Snooker: Ryan still in the frame

Apr 30 2008 Western Mail

WALES’ last-surviving representative lived to fight another day, producing a stirring comeback in the quarter-finals of the 888.com World Championship against former winner Stephen Hendry.

Despite losing the first frame of the evening, Ryan Day rallied to go into this afternoon’s make-or-break final session 11-5 behind in the best-of-25 clash.

The first of three scheduled sessions had seen the Welshman blown away by a combination of Hendry’s clinical break-building and a series of unforced errors to trail 7-1.

But a spirited display saw Day take four of the evening’s eight frames, giving him a fighting chance of claiming another famous scalp.

This is Hendry’s 17th appearance in the last eight at the Crucible, while Day’s 13-9 victory over defending champion John Higgins in the previous round ensured he extended his stay in Sheffield to a second week for the first time in his career.

Many pundits have been tipping the Pontycymmer potter – or Dynamite Day, as he has become known this season – to reach the last four or beyond, such is the high regard for his all-round game.

And after taking the opening frame of the match with a composed break of 66, Day seemed set to justify his billing as a potential champion.

But after a hitherto out-of-sorts Hendry levelled, Day’s game literally fell apart, and the Scot took full advantage.

The highlight was an attempted 147 maximum break which broke down on the final red in the fourth frame, with Hendry on 112 and Day providing little in response.

With such an onerous task ahead of him, it was fitting that Day appeared for the evening’s play dressed in funereal black.

And when Hendry snatched the ninth frame to make it 8-1 after Day had broken down on 41, there was every chance the match would be over with a session to spare.

Again in the 10th frame, the 28-year-old fired the opening salvo with an assured 68, and although he missed the red which would have made the frame safe, he was soon allowed a second bite to make it 8-2.

The next frame produced a perfect snapshot of all that is exhilarating and frustrating about Day’s game.

A superb length-of-the-table safety shot produced an excellent chance to build a lead, but his attempted pot was well wide of the mark.

But showing the resolve which has seen him rise to a provisional seventh place in the world rankings, Day bounced back with runs of 60 and 33 to further narrow the gap.

Hendry had not potted a ball for two frames, and after a re-racked 12th, Day was again within sight of clinching another frame.

He foundered on 30 allowing Hendry for a 54, but once more the Welshman held his nerve to drop a deadweight pink in the middle to leave a straight frame-ball black, 8-4 making sure of a third session at 2.30pm today in the best-of-25 clash.

The next two frames were shared, Day nicking the 14th with a nerveless 35, before Hendry made it 10-5, despite gifting Day a handful of opportunities.

A classy 68 clearance from the Scot edged him closer to a record 12th Crucible semi-final, but Day has at least given himself an outside chance of reaching the last four.

And, it was third time lucky for Ali Carter as he made Crucible history with the second 147 break of the tournament.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s maximum break on Monday against Wales’ Mark Williams looked set to take the £157,000 bonus prize, but Carter, the provisional world No 11, repeated the feat in his quarter-final against Peter Ebdon, the first time ever that the Holy Grail of snooker has been achieved more than once in the world championships.

Carter leads Ebdon 9-7, while O’Sullivan and Chinese prodigy Liang Wenbo are locked at 4-4, as are Joe Perry and Stephen Maguire.