UK Champ 2010 - SF discussion

[ore]

Friday 10th December
12:30pm & 7pm

John Higgins v Mark Allen

Saturday 11th December
1.30pm & 7pm

Shaun Murphy v Mark J Williams



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[Odrl]

You got the colour scheme slightly wrong.

[ore]

Can anybody see past Higgins v Murphy final?

[ore]

You got the colour scheme slightly wrong.

Haha, impressive! You even used a liner
But I can't be wrong anyways
And no way MJW is pink, and Murphy not pink!

It's the 1st time I did put a draw on the paper too - but I have everybody in red


I hope the color-cheering squad will get the message right and will use these colors!
Nah, or at least other 'pastel' colors, 'cause the sharp ones kill my eyes
Exception for MJW: red is fine.
Or whatever another one that would make him win!

[cue1]

I'd really love to see a Mark J. Vs Mark A. final so hopefully Mark Allen play to his potential today:snooker:

Come On Mark Allen!!!:snooker:

[Odrl]

Right, moving on from the silly colours debate...


What to expect from the Higgins-Allen match?

They've played each other a couple of times in major tournaments recently. Since this is a two-session match, I suppose we can look back to their semi-final clash in the 2009 World Championship. That one promised to be close, and even though Higgins was favourite, there were questions about how much he had left after his two decider victories. But Higgins outclassed Allen in the first part of the match, playing tight safety and scoring heavily, opening up a 13-3 advantage. Higgins has a habit of starting well in these matches, trying to maximize his advantage before his opponent really gets going. But he has shown in the past that he can be vulnerable later on in the matches, even when he already has a significant advantage. In that WC match, Allen didn't give up after two sessions. He came back stronger and got very close to Higgins, before running out of steam. He can't avoid being compared to other players of similar age, like Cope and Ding for example, but unlike them, Allen has shown to be a great fighter when his back is against the wall.

He also doesn't freeze in the big occasions. I suppose beating O'Sullivan in a big match is a sign of having what it takes. It's something that most of the players that are now in their 20s and at the top of the game have done to get into that "title contender" group. Of course the other big scalp is John Higgins', and Allen has that one too. He was outclassed by Higgins again in the 2009 Grand Prix, but managed to beat him in the Masters this year. Higgins wasn't playing well that time and Allen knows it, but he also knows that Higgins isn't unbeatable. From his point of view, it's important that he doesn't throw away his chances in the balls, because Higgins is very strong at winning the fragmented frames. He will also need to match Higgins' safety, or if he can't quite do that, he will at least need to outplay him in the long potting game. On top of that, he needs to keep a cool head and not make stupid decisions, and he also needs to believe in himself even when Higgins puts him under pressure.

From Higgins' point of view, I'm sure he won't have any problems with confidence. He did lose their last match, but that was probably the worst match he played in the last two years, and he knows he has a stronger all-round game than Allen. It's just a question of bringing it to the table. You can't say Higgins had an easy draw so far. Stephen Lee produced some excellent scoring against him in the opening round, Graeme Dott almost took him out in the 2nd, and Stephen Maguire put a lot of pressure on him as well. I guess what is most promising for Higgins is the way he responded after Maguire came back at him to take the lead at 6-5. We've seen on so many occasions that Higgins can find that extra gear when he is really pushed. I won't list the matches where he threw away a big lead, only to compose himself at the business end and still win. His determination hasn't been in question this week. He's looked quite refreshed, physically and emotionally, and his game has been just as good as last season. But if there is a weakness, I don't think he is particularly deadly from distance this week. There was a couple of times when he had half-chances to get in the balls, chances he would probably have taken if he was really on top of his game. I thought Robertson could be the one playing slightly better snooker, but with him out, it's up to the other three players. And all of them are certainly capable of putting him under pressure.

I'm looking forward to seeing Allen's crack at it.

[ore]

What to expect from the Higgins-Allen match?

That it's on Eurosport

[Odrl]

That it's on Eurosport

It's just started on Eurosport 2.

[Masterdoctorgenius]

the classic sf replay from laster year ronnie agains john was just brilliant

sad that ronnie didnt win

[ore]

What was there at the end of frame 6??
Both happy, laughing, touching hands...

[iksotam]

I just hate the way Mark Allen is cueing.

[iksotam]

Allen was so lucky not to leave anything on after the missed plant.

[cue1]

I just hate the way Mark Allen is cueing.

I don't care if he's cueing in zigzags as long as he wins

I'm glad he put the fifth frame behind him or at least it looks like it

Come On Mark Allen!!!:snooker:

[Odrl]

Good session. I like it when the match is nicely balanced at 4-4 before the evening session.

[spike]

A final frame shootout is what I would like to see this evening..