Match Reports from the 888.com World Championship
Easy As 143 For Maguire
Anthony Hamilton 7 – 9 Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire hit a 143, the highest break of the tournament so far, but was unable to build a decisive lead against Anthony Hamilton.
The first two sessions were patchy, with moments of excitement scattered between periods of mediocrity.
The match came alive in the second frame. Hamilton, who had lost the opening frame, made a 63 only to miss frame ball. Maguire countered with breaks of 32 and 35 to force a respotted black. In the shootout, it was Hamilton who held his nerve to level.
Maguire edged ahead in the third frame with an excellent 106. Hamilton stayed with the world number nine until the last two frames of the session, which both went to the Scot.
Trailing 5-3 going into the second session, Hamilton came from behind to win a tight ninth frame with a break of 64. Maguire responded with a superb break in the tenth, and he was on for the maximum until running out of position on the eighth black. He still cleared up to make 143 and put himself in pole position for the £10,000 highest break prize.
The clearance boosted the 26-year-old’s confidence in his first Crucible quarter-final. He won the next frame to go 7-4 clear, only for Hamilton to bounce back and take the frames either side of the interval.
Maguire was the more fluent of the two players, and he regained his three-frame lead with breaks of 68 and 46 to get to 9-6.
Hamilton refused to go away, and a tense half-century break was good enough to win the final frame of the session.
The match is played to a finish this afternoon.
