Welsh Open - Rd 3

Afternoon Session 

Featured Match – 

Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team 

The Defending Welsh Open Champion v The Snooker Shoot Out Champion

Shaun Murphy v Ryan Day 4 – 1

Highest Break 133 – Murphy (Frame 2)

Frame 1, After Day’s break off shot, that left a red over the bottom left pocket. Murphy potted the red using some amazing cue power on his first shot, with excellent cue-ball control he had very quickly built up a 62-point lead, until the spilt on the small pack of remaining went slightly wrong left on a tricky and risky plant which did not look on, but he tried to make it happen but missed it and left Day in. It was a big ask to get his cue-arm going straight away, but with the break on 28 he missed a black of the spot, he might have taken his eye of the pot thinking about the cannon to move the pink which he did. He was fortunate not to leave Murphy with a pot on. Murphy then potted a brilliant red into the bottom left corner, there was just enough room for it to sneak past the black. Murphy then missed another chance, he failed to pot a red along the baulk cushion. Day nearly laid a snooker behind the black, but Murphy had to swerve around the blue to hit the last red but did not hit it. The 4-point foul meant that if day cleared the table it would go to a re-spotted black, and Day did just that.

Re-spot Black –

Day broke off with an unusual double to the green pocket, Murphy missed the black into the same pocket. The balls came to rest in the middle of the table and Day cleared the black into the yellow pocket. 1 – 0 to Day.

Frame 2, began with Murphy putting Day into a snooker behind the black, but it was an easy escape of the right cushion and nestle the cue-ball in the pack. After a little bout of safety, the reds had opened up. Day attempted a long pot into the bottom left corner but missed the cue-ball travelled back into baulk and so did the red, which Murphy blasted into the yellow pocket, he showed good cue-action with the break on 6 when he had slightly lost control of the cue-ball but recovered by potting the blue into the yellow pocket. The break was building with some good shots, he got another long blue to make it 39 and then was back in prime position. The magician produced a total clearance of 133, it was a brilliant century break (from the defending champion) showing his true class to level the match at 1 apiece. The break was a way of putting the first frame out of his mind.

 

Frame 3, Day gave an unusual foul as the potted the cue-ball of the break off shot. Murphy hand ball in hand, placed in the D next to the brown and potted another long red. He had only made a break of 5, and just as he did with the plant in the first frame, he missed the pink into the right middle while thinking too much about trying to remove two reds that had tied the black up. The two reds sitting on top of the black was reminiscent of Mickey mouse’s head. Day stepped in and took his chance. He was unfortunate with the spilt on the reds after potting the green but recovered by potting the red next to the cushion into the right corner. He played an excellent safety putting the cue-ball tight on the baulk cushion, Murphy had a go at a long red but missed it. Day refused the attempt on the red but did not play the best safety shot and left Murphy another long red which he missed into right corner. The scores stood at 9 – 26 to Day. Day missed another chance he missed a long red to the green pocket, that allowed Murphy in. Murphy was becoming more confident and looking a lot stronger and took full advantage of Day’s mistake making a break of 75 to go one frame ahead at 2 – 1.

 

Frame 4, Murphy’s break off left a choice of two long reds for Day, one on the left and red. He attempted the one on the left side but missed it. Murphy played safe; Day took on another long red which he missed by a long way but was fortunate to leave the cue-ball tight on the baulk cushion. Murphy missed a red into bottom left, the cue-ball smashed into the pack opening the reds, it was Murphy’s turn to have a bit of luck as he only left one potable red for Day into the green pocket and just like he did in the last frame he missed it exactly the same way, it was a risky shot to take on especially with the way Murphy was performing and with the way the reds were open. Murphy had been awarded another chance. With the break on 21, there was a slight pause in play as there was banging coming from up on the roof, which was disturbing Murphy, but he continued on with the job at hand. Murphy completed 3 half centuries in 3 straight frames and went on to make a break of 87. The writing was on the wall for Day as Murphy went one frame away from the last 16. 3 - 2.

 

Day broke off frame 5 brilliantly as he left the cue-ball finished on the baulk cushion. Murphy attempted a long red into the bottom left corner and then Day missed a red into the opposite corner. After some tip-tapping the cue-ball into the pack, both players quickly agreed to a re-rack. The second one of the day and of the tournament.

 

Frame 5 (Take 2) – Murphy uncharacteristically missed a long red by a mile into the right corner but was lucky not to leave anything on for Day who needed to get his cue-arm into action as he had not potted a ball for 25 minutes. After Murphy caught a red a little too thick and hit the yellow but somehow, he was lucky that the blue covered the red into right corner. Day gave himself a chance after potting a difficult red into the left corner pocket to hold for the black into the right corner. With the break on 64 and with a maximum break, he ran the cue-ball a bit too far he sacrificed the 147 and had to go went up for the blue after his next red, just to take the frame but from the blue, the white finished next to black snookering himself on the red to left corner and took a red into the left middle, missed it. A relieved Murphy came to the table 70 points behind but with great chance for a fightback. He got to 23-points behind going into the colours that were all on their spots. He cleared them all to win the match and along the way making four straight half centuries in 4 frames. It was an outstanding performance from Murphy. The defending champion marches on strongly to the last 16 to play Barry Hawkins.