Carter v Perry
A tough one to call - as you would expect in the semi-final.
Whilst these two are not on familiar ground, they have got here on merit and are now serious title contenders.
Perry has produced the goods from round one, where he made his season's best break (132) in beating the number two seed, Graeme Dott. A hard fought battle with Stuart Bingham followed before his nail-biting finish against Stephen Maguire.
It may have been 13-12, but the Cambridge potter scored 401 more points than the Scot and made 12 (twelve) breaks of 50 or more. So we think it fair to say that the better player won through.
Carter, has come of age finally over the past eleven days. A former Young Player of Distinction, he has now graduated to a Player of Distinction.
Having made one of only eight Crucible 147's, he joins an elite list of only 5 other players to make a world championship maximum.
Wins against Shaun Murphy and Peter Ebdon followed his struggle against Barry Hawkins in round one. From the moment Hawkins leveled at 9-9 and the Tournament Director hauled the two players off for slow play, resuming a couple of hours later, things have gone the way of "Captain" Carter.
The stats suggest that it will be close and it may be the momentum of the 147, or just the way things seem to happen in sport, but this seems to be Ali's week, and we think he will line up in the final on Sunday.
Cuetips Verdict - Ali Carter
|
 |
v |
 |
2007/08 Stats |
Ali Carter |
Joe Perry |
|
Frame % Win |
55.72 |
53.26 |
|
Pts For |
10641 |
13927 |
|
Pts For Average |
52.94 |
53.36 |
|
Pts Against |
9722 |
12834 |
|
Pts Against Average |
48.37 |
49.17 |
|
Highest Break |
147 |
132 |
|
50+ Breaks |
65 |
86 |
|
50 Break-Rate |
3.09 |
3.03 |
|
100+ Breaks |
11 |
13 |
|
100 Break-Rate |
18.27 |
20.08 |
|
Odds* |
8/11 |
Evens |
*odds quoted by 888.com - 01/05/2008
