Who will make the one table situation?
We’ve now reached the last eight stage and although there is a general feel that this has not yet been one of the classic championships of recent times that can all change if we get some memorable matches from here on in.
Off the table and before I get to the match previews, the big news is that I managed to get my Twitter account suspended last Saturday for a week, which can only be described as careless.
The crime for which I have been accused and convicted in the space of around 10 seconds without access to legal advice actually had nothing whatsoever to do with snooker. I merely pointed out that anyone who starts making loads of noise in the garden with power tools when it’s sunny should be rounded up and shot.
Clearly only someone utterly insane would believe that I actually meant this, but these algorithms don’t have a sense of humour. The idea that I was truly advocating the shooting of people for this is both inaccurate and unfair. Why would I do this when it’s much easier and far less messy to just administer a lethal injection?
Anyway, you can now follow me on this Twitter account until I’m allowed off the naughty step for the final.
Remember to click on the match to take you to the head to head record.
Anthony McGill v Stuart Bingham
Tues 10am/7pm, Wed 2.30pm
There were plenty of connotations in terms of who would meet in this round from this section and I’m not sure many would have picked these two to be battling it out for a place in the semi-finals. McGill withstood all that Ronnie could throw at him in the final session and his clearance to win was unflappable, he is quickly developing into the Pokerface of snooker and it’s a real asset to have under these intense conditions. Bingham seems destined to win the ‘worst walk on tune ever’ trophy at the end of this but that’s not the only title he’s got his sights on and he starts a marginal favourite for the match. In terms of a winner, I’d not touch this, it’s far too evenly balanced to plump 100% on one of them, I think I marginally favour Bingham if it goes close but with no confidence really. The way he is scoring though the 8/11 on him to make the highest break of the match makes more appeal to me than backing him to win and the 6/5 on him making more than 2 centuries looks too big to me.
PREDICTION: Bingham 13-10
Tues 2.30pm, Wed 10am/7pm
Another classic match up here between the two Mark’s in form. Williams floating around the table in his customary carefree manner knocking them in from all angles and Selby, dismantling opponents like a small inquisitive child taking a train set apart to see how it all works before carefully putting it back together again to a higher specification. The way they are both playing reminds me of the way they both play when they win this which makes this a very difficult match to predict as it could easily be a runaway victory for one of them or an absolute classic which is decided by the odd shot at the end. They’ve met plenty of times over the years but have only met here once, way back in 2006 long before Selby became the force in the game he is now, it took Selby 5 tries before he could finally beat Williams but since then he has the upper hand in the head to heads, including most recently a 6-4 win in the Players Championship a couple of months ago. I’d like Williams to win as he’s still my favourite player to watch and as with every year since he won it, I backed him months ago, but Selby in this form is a very tough proposition.
PREDICTION: Selby 13-10
Tues 10am/7pm, Wed 10am
The head to head here reads 2-2 but it’s noticeable that in their last two meetings the score in frames is Kyren 11, Robbo 2, this includes a 5-0 drubbing in the 2020 Welsh Open so it’s clear that Kyren will go into this rightly feeling he’s in with a big chance. Both have been really impressive in the early rounds so I’m a bit surprised what a heavy favourite the bookies make Neil. I suppose one worry for Kyren’s camp may be the way he was limbering up his neck throughout his last 16 tie with Hawkins and he was clearly in some discomfort towards the end of the match. Robbo has no such malfunctions and his game when tested is proving up for the job so far. The obvious bets here involve the number of century breaks being high, but how often have we approached a match expecting a tonfest only to end up with a cagey tactical affair? I don’t think it will be as one sided as the bookies seem to be suggesting so if you fancy them both reaching double figures in frames which I think is perfectly possible, you’ll find 5/4 on there being over 22 frames in the match appealing.
PREDICTION: Wilson 13-11
Tues 2.30pm, Wed 2.30pm/7pm
These two met at this stage back in 2013 and produced a very dramatic spectacle which saw Judd run out a 13-12 winner so given the feel of the lack of dramatic finishes this year it would make a nice late Wednesday evening thriller most welcome if they can do that again please. Murphy has been very impressive in his opening two matches and from speaking to him I know that he’s really enjoying the whole Sheffield experience having been a player who it’s fair to say, has struggled with the ‘no crowd at Keynes’ tour this season. It’s clear that this is making a huge difference to his game and now he gets a pop at the favourite to win it. Judd’s been clinical so far without really doing anything special, you can easily point to his opponents bad form but there is usually a reason that this happens, mainly that the player in the ascendancy is putting you bang under it. I did tip up Judd to justify the odds in the main preview and also predicted he’d face Murphy at this stage but now is where we’ll truly find out if he really should be clear favourite in a field where everyone left in it has brought their A+ game with them. I think this one could produce the drama we have been craving.
PREDICTION: Judd 13-12
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