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SNOOKER: Shaun Murphy on top
DEFENDING champion and former Rotherham man Shaun Murphy made the first century break of this year's Pukka Pies UK Championship as he seized the lead in his opening-round match against Gerard Greene.
Murphy was not at his best but established a 5-3 lead in the match where the winner will be the first man to nine frames.
The 27-year-old Englishman beat Hong Kong cueman Marco Fu 10-9 in an epic final last year at the International Centre in Telford, and is bidding to become just the third man to successfully defend the UK title, after Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis.
Northern Irishman Greene nevertheless gave himself some hope for this evening's concluding session by finishing the afternoon with a gutsy break of 96.
Murphy had started brightly but Greene fought back from 2-0 behind to level the match at 2-2.
However, that was the cue for world number three Murphy to show his class, rattling in a run of 101, and he soon extended his lead to 4-2.
Greene should then have reduced Murphy's advantage but failed to make the most of a big chance in frame seven and his opponent cleared up with a break of 49 to go five frames clear.
A re-rack was required in frame eight, and 36-year-old Greene could not afford to fall 6-2 behind, which made his composed break all the more impressive. He looked set for a century but narrowly missed the final red.
Mark Williams was on course to confirm his place in the second round this evening after the 34-year-old Welshman opened up a 6-2 lead over Scotland's Graeme Dott.
Williams made six breaks above 50 in the battle between the two former world champions.
Stephen Maguire, the 2004 UK champion and 2007 runner-up, could only finish level at 4-4 with Michael Holt after their opening session.
Maguire elected to play in Telford after being urged to do so by his grandfather, who died this week.
The 28-year-old Scot developed a 4-1 lead but Nottingham's Holt fought back well to give himself a decent chance of causing an upset.
Like fellow left-hander Williams, Mark King also moved to within three frames of the second round, the 35-year-old Essex potter taking a 6-2 lead over Nottingham's Anthony Hamilton after an attritional session.
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Weather for Sheffield
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light snow
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