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Ssb - halfway house
We're halfway through the Betfred.com World Championship - I trust everyone has been pacing themselves.
It seems like an age since Jamie Jones beat Shaun Murphy. The young Welshman has since been out-quiffed by the dependably hirsute Ronnie O'Sullivan but returns to action today for a second round encounter with Andrew Higginson.
This is an interesting one because they have both played well thus far and will both be fancying their chances.
Neither is playing a top seed and I think this will be a good, close game.
Jones seemed surprised that all the hotels in Sheffield were booked up this weekend. This is touchingly naive for an unassuming and dedicated professional currently playing the best snooker of his career.
Higginson has been around longer but this is still the first best of 25 frame match he has played as a pro.
The other start - no finishes today, rather ridiculously - features Matthew Stevens against Barry Hawkins.
It was difficult for Hawkins to gauge precisely how well he was playing in the first round because Mark Selby was clearly struggling with the after effects of the trapped nerve which forced him to withdraw from the China Open.
Stevens is more of a veteran of long Crucible matches. He has an excellent record at the Crucible despite never having won the title.
Matthew was best mates with Paul Hunter, who came so close to reaching the world final in 2003.
He would still have been one of the favourites to win the title, perhaps would have done by now, had the appalling disease which killed him not intervened.
Out of the tragedy of his early death has come a positive: the Paul Hunter Foundation is doing important work with disadvantaged youngsters with the support of prominent members of the snooker community.
Some of them, including Steve Davis, Peter Ebdon, Michael Holt and Shaun Murphy, are running the Sheffield half marathon for the charity next month.
And today is Paul Hunter Day at the Crucible, with activities organised by the Foundation, set up both in tribute and remembrance to a much missed player.
More details can be found here.
More...
It seems like an age since Jamie Jones beat Shaun Murphy. The young Welshman has since been out-quiffed by the dependably hirsute Ronnie O'Sullivan but returns to action today for a second round encounter with Andrew Higginson.
This is an interesting one because they have both played well thus far and will both be fancying their chances.
Neither is playing a top seed and I think this will be a good, close game.
Jones seemed surprised that all the hotels in Sheffield were booked up this weekend. This is touchingly naive for an unassuming and dedicated professional currently playing the best snooker of his career.
Higginson has been around longer but this is still the first best of 25 frame match he has played as a pro.
The other start - no finishes today, rather ridiculously - features Matthew Stevens against Barry Hawkins.
It was difficult for Hawkins to gauge precisely how well he was playing in the first round because Mark Selby was clearly struggling with the after effects of the trapped nerve which forced him to withdraw from the China Open.
Stevens is more of a veteran of long Crucible matches. He has an excellent record at the Crucible despite never having won the title.
Matthew was best mates with Paul Hunter, who came so close to reaching the world final in 2003.
He would still have been one of the favourites to win the title, perhaps would have done by now, had the appalling disease which killed him not intervened.
Out of the tragedy of his early death has come a positive: the Paul Hunter Foundation is doing important work with disadvantaged youngsters with the support of prominent members of the snooker community.
Some of them, including Steve Davis, Peter Ebdon, Michael Holt and Shaun Murphy, are running the Sheffield half marathon for the charity next month.
And today is Paul Hunter Day at the Crucible, with activities organised by the Foundation, set up both in tribute and remembrance to a much missed player.
More details can be found here.
More...