We are now in the 10th frame of the Hendry- Gilbert match. As I was saying, the young debutant David Gilbert is putting up a fight against multiple world champion Stephen Hendry. Gilbert was actually in the lead 5-1 but Hendry got back on trach in the second session. Hendry is at his 75th appearence here at the Crucible.

Stephen Hendry gained the lead at 6-5, after he made a very good come-back from 1-5.

After David Gilbert managed to win another frame, Hendry is smiling his way back into the lead. After 13 frames Hendry is in the lead 7-6.

David Gilbert is patiently potting the balls to make the score even again, Hendry has changed his tactic and isn’t making any more risky shots and so has Gilbert. It’s now 7-7 in a very interesting match.

Stephen Lee is in the lead 3-0, in the 4th frame Selby is fighting for a snooker but failed, the score is 4-0 at the end of the first session.

Stephen Lee is leading Mark Selby by four frames now, with a score of 5 to 1 in the debute of the second session of their match.

Stephen Hendry finds himself having a hard time in the match against 26 yrs old debutant David Gilbert. David Gilbert is leading the 7 times world champion Stephen Hendry by one frame and is playing great.

In spite of his statements for BBC, Stephen Hendry is not doing so great. If he is to win the championship he has to find his former game. Hendry used to win before the matches even started, when you were playing Hendry you’d pack your bags at the hotel before going to the tournament, that’s how feared he was by the other players.

Update:

David Gilbert secures a 2 frames lead against Hendry in the end of the first session. Hendry finds himself in difficulty now and shouldn’t allow Gilbert any more chances to victory.

Gilbert is still in the lead 5-3 but hendry is in pursuit, he managed to win the last two frames and is playing better and better. Gilbert did make mistakes that looked like he forgot who he was up against. No matter what shape he’s in, Hendry remains Hendry and he shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Hendry’s bad play may be caused by the nue cue he is using, he came to the world championship with a cue he’s only been using for three weeks, it takes a lotof courage to do that but I don’t know if it was a good decision for Hendry, especially if he wants a shot at the title.

Alan Chamberlain
          (DOB: January 1, 1943)

Most memorable match?

In more than 20 years I’ve been involved in a few: the 1997 world final between Hendry and Doherty, the re-spotted black finish to the Masters final between Hendry and Williams, Doherty missing a 147 at Wembley and Hendry’s 147 in the final frame to beat O’Sullivan in the Charity Challenge final.

Most embarrassing moment?

Dropping the pink into the reds during an exhibition between John Spencer and Doug Mountjoy; leaving the green in a pocket for about three shots at another tournament.

If you weren’t a referee what would you do?

I’d probably be in ladies underwear! I used to have my own agency selling ladies lingerie.

Which is the toughest rule to apply?

Being from the old school I find the ‘foul and miss’ rule difficult because you know the majority of times a player has made a fair attempt to hit the ball. And when that’s the case it’s hard to then call ‘foul and a miss.’ When I first started it wasn’t in the rule book.

Which rule would you scrap?

I know you can’t scrap the ‘foul and miss’ rule and I understand why it was adopted. But I think sometimes the referee should be allowed to use his discretion when a player has made a genuine attempt to hit the ball. In the old days there were a few players who might try it on but generally the players are very fair.

What do you carry in your pocket?

A half crown piece and two ball markers.

Where do you get your gloves?

The same source as most of the refs-from colleague Paul Collier.

Interests?

I enjoy crosswords and sudoku. And while I don’t go very often I like to follow the fortunes of Wigan Athletic and Leicester City.

Stephen Maguire is facing Joe Perry and is in the lead 7-2. Bookkeepers in england are giving at this moment Joe Perry 1:1000 chances to the title, that means for every pound you bet you would get £1000 if Joe wins the trophy.

In the meantime the match between Stephen Hendry and David Gilbert has just begun.

Update(s):

Joe Perry loses another frame and Stephen Maguire is impatient to finnish the match. Joe perry wins another frame though and the score is now 8-3.

Stephen Hendry drew “first blood” in the match against David Gilbert. The breaks are small and the match is pretty slow but we hope for more action later on in the game when it will be als on TV.

Maguire’s win of the last frame would cut the match sfort as another session won’t be needed. He’s also in a hurry because after Joe Perry he has to face Mark Williams, and that’s today. So if Maguire wants to be fresh for Mark he needs to put an end to this game as soon as possible.

Young debutant David Gilbert enjoys the public’s applause as he wins the second frame of the match. Stephen Hendry, as he said in an interview by BBC, means business and has his eyes on the title. Hendry made his personal mission to secure the world champion title for the 8th time in his career. Be aware!

After 14 frames the score is 7-7 and the future of this match is terribly uncertain. The match is also plagued by mistakes, the players aren’t concentrating and the level has fallen a lot from what we are used to see here…. I think they are going to have a tense decisive frame and the next 6 frames are crucial, Crucible is turning up the heat.

In the meantime Mark Williams is in the lead 3-0 and 69 points in the last frame of the first session. It would be heavy blow for Joe Swail to finish the first session without a frame won and finding himself this evening led by four points in the match.

Update:

Mark Williams is in the lead 4-0 against Joe Swail. We are hoping for a comeback, for the beauty of the game to say the least.

Ken Doherty needs 3 snookers to win the 15th frame but does not concede, he fails to pot a red and Mark Allan puts an end to this frame, gaining back the 1 frame lead “stolen” by Ken inthe 14th frame with a 100+ points break.

Mark Allan wins against Ken Doherty 10-7 in an impressive match.

“I beat Steve Davis and John Higgins in an invitation event last year but to beat Ken Doherty in the best of 19 is definitely my best win.”
–Mark Allen for BBC

Joe Swail made a great comeback from 4-0 but Mark Williams is still in the lead 5-3.

Matches today are:

10am

2.30pm

7pm

In the 4th frame of the match, Maguire is in the lead 2-1 and has 60 - 0 points. After a foul Joe Perry races to put the game into a tied but makes a mistake leaving the red on the edge of the pocket and Stephen Maguire makes an unexpected comeback to the table but the green ball is blocked and, even if he needs 3 snookers to win, Joe Perry is putting up a fight to make the score even again.

UPDATE: It’s 3-1 with Stephen Maguire in the lead. Joe Perry is beginning to feel the pressure at Crucible.

Stephen Hendry told BBC that becoming, for the 8th time in his career, world champion would be “the most impressive feat of his illustrious career”.

I hope that if my record of winning the title seven times is beaten, it’s beaten by me.

Winning any competition these days is so special but to be world champion again would be my greatest ever achievement.

–Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry also tells BBC about his practice regime and how much better he got through practice in this interview.

Michaela Tabb

First Pro match: Main Tour, it was Ken Doherty against James Wattana at 2002 Welsh Open.

Most memorable match: Got to be my first match at the Crucible – Drew Henry v Mark King in 2003 – though last season’s Grand Prix semi-final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Paul Hunter was up there as well.

Most embarrassing moment: Cleaning the cue ball for Ken Doherty at the UK Championship in York, walking away from table and leaving ball marker on it.

If you weren’t a referee what would you do: Anything to do with sales.

Which is the toughest rule to apply: Replacing the balls correctly after a foul. I’m all for using television replays if it helps speed up the game and gives confidence to the players everything has been replaced correctly. But it must be at the referee’s discretion.

Which Rule would you scrap: Push shot.

What do you carry in your pockets: Hankie, two ball markers and a coin – the largest I have in my purse at the time!

Where do you get your gloves: Sudbury’s of Torrington – have to have them made because of my smaller fingers.

Interests: Most things to do with Pool, the family and playing poker.