Match Reports: Day One at the 888.com World Championship
Honours Halved
Barry Hawkins 4 – 4 Fergal O’Brien
In one of the lower profile opening matches, neither player was able to dominate and the players deservedly shared the opening eight frames.
World number 12 Hawkins started as the favourite and picked up the first two frames. O’Brien missed a plant in the third, but made amends by potting a thin black to win the frame by a point.
The Irishman looked set to tie the match in the next frame but missed another plant, allowing Hawkins to take a 3-1 lead into the mid session interval.
Hawkins had chances to build a decent lead, but O’Brien fought back well. He won three of the last four frames to leave the match evenly poised when it resumes on day three.
