Snooker

Day Fourteen:

Semi Final 1: Ding Junhui v Alan McManus
Ding Junhui resumed his semi final at 10am this morning aiming to stretch his lead. First frame of the day.
BOOM - 138 total clearance. 7-2.
McManus responds with a 107 - have some of that.
Double BOOM a 90 break followed by a 97 - don't mess with Ding.
McManus is 9-3 down. Surely that's it, game over let's call the whole thing off .
Errrrrr no.
Alan 'Angles' McManus is having none of it.
Wins the next frame to claw back to 9-4.
BOSH - 136 total clearance with a trick shot black to finish...9-5.
McManus in again in frame 15 breaks down on a break of 55.
Ding should clear but no. Goes out of position on the final green, loses the safety battle and the frame. 9-6.
So then into the final frame of the morning.
BOOOOOOOOOOM - 125 break from the Scot.
Crowd go ballistic. Into the evening session with McManus seemingly an inspired man.
McManus gets in first but can't finish the frame. Ding gets in and looks set for a miracle clearance but fails and the Scot pegs back to 9-8.
Ding hits an 80 break to go two clear and takes the next to boot.
McManus under pressure.
Ding hits a 114 for 12-8, McManus really under the pump now.
Interval needed and got but will it put Ding out of rhythm again.
The Scot needing something special now.
Solid control of frame 21 for the Scot, break of 59 invaluable, 12-9 Ding. Frame 22, McManus in again........ 81 break. Clinical.
Back to within two, amazing fighting qualities, he just keeps coming back. Crowd right behind him.
Ding responds in the next though after McManus misses his chance. Break of 60 enough and the Chinese star seals a crucial last frame of the day to lead 14-10 and leave McManus with a mountain to climb in the final session tomorrow.


Semi Final 2: Mark Selby v Marco Fu
Selby starts with a 5-3 lead.
Poor break off.
Fu long red........ in. Over to you Mr Fu but can only make 8.
Selby in with 52, not enough to clinch the frame.
Fu somehow retrieves the frame he has no right to win and Selby leads by just one.
Selby makes a 55 in frame 10 but Fu has so many chances.
Fu should have really won the frame but Selby nicks it.
Deja vu for frame 11? You betcha. Fu with endless chances, can't finish them. Another daylight robbery frame goes to Selby.
This is getting silly now...... 7-4 Selby.
Frame 13. Sanity at last. Fu knocks in a quite brilliant 135.
The man from Hong Kong takes the next frame as well to be just one behind. Momentum building and BOOOOOM a 114 break.
7-7. But wait surely a return to mayhem can't ensue?
Oh yes it can. Frame 15, everything going smoothly for Fu, on a lovely break of 33 and..............OH NO. The tip comes off his cue.
Fu runs off to get his tip put back on.
Final referee Paul Collier to the rescue. 15 minute delay.
Fu returns and admirably continues the break to 81.
8-7 Fu. Final frame then and we are back to endless chance spurning again .
Doh for Fu.
Doh for Selby.
Doh for Fu once too many times and Selby levels.
8-8 overnight.

Pleased for McManus to keep close to Ding and not give in to the onslaught. You've still got to expect Ding will win, but he'll have had a trickier test than he might have had from almost anyone else.

Pleased for Fu keeping it close, too. After being 3-0 down, he's clawed his way back too. It might not have been too pretty at times, but sometimes that's what you have to do.

Blimey Selby just won the longest frame in crucible history over 76 mins 11secs long

Engrossing stuff .

Still impressed with Fu keeping it so close. Obviously a Fu-McManus final would have been immense fun

Ding Junhui is into the final with a 17-11 win over Alan McManus.

Pity

Ah well, well done to Ding, an easy favourite.

Hope Selby makes it to final could be good for leicester Premier league winners and world snooker champion in next couple of days

well done Ding, unlucky McManus he did better than I thought he would

Today will be my final review day as the whole final will be live on BBC and Eurosport.

Day Fifteen:
SELBY SETS UP DING CLASH FOR CRUCIBLE GLORY

Selby v Fu - from 8-8 overnight:
Tense first frame, both players nervous. Selby takes it for 9-8 and then knocks in a 125 break for 10-8.
Desperately tight frame 19, both men spurning chances. Fu gets over the line to trail by one and then he rattles in a century to level the match again.
Frame 21, desperate stuff, both men just hoping to fall over the line. Chances come and chances go but Selby nicks it for 11-10. Ooh the nerves, ooh the tension .
Fu has clearly had enough of this nonsense and rattles in breaks of 77 and 71 to take the lead at 12-11.
Selby needs this last frame of the morning to avoid losing two sessions on the trot.
And what a frame. It goes on and on and on and on and on and on............................and on ...........and on and on and on . Down to the colours.
No value in potting the yellow as green is on the baulk cushion with other balls blocking the path to pot it in either baulk pocket. Selby flukes the yellow but not really a good fluke . Arduous safety battle on the green which Selby wins to ultimately seal the frame. 12-12 going into the decisive evening session.
Into the evening they go. Crackling atmosphere inside the arena.
Selby takes the opening frame to lead 13-12. Fu replies with a 98 break to level. Selby counters with a 63 to retake the lead.
Fu responds again with a century and it's interval time at 14-14.
Out they come again for the desperate scramble for the finish line. Who will buckle under the pressure?
101 break from Selby..........15-14.
50 and 73 from Fu.........15-15.
Standard very high as the match reaches its crescendo.
Down to a best of 3.
Selby cleanly wins the next frame 79-4 to stand on the brink of victory. What has Fu got left?
Real marathon frame 32. Selby eventually gets over the line to win 17-15.
Fu suffers semi final heartbreak for a second time.


Ding v McManus - from 14-10:
Ding Junhui won the three frames he required to defeat Alan McManus and keep the China dream alive.
Ding won a scrappy first frame before McManus won an even scrappier second. 15-11.
Ding turned on the style with yet another century to close to within one of victory which he duly completed after a few chances in the next.
Seven centuries in the match for the Chinese star who is now set to attract a monumental TV audience back home for his tilt at the title over the next two days.

So then we have the final most pundits expected once the semi final line up was known.
Selby v Ding.
Tough to call. Depends on how open the match is.
Selby is the expert at nicking frames and winning when not playing well. Safety play could be very important.
If it goes close Selby will fancy his chances.
Ding will hope to capitalise on Selby's late finish and grab a decisive early lead after day one.