2017 and 2018 World Snooker Championship Thread

[CaledonianCraig]

First topic message reminder :

I am surprised no topic up here yet for the World Championship so here goes a few days too late.

Mark Selby looks like a good bet for a third world title. Where will the main challenge come from? Perhaps Judd Trump, John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Selby looked very good in his opening match as did Higgins. O'Sullivan's mental demons have resurfaced again in time for The Crucible and will need to improve to win again.

Thoughts?

[CaledonianCraig]

As you were at the end of their mini-session. Higgins still leads by two at 7-5.

[CaledonianCraig]

Hawkins takes a scrappy 14th frame and trails Higgins 8-6.

[CaledonianCraig]

At last a good fluent break from Higgins and he seals the frame to lead 9-6 with one.frame left to the play in the session. Pretty big frame this for Barry Hawkins.

[CaledonianCraig]

Higgins will be happy to be leading 10-6 going into tomorrow's session. He has been below his best so far but less bad than Barry.

[CaledonianCraig]

Tonight's session sees Mark Selby resume leading Ding Junhui 9-7. Ding has to look to win this session but at worst not lose it.

[CaledonianCraig]

Selby gets lucky and wins the first frame. He lost an epic safety battle but got very lucky on more than one occasion. Selby leads 10-7.

[CaledonianCraig]

Good solid stuff from Ding. Follows Selby's century with a break of 95 and closes to trail 10-8.

[CaledonianCraig]

Ding taking his chances when they come now and has reeled off another frame. Selby leads 10-9 now.

[CaledonianCraig]

Selby just doing enough to maintain his two frame cushion. He goes to the interval leading 11-9.

[temporary21]

Dings just got to keep chipping away at him. Marks a little lucky to still have a lead

[CaledonianCraig]

Must be frilustrating for Ding as he just can't achieve parity. He trails 12-10 now. Must win one of these last two frames at least for me.

[temporary21]

Better. He gets them both. He looks the favourite at the mo

[CaledonianCraig]

Better. He gets them both. He looks the favourite at the mo

Still in the balance. Massive final session this afternoon that could decide who wins the world title.

[CaledonianCraig]

This morning John Higgins is about to resume 10-6 up on Barry Hawkins. No two ways about it - Barry has to win this 5-3 as a bare minimum.

[CaledonianCraig]

After a few missed chances from both it is Barry Hawkins who mops up the first frame with a 50+ break. Higgins leads 10-7.

[CaledonianCraig]

You feel that frame is the key one. Hawkins had golden chances to pull it back to 10-8 after a horror miss on the black from Higgins but Higgins pinches the frame 11-7. Where is the Higgins of the previous rounds?

[CaledonianCraig]

This in, a sadistic way, is an incredible match. Both players struggling badly, missing golden chances and going through the mental wringer.From looking like being back to something like his best earlier in the tournament it seems the Higgins of the last two or three years has resurfaced in this semi. Barry really struggling with simple control shots. It is like watching two punch drunk boxers.

[temporary21]

Standard here noticeably worse than the other semi.

[temporary21]

Oh not again. Barry should be level but he's missing golden chances

[temporary21]

Barry's goose is cooked. He could lose by a load now

[CaledonianCraig]

And Higgins wins a mighty tense frame littered with errors but fascinating watching all the same. Higgins leads 12-7. I feel for both players. They must feel embarrassed in front of a packed Crucible and not producing the snooker they know they can.

[CaledonianCraig]

Quite incredible watching. Okay we all want century breaks and marvellous shots but it is fascinating watching two fantastic snooker players going through the mill missing shots they'd normally pot in their sleep, running out of position and going through mental torture.

[CaledonianCraig]

Another frame slips away from Hawkins and they go into the mid-session interval with John Higgins leads 13-7.

[temporary21]

Must be very frustrating for Barry. It's 4-0 or bust

To be quite frank. If he picks up his game he well might

[CaledonianCraig]

Must be very frustrating for Barry. It's 4-0 or bust

To be quite frank. If he picks up his game he well might

And if Higgins ups his game then probably not. Hawkins has struggled badly but so has Higgins.

[temporary21]

Hmm each frame is a rerun. This is getting a little embarrassing for barry

[CaledonianCraig]

Higgins comes from way back to pinch the 21st frame. He now leads 14-7 and with three frames left in this session Higgins could theoretically be in the semis by the end of them. Needs all three whilst Barry needs a miracle of epic proportions.

[CaledonianCraig]

Fewer mistakes in that frame from Higgins. He takes it and leads 15-7. Higgins' new tip or return of haunting misses of last few years? That is the question.

[CaledonianCraig]

Better from Higgins. A break of 90 gives him the frame and he leads 16-7. One frame short of the final.

[CaledonianCraig]

Barry Hawkins takes the final frame to take this semi to the final session this evening. Higgins takes a 16-8 lead into it.

[temporary21]

Saved some face there

[CaledonianCraig]

It really is a bizarre thought but this afternoon's session between Ding and Selby could see the crowning of the 2017 champion. Whoever comes through this semi will come through it in very good form and on a high and they will likely face John Higgins who has looked lost in his semi.

[CaledonianCraig]

Selby takes the first frame of the final session and edges back ahead to lead 13-12.

[CaledonianCraig]

Selby weighs in with a 96 break and alarm bells begin to sound again for Ding (no pun intended). Selby leads 14-12.

[CaledonianCraig]

Selby just doing enough here and edging towards the final. He goes into the mid-session interval leading 15-13.

[CaledonianCraig]

This next frame is a must win for Ding I would say. If Selby bags it he would be three up with four to play. Too big a mountain to climb I would say.

[temporary21]

He's spent much of the match recovering from 2 frame deficits. No surprise if he does it again

[CaledonianCraig]

He's spent much of the match recovering from 2 frame deficits. No surprise if he does it again

True but he has never quite managed to get ahead.

[CaledonianCraig]

This will be a hammer blow if Selby wins this one. Ding has had his chances here.

[CaledonianCraig]

Excellent shot from Selby and Ding in trouble here.

[CaledonianCraig]

And that looks like the final nail in Ding's coffin - Selby takes the frame to lead 16-13.

[CaledonianCraig]

Ding just holding himself together and takes the next frame to stay in the match. He still trails 16-14 though.

[temporary21]

That's 1 frame

[temporary21]

Protracted safety battle. This isn't where ding wants to be. He's surely got to chance his arm

[temporary21]

But the first big chance to ding

[CaledonianCraig]

Ding holding his own and coming out on top of a long safety exchange and he is in with a chance of hauling back another frame.

[CaledonianCraig]

Immense break under pressure from Ding and he is back in this now and barring snookers it is now 16-15.

[temporary21]

That's 2 frames

[CaledonianCraig]

And 16-15 it is.

[CaledonianCraig]

Ding in with the first chance in the 32nd frame.

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