So that is round one is over and what a finish we had, a sensational match between Xiao Guodong and Kurt Maflin which saw four straight century breaks this evening. Usually I would prepare a detailed frame by frame report but as those of you following me on Twitter will have noticed, I have been posting frame by frame updates on there so hopefully they will give you the gist of how the matches unfolded.
Instead I offer a few thoughts on the action so far and who could be worth a watch in the coming rounds…
I have also updated the provisional rankings (they are right this time), and the drawsheet…
Where else to start but with the incredible match between Xiao Guodong and Kurt Maflin which saw the Chinese youngster come through the deciding frame to win 10-9. While some deciders early on in the qualifying rounds can be the culmination of several scrappy frames however, this could not have been further from that as the match that I had flagged up as the match of the day on Twitter this morning duly delivered.
From the start the pace was quick and the first session was enjoyable enough, the players sharing six breaks of 50+ between them as Xiao secured a 5-4 lead. This continued in the second session as Kurt hit back with breaks of 91, 81 and 77 to lead 7-6 at the mid-session interval before an incredible run which saw them make four successive century breaks before Xiao eventually won it with a 65 which with several yellows included and the pressure on his shoulders was as good as any of the hundred breaks.
Indeed the high breaks by frame tell the story of the match:
43, 49, 70, 56, 94, 83, 61, 30, 91, 24, 87, 77, 130, 135, 100, 114, 45, 65
Watching Kurt left me dumbfounded as to how exactly he now looks likely to find himself relegated from the tour but if he can carry this sort of form through to the Q School (if he enters), then he will surely be hard to stop. That said I was pleased to see Xiao win because he was unfortunate not to stay on the tour as of right last season following a series of horrible draws against the season’s form players, and for a time it looked like he might suffer the same fate this evening. Now up to 61st on my provisional list, his chances of survival on the circuit have been given a boost but he will probably need to defeat Jimmy Robertson to be sure.
Who else looked good in round 1? Leicester’s Ben Woollaston began his match in fine style with a break of 92 on his way to a 5-1 lead over Jamie O’Neill before his opponent raised his game considerably, giving Ben a real scare before he got over the line 10-8. At 9-6 and 57 points ahead, Woollaston looked a dead cert but from what I heard afterwards (I was watching the madness during the Maflin match at the time), Jamie produced a stunning clearance, making four reds which were tight on cushions to keep himself in the match. Probably needing the make the final qualifying round to get into the top 64, Ben now meets Stuart Pettman tomorrow in what on paper at least does not look to be the worst draw he could have had…
Other standout performers? Looking back to Saturday’s action, James Wattana rolled back the years in spells, breaks of 98, 55, 52, 54, 51 and a standout 141 in the second frame showing that he can still play some good snooker. Again he might not be as consistent as he once was but he still has that class that once took him to number three in the world. His next match against Andy Hicks could be a real tussle…
I did not see much of his 10-2 demolition of Adam Wicheard this evening but Michael White with six breaks over 50 would appear to be in good shape. Matt Couch in the next round however has far greater experience than Adam and should prove to be a tougher task…
To a lesser extent Sam Baird, Liu Chuang, Kyren Wilson, Paul Davison and Andrew Pagett all impressed and showed enough to suggest they can make life difficult for their second round opponents, while Liu Song will be able to player with greater freedom following his great escape against Michael Judge yesterday. That said, he does need to win in order to keep his hopes of a top 64 spot alive…
While most of the results went as I had expected them to, I was surprised by the exit of Liam Highfield against Kuldesh Johal, only to learn after the match that he had apparently destroyed his cue following his recent loss to Barry Pinches. While he had apparently had another one on order already, it is evidence perhaps of his wild temperament which certainly seemed to be in evidence today. It was the first time that I had seen him play but he does seem to be something of a cuebanger!
More generally, the tables played very slowly on the Saturday when the heating was off but it was a different story the following day as the warmth seemed to cause the tables to speed up. Hopefully that will continue to be case this afternoon.
Aside from possibly Xiao if he can play like he did today, I do not see anyone here making it as far as the Crucible from this group but you never know.
Anyway, I shall be back tomorrow and once again bringing you the latest news via Twitter…