World Championship snooker 2021 LIVE - Judd Trump to take Crucible centre stage, Mark Allen on too
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Updated 20/04/2021 at 20:09 GMT
World Championship snooker 2021 – Welcome to LIVE coverage from the big one with Jack Lisowski and Mark Allen in action before Judd Trump takes centre stage. The world number one and former champion will be taking on Liam Highfield in his opening-round match at the Crucible as he targets a second title in Sheffield.
Stuart Bingham
Image credit: Getty Images
That's us for today
On table 2, Hawkins leads Selt 3-0. See you tomorrow!
Stuart Bingham beats Ding Junhui 10-9!
That was a brilliant decider to end a brilliant match. Bingham meets Jamie Jones next.
Ding 9-10 Bingham (45-71)
This is blinding from Bingham, to sends a red diagonally across the tale to the yellow pocket. Again, that shows serious stonage under pressure because if he missed he was leaving plenty. But he didn't, and when the yellow goes down, that's the match. Stuart will have thought himself done for when Ding was having at it, and the way he's responded with this break has been superb. Unable to get a potting angle on the brown, Stuart plays safe; Ding comes back needing two snookers, leaves it, and there we go!
Ding 9-9 Bingham (45-44)
There aren't many better in the balls than Ding, but this isn't an easy table ... and Ding misses a clip to left corner! So Bingham crunches it away into the yellow pocket, getting some great action on the white which takes him down onto the black. The second time he sees it away, he tickles the pack but doesn't get much, just a delicate cut to middle with the white sure to develop more reeds ... he takes it on, drains it, gets a kiss on the black, and that's a brilliant shot. The stones to play that at that stage! But Stuart will need all five of the reds that remain and two are above the blue, so this isn't did yet.
Ding 9-9 Bingham (16-4)
Eeesh! Ding brings the white towards the green pocket ... and with it's last roll, it drops in! What a chance for Stuart, who for some reason ignore one to the middle ... to miss one to the yellow pocket! We're deep in the heart of Shredsville now, but can Ding redeem himself with the rest? Yes he can! He doesn't fully commit though, so doesn't have great position on the black; he might play safe, but no, he can't turn it down and drops in a beauty from low on it! It's a chance now, and really, three shots ago Ding looked done for, now he looks liektaking it home. This game.
Ding 9-9 Bingham (0-0)
These lads were pulled off at the end of their penultimate frame because the evening session needed starting; we learn in commentary that Uncle Joe Johnson played in the latest Crucible finish, 5am against Peter Ebdon, though they didn't start until gone midnight. Anyhow, we begin with a protracted safety exchange.
A special treat
Bingham and Ding are about to play a decider, so I'm going to bring you that. that.
Mark Allen beats Lyu Haotian
He meets Selby or Maflin next; what a tussle that could be!
Allen 9-2 Lyu (46-5)
Mark nails an absolutely banging long red, but just as f&m look his, he misses the next one! But it goes safe, Lyu then misses with the rest and accidentally sinks the yellow; a red-colour now, and he's done.
Allen 9-2 Lyu (37-5)
Lyu misses a red then almost flukes it into the middle via kiss off the blue ... but leaves it for Mark. He indulges in accumulation, but then has to force a pink from centre to corner and jawses it, allowing Lyu a delicate little cut from low. A fine yellow follows, a felicitous kiss setting up a red ... except when he tries to move over the black, another kiss sticks a red onto it and he can't clip it home with the rest.
Allen 9-2 Lyu (13-1)
Mark gets in but then misses a red to right corner that really oughtn't to have troubled him. Lyu then sees one off before missing the yellow and we're back on safety as, in case it's escaped your attention, the European Soccer League is falling apart. Oh happy day! (Sorry Lyu).
Allen 9-2 Lyu
A run of 64 more than clinches the frame; Hawkins still leads Selt 1-0.
Allen 8-2 Lyu (67-38)
A poor positional shot forces Mark to take on a blue to the corner ... excellent recovery. This is really nice from Mark, who 's found some form from somewhere after a pretty munting year, the champion of champions aside. .
Allen 8-2 Lyu (33-38)
Mark takes on a long red to the right corner and misses; now this is a chance. But after seeing away the red, Lyu misses a black off its spot! You can't be doing that here; it's going to cost him the frame and rightly so.
Allen 8-2 Lyu (14-37)
You've got to hand it to Lyu, he doesn't wait to be asked if something's there to be potted, and he sinks a delicious red to get underway; had he missed, he'd have left it and a black which went to both corners. But he didn't, so he's now picking at the fringes ... only to overhit one into the middle, which Mark quickly eliminates. Just as this is looking like a chance, though, he hits the wrong red at the bottom of the pack off the black ... so it's end of break and back up to baulk.
Allen 8-2 Lyu
Mark sees away the brown, and he's in a great position now. On Table 2, Hawkins has stolen the first frame from Selt.
Allen 7-2 Lyu (62-33)
Lyu gets first hack, trying to clip in behind to roll it down ... but he misses! Mark then drains it and the green, so when yerman returns to the table, he needs two snookers. Good luck with that, old mate.
Allen 7-2 Lyu (57-29)
But he can't make it count and Lyu gets in next, laying a terrific snooker behind the black - which is close to its own cushion - the two remaining reds way up in baulk. Mark hits first time ... but full ball, leaving an easy starter. The yellow, though, is stuck to the side cushion, so it'll likely be the ball which decides the frame.
Allen 7-2 Lyu (42-17)
But Mark misses a straightforward enough red into the middle and a safety exchange ensues before Lyu glides a lovely starter into the middle from baulk. The table is not at all easy, too many reds above the blue and blocking each other, but this is still a chance to get back in the frame, if nothing else ... but then he misses a difficult cut to the yellow pocket and leaves it. He's got colossal problems.
Allen 7-2 Lyu (23-0)
Lyu's a good player but took too long to get going this morning and missed too many balls he ought to have potted. It's also worth noting that though Allen, infamously, doesn't do well at the Cruce, he's a brilliant player whose A-game is good enough to win this and he was really good in that session. So when Lyu misses a red and leaves him in, he immediately sets to work removing balls.
Also worth noting
Ding Junhui and Stuart Bingham are locked at 9-9 and will play a decider at some point tonight - they were forced off because the arena needed sorting for tonight and they'd run out of time in the afternoon sesh.
Hear come the players
Let's have it!
In the studio
They're discussing the most exciting player ever, settling, as you'd expect, on the Hurricane.
Also tonight
Barry Hawkins and Matt Selt get going.
Evening all!
Eyes down for a bit of Mark Allen 7-2 Lyu Haotian
That's us done for the afternoon
Join me this evening for the end of Mark Allen-Lyu Haotian - it's also 7-2 in favour of the higher-ranked player - while Ding looks set to level his match against Bingham at 8-8.
Trump 7-2 Highfield
Judd wasn't as brilliant as he can be but he was more than good enough for a nervous-looking Liam. If he wins, he'll play Dave Gilbert next, and that could be a cracker.
Trump 6-2 Highfield (73-22)
This is terrific from Judd, who knows that if he wins this one, Liam will know it's almost over. He's just so nerveless in these situations, and can rely on his frankly revolting potting to salvage any poor positional shots. On 43, he gets a kick potting the black but of course it goes in anyway, another red-black follow, then another red which is frame-ball. When they resume tomorrow afternoon, Liam will need to win eight of the 10 frames remaining.
Trump 6-2 Highfield (7-22)
Liam pots the first red but lands on nowt, then plays a very poor roll-up that leaves Judd a simple enough starter ... which he misses! So here comes Liam, and when a pot with the rest goes wrong, he's got to take on a long blue ... and rams a fine effort into the green pocket. But back at the business end, a loose red means he's low on the black and has to force it, the white close to black cush, but he misses and the table is open. This is a big problem for Liam.
Oh dear
Trump 6-2 Highfield
Alas not. He doesn't get position on the final red so has to try a long double that doesn't come off. Still, he's nicely set.
Trump 5-2 Highfield (83-0)
This is big-dog stuff from Judd, who has resolved a complex table with precision and force. Yet another ton is his for the taking.
Trump 5-2 Highfield (43-0)
The below is my shot of the championship so far, but back to our match, Judd flukes a snooker then gets himself away as a consequence.In commentary, they reckon the table is playing a bit heavy - or should that be heavily - for all the difference it's making. This is a belting run, a pink clattered in with indecent force and various reds disturbed. There's a lot of work still to do, but, well.
Trump 5-2 Highfield
He cannot, missing the next red, but that's still a one-visit frame win, and the last three have taken 12, 8 and 11 respectively. On the other table, Bingham now leads Ding 8-7.
Trump 5-1 Highfield (0-77)
Liam's playing a little quicker now and it's working for him. He has a Crucible 99, but can he turn it into a ton?
Trump 5-1 Highfield (0-48)
A fine long red from Liam, which he follows with a brown, brings him down to the black. He drains a few, cracks the pack, and this is another chance for him to do something - but he can't get careless.
Trump 5-1 Highfield
Liam will be cursing and rightly so - he worked so hard to get set to take that one, but a lack of precision cost him and he's in all sorts.
Trump 4-1 Highfield (51-53)
Judd manufactures a lovely angle to sink the black and move up for the yellow; it and all the other colours are on their spots ... but not for long!
Trump 4-1 Highfield (10-53)
In commentary, they note that Liam is one of those players the pros rate but who's not got any momentum in his career yet - partly, as Anthony notes, because he's suffered with crohn's disease. But, oh dear: he gets the wrong side of the blue, misses it, and Judd now has every chance of taxing.
Trump 4-1 Highfield (1-39)
Judd sinks a re and on nowt, caresses into the green, making a delicate touch-shot look easy. But Liam escapes, and when Judd misses a thin cut to middle, he rattles home a fine long pot, one of his better pots this session. He's struggling to find prime position, but in the process of searching for it plays a succession of good shots until finally it's open for him and he goes into the pack. This is a chance to win the frame now, and he's crafted it really nicely.
Trump 4-1 Highfield
Judd easily clears the balls, a sensational right-handed pink putting him beautifully on the black which goes down too. Meanwhile, Bingham is close to levelling his match against Ding at 7-7.
Trump 3-1 Highfield (68-13)
Apologies, my system crashed and then decided to update itself, but Judd is bang in control of this fifth frame despite an error which ceded a chance ... only for Liam to spurn it nervously. So Judd is at the table and plays a gorgeous cannon, potting a red and developing the black; he's very close to 4-1.
Trump 3-1 Highfield
A double kiss from Judd when attempting a snooker on the yellow serves it up over the right middle. Liam drops it in, but not the green, and Judd needs two snookers. He drills the green in but then fouls when trying to hit the brown, and we're done here. Liam tidies up the brown and blue, and he's on the board!
We'll be back with you in 15 minutes after the mid-session interval.
Trump 3-0 Highfield (36-64)
Liam mops up 47, but he's the wrong side of the black to land on the final red on the black cush, so is forced to play it safe instead. Judd then leaves him a peak at the red into the green pocket, and Liam glides it home to come down for the black. That goes too before he's forced to play the yellow safe; Judd now requires a snooker.
Trump 3-0 Highfield (36-24)
It's a reprieve for Liam, as Judd makes a hash of canon into two reds to the right of the pink spot. The shot is too soft, and he's on nothing. From the safety Liam rolls in a long red, then flukes the yellow into the bottom left after missing it wildly to the right middle. He's giggling at his fortune, Trump is not. If Liam can compose himself, the frame's right there for him.
Trump 3-0 Highfield (22-9)
Bother here for Liam, and he could be out of this very quickly if he's not careful. Judd misses a long one to the bottom right to leave him in, but Liam can only cobble nine together before missing the pink high on the jaw of the right middle. Even worse, he's left Judd plum on a red into the bottom right. There's 22 up in a heartbeat, with a load more incoming the way these reds are set.
Trump 3-0 Highfield
Judd deadweights in the final red, along the bottom cushion and into the bottom right. He didn't bother with position on a colour with Liam needing snookers, and a few shots later Liam sails by the yellow without contact, and duly concedes.
Trump 2-0 Highfield (41-27)
Just as Anthony's saying we could be in for a lengthy safety exchange due to the reds on the aforementioned black cush, Judd finds a nice pot, but taking on a difficult yellow, he misses and sends the white into the left corner. Some safety ensues, then Liam misses a mid-distance red - oh dear. Judd quickly sees it away, then takes the brown, and looks set to rack up a third frame, though there's still a red stuck on black cush. Meanwhile on the other table, Ding now leads Bingham 7-5.
Trump 2-0 Highfield (21-19)
Judd misses a red by a way and leaves Liam a decent chance to score ... but he drops shot on a red so has to swallow his joy and play safe. He does an alright job too, but then Judd gets great length close to the bottom cushion and takes advantage when left a long red - he despatches it beautifully. There are a lot of reds clustered under the black, though, so Liam still has a chance - especially when a shot played with deep screw fails to develop any.
Trump 2-0 Highfield (1-6)
In commentary, they're discussing how good Judd is at safety play. I remember watching an interview with him a few months ago, in which he said he used to practice potting. Then his brother started coming down, and wondered why he was spending time on stuff he was already brilliant at rather than on the stuff that needed work. Anyhow, Liam plays a tremendous three-ball plant, two balls close to the middle and close together but the third a distance away, and he sinks it! But he has to play safe, loses the exchange, and Judd drives home a colossal red; Anthony says very few players can play that shot that well, naming Robertson and Murphy as those that can. But playing blue to middle, he only sends the white into the green pocket! Goodness me!
Trump 2-0 Highfield
Both players through that one away, but it's the world number one who takes it. Meanwhile, Ding is in the process of going 6-5 against Bingham.
Trump 1-0 Highfield (62-52)
Liam plays a lovely cannon into the cluster of three, but now has to remove the final two reds, one of which is tight to the side. It's probably going to require a snooker, behind the black that's close to it, but he opts to keep the break going by taking a pink, and a poor safety allows Judd to take control of the exchange with a snooker, separating cue ball and object ball by the width of the table and with the black. Liam's got to play off "black cush" says Anthony, and he catches the middle knuckle; that's going to cost him the frame.
Trump 1-0 Highfield (38-25)
But no! Judd misses a black off its spot for no apparent reason and this is a chance for Liam to get himself going. He;s got plenty of work to do - three reds are clustered and one's on the cushion.
Trump 1-0 Highfield (29-0)
Liam leaves a tricky red, the white nestled in the reds, to the left corner - Judd sinks it right-handed, and off he goes. He hits the blue and cannons the pack full-ball, plays one tricky red that leaves him on the black, and this already stenches of 2-0.
Trump 1-0 Highfield
On the other table, Bingham leads by 60, but with 67 left. Anyway, Highfield flukes a red but can only play into the pack, and the players quickly agree a re-rack.
Trump 1-0 Highfield
A twelve-minute frame from Judd, who looks in sensational nick. In co-commentary, Anthony Hamilton reckons he's the favourite, but thinks Robertson looks ready to do something too, having learnt not to be yanked into safety battles.
Trump 0-0 Highfield (104-0)
And yet there are others, not as good but absurdly good themselves, who can beat him - Higgins, O'Sullivan, Wilson, Selby and Robertson all have the chops. Thing is, he avoids most of them - he can play Murphy or Bingtao on the quarters and Wilson in the semis, but the others are in the other half. Anyway, Judd racks up a ton for starter.
Trump 0-0 Highfield (44-0)
Yup yup, Judd gets under way with a straight red to the top left, cued beautifully. He then makes an error, leaving the white too close to the blue after potting it, but a terrific red with the rest rescues position. So he gets to work, breaking the pack and motoring around the table eliminating balls. It's absurd how good he is.
What an effort
The boyz are baizing.
Liam Highfield
THe's ranked 49 in the world and to qualify, he beat Fan Zhengyi in a decider, Elliot Slessor in a decider, and Zhou Yuelong - who Mark Selby thinks has it - 10-7. This is his second appearance at Mecca.
Trump speaks
He says he's missing the buzz of a full crowd but hopes to get through the early rounds and still be there when more people come to watch. He notes that you don't really know what's going to be until you've played a bit - when he's done well at the Cruce, he's started badly - and says he grew up playing Highfield, who's just breaking through now but is a good player.
This morning
Jack Lisowski beat Ali Carter 10-9 - he meets Neil Robertson next, in what should be a belter. Meanwhile, Mark Allen leads Lyu Haotian 7-2 - they play to a finish this evening.
Afternoon all!
And welcome to your dose of wondrous genius and sporting greatness. Yes, we've got Judd Trump for you - he;s taking on Liam Highfield - and on the other table, Ding Junhui resumes against Stuart Bingham, 5-4 ahead.
Good morning
Join us for live updates later on as Judd Trump gets his 2021 Crucible campaign underway against Liam Highfield...
Today's schedule
10:00
- Mark Allen v Lyu Haotian
- Jack Lisowski v Ali Carter
14:30
- Ding Junhui v Stuart Bingham
- Judd Trump v Liam Highfield
19:00
- Mark Allen v Lyu Haotian
- Barry Hawkins v Matthew Selt
Yesterday's results
10:00
- Ding Junhui 5-4 Stuart Bingham
- Kyren Wilson 4-5 Gary Wilson
14:30
- John Higgins 9-7 Tian Pengfei
- Jack Lisowski 5-4 Ali Carter
19:00
- Anthony McGill 10-5 Ricky Walden
- Kyren Wilson 10-8 Gary Wilson
Recap: Kyren Wilson is through to the second round
We've had a glimpse of why many people think Kyren will win the world title, if not this year then certainly soon. His game has the combination of temperament, courage, belief and grit that is perfect for the long haul slog that is the World Snooker Championship. At 5-1 down it's very easy to not give a flying one and slide listlessly to a thumping, but Kyren dragged himself back into it with some pure, match play snooker and held off Gary who tried to mount a late comeback of his own at the end. He was the finalist last year, and has been in the last eight in each of the last five World Championships; without a doubt Kyren is the coming player in the game, and will be a formidable opponent as these matches get longer. One of Barry Hawkins and Matthew Selt will take him on in the second round.
How to watch the event
You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.
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