Day 1 Snooker: Welsh Open Highlights

A very good evening. It's been a really busy first day here at the

888 Welsh Open. We've had a stream of quick-fire matches on both

tables here at the Newport Centre. It is the best of seven frames at

this stage. That means that some players' tournaments have ended

before they had barely begun. Ryan Day's stay at the Welsh Open

lasted less than a day. The Potter was sadly weighten 4-0 in his

qualifying round match by Michael Holt of England. 4-0, you can't get

any better, can you? I played OK. I played well actually. Didn't miss

anything in play. Took my chance, and that's what you've got to do at

this level. The current golden ball of world snooker Judd Trump wasted

little time in dispatching Fergal O'Brien 4-0 to cruise into round

two. I'm looking at the last four or

five tournaments and hopefully I can win two. You've got to set your

standards high. I know I'm playing well. If I keep playing like that I

will be tough to stop. You've just got to take it one match at a time

and not get too ahead of yourself. Former world Championship Shaun

Murphy is through to the last 16. The world number 6 was trailing

Mark Joyce by two frames and then won to take the match 4-2. I didn't

want to let him settle down. Through one thing or another which

I didn't feel was my fault I let him into the balls. I had some

really bad kicks. The table was a bit square. A year ago I would have

been angry about that and would have come off the table moaning

about it. But I've learnt that while you are out there there is

nothing you can do about it, as it's the same for both players, and

I carried on. Shaun Murphy's opponent will be

either Ali Carter or cave Davis, still competing on the circuit --

or Steve Davis, still competing on Can he get through to the black? I

think it is his only potable ball, although the angle isn't the right

If that black ball had been in open play I'm sure you would have seen

Steve roll up behind the green, but Well, what a pot that was. APPLAUSE

I think Steve Davis has been watching too much Judd Trump.

That's the sort of pot he would That was perfect. He won't worry

about that black being out of commission. Plenty of reds

The wrong side of the blue. Because of that he is even considering the

Just making heavy weather of this. Can't get straight enough on the

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next ball. Again he's got too much Well played. That was an excellent

shot from Steve. Found the gap between the reds for nigh on

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Can he get through to the red into Getting ever closer to the winning

line. That was an excellent shot from Steve. That's exactly what he

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Not too many pots needed now to Has he just got the right side of

That's a nice kiss. Red colour red required. I think maybe Steve has

cannoned, finished sufficiently near the topcution the red above it

pots into the left corner. I think that will go, the red at the top of

There's the first one. I think it's going to be all over

for Ali Carter in this year's Welsh Well done Steve Davis. Not there

Just needs that red. It's there. A possible 121 on to match his

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Steve Davis is a very popular That was a lusty bounce.

It's just gone in. This blue for It finds its way into the pocket.

An excellent performance by Steve Davis. He will take his place into

round 2. He defeats Ali Carter by four frames to three in round one

of this year's Welsh Open. Well To make the century breaking the

last is always fantastic. And I thought I really sort of the, I was

OK out there. I felt very comfortable. I felt amongst the

balls happy with how I was playing. Clear mind. All the things you're

supposed to have. Waiting for chances. I didn't think I was going

to get them, but Ali didn't put me away, so delighted. Every player

needs some sort of confirmation that they can still perform on the

snooker table. If you don't get any of that for a long period of time,

it is very debilitating. So before that match, which was nice against

Ali Carter, I would have to look back to perhaps some of the PTC

matches, but they are not as high profile. And John Higgins in the

World Championship two years ago. It seems like a long time ago now.

The longer it goes in between the harder it is. You have just got to

be resilient. Optimistic and hope as well. You've got to be quite

hopeful. In the other matches today Ding

Junhui was a comfortable winner against Steve Davis -- against Mark

Davis. There was also a great victory for

Tom Ford. He beat former world chu- Graeme Dott 4-2.

Tonight John Higgins began the defence of his Welsh Open title.

His first round opponent was Liang Wenbo of China. In this one John

Higgins took a 3-1 lead. We pick it up in the fifth frame with Higgins

If this goes in, you would have to fancy match over.

He decided not to bring the black back into play there.

He could have got on the black again, but just pushed it out of

the way. Now he will have to work Maybe forced into playing for the

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A couple of shots away now from It is just one shot. All the reds

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He has gone a bit too far. He will The gap was there. One more red

I don't believe it he has missed two game balls. It shows you even

the greatest players are sometimes, when they know they're struggling

for form, miss easy shots. I didn't see that one coming. The only good

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thing is he put the blue and the The only frame he has won this

He is still in there and glad to When you consider he was left right

in the ball there is and played a very careless shot to get on to the

pink. John Higgins will be delighted to have won this match 4-

Even though he has missed that, he is 54 in front and barring snookers

he will go into the next round. That was enougher for John Higgins.

Liang couldn't get back in and John Higgins moves in to the second

round with a 4-1 victory. He is coming back into form and I went 2-

0 up playing OK and then I missed a bad red to make it 3-0 and he has

done a good clearance and that could have changed the match. But

he missed a couple of that, so did I and luckily for me I won the two

frames. I felt as if I was hitting the ball well, but then I was

missing easy shots. You can't afford to do that. I play another

Chinese boy now, played the No 2 and then their No 1 player, Ding

Junhui next. He played well against Mark Davis. So normally you

sometimes play Ding a semi final or final, now strength and I'm having

to play him in the last 16. other match involved Wales' Domic

dale. He faced Sam Baird in this final round qualifying match. Baird

starred started well, taking the first two frames. We pick it up in

the fourlt frame. No one has potted a ball and Baird is next to play. -

I'm not sure the black goes, so he will play the pink. I have never

seen Sam Baird play until tonight. I thought he may have let Dominic

intimidate him a bit. Dominic's a seasoned professional. Been around

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At the moment he is taking his If this red goes, it opens up

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everything any way. This is a great Well he has made the pot on the

black. He has underscrewed the cue ball by about four or five sinch

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inches. He will can Monday in the A bit short with that one. He still

has the red to left corner and to left centre. Again he has gone past

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He is not quite at the winning line, This has been very impressive.

He couldn't really avoid that. Still in a good position. Dominic

This has been terrific. Very He has got the perfect angle off

the red to disturb these two from the side cushion. He has already

won this one. He vust going for a He looks like he is really enjoying

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On then Sam, on your debut, let's He is showing how much cue power he

has. That was a terrific long red. He is not frightened of anything.

You can tell when a player is enjoying himself. He is pulling out

Sam Baird with 136 extends his lead to 3-1. Dominic Dame has it all to

do. -- Dominic Dale has it all to do. That break was the highest in

the tournament so far, giving Baird a handy 3-1 lead. But Dale took the

next frame and we rejoin it in the Dominic's missed that by a long way.

The one thing he won't want is a free ball. I don't know whether

that will be. It will be close. If it is a free ball, Sam's got a nice

easy start over the black. REFEREE: Free ball. It is a free ball, that

is a disaster for Dominic. Don't get he wrong, Sam Baird's got to

get to this red somehow, pot it and He will have another bite at the

He would like to be close to this red. Needs that cue ball to bounce.

That looks very straight. Sam's having a mutter to himself. So

Has Dominic played his last shot of He will be having big butterflies

at the moment, young Sam. He is on That probably was about as good as

he was going to do. It was a good pot. The cue ball is a bit away

from the cushion. Just having the cue ball cleaned.Less perfect on

this brown to drop it in. It was The brown has disappeared. What a

Dominic has been far from his best, but that has been due to the fact

that this young man has played so That is it. A sigh of relief, Sam

Baird will go through to the next round. Just this pink. I don't

think he will play the black. It will just be a shake of hand. Young

Sam Baird, not so Dominic Dale. have got a busy day of first round

matches tomorrow. And there is bound to be plenty of local support

for Mark Williams as he plays Andy Hicks. There is a clash of former