends the red closer to the right rail.

Shaun's about to make him pay after clearing out that red, then leaving himself a good spot to use the rest to pocket the black on bottom left.

With the colors remaining (after the last red), Murphy leads 62-32 and Maguire concedes, putting both men even in frames at 1 apiece.

[attilahun]

So what. I think it will be a more atacking game, if Selby will not make the final. The truth is today can be anybody's game, and that will be the case tomorrow, also.

I think i was wrong, at least for the moment, speaking about an attacking game between them two......I just hope it gets better...

[Ekphantos]

Even now in the final there are a lot of free seats close to the table it seems... If, as someone said here, the reason is that the tickets were too expensive, this is a really bad strategy...

[TheStranger]

Murphy so far potting well in the third frame, good move while shooting at the black to break the reds open. Up to 35 at this juncture.

At 67 so far, it's safe to say that this frame pretty much is his, with the only question being now if he can reach the century.

Frame ends with a break of 72, and Maguire has conceded. 2-1 Murphy

[Mignon]

Should be 2-2 pretty soon.

[TheStranger]

Maguire responds with a break of 74 to even up the match at 2 all.