2008 888.com World Championship

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Ladder - QUALIFYING RESULTS  - CRUCIBLE RESULTS  - INFORMATION - MATCH NOTES - PLAYER CUEFACTS

GALLERIES: No. 1 Preliminary Rounds - No. 2 Qualifying Rounds

PETER EBDON

v

JAMIE COPE

Round One - Match 12

(Best of 19 frames)

Saturday 19 April 14.30

Sunday 20 April 19.00

 

Match Notes

So here we go with this intriguing clash... Jamie Cope makes his Crucible debut, while it's a second home for former Champion Ebdon.

On the other table Stephen Lee starts out against Joe Swail and you can keep up with all the matches on the World Score sheet and on our Match Notes... First blood to Cope, some characteristic long pots and he's onto 28 already, this will help settle the early nerves... Copes' fellow Stoke player Dave Harold is also here at the Crucible this year again and both of them will have been delighted by the performance of 17 year old Liam Highfield, also of Stoke, who won his first PIOS event yesterday... Cope misses a red to centre and the break ends at 41... the safety exchange has sent all the reds down the baulk end... Another brilliant pot from Cope and he's well on his way to winning his first frame at the Crucible... there's still enough on the table for Ebdon and he's picking his way through the reds and baulk colours, but he's going to need to try and get on pink or black to get right back in the frame.. but he doesn't and Cope wins the opener... First blood to Cope in the second but he's left Ebdon in here... but he can't create an opening... Another good pot gets Cope underway again... but a careless or nervous miss there... Ebdon will pounce on any error by Cope although he's not got anything easy on here... Ebdon's missed a tough shot and given the opening back to Cope... He fails again, still a bit nervous, Ebdon is trying to turn this into a decent chance but the balls aren't set nicely... only 32 for Ebdon and now an advantage to Cope as Ebdon misses the red and leaves a free ball... Cope is unlucky, getting thundering kick on the brown he was trying to roll up to the top pocket... Cope has nipped in to take the last red, he needs up to the blue to secure the frame... Cope misses the brown but Ebdon fouls and now Cope leads 56-37 on the brown...

As you can see we've teamed up with 888.com and we've got a great competition running giving you the chance to win a VIP trip to the Crucible on 24 April... Click on the banner below to enter and click on the 888.com banners to visit their special Snooker site with loads of information and more great competitions... Cope has got the brown so he's 23 up on the blue and should win the frame... Ebdon is so unlucky though.. he laid a near impossible snooker behind the black only to see the pink disappear into the middle pocket so it's 2-0 to the rookie... And Cope is already amongst the balls in frame three... this is a great chance for Cope, he's motored along to 45 and there are open reds waiting for him... and it's a cracking break of 78, unlucky not to complete a century but he got a kick... that should have settled him down now... and early danger signs for Ebdon... but here's a chance for him as Cope misses and Ebdon has now moved along to 43... his break ends but he's got another chance immediately as Cope leaves a red on... Ebdon secures the frame and will be very relieved at the interval, he's even potting balls left-handed - watch out Ronnie!! The interval is finished and Cope has got onto a break in frame five... and that black from tight on the cushion takes him on to 64... he doesn't get another red but he's 61 up with only 59 left on the table... Cope puts the frame beyond doubt and stretches his lead to 4-1...

Ebdon has battled on to 37 in frame six, a frame he desperately needs to win... A gritty effort by Ebdon and he's clinched the frame at this visit... but he's fallen further behind again as Cope pumps in a frame winning break in double quick time... Ebdon responds in gritty style, he's made 46 now and leads 52-0 in the frame.. and now the break is up to 80 and he's pulled a frame back... How do you keep Cope off the table? Ebdon played an excellent safety but Cope's pulled out a brilliant pot to get first chance in the last frame on the session... Cope breaks down at 22, Ebdon launches a counter-attack... he's methodically moved on to 53, he still needs one of the last two years and they're both on the left-handers side rail... a brilliant red by Ebdon and a "come on" as he knows the importance of this frame... and he finishes with a century... so what an absorbing session...

Good evening, welcome back to the concluding frames of the match, it's perfectly poised at 5-4 to Cope after Ebdon won the last two frames yesterday... Only 8 for Cope before giving Ebdon an opening... he breaks down on 13 and Cope can get back to the table... and he's opened up a 66-13 lead, but there's only one more open red at the moment...

with three reds left... no problem for Cope, that 40 is enough for the frame... Ebdon leads by 33 but he's lost position now... he's back with another chance and no mistake here by Ebdon, he'll pull a frame back again... that was a very fluent break by Ebdon... Brendan Moore, a local Sheffield lad and WSA referee makes his Crucible debut in this match...

He's actually taken over from Alan Chamberlain in this match, because Alan's got a bad shoulder, so get well soon Alan... we can't have any more referees getting injured...

Jan Verhaas is due to go into hospital for an operation on his back after the final, which he referees again this year... Also on sick parade is MC Mark Johnston-Allen.. it's great to see Mark back on duty, albeit only while Rob Walker is away screaming at the boxing in Vegas - well done Calzaghie... Mark was in great voice yesterday but is reduced to a squeaky croak today with a bad throat... meanwhile Cope has moved along nicely to 36 and he needs to keep his nose in front here because Ebdon is breathing down his neck in this match... that shot has opened more reds for Cope who leads 51-1 with 7 reds left... and he's got the frame secure now as the break reaches 73 with only 3 reds left, just a century to aim for now... and there it is, a century on debut for Cope, probably the first of many here... Ebdon's bouncing back again, and he's got a nice open table here in frame 13... 46 so far for Ebdon, there's 4 reds clustered round the black on the top cushion and he'll need to move them soon... break ends at 58 as he misses a double and worse still knocks the blue in, nothing on for Cope... well Cope needed a snooker and Ebdon's given away a foul and there's still hope for Cope in this frame... and he can steal this frame from Ebdon now, he's 26 behind on the yellow, which he misses with the rest... and he's left it for Ebdon... this frame could be pivotal in the context of the match... they go off for their interval now...

Cope's on a run of 25 as the match resumes.. his break ends at 33... he's got Ebdon snookered now behind the green... now that Joe Swail has beaten Stephen Lee the table is being prepared for the final frame shoot out between Ali Carter and Barry Hawkins... this has turned into a scrappy frame, Cope leads 35-8, there are four reds lefts, pink black and blue are all tied up near the side rail with a couple of the reds... Ebdon's got them open and with two reds now left he's only 15 behind... just three points the difference as Ebdon lines up the yellow... and he completed the clearance to level the match... and Ebdon is moving ahead in the next frame... and a good frame-winning break gives Ebdon the lead for the first time in the match... and that's a brilliant century from the Dubai based player... and that is the 50th century he 's made at the Crucible... a great response by Cope who smacks in a century to level again... a great finale in prospect now... An unlucky in off by Cope and a missed red by Ebdon so no advantage to either player in frame 17 yet... some characteristically courageous shots by Ebdon but he still can't gain decent position in this frame, he's got a 22 point lead so far... a good opener by Cope and an even better thin black back into a blind pocket... neither player is giving an inch at the moment... but only 14, Ebdon back to the table, but these balls are very awkward now and he's not on a colour, still he's got a useful 32-14 lead, given the position of the balls... and that safety has pushed the blue safe as well... Cope's safety pushes the last red over to the cushion, the black is in the middle of that cluster and all colours except the brown are pretty safe... even safer now Ebdon's put Cope in a horrible snooker, and the escape pushes a red on...

no damage done given the position of the balls.. the tension is mounting by the minute now... Ebdon is hedging his bets a little unless committing to a pot, while Cope is still trying to force the pace with his potting... with either player you certainly know the ball's been potted, they're smacking the back of the pockets with a resounding thump... boomph, there goes another Cope pile driver... trouble here for Cope as he's snookered himself on the last two reds... good escape... Ebdon plays the long red as a shot to nothing and gets - nothing... Cope is maybe attacking too much at the moment, maybe a sign of anxiety... there's an Ebdon special, death or glory shot, a long distance double to the yellow pocket, and it could be a frame winner if he gets on the yellow off the black, which he does... and he's 22 ahead.. so after a very dramatic frame Ebdon goes 9-8 ahead...

Cope's attempted long red rebounds to give Ebdon a chance to get started, he will need to nudge the reds as they're not well set at the moment... and having made only 20 he's missed to the middle... a chance for Cope now, although the black is now up on the yellow spot and the pink is tied up... and Cope gets on the black straight away... great screw back from the long red... and now this is a great chance for Cope to build on the 37 he's made so far and that shot has opened all the reds for him... we could be looking forward to a decider now.. and it's going 9-9 after that 78 break...

so who's your money on? well a bad start for Ebdon as he misses the pack with his safety... there's a simply magnificent red by Ebdon but he's hit it too well and now he's missed brown to centre and left a red for Cope... 28 made, a red missed, he's lucky to cover the red... misses from both players but Ebdon's left that one in the jaws, even I could pot it! with opens reds Cope's chosen to go into the pack and he's stuck on them, it's a 40 point lead but a big let off for Ebdon... a clever shot by Ebdon to take the safe red down the rail to plant the red over the jaws... he's on the black and now every red is in the open... although he's behind, Ebdon is favourite now, there's not a safe ball on the table... the scores are now level, three reds left... Ebdon is in good position, even given the state of the match this should be plain sailing for Ebdon now... well has it all gone wrong... he's lost position on the yellow, 14 points ahead and only needing yellow to brown... so now more excitement with some safety... Ebdon's got the yellow, he's not nicely on the green though... he's got it and come right round the table to have a shot at the brown... he's got it... a brave fight by Cope and he'll be back for sure... well he can tie the scores with one snooker on the blue,  so no hand shake yet... there's the first snooker.... safely negotiated by Ebdon... Cope's left the pink on, it is all over now.... Ebdon sportingly applauds Cope as he leaves the arena.

FRAME SCORES

1. 22-89(41)

2. 48-60

3. 0-86(86)

4. 94(50,44)-4

5. 7-75(64)

6. 66(58)-4

7. 0-75(75)

8. 93(87)-4

9. 107(103)-22

FRAME SCORES

10. 13-74(40)

11. 106(73)-0

12. 1-126(126)

13. 83(58)-37

14. 52(38)-35

15. 122(109)-0

16. 0-101(101)

17. 58-27

18. 20-78(78)

19. .

FRAME SCORES

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

QUOTES

WINNER

PETER EBDON

QUOTES