Northern Ireland Open LIVE – Judd Trump facing Barry Hawkins after Neal Robertson overcomes Oliver Lines

Right, thank you very much for keeping my company this evening! We will be back with the quarter-final action tomorrow afternoon. Please join us just before 1pm!

The last-eight gets underway tomorrow, and our line-up is:

He may have lost, but this is one of the shots of the night from Hawkins

You bet he can! A clearance of 105 from Trump to wrap up the match in wonderful fashion. The defending champion is into the last eight – it’s the 15th ranking event quarter-final he has made out of 15 attempts this season!

We are well into the snookers required stage now. The final burning question is whether, like Neil Robertson earlier, he can finish with a century.

A lovely delicate shot off the blue opens up a clust of three reds by the pink spot. That should be curtains now. Everything is out in the open, and he’s not far from winning it.

Judd now tries to get in behind the black, and slightly undercooks it. That’s not a problem though. He just takes it up to the yellow pocket. Now to pick off the loose reds. Barry knows the end is nigh.

And Trump duly sets about putting this match to bed, or at least so he hopes. Red and blue to star with, but with pink and black of their spots, there is work to do with the cue ball. He screws back up the table off his second red, and then smashes the pink into the right middle. Huge opening now.

Trump does then leave a red to the left corner with his next shot, but Hawkins does not make him pay. Despite potting that ball, he misses a pink to the left middle. Worse, still, Judd has some potting options as he returns to the table.

Now a loss of concentration from Trump. He is looking to send a red into the left corner, but gets too much on it and it hits the far jaw. Thankfully, from his point of view, he hasn’t left much.

Trump is certainly full of confidence. He strokes a long red to the left corner, clipping it home and seeing the cue ball deflect gently off the pack and up towards the baulk line. The brown follows, swinging the white right into the heart of the reds. The lie is awful, but he bridges over the pot. Big chance now.

Hawkins is walking a tightrope now then. He has to win the remaining three frames to prevent defending champion Trump from reaching the last eight. It’s Judd who gets frame five underway. How will his opponent react after that steal?

Another stunning steal from Trump. That is one of the best breaks you will see this week. A magnificent 48 to take him to within one frame of the quarter finals. Will that break Hawkins’ restistance?

The saving grace for Hawkins is that the final red is tight on the left cushion. But Trump can move it. Wow. He stuns over and moves it into a pottable position. ‘That is one of the best shots I’ve seen all week,’ says Neal Foulds.

Well, well, well. Is the Trump comeback in this frame on? He picks out a superb pot to the left middle, and sends the cue ball down the table to nudge the green off the cushion. He pots it, it’s back on its spot, and the frame is very much alive.

Hawkins is chipping away and heading towards the winning line, until the cue ball finishes tight on the cushion, and in potting the blue, he goes in off thanks to a kiss on a red. Four reds left on the table. A very handy 36 point lead.

A mistake from Hawkins with a safety leaves Trump with a tough pot down the left cushion. He tries to drill it home, but the red jumps off the table and flops onto the floor. Seven reds are left on the table now. Hawkins pots one, accompanied by the blue, and he then plays a phenomenal shot to send the cue ball up the table and into the four reds on the top cushion. Remarkable.

Hawkins is accused of being greedy by Neal Foulds as he loses position with the cue ball, which ends up near the green on the right cushion, after he attempts to bring some more reds into play. That will be end of break. A 24 points lead, but it could and should have been a lot more.

A safety battle that last 16 minutes is eventually brought to a close when Trump attempts a very thing cut to the left corner, but misses and leaves Hawkins with a chance to get his hand on the table. Barry duly does so, finding position on the blue for good measure. This is a decent position for the Hawk, especially once he gets the black back on its spot.

This frame has slipped into that familar pattern of another safety battle. Pink and black are well off their spots, and the reds of have spred. Hawkins has retrieved eight points through a couple of fouls, only to give four back with an error of his own, where he tried to nestle up to a red on the top cushion, but got the angle slightly wrong

Judd was able to hold for the black, too, which just shows what a good shot that was. There are four or five reds that have come loose from the pack, and he takes the first of them before going up for the blue. Not a great angle on that, granted, so he screws into the pink. How’s your luck? Not great. The cue ball has stuck to the right cushion. End of break, although only after missing a very tough red along the top cushion.

So, on we go. Remember, it’s the first to four to book a place in the quarter-finals, which take place tomorrow. Hawkins gets frame four underway, but sticks a red up the table, and Trump strokes it into the left corner. Beautiful pot.

In fact, Hawkins clears up the colours, up to the pink, for a break of 27. He’s on the scoreboard.

Trump’s hopes of a whitewash have just been extinguished though. He fouls in attempting to escape a snooker, leaving a free ball in the process. Hawkins takes the brown as his additional red, then the blue. That puts him 35 ahead with 35 left on the table, and he duly adds the last red to make it snookers required.

His end contribution is 22 though. He is in two minds whether to try and move the black or remaining red which or near the right hand cushion. In the end, he lands on the latter, and plays safe off it.

Trump takes his first red with a blue, then a very, very acute cut on a red. The cue ball is going all over the table off that, but he’s left with a natural angle on the green to come back up for one of the three remaining reds. This would really hurt Hawkins if the Ace in the Pack steals the frame.

The thing is, Hawkins hasn’t done much wrong so far this evening. But after squeezing a red home, he misses the black off its spot. Neal Foulds, on commentary, describes it as “an unbelievable miss”. With only a 47 point lead, he’s in a precarious position.

Here is another opening for the Hawk though, as Trump plays a safety shot that sees the cue ball clip a red and fail to make its way back to baulk. There’s a red to left middle to start with, then the blue. Can he make Judd pay?

Hawkins cannot build anything substantial though. He pots the green, swinging the cue ball back up towards the pack, but finishes someway away from it. He might actually have tried to disturb them there. There is no pot on, so he will play safe.

And Trump is experiencing that problem now. He plays a lovely cross-double to open the scoring for this frame, before missing a black of its spot, a real collectors item. Salt is rubbed into the wound when the cue ball goes up the table, and now Hawkins can set about building a healthy advantage, starting with one of those three reds.

Frame three is starting with another safety exchange. It looked, at one stage, like a re-rack might be on the way. That does not look likely now, as the cue ball has come away from the pack, but with three reds up past the blue spot, playing up the table is dangerous.

Indeed, Trump clears up the remaining reds, with colours, then adds a lovely yellow with the rest. Green, brown, blue and pink take him into the lead, before the black rounds off the frame. He’s 2-0 up.

The key red is the one at the top end of the table, near the cushion and the yellow pocket. He goes up the table to be on it. It’s an awkward angle, but he pots, and hitting the yellow provides position on the blue. Favourite for the frame now? I’d say so.

And here comes Trump. He gets his hand on the table to pot his first red of the frame, then adds the yellow. He gets position for another red, before thumping the blue into the middle. This is a big chance, and what a steal it would be.

Hawkins adds a further point, but with the pink tied up and the back on the cushion, or at least near it, that’s all he can manage. There are seven reds left on the table, so the job is far from done.

A more than hand break from Hawkins, given the position the table was in when he came to it. He eventually runs out position, and now Trump has a huge hole to dig himself out of.

A clear shot from Hawkins gets him underway in frame two, sending the cue ball off the right cushion before it deflects a red near the corner pocket home. He finds position on the green, and then adds another red, and brown. Now he just needs to get position on those high-value colours.

Hawkins has Trump in trouble at the start of the second, and he duly fouls twice to give away eight points. But again we’ve got an odd looking table, with black off its spot and 14 of the 15 reds right of centre.

It’s just a break of seven, but that’s enough to cross the winning line. He takes the first frame!

Frame over now, though. Hawkins leaves the door ajar and Trump strolls through it with a thumping long pot to that yellow pocket. The yellow and a further red add further insurance.

69 the end break for Trump, who loses position with the cue ball, that nestles up on one of the six remaining reds near the right cushion. He attempts a pot on it, up to the yellow pocket, but narrowly misses. A more than handy lead though.

The thing with Trump is, you cannot keep him quiet for long. That lengthy safety battle was always going to subside, and now it has, he is scoring heavily. There have been some really delightful flicks and nudges, each time opening up further reds. He’s well on the way.

Here’s a chance for Trump, though. Hawkins is left in trouble with a safety, and he tries to pot his way out with a plant. In fairness, it is pretty much his only option. The red rattles the jaws, but stays up. Judd comes to the table and it is very inviting for him, even more so when he get the black back on its spot.

This match has started with a real safety battle. The table now sees te black near the right corner, with the pink just above it on an angle. Nearly all of the 15 reds are to the right of centre.

Trump breaks things off, and he might get a chance to build a break early on, because Hawkins’ first safety sees the cue ball career into the pack and stick at the bottom of them. The Ace in the Pack rejects the pot though, instead playing safe himself. Either way, we are underway.

So after a brief hiatus, it is time to get underway in our final match of the day! It sees Judd Trump take on Barry Hawkins, which promises to be a terrific battle.

Robertson is speaking to Alan McManus after that display. He says “I thought it was solid,” adding “the only shots I missed in the match where tough shots where I was bridging over other balls. No complaints.”

That is century 955 for Robertson’s career!

There’s enough for a century to finish with for Robertson. It would be the first of the match. All he has to do is clean up the colours, and he duly does so. 107 all in. The Thunder is through to the quarter-finals.

The penultimate red is match ball for Robertson. He thumps it home, and the black is insurance. Lines won’t be coming back to the table now.

When you leave Neil Robertson in a position like this, all you do is sit and hope. The Australian quickly wipes out the 28 point deficit and is steaming towards the winning line as he picks off the reds, which are all out in the open.

Robertson plays a terrific safety, putting the cue ball tight to the baulk cushion, and it leaves Lines in trouble. He cannot escape. A long red to the right corner sets the Thunder on his way. A blue follows, off which he frees the pink. Big chance.

Lines does finish slightly out of position on the black, but that requires him to go into the pack. That works perfectly though. There’s a free red from that, which he pots with the spider, and subsequently splits the pack further. However, he again runs slightly out of position, attempts a red to the green pocket and misses. A let off for Robertson.

Lines is first to get his hand on the table in frame five, as he pots the opening red and then adds the green. There’s a few reds that have come loose from the pack, and the black is free, so he has a chance to put up a decent score here.

Snookers are required now, though, as Robertson pots the penultimate red. He then plays safe behind the brown and Lines nods his head to concede. The Thunder needs one more frame to reach the last eight.

And now Lines misses a red down the right cushion with the rest. Robertson makes no such mistake. A huge screw shot on the black follows, displaying incredible cue power to swing the white off one cushion for the red on the right of the table. If it goes in, Lines needs two snookers, but it doesn’t.

One of those reds is taken with a black, but it’s the last one in a good position on the table. Robertson tries to cut one along the top cushion into the left corner, but it rattles the jaw. A reprieve for Lines, who pots that and adds the black.

In fact, this is snowballing very quickly for Robertson. He’s scoring heavily, and quickly, picking off the loose reds below the pink spot. He has now amassed a lead of 33, with five reds left on the table.

That miss from Lines has also left Robertson with a straightforward red to the left corner. He adds the black, but the next pot on the red sees him run out position. Unlike his opponent, a terrific recovery pot means he is back in business, and now the pink and black are back on their spots.

Now here’s another chance for Lines, and this time he can find the control with the cue ball. He takes two reds and a black, before a yellow wriggles in. That’s a warning sign of what is it to come, as he does indeed miss his next red.

Rinse and repeat for Lines. Another decent pot, but without position on a colour, so this time he plays safe on the yellow. The black is now in play though, having been released by Robertson, which does make the table somewhat more inviting.

Lines chalks up the first point of the fourth frame, but he could never find position on a colour from where the cue ball was, especially as the black is tied up. He has to play safe, meaning the battle we are embroiled in continues.

Indeed, Lines will be on the board, as he reaches a stage where Robertson requires two snookers, before adding another red and black for insurance. He eventually misses a blue, but the job had already been done.

Robertson picks off his first red and adds a pink, but his next shot is a tough rest down the right cushion and requiring the rest. He misses, as the object ball stays hanging over the pocket. Lines takes it and the black. He should win the frame from here.

Lines runs out of position one too many times, when he’s not where he wants to be on the red and has to play up for a baulk colour. The yellow is his choice, and he misses. Even worse, Robertson comes to the table with the cue ball nicely placed.

And he loses position again off a straightforward red to the right corner, stunning the cue ball, but running too far for the pink and not enough for the black. He plays an excellent recovery shot though.

Another chance now for Lines, as Robertson plays a safety which somehow sees a red come all the way up the table, evading a multitude of other balls on the way. The red first is tidied up, but it really is a constant chase for position with the cue ball.

A good safety from Lines forces a foul, and then a further mistake from Robertson. Lines now has a pot, which he takes, but hangs his head in frustration as the cue ball runs into a red, which bounces off the cushion and covers the black. He has to play safe off the brown.

Lines is in trouble now though. He attempts a long pot to the right corner, which rattles the jaws but stays out. Robertson is in a decent position to take his first red, but is irritated as the cue ball nudges into the pink. A tough blue is all that he can find, and he misses by a mile.

There’s an intriguing safety battle underway in frame three. Both players have been left in tricky situations, but at the moment have escaped unscathed. The table looks interesting though, with the black pushed towards the left corner and the reds reasonably spread.

65 is the end break from Robertson, who cannot find position off the final red, which he cuts into the left corner. He’s half way to the quarter-finals.

Indeed, a black, which takes him to 52 for this visit, also means Lines requires snookers. A red to the right middle puts the frame well and truly to bed, but he’s not finished yet. Blue follows, then a superb red down the left cushion and into the green pocket.

This has been an excellent visit from Robertson, who has the frame at his mercy after a lovely shot that sees him spread a cluster of reds just below the pink spot. A deft pot to the right middle, followed by the pink, means he is nearly home.

That leads to our first safety battle of the evening, which ends when he goes in off, leaving a pot to he right corner, which Robertson just about tucks home. He only adds the one, as there’s no position with the cue ball, but another Lines error means he is soon back at the table, and this time the Thunder is as the business end of the table.

Robertson cannot take advantage either, though. He reached 11 before a run into the pack goes wrong, so he plays safe off a loose red, sending the cue ball up to the baulk cushion.

A good chane for Lines at the start of frame two, and this time he pots his opening red. However, it comes to an end all too quickly, and even worse, the cue ball runs into the yellow, leaving Robertson with a simple starter.

Lines does successfully set up two snookers, but four always looked too many. He eventually leaves the remaining red near the left middle, and Robertson cleans up. The Australian takes the first frame.

Lines clears up all bar one of the remaining reds as he compiles a tidy 26 before laying a tricky snooker for Robertson behind the pink. The Australian escapes, but he’s in a world of trouble when a second is laid.

It won’t be a century, as Robertson runs into the pink off the blue and loses position. Lines will come back to the table to pot a few balls, but he needs three snookers to have a chance at winning the frame. Make that four, as he pots the blue off his second red.

This has been excellent from Robertson, whose little nudges around the table have been more than enough to secure the frame. There’s now the small matter of trying to register a century.

The Thunder pots four reds and four blacks before going into the pack. He’s left breathing a sigh of relief though, as a red comes loose from the pack and dribbles over the right middle. Quite how that did not drop, I am not sure, and neither is Robertson. On he goes, although it will not be a 147, as he takes a long blue to the green pocket.

Not the ideal start for Lines, who attempts a pot to the left corner with his first shot. He comes close, but ultimately misses, and leaves the cue ball near the blue. It’s an easy enough opener for Robertson, who adds the black and is up and running.

The players are on the baize! It’s a race to four frames to reach the last eight. Robertson breaks things off. We are underway!

Our first match tonight sees the ever-improving Oliver Lines back in action. Having knocked out Mark Allen in the last round, he takes on Neil Robertson.

That will be followed by Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins in a real blockbuster encounter.

Both matches are best-of-seven frame affairs, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

Hello and welcome to tonight’s coverage of the Northern Ireland Open from Belfast! We’ve got two intriguing matches in store for you tonight, with the action getting under way at 7pm!

That’s it for the afternoon session from the 2024 Northern Ireland Open.

We’ll be back later for the evening action with Neil Robertson and Judd Trump headlining.

It’s Moody who needs the snooker, but it’s Kyren laying the traps. Moody escapes one but then the cue ball ends up in the middle-left pocket and Stan offers his hand.

Wilson avoids any sort of shock despite having a tough afternoon at times and he will now meet Mark Williams in the quarter finals.

It’s all on this final red, according to Foulds on Eurosport Comms.

Both players neatly negotiate snookers to avoid conceding any sort of advantage – but then Moody clips the pink trying to swerve around it and hit the final red near the bottom deck.

It’s a free ball and Kyren sinks the yellow to its home pocket before nicking in the black to middle right.

It paves the path down to the bottom rail to pop away that final red to the right corner. A miss on the black to the opposite flank means Stan will return and play for a snooker.

He pops down the yellow and then lays a brilliant trap behind the brown on the far right of baulk. The green is near the black way down close to the left corner.

Wilson misses the ball but then Moody fails to pot a make-able green… Surely Kyren will polish this off from here?

It’s turned cagey with five reds remaining.

Kyren is in charge on the board but despite the scoreline overall, he’s not had it comfortable against the teenager.

Indeed, Moody sets about the steal with a supreme pot on a red from the right of baulk across to left middle.

Another red and the blue follow to the same bag before a delightful straight red to the right corner tees up the pink to the opposite pocket.

Heavy hands with the rest pays dividends on the penultimate red to the right corner and helps him propel the cue ball up towards baulk where the final red sits close to the upper right cushion.

He tees up a double but it clips both jaws of the middle left pocket and stays out.  

Kyren is quickly out of his chair, easing down an opening red and then nicking in the pink Moody had left hovering over the left corner.

It’s red, blue, red, blue, but the World Champion can’t quite find his groove and a surprising miss on a red to middle right offers Stan a half chance.

The teenager nicks in a stray red and then lines up a snooker behind the black.

Mark Williams 4-2 Ma Hailong

Wilson gets a double kiss on a safety trying to escape up to baulk and leaves the cue ball mid-table.

Moody pounces on a routine red to left middle but can’t lean in and guide a pink to the left corner despite using his extension.

Stan can’t navigate out of the snooker behind the brown and not only offers up a foul but his error leaves a simple red to the right corner for The Warrior.

A pink up to middle right gets the board ticking for the World Champion but his attempted split doesn’t offer the kindest of splits and needs a quite brilliant long red up to the green bag to have a chance of staying at the table.

It’s well-executed, but he can’t land on a colour and needs to play safe from there.

Kyren just about cuts the long red to the left corner, but it’s far from smooth and the cue ball runs long, leaving him to play safe behind the brown.

Stan spies a plant from mid-range and sends a red rampaging into the right corner pocket.

A brown down to middle left is nicely paced but he doesn’t quite land on a red to that right corner and his safety ends with a red hovering invitingly near the pocket for his opponent.  

Moody fouls by hitting the pink as he tried to escape a trap tight behind the green.

He indulges in a lengthy discussion with the referee about the position of the pink prior to attempt two, but he again hits the colour coming off the left and bottom rail.

It’s third time lucky though as he navigates out of danger and avoids leaving anything on.

Wilson fouls by knocking the black into the left corner bag off an attempt to nick the red.

He grins sheepishly and knows the game is up as Moody makes extra sure with a yellow across the baulk cushion to its home pocket.

There’s no sign of clearance given the tricky lay of the balls, but it’s not needed as Wilson finally concedes to allow Stan on to the board!

Kyren knocks in one of the three remaining reds and the black before playing safe to baulk with very little chance of potting or luring a snooker from the current lay of the balls.

Moody feathers a deliciously fine cut down to the middle right and follows up a simple pink over the left corner pocket with a splendid plant on a red to the same corner. A red up to middle right and a blue across to the opposite pocket put him ahead on the board.

It looks like it may go awry again when he misses a red up to middle left, but it hits the near jaw and diverts straight up the rail to hit the yellow and fly into the pocket!

It’s as a good a fluke as you’ll see and most welcome from his point of view.

He very much needs it to be the platform for him to finally make a good run count and a pink up to middle left takes him to the half century.

A blue to middle brings him across for a tricky red down the right rail that he eases into the corner bag with additional care.

Another blue to middle leaves Kyren needing snookers, but the world champion does return in the hunt for two when Moody misses a red down the right with the rest.

Kyren gets in again as Stan misses a red to the corner by some distance.

The Warrior rolls a red along baulk to the green bag and then rifles down the brown, coming off the upper left rail to smash into the pack.

It doesn’t get the split it deserves and he plays safe to baulk.

Wilson drills a red from baulk into the middle right and watches the cue ball fizz from top to bottom and back again before landing neatly on the black.

He despatches the colour to the right corner but can’t navigate a path to a longer run as a long red to the green pocket fails to disappear.

It’s Wilson who takes care of the final red with a fine cut to the left corner and he makes no mistake with the rest in firing the blue up to the green pocket.

Stan stares at the table but looks miles away as he contemplates another missed opportunity.

Wilson clears with a run of 33 and is now one frame from victory.

There’s much to enjoy about Moody’s game.

When he’s in the groove his shot-making is a delight and he eats into his opponent’s lead here, sizzling down a tricky green to its home pocket to come off two cushions and tee up a choice of reds down each flank.

He scorches the one to the left corner and screws back for the blue. He’s not top-side, so needs to come off the baulk cushion to return to mid-table and attack the middle one of the four remaining reds.

Another red up to middle left is followed by the blue to the same bag but he lands too low to attack a routine red to the right of the black. He fusses over it for a moment but then despatches the trickier one with aplomb.

A blue up to the yellow pocket has Foulds gasping in delight on Eurosport Comms as he comes off two cushions to land nicely on the final red.

All the hard work seems to have been done, but he then contrives to miss the very make-able final red to the right corner and his run ends on 45.

Wilson sizzles a long red up the left rail to the yellow bag and knocks down a brown to allow him to take care of the solitary red way out of its territory in baulk.

A blue to middle takes him down into the pack where he cues high over the cluster to pinch a red to the left corner.

It paves the path for a series of stray reds around the black on its spot, allowing to score heavily without going into the bunch too early.

However, a black to the right corner jiggles with the jaws and darts free, bursting into the pack and providing the split Kyren was biding his time to go into.

It’s a big opportunity for Stan now. Can he put that miss on the blue in the previous frame behind him and step up here?

Both players have chances on the final red before Wilson escapes a decent snooker from Moody as he comes off the bottom cushion to nudge it safe.

There’s a lovely safety exchange between the two that lasts several shots, but then Kyren is unlucky with a swerve around the green that knocks in the final red to the right corner with the cue ball following suit.

The foul puts Moody in the box seat, but he falters on a blue to middle and leaves it on for Kyren to pinch it with the rest.

Moody can’t believe it. The frame was in his hands – but Wilson makes him pay for a poor lapse at the death, popping in the pink to make sure and clinch a two-frame lead.

He’s a young, raw prodigious talent in only his second season on Tour, but right here is an example of his calibre as he produces an exceptional double off a red on the left cushion to middle right.

It paves the way for his first run of the match and a pink to right middle moves him past the 20-mark with two reds left.

He sinks the penultimate one to the left corner, but misses the pink to the same pocket as he was attempting to cannon into the final red just above the middle left pocket.

There’s a slight shake of the head from Moody as he teases a slow-paced red to middle left. It clips the near jaw and flies away, leaving a red to the right corner for Kyren to steer home.

The World Champion sinks the yellow to come back down for a red to the left corner and then comes from topside of blue to middle to again take on the higher reds from the splintered pack.

For Stan, it proves to be another harsh lesson at the highest level as his bold, attack-minded play is again punished when he makes an error. Foulds discusses just that as Kyren motors towards the half century, fluking two reds in at the same time.

On this occasion, Moody does get another bite at the cherry as Kyren fails to steer a red to the left corner via the rest to end what looked like being another frame-winning run on 40.

There’s a wince from Kyren as a stonking long red doesn’t lead to any sort of half chance on a colour. Again, he plays safe up to the left side of baulk.

Wilson rubs salt in the teenager’s wounds with a venomous long red but opts for caution soon after, laying a trap behind the yellow to try and lure another error out of the youngster.

Not so good, sighs Stan Moody.

A superb pot off the upper left cushion on a red down to the middle right earns him applause, but it stops dead as the cue ball ricochets off the reds and makes a beeline for the left corner bag.

Stan takes on a long red down the right rail and immediately leaves a chance for Kyren south-east of the pack.

The Warrior quickly makes early inroads, preying off a series of red-black combos before a close-call when a red to middle left jabs the near jaw but still manages to slip into the pocket.

A bullet black allows him to screw back at pace into the pack and produce an excellent split as he takes full advantage of the reprieve.

It has Neal Foulds purring with delight on Eurosport Comms and there’s no looking back from there as frame-ball passes in a blur.

It’s 10 blacks, one pink and a green, but in the end he doesn’t even get to the century as poor position means he needs a fine, tight cut on a red up to middle left that hits the near jaw and stays out.

It’s frustrating for the world champion, but a break of 91 is not to be sniffed at as he seals the opener from one visit.

We’ve got the World Champion Kyren ‘The Warrior’ Wilson up against teenager Stan ‘The Action’ Moody.

It’s magical from The Magician as he thunders down a long pot on the penultimate red, coming down off the colour for a tricky red along the bottom rail to the left corner.

Stuart is beginning to look resigned in his seat. It’s Shaun’s to lose now as he blasts down a yellow with the rest before tickling the green down to middle right.

It’s brown to green pocket and blue to middle left, that sees him come off the bottom deck to land on the pink to the right corner.

The black is crucial up in baulk, but his positional shot is exceptional. He’s dead-on to the black that he rolls to the yellow pocket, to pinch victory from a 3-1 deficit and 60-0 down in the decider.

Murphy will meet Trump or Hawkins next.

Murphy takes on a long red to the right corner and looks forlorn as it clips the far jaw and shoots free.

Murphy is quick out of his seat to sink the red to that same pocket before rolling a pink up to middle left.

A delightful cut on a red down to the left corner keeps him on the front foot, but he’s grimacing for a moment as he doesn’t like the straight position on the pink. He fires it down and holds the cue ball nicely, making use of the pink with the black stuck up in baulk.

He’s content to play off the pink given that he can still steal this match without the black, but he needs some special snooker on a run of 28 with two reds remaining. One needs a cut up to the green pocket that is tough anywhere regardless of the pressure attached. He ends up missing it, but gets lucky as the cue ball is hidden form both reds! It’s some pure fortune, but he’ll take it at this juncture.

Murphy swerves into the red over that right-corner pocket but then misses the black to the opposite bag with tough cueing off the right cushion.

Bingham remains the red-hot favourite here.

A cagey and somewhat lengthy safety impasse opens the decider until Shaun leaves the cue ball shy of the brown and a half chance presents for Bingham.

Ball Run seizes the moment, nailing a high pressure long red to the right corner and landing perfectly on black.

A flurry of red-black combos around the colour off its spot develop a very handy advantage, but he opts against chasing a potential maximum later, playing off the blue instead.

Indeed, getting the job done is paramount and the stress of a one-frame shoot-out means he needs a special recovery shot with a tough red down the right rail. He screws back off the black to come off the right cushion and get high enough to attack a red to the left corner.

The newt round is within sight as he passes the 50-mark and reaches a run of 60 where he is faced by a tough red with the rest. He leans down from baulk and punches it towards the right corner, but it jiggles with the jaws and darts out.

They don’t call him The Magician for nothing!

Shaun rockets a long red to the left corner and has the Eurosport Commentary team suggesting it could be long pot of the week.

A black down to middle left is followed by a red up to the same bag and all of a sudden it looks like this match could be going the distance.

That special long red proves to be the catalyst for a run of 52 that ends when he misses a red down the right rail with the rest.

All eyes turn to Stuart, who could well return – but he waves his finger and remains rooted to his seat; frame conceded and it’s down to the wire!

Ouch. Murphy spies a long red to the left corner but despite crushing it into the pocket, he is left grimacing by the sight of the black ballooning up into the pack and out of commission as a result of the pace off the cue ball.

He decides to take on a long colour, but can’t find the pot on this occasion and it’s edgy stuff late on here.

Murphy rockets a mid-range red down the right to the corner and follows with a blue to middle left and a red along the bottom to the same corner.

A sizzling red cut to the right corner allows him to blast into the pack, but he nicks the black on the follow-on and he has to play safe, despite a nice lay of reds.

Murphy can’t quite sink a shot for nothing and Bingham pounces with a clinical red from right to left to the corner.

The black follows off its spot, but he lacks pace on the cue ball and needs to take on a tricky cut on a red to the left corner.

He can’t find the angle and Shaun is back in business.

After all of that, Murphy digs his way out of a snooker, fluking the final red in off the baulk cushion and down to the middle right.

The Magician doesn’t come close to a clearance and even fouls, but by this point even Bingham knows it’s over and Shaun reduces the arrears.

Stuart ends the impasse by knocking a long red up to the green pocket and jabbing in the black, hovering over the left corner.

He then misses a red to the same corner, but picks-off Murphy’s attempted safety by nicking in a long red to the green pocket.

The black off its spot follows and a red to middle left which leaves him with one red left and four snookers required.

Eventually he lays a trap, moving the final red to baulk with the cue ball down near the bottom deck behind the black and the blue.

It’s Murphy who lays the trap with a beauty of a snooker behind the pink up near the yellow pocket.

Bingham duly misses one of the four remaining reds meaning he now needs FOUR snookers … and yet he continues to play on!

The Magician executes another excellent long red to end a short safety face-off.

He gets a lovely nick off a red left of the pack to halt the cue ball just in time for a clinical pot on the pink to the right corner.

It provides the platform for him to play off the black on its spot and move beyond the half century.

Frame-ball comes and goes with a red to the corner, but a miss on the black means Bingham returns to the table needing some snookers (71 behind 59 remaining).

Stuart offers a solitary red in response and Shaun gets in again, taking-on a red from baulk that flashes into the right corner.

A sizzling black to the opposite bag doesn’t get the split he was hoping for and he grimaces when a recovery red up to middle right hits the near jaw and diverts away.

Shaun produces a spellbinding pot on a long red but he’s just not got going since that opening century.

His run ends on eight and he’s going to have to start finding that Frame 1 form soon if he’s to still have a say in this match.

Bingham produces majestic cueing from on top of the baulk cushion to cut a fine red to middle left. He follows with a yellow down to the opposite pocket to float towards a red that’ll go from inside the pack to the right corner.

He’s finding his groove again quickly here and a pink up to middle right helps him navigate off a red and down to the black off its spot.

A few stray reds allow him to gobble up the red-black combos for quick, heavy scoring although he pushes his luck a couple of times with two blacks and a red hitting the jaw on their way in.

He rides through the nervy moments with a bullet black to the left corner generating the power to split the pack and free up a smorgasbord of reds.

It’s his to lose from here, but that never looks in doubt as he chases down frame ball, cutting a blue down to middle right to leave Shaun needing a snooker.

A red up to middle right then puts it beyond doubt, with another century now firmly on Ball Run’s radar.

He duly achieves it with a black to the left corner that earns him a ripple of applause. It’s followed by another salute from the crowd seconds later as a miss on a red up to the yellow pocket means his bid for a clearance goes awry rather early, but the bigger picture means he’s now just one frame away from the next round.

Shaun stares at the floor looking rather gloomy.

He knows this frame is gone now as Bingham steps in to gobble up the reds he needs to move out of sight.,

There are still three reds left when he misses on down the left rial with the rest, but it’s academic as his run of 29 is enough to secure the frame and the lead overall.

Oof. Murphy doesn’t get far in his attempt to eat into the lead, popping in a red and black before missing a very make-able red up to middle right.

It’s Ball-Run who is first to show again in Frame 3.

He’s ticking along very nicely and contemplating the one-visit win when he contrives to fluff a black to the left corner just as he was about to pass the 50-mark.

There’s a big chance for Shaun to steal now!

There’s some great length and judgement in a safety face-off from both players until Shaun catches a red south-east of the pack too heavy and ends up leaving the cue-ball mid-table.

Bingham steps in and pops a red down to the left corner, easing down to the bottom deck to tease the black to the same pocket along the cushion.

The side spin of his screw back sees him flip off the right cushion and line-up perfectly on another red to the left corner.

A pink down to the right flank allows for a delightful cannon off another red to free up one to the left corner and develops the pack enough to suggest he could yet win this frame at this visit.

It’s been a break that he has worked hard to construct, pacing the cue-ball perfectly around a lay of balls that could well have conspired against him.

Instead, he picks apart the pack efficiently to leave himself with routine red-black combos that eventually move him beyond the half century and frame ball.

The final red is just below the middle left pocket, but he plays beautifully off the blue to land below it and fire it into the same bag.

It’s all about whether he ends with a century from there as he mops up the colours to complete a sublime 121 clearance.

Bingham cuts down to a red at the base of the pack from close to the left middle pocket and pulls off a lovely pot to the right corner. The black follows, but there’s little else to feed up on and he opts for patience by retreating to baulk.

The Magician rakes a sparkling long red to the middle of the left corner pocket and looks to be really feeling it…

Shaun takes his eye off a more routine black to the same pocket and is left baffled by his miss.  

Bingham believes there’s a plant hidden in the middle of a slightly disrupted pack, but there isn’t and he ends up obliterating the reds into the open.

He’s fortunate there’s nothing easy on to begin with.

Indeed, both players have chances with long cuts to the left corner that miss by some margin, but it’s Murphy who is first to show with an excellent diagonal pot from left to right whilst cueing from within the jaws of the middle pocket.

The Magician gets a lovely kiss off another red to free up the black and he leans in with the rest to despatch the colour to the right corner and feed upon a succession of smooth red-black combos to build a steady lead.

The half century passes with clinical efficiency and a black up to middle left ensures Bingham will stay in his seat.

The ton is achieved with a high cut on a black to the left corner and he’s down to the final two reds in his pursuit of the 147 maximum…

Sadly, for him he can’t force the penultimate red to middle left as the pace he needs to get back down for the black isn’t liked by the jaws of the pocket.

There’s no maximum but a 104 break to begin with is very handy to say the least.

It’s a long-standing match-up dating back to 2005 that is finely-poised at 9-9 across all competitions (excluding walkovers).

Bingham won his solitary World Championship title by beating Shaun ‘The Magician’ Murphy in the 2015 final.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE updates from the 2024 Northern Ireland Open.

We’ve got a tasty clash on the agenda right off the bat with Shaun Murphy taking on Stuart Bingham.

Later, reigning World Champion Kyren Wilson meets Stan Moody with Neil Robertson and Judd Trump headlining the evening’s action.

The boys are due at the baulk from 13.00 BST.

Shaun Murphy v Stuart Bingham

Martin O’Donnell v Pang Junxu

Mark Williams v Ma Hailong

Stan Moody v Kyren Wilson

Lei Peifan v Elliot Slessor

Oliver Lines v Neil Robertson

Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins

Louis Heathcote v Tian Pengfei