| Former Winners; | News; | Timetable & Details; | Results; | Centuries; | Prize |
|---|
|
Monday (22/Mar):
Ken Doherty is determined to retain his title by actually winning the final
in this year's event. |
| Former Winners; | News; | Timetable & Details; | Results; | Centuries; | Prize |
|---|
| Tuesday : First Rounds (23/Mar) | ||
| Mark Williams (Wal) | 2-6 | Jimmy White (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 94-32, 41-65, 118-0 (53, 65), 0-71, 1-59, 13-73, 29-72, 46-55 Jimmy White got the tournament off to a thrilling start as he pulled off a shock 6-2 win over Mark Williams. White, making his 17th appearance in the event, trailed 2-1 before realing off five frames in a row to set up a quarter-final with Ronnie O'Sullivan. "Mark, along with John Higgins, is the most improved player on the circuit so this is a good win for me." said White. Williams said: "Jimmy was my idol when I first started so it was a great thrill today even though I lost." | ||
| Stephen Lee (Eng) | 6-2 | Alan McManus (Sco) |
|
Scores: 77-70 (70 Lee, 66 McManus - respotted black), 23-66, 70-25, 73-46,
71-27, 51-21, 58-66, 71-0 (71) Stephen Lee marked his debut in the competition by avenging his defeat by Alan McManus in the Wembley Masters with a 6-2 victory over the Scot. Lee claimed the opening frame with a re-spotted black and although McManus pegged him back, the Trowbridge player rattled off four frames in a row. McManus pinched another frame but Lee was not to be denied a quarter-final with title-holder Ken Doherty. "Alan is a good player and to beat him 6-2 is a great result." said Lee. | ||
| Wednesday : First Rounds (24/Mar) | ||
| John Parrott (Eng) | 3-6 | Steve Davis (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 80-44, 58-64 (51 Parrott), 49-51, 29-71, 65-41, 71-43, 61-66
(56 Parrott), 1-90 (53), 4-113 (113) Golden oldie Steve Davis saved his best until last to move a step closer towards an unprecedented ninth B&H title in Co Kildare. The 42-year-old Goffe favorite defeated John Parrott 6-3, winning the last three frames from 3-3, including breaks of 53 and 113. Davis now meets Scotsman Stephen Hendry for a place in the semi-finals. "I may not be the great pressure player I once was, but I've got a big heart," said a delighted Davis. | ||
| Peter Ebdon (Eng) | 6-2 | Michael Judge (Ire) |
|
Scores: 128-0 (127), 91-15 (90), 88-7, 11-89, 0-134 (134), 82-36, 81-48, 62-41 Peter Ebdon disappointed the packed home crowd by beating Dubliner Michael Judge 6-2 to claim a place in the quarter-finals. Ebdon raced into a 3-0 lead with Judge managing only 27 points before he hit back to 3-2 thanks to a fine 134 break. However Ebdon swiftly regained control to seal victory. "Michael performed with great credit and at one stage I was getting a bit worried," said Ebdon who now meets world number one John Higgins. | ||
| Thursday : Quarter-Finals (25/Mar) | ||
| Ken Doherty (Ire) | 1-6 | Stephen Lee (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 7-120 (91), 83-0 (83), 0-81 (54), 31-67, 32-68, 20-78 (56), 20-87 (79) Ken Doherty relinquished the crown with a 6-1 quarter-final defeat at the hands of Stephen Lee. Dublin-born Doherty collected last year's title after Ronnie O'Sullivan, who won the 1998 final 9-3, failed a drugs test at the Goffs venue. Doherty said: "It is getting harder for me to win here. I did not feel like the holder coming back here this year." "I want to win it legitimately, picking up the trophy on a Sunday night, not getting it a few months later." | ||
| Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) | 4-6 | Jimmy White (Eng) |
|
Scores: 82-12, 26-81, 0-97 (71), 95-0 (95), 104-24, 59-66, 65-0, 17-61 (59),
0-95 (55), 28-71 (67) Jimmy White gained his first ever significant win over Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the semi-finals at Goffs. White admitted after his 6-4 win: "I nearly choked on my cornflakes when I read I hadn't beaten Ronnie in our last seven or eight meetings." "This is a great result for me. Along with Alex Higgins he is the greatest natural talent in the game, and it's a pleasure to watch him play." "I just need a few more results like this to get my confidence level up." | ||
| Friday : Quarter-Finals (26/Mar) | ||
| John Higgins (Sco) | 1-6 | Peter Ebdon (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 14-74, 6-59, 0-111 (111), 53-75 (70), 0-88 (88), 80-38 (67), 6-91 (91) Peter Ebdon enjoyed a 6-1 victory over John Higgins to make it only one defeat in eight matches for him against the World number one. Ebdon raced into a 5-0 lead, building some impressive breaks in the process including 111 in the third frame and 88 in the fifth. Higgins was able to salvage some pride with a 67 to take the sixth frame. However, Ebdon quickly reasserted himself, making a break of 91 to go through to the semi-finals. | ||
| Stephen Hendry (Sco) | 6-3 | Steve Davis (Eng) |
|
Scores: 92-21, 17-71, 100-8 (69), 0-79 (79), 23-68, 133-0 (133), 123-0 (123),
80-42 (62), 64-60 (52 Davis) Stephen Hendry compiled two centuries as he won the last four frames to clinch a 6-3 victory over Steve Davis and reach the last four. Davis had his chances but missed some crucial balls and could not score heavily enough to trouble the Scot. Hendry now meets Peter Ebdon and said: "Steve never gives up and he is a nightmare to a lot of players. He is a fantastic competitor." David said: "Perhaps I should have got closer to Stephen in the end." | ||
| Saturday : Semi-Finals (27/Mar) | ||
| Stephen Lee (Eng) | 6-3 | Jimmy White (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 89-0 (66), 0-82 (82), 70-25, 68-30, 0-97 (83), 38-83 (56), 72-1 (68),
75-52, 139-0 (139) Wild card entry Stephen Lee ended Jimmy White's hopes of the title by beating him 6-3 to reach the final. White, cheered on by a huge army of fans, fought back from 3-1 down to level at 3-3 but Lee won frame seven with a 68 and took the next on the pink. Lee sealed victory with a superb 139 total clearance - the highest break of the tournament so far. "I was totally focused out there and managed to blank everything out." he said. "It's a fantasic result for me." | ||
| Stephen Hendry (Sco) | 6-4 | Peter Ebdon (Eng) |
|
Scores: 29-86, 58-45, 78-32 (61), 88-47 (68), 0-136 (136), 10-69, 86-6 (86),
61-60, 19-80, 77-47 Stephen Hendry had to battle all the way before beating Peter Ebdon 6-4 to reach the final. Hendry lost the opening frame but quickly ran up a 3-1 lead. Ebdon responded with a 136 clearance to level the match but Hendry took three of the next four frames, the last with a tense clearance, to seal victory. "Peter always makes life very difficult and is tremendous fighter," said Hendry. "That's why I was relieved to get over the line." | ||
| Sunday : Final (28/Mar) | ||
| Stephen Hendry (Eng) | 9-8 | Stephen Lee (Eng) |
|---|---|---|
|
Scores: 43-68 (55), 43-77, 5-79 (67), 7-63, 30-79, 123-1 (123), 81-0 (81),
69-17, 80-10 (80), 45-75 (52), 0-79 (50), 47-67, 82-35 (51), 105-1 (89),
123-7 (123), 104-25 (104), 85-1 (85) Stephen Hendry hit back from 5-0 and 8-4 down to claim the last five frames for a 9-8 final win over Stephen Lee. Wild card entry Lee had looked set for his first Irish Masters title when he led 5-2 at the interval. But Hendry had shown a glimpse of form near the end of the afternoon session and stepped up a gear near the end. Two centuries, two 80s and a 50 in the closing frames left the Bristol player heartbroken and secured Hendry's third Goffs title in seven years. "Winning the last two frames of the first session to trail just 5-2 gave me a slight chance of victory," Hendry said. "But it didn't look too good when Lee went 8-4 up." "I have lost a few matches recently when I shouldn't have done and under the circumstances this is one of my best victories for a long time." | ||
| Former Winners; | News; | Timetable & Details; | Results; | Centuries; | Prize |
|---|
| First Rround (best of 11 frames) | Quarter Finals (best of 11 frames) | Semi-Finals (best of 11 frames) | Final (best of 17 frames) | ||||||||
| *** (**) *** (**) |
* * |
||||||||||
| K Doherty (Ire) S Lee (Eng) |
1 6 |
||||||||||
| S Lee (Eng) A McManus (Sco) |
6 2 |
||||||||||
| S Lee (Eng) J White (Eng) |
6 3 |
||||||||||
| *** (**) *** (**) |
* * |
||||||||||
| R O'Sullivan (Eng) J White (Eng) |
4 6 |
||||||||||
| M Williams (Wal) J White (Eng) |
2 6 |
||||||||||
| S Lee (Eng) S Hendry (Sco) |
8 9 |
||||||||||
| *** (**) *** (**) |
* * |
||||||||||
| J Higgins (Sco) P Ebdon (Eng) |
1 6 |
||||||||||
| P Ebdon (Eng) M Judge (Ire) |
6 2 |
||||||||||
| P Ebdon (Eng) S Hendry (Sco) |
4 6 |
||||||||||
| *** (**) *** (**) |
* * |
||||||||||
| S Hendry (Sco) S Davis (Eng) |
6 3 |
||||||||||
| J Parrott (Eng) S Davis (Eng) |
3 6 |
| Former Winners; | News; | Timetable & Details; | Results; | Centuries; | Prize |
|---|
| Former Winners; | News; | Timetable & Details; | Results; | Centuries; | Prize |
|---|
| Place | Prize (pounds) |
| Winner | 42,000 |
| Runner-up | 21,000 |
| Losing semi-finalists | 11,000 |
| Losing quater-finalists | 6,200 |
| Second round losers | 3,100 |
| First round losers | 2,555 |
| 1 English pound = | 1.61 American Dollars |
| Highest break | 3,000 |