Match Reports from the 888.com World Snooker Championship

Bond’s License To Win?

Peter Ebdon 4 – 5 Nigel Bond

Ebdon, who won here five years ago and became UK champion in December, started as favourite and quickly gained control. He won the first three frames before Bond got into a winning position in the fourth.

The world number 20 looked nervous and missed frame ball on 62, allowing Ebdon to steal the frame and go 4-0 up.

But the mid-session interval disrupted the rhythm of last year’s runner-up, and Bond dragged himself back into the match. He scored heavily to level the match at 4-4, and then made a superb 114 break to finish 5-4 ahead.

The deciding session on day two could well go to the wire, something Bond knows all about. Last year he dumped Stephen Hendry out in dramatic fashion, 10-9 on a re-spotted black.

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