UK Championship Snooker day 8: Maguire meets Davis in last 32
Published:
Lee Gormley | November 30, 2015
UK Championship last 32 continues
- UK Championship
- Tuesday, December 1st
- First break-off: 13:00 GMT
- Barbican Centre, York
Maguire and Davis duel in first session
The action at this year’s UK Championship continues on day eight, with Stephen Maguire involved in an intriguing match-up against veteran Mark Davis in what is the pick of Tuesday’s first session baize battles.
Scottish cueist Maguire lifted this ranking event back in 2004 and faces a stern test against 43-year-old late bloomer Davis, though he is 13/8 with Coral to suffer only his fifth ever defeat to the Battler from Hastings.
On Fire Maguire is the odds-on 1/2 favourite to progress to the last 16, but a more appealing 2/1 to lead 3-1 after the first four frames, having won the previous three meetings with Davis and eight overall.
In those three former successful clashes, Maguire has only managed to drop two frames, securing two whitewash victories, and he is 11/2 to record a 6-2 triumph this time in York.
Allen gunning for Gould at Barbican Centre
Northern Irish potter Mark Allen also stars in the first session on Tuesday, as he contests talented break-builder Martin Gould, and the latter is 13/8 to edge ahead in the pair’s previous head-to-heads with victory.
In eight former meetings, both players have tasted victory on four occasions, but it was Allen who prevailed 6-4 most recently in International Championship encounter in China last year, making him 11/2 to claim the same result this time around.
Murphy and Wilson also in action
Shaun Murphy’s meeting with Ben Woollaston and Kyren Wilson’s match-up against Tom Ford make up the first session break-offs, with the Magician 7/2 to win the most consecutive frames in his last 32 clash with four in a row.
Kettering cueist Wilson has risen to prominence this year, having recently secured his first ever ranking title, and reaching the Champion of Champions semi-finals. Although Ford is 13/8 to secure victory here, despite Wilson having won their only previous meeting, albeit back in 2012.
UK favourite Trump headlines evening session
Judd Trump enters his evening session encounter with testing Chinese cueist Liang Wenbo as the 9/2 joint-favourite for the UK title, but his opponent is 11/4 to cause an upset in York.
Surprisingly, Wenbo has enjoyed more success over the Bristol break-builder than vice-versa, having toppled his opponent three times compared to Trump’s two victories. The latter was triumphant in the most recent meeting though, dropping just a single frame in Germany, and he is 11/2 to win 6-1 this time around.
Robertson ready for Un-Nooh test
Alongside Trump as fancied for the UK crown are both Mark Selby and Neil Robertson, but the latter Australian potter will have to overcome Thepchaiya Un-Nooh first in his last 32 evening encounter.
The 2013 UK champion thrashed his Thailand-born opponent 6-1 in a meeting on Chinese soil most recently, and is 6/1 to repeat that scoreline, while this year’s six-red world championship winner Un-Nooh is 5/2 to spring a surprise.
Elsewhere, David Gilbert will contest veteran Marco Fu and colourful character Dechawat Poomjaeng, also bearing from Thailand, will look to overcome Mark Joyce in Tuesday’s other later UK Championship break-offs.
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Coral’s top tip: Mark Allen has been in great form of late, so back him at 11/2 to edge out tough competitor Martin Gould 6-4.
