World Snooker Championship 2021 LIVE – Kyren Wilson v Shaun Murphy after Stuart Bingham v Mark Selby
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Updated 29/04/2021 at 21:05 GMT
Just four players are still standing in Sheffield: Stuart Bingham, Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy. Join us for live coverage from the first day of semi-final action at the Crucible. We kick off with Bingham v Selby (13:00) before Wilson v Murphy (19:00). You know the drill by now: watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk
'Demon sweet wrappers' - Referee tells off fans over noise
Thanks for your company
Join us early doors tomorrow for another day of action from the 2021 World Snooker Championship. Be well out there until then, night night.
Tomorrow
Here's your running order in full tomorrow:
10.00am - Mark Selby vs Stuart Bingham (4-4)
2.30pm - Kyren Wilson vs. Shaun Murphy (6-2)
7.00pm - Mark Selby vs Stuart Bingham (4-4)
Wilson establishes early lead over Murphy
What an enthralling session that was, and a brilliant display from Kyren Wilson. He hit a 70, 72, 110, 121 and 127 to win five of his six frames, a devastating run of form that blew Murphy away tonight. He very nearly let the last one slip though, and Murphy hit a couple of 70 plus efforts of his own, in one of the most impressive sessions of the tournament today. These two are back on at 2.30pm tomorrow; you're advised to be in front of a telly for it.
Wilson 6-2 Murphy
What a relief that will be for Wilson. He clears up the final red, and everything else, and takes a commanding 6-2 lead overnight.
Wilson 5-2 Murphy (70-37)
Murphy gets a chance, red to right middle, and this is on. All the reds and colours are in the open; he needs at least four blacks and one pink with the reds to nick this by a point. Murphy duly takes blacks with the first four reds, but then misses a simple final red to the left middle! And he's left it on! Murphy's blown a huge chance to steal there.
Wilson 5-2 Murphy (70-5)
Wilson's lost position slightly on frame ball black, and has to use the spider to bridge high over a red and get to the angle. He's so on it though that he calmly glides it in to the bottom right. Murphy needs a snooker, but not after Wilson's following shot - he's accidentally knocked the yellow in to the right middle! Oh me oh my. There's still 67 out there, and Murphy is still in this one.
Wilson 5-2 Murphy (54-1)
A booming blue off two cushions through baulk rings in another half-ton for Wilson and lands him perfectly on his next red. Given the stakes this is surely one of the best sessions of his career. One good canon on a cluster below the pink should sort the frame here, and maybe even another century.
Wilson 5-2 Murphy (24-1)
Murphy drains a long red after Wilson's break off, but canons into the brown and he's not on a baulk colour. A later safety from him then leaves a red over the bottom left; Wilson plays it rail first, gliding the cue ball perfectly into position on the black as a result. That's a superb shot, and he's looking ominous again.
Wilson 5-2 Murphy
He needed that. Murphy cleans up to the blue for a 71, and cuts Wilson's lead to three frames.
Wilson 5-1 Murphy (0-61)
On 34 Murphy loses position and has to play back to baulk, but gets another chance immediately when Wilson makes a mess of a safety, hitting the high knuckle of the left middle and dropping Murphy on an easy red. Wilson's shot had developed most of the reds, and Murphy has more than enough on to win the frame. He gets to 27 in this break by calmly dropping a red across the table and into the bottom left, and Wilson now needs a snooker.
Wilson 5-1 Murphy (0-21)
Murphy will be concerned rather than petrified. The nature of long haul snooker is that the match and indeed sessions ebb and flow; that said, he's been battered in the last four frames, but will this break the spell? Wilson misses a long red to the bottom left, and it sits up as a jab in with the rest for Murphy to the yellow pocket. He's off and running, and can still get out of here at just 5-3 behind.
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'What happened there?' - Murphy misses pink by miles with bizarre shot
Wilson 5-1 Murphy
Wilson empties the table again, booming in the brown to clinch the ton, going around the angles off the pink and then dropping in the black deadweight for a total clearance of 121. That makes it three centuries in the last four frames for Wilson, and a 72 in the one where he didn't register three figures. This is simply as good as you'll see from anyone in the game.
Wilson 4-1 Murphy (62-0)
He's strolling to a fifth frame on the spin. An excellent pot on a red with the rest drags the white across the table to land perfectly on the black; that goes, as does a tight cut on frame ball red thereafter. He's on the black too; magnificent studd here from Wilson.
Wilson 4-1 Murphy (50-0)
Wilson splits the reds via potting another red, hitting the pack low to stay on the black. That's such a clever shot, and it's computer game stuff thereafter; the pink rings in another half-century for Wilson and there's still a load coming.
Wilson 4-1 Murphy (14-0)
From his break Wilson leaves Murphy an identikit pot on a red to bottom left. Murphy can't smash it in though, and it goes up and down the table before sitting up invitingly over the bottom left for Wilson. In it goes, and he flukes position on the pink; everything's going for the Warrior, and you wouldn't bet the farm against another frame-winning visit here.
Wilson 4-1 Murphy
It's another ton by Wilson, a total dish of 127 straight of Murphy's break.
Wilson 3-1 Murphy (71-0)
The tenth red goes, followed by the black, and Murphy needs a snooker to tie. Wilson won't be stopping though; he looks really zoned in tonight, that Robertson victory can only have further fuelled his belief that he can land the big one.
Wilson 3-1 Murphy (27-0)
Wilson's off to a flier in the fifth, clattering in a long red, and he's straight into his break. Another excellent split on the pack after stunning into the reds off the black opens this frame right up, and leaves him on choice of reds. This is a great chance.
Wilson 3-1 Murphy
Murphy flukes a red, from which he's forced to pot a brown and it's four snookers just to tie. He ends up welded to the black after potting his next red though, and waves it off.
Wilson's on top as we go to the mid-session interval. See you in 15 minutes.
Wilson 2-1 Murphy (72-8)
Wilson drains a narrow cut on a red into the bottom right to reach 67. That's followed by an excellent brown into the right middle, and Murphy needs a snooker to tie. He won't be coming back though as Wilson dumps in a long red to the bottom left to surely seal the frame. It's a break of 72, and Murphy comes back to the table needing four snookers.
Wilson 2-1 Murphy (52-8)
It's another half-century for Wilson, who won't want the mid-session interval here. He's got three inviting reds on too, and could get this done in one hit again.
Wilson 2-1 Murphy (17-8)
A chance for Murphy, as Wilson misses a long red and sticks it up over the bottom right. He can only make eight though, before losing position and failing to regain it when he misses a red to the green pocket. Wilson then drops in a red, followed by nerveless, deadweight efforts on black then red to retain position. Chance.
Wilson 2-1 Murphy
The frame is quickly put to bed, and Wilson's not done. A break of 110 puts him in front.
Wilson 1-1 Murphy (57-0)
The black takes Wilson to a half-century, and he splits the pack nicely when potting his next red to leave a mid-range blue to the yellow pocket. That goes too, cued smoothly, and he's looking good for the frame now.
Wilson 1-1 Murphy (30-0)
Wilson gets away first in frame three, glancing a red into the green pocket, and he's soon buzzing around the black spot. He's put 30 up in no time, and stuns off the black into the pack; it's not perfect, but he's jarred a few loose and he's on one to the bottom left.
Wilson 1-1 Murphy
Murphy gets a solitary red down in two separate visits, before Wilson snags red-pink and snookers Murphy on the final red to leave him needing snookers. Murphy boshes into the yellow on his escape, and we're done in this one; Wilson adds 10, and we're level.
Wilson 0-1 Murphy (58-27)
Murphy clubs in a mid-range red to the bottom left in reply, and he's in again. It's a really hard table now, with six reds near cushions around the bottom right, although Murphy opens it right up for Wilson when he misses a pink by such a margin that he brings several of the reds into play. Wilson's back in and adds 16 before playing safe; we've got four reds left on the table.
Wilson 0-1 Murphy (42-18)
Wilson's in with a red into the bottom left. It's a tricky break, this, with reds scattered all over and many hovering near cushions. He's cleared a couple of paths for black and pink though, scratching together a tidy 35 and with the opportunity to add more. On 42 though he misses another red by a wide margin, this time across the table and to the bottom right, and it's end of break.
Wilson 0-1 Murphy (0-18)
Murphy dumps a red into the left middle, and then parks Wilson in tight behind the yellow. There are reds everywhere early in this frame, and it looks difficult to get the white safe from here. Wilson doesn't get close, crashing into the blue on his first attempt and then going in-off on his second. His third attempt and fourth efforts miss completely, before he connects with his fifth and leaves the white safe! Murphy could have had a go at a few reds there rather than keep putting Wilson back in, but he's got 17 points from it and retains control of the frame.
Wilson 0-1 Murphy
A break of 74 takes the first for Murphy.
Wilson 0-0 Murphy (25-66)
Murphy looks in good touch, rattling in a half-century in no time. He takes frame ball black and drops in behind the final red; Wilson's cross-table miss aside both players look on it here, we could be in for a good session.
Wilson 0-0 Murphy (25-1)
This is a great start from Wilson; straight from Murphy’s break, he swerves around the brown to clip a red into the right middle. He quickly bags 24, but badly misses a red across the table and into the bottom left to make to bring his break juddering to a halt. He later flukes a red when playing a safety too, before Murphy gets his first chance after plugging a mid-ranger to the bottom right.
Let's go
Rob Walker has done the necessary, with Disco Inferno and Sandstorm getting a good airing as Murphy and then Wilson enter the arena. Best of 33 then for a place in the final, and eight of those tonight.
The Warrior
Kyren is the only one the semi-finalists yet to win the big one. He's been edging towards it for some time though; for six years in a row here he's been in the quarters or better, and was runner-up last year. He's beaten Mark Allen here three times, turned over Judd Trump last year and in the last few days roared back from 5-2 down against Neil Robertson to win 13-8. Could this be his year?
The Magician
Murphy has done the long haul at the Crucible before. He won this in 2005, was a semi-finalist two years later and a runner-up in 2009 and 2015. That victory over Trump yesterday could prove to be one of the most significant of his career if he can now go all the way and win on Monday. He’s got the Triple Crown set, but only one of each; I say ‘only’ as he has a natural ability that many think should have landed more.
Underdogs of War
Kyren and Shaun have really messed up the Matrix in Sheffield. Both knocked out a tournament favourite – respectively, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump – in the quarters yesterday, to the unmistakable sound of lots of betting slips being torn up and hoyed in the bin. Now they’re at the business end of the tournament; over the next three days they’ll play four sessions and a maximum of 33 frames for a place in the final.
Good evening!
Welcome to live coverage of the first day of the semi-finals of the 2021 World Snooker Championship. We’re in a situation; a one table situation. Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham kicked us off this afternoon by splitting their opening session 4-4, tonight it’s Kyren Wilson versus Shaun Murphy for tea.
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See you at 19:00 BST
Join us again in a couple of hours when Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy will get the second semi final underway.
SELBY 4-4 BINGHAM
Selby loses position on the blue but recovers with a sublime pot into the bottom left pocket close to the left cushion. A slow pink follows to the middle and he clears the black with aplomb. What an end to the first session of this semi final! Bingham looked agitated and a tad forlorn before the mid-session interval, but he found a real purple patch at just the right time to take charge. Selby seemed all set to head into tomorrow two behind, but found some magic right at the death to come out of a session he wasn’t at his best in level at 4-4.
SELBY 3-4 BINGHAM (46-42)
This is a big moment now. Selby can’t roll back far enough for the pink and has to end a run of 33 with a safety. Bingham leaves a red over the bottom left corner and this time the world number four gets a chance to show his calibre with the long pot. It’s far from over but Selby quite brilliantly squeezes a red tight to the right cushion into the bottom pocket with the rest. It’s his to lose now.
SELBY 3-4 BINGHAM (0-42)
Bingham looks close to biting through his cue in frustration. He gets a nice flick off the brown after a tricky pot with the rest but can’t tickle it into the centre right corner. It sees what was looking like another frame-winning break come up short at 42. Can Selby steal in and tie a session where he’s been second best for long periods?
SELBY 3-4 BINGHAM
The real Stuart Bingham has certainly arrived here now! He’s really found his rhythm and is nailing the long pots that have been a feature of his run at the Crucible this year. A magnificent long red to the bottom left to kick things off and a well-controlled brown are the pick of the shots as he takes a third frame in a row to move ahead with a break of 82.
SELBY 3-3 BINGHAM
All square! Bingham jumps all over the reprieve and earns a gasp of disappointment from the crowd as his attempt at a double on the final red just misses the centre right pocket. It matters little as his break of 38 is enough to claim the frame.
SELBY 3-2 BINGHAM (7-41)
That’s really unfortunate. Selby sees a red glance in off another from the pack after his attempt to spread them by potting the blue to the centre right went awry. He’s forced back to his chair prematurely and Bingham gets another opportunity earlier than he expected.
SELBY 3-2 BINGHAM (0-36)
Bingham hangs his head before slumping back to his seat after under-hitting the black to the bottom left trying to avoid the pink and get position on a red to the centre right. It brings an end to a break of 36 and gives Selby a first real chance since the interval.
SELBY 3-2 BINGHAM
A timely slice of luck or simply a bit of genius from Bingham? It’s not completely clear but a long red kisses off another close to the rear cushion and drops neatly into the left corner. It tees him up for a 92 clearance - the biggest break of the afternoon by some way. He’s clearly feeling a lot happier, a fact exemplified when he sizzles a difficult long red up the left cushion and into the yellow pocket to murmurs of delight from the audience, albeit with the frame already in the bag.
SELBY 3-1 BINGHAM (0-26)
Bingham attempts to build a frame-winning break but is interrupted by the referee having to insist that all phones are turned off. He takes no messing this official. Sweet wrappers and phones make him angry – very angry. Fortunately, the sound from the audience doesn’t hinder Bingham, but he runs out of openings too early once again and his break ends on 26.
SELBY 3-1 BINGHAM
The world number four has seemingly still been in second gear but ominously clinches a two-frame lead. He shows signs he’s finding his feet this afternoon with some delightful shot-making. A nifty cut on a red to the bottom left is followed by a scorching pink to the middle pocket of the same flank. The frame is in the bag when it all ends on 28 and the Jester from Leicester will head off stage by far the happier of the two.
SELBY 2-1 BINGHAM (46-4)
Danger for Bingham as Selby appears to be finding more of the form that has seen him blitz his way through the draw to this point. An audacious long red to the bottom left pocket is vintage Selby and it contributes to a tidy break of 46 that makes him favourite to develop his lead heading into the mid-session interval.
SELBY 2-1 BINGHAM (0-4)
Drama as the official is heard to shout ‘Can you put your sweet wrappers away please?’ just after break-off. But who is the culprit? ‘Demon sweet wrappers…’ Hmmm. We may never know… Meanwhile, at the table Bingham spies a plant on a red from distance and sees it roll into the bottom left pocket. That’s a beauty but he can’t engineer a break of any significance and it’s Selby who has the first big chance to really push that scoreboard along.
SELBY 2-1 BINGHAM
Selby takes full advantage of the opening. He claims a break of 33 but Bingham comes back to the table to try and earn snookers with blue, pink and black still on the table. The world number 18 then fouls by dropping the cue ball into the bottom right and gives up the ghost. Selby may be far off top gear but he still manages to punish Bingham to sneak in front. That’s the worrying part for Stuart. He’s been in charge in all three frames at certain points but only has one to show for it.
SELBY 1-1 BINGHAM (29-36)
Bingham works so hard to get back into position with a couple of brilliant recovery shots on reds but he can’t quite get into his comfort zone. He needs to screw back off the yellow and the power required means the ball never looks like going into the pocket. He’s not quite firing on all cylinders here and it could well cost him the frame.
SELBY 1-1 BINGHAM (29-10)
Selby again shows he’s not quite got to grips with the pace of the table. He slots away a pink to the bottom right but fails to bring the cue ball back beyond the pack for the solitary red to the left flank. The break ends at 29 and Bingham has another look.
SELBY 1-1 BINGHAM (0-10)
Bingham looks to stamp his authority on the frame early on but it ends abruptly when he fails to sink a long blue to the green pocket. He’s got to this stage by being bold, adventurous snooker but has to be careful if Selby begins to really get his eye in.
SELBY 1-1 BINGHAM
Bingham again looks to set the tone with an attempt on a long red to the bottom right but this time his radar is slightly off. It leads to stalemate around the pack of reds. Both players shake their heads and mutter to themselves before finally suggesting a re-rack. We go again - frame 3, take two!
SELBY 1-1 BINGHAM
A face-off on the yellow ensues. Selby goes for an audacious pot to the bottom right corner off three cushions but the yellow refuses to grant him the sound of congratulatory applause and springs free from the pocket’s jaws. The world number four dominates the safety and then seizes the initiative with a stunning long pot on the yellow to the green pocket. He completes a clearance of 27 to snatch the frame and square the match.
SELBY 0-1 BINGHAM (31-56)
Selby claws his way back into it, picking up a couple of balls and bamboozling Bingham with a supreme safety shot that earns him another chance to get on the board. It looks like he’s going to take it but then he misses a yellow with the rest that you’d bet your life on him potting. What is going out there – nerves?
SELBY 0-1 BINGHAM (7-56)
Bingham has a heart-in-mouth moment when an attempt on a pink on the stretch sees the ball clip the far jaw of the bottom left pocket, wobble for a second or two – and then, eventually drop. The close call seems to loosen him up and he builds a fine break of 46 before surprisingly missing a blue to the middle right just when he was within sight of taking another frame.
SELBY 0-1 BINGHAM (7-10)
Oof! Selby makes another error judging the pace of the table with a poor safety and Bingham has a real chance, but he can’t make the right centre pocket swallow what seems like a simple enough red. Selby steps in for seven but a tough black along the bottom cushion refuses to bounce in via the far jaw of the bottom left pocket. It’s fair to say this is turning into a really scrappy frame.
SELBY 0-1 BINGHAM (0-10)
It’s déjà vu for Bingham. He’s first to strike with another bullet of a pot to sink a red to the bottom right pocket. He again looks to use the blue to flash the cue ball into the pack, but it fails to make the desired impression. He’s forced to play the safety and draws a foul out of Selby who still hasn’t quite settled.
SELBY 0-1 BINGHAM
Ball-run doesn’t need asking twice. He efficiently moves beyond frame ball and despite a premature end to his break of 11 when he fails to put away a blue, it’s enough to secure the first frame of this semi final.
SELBY 0-0 BINGHAM (7-60)
Bingham is way short of baulk after some quick-fire safety shenanigans. Selby pounces with a crisp pot on a red to the bottom right and then wonderfully teases a tricky pink into the centre left. A routine red is next up but there’s a gasp within the Crucible as the world number four somehow fluffs his lines. Advantage Bingham.
SELBY 0-0 BINGHAM (0-60)
Bingham nabs the chance to develop some early rhythm. He drills a long red to the bottom left pocket and slots away a couple of blues before easing down to the foot of the table to mop up the stray reds below the pack. That group of reds proves to be a bit of a stumbling block as they refuse to cough up an opportunity despite his best efforts to break into them. A delightful cut on a red to the bottom left pocket is followed by a long green to the same corner as he works hard to maintain position and increase a fine opening break. Once again he uses the blue to try and navigate the cue ball into smashing the pack apart, but he’s unfortunate not to earn an opening on at least one of them. His position is gone and he’s forced into playing a safety. Not a bad way to start though.
Show time!
The intros are done and the players are at the table. Bingham will break-off first. Let battle commence!
Bingham ready for battle
Bingham made a sensational 125 break to edge Anthony McGill 13-12 in an epic quarter final. The man they call ‘Ball-run’ has come a long way after winning qualifiers against Chen Zifan and Luca Brecel before squeezing past Ding Junhui 10-9 and ousting Jamie Jones 13-6. However, he knows he’ll need his very best to defeat an in-form Selby: “It’s going to be tough, he’s more experienced than me with three world titles. He looked good in the first session, potting at 99 per cent, but I think I’ve been pretty good at 92 or 93 per cent so I’m here for a game. I don’t think his style suits anyone but you know exactly what you’re going to get and I’ve got to produce some good snooker.”
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'Just can't wait' - Emotional Bingham on reaching semi-finals
Selby on song
Selby has lost just 11 frames en route to the last four and beat former champion Mark Williams with a session to spare in the last round.
Head-to-head
This will be their 23rd meeting. They are currently tied at 11 wins apiece. They have only faced off in a ‘triple crown’ match once before when Selby battled back from 5-1 down to win 6-5 in the last 16 of the Masters in 2013.
Good afternoon!
Hello there! We are officially in one-table format mode now which means it’s the business end of the 2021 Snooker World Championships. Coming up this afternoon we’ve got the first of our semi finals. It’s 2015 champion Stuart Bingham up against tournament favourite and three-time winner, Mark Selby in a best of 33-frame showdown.
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Bingham – Selby, World Championship, semifinals
Image credit: Eurosport
Semi-final schedule
We have our final four! Here's how the next three days of semi-final action will unfold featuring Stuart Bingham, Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy.
Thursday, 29 April
13:00
- Stuart Bingham v Mark Selby
19:00
- Kyren Wilson v Shaun Murphy
Friday, 30 April
10:00
- Stuart Bingham v Mark Selby
14:30
- Kyren Wilson v Shaun Murphy
19:00
- Stuart Bingham v Mark Selby
Saturday, 01 May
10:00
- Kyren Wilson v Shaun Murphy
14:30
- Stuart Bingham v Mark Selby
19:00
- Kyren Wilson v Shaun Murphy
Murphy fends off Trump comeback to book semi-final spot
Shaun Murphy withstood a spirited fightback from Judd Trump to book his place in the semi-finals of the World Championship.
The 2005 champion did the damage in the afternoon session, with his four-frame run putting him within touching distance of the last four.
Trump came out firing in the evening and threatened a comeback when winning the first two frames of the session to cut the deficit to two. He continued to push and drew level at 11-11 as nerves threatened to swamp Murphy, but the Magician dug deep to set up a last-four clash with Kyren Wilson.
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