CWY Snooker House

Detail Reports

THIRD ROUNDS

Steve Davis (Eng) 2-5 Jonathan Birch (Eng)

Jonathan Birch, the Middlesbrough based professional who is also a top of the range kitchen salesman, defeated Steve Davis 5-2 when the third round got under way.
Birch, "snooker is only a hobby" compiled breaks of 136, 97, 81 and 68 on his way to the televised stages.
The 31 year old admitted, "I haven't played at all since the British Open last month and it's not an arrogant attitude to take when I say I haven't practised because that would be stupid.
"But I do feel I have a career outside this game and it's taken the pressure off me. Snooker is no longer the major source of income, it's become a pastime and I'm getting more pleasure from it."
Davis whose season at the outset promised so much, has now lost his opening match in both the Grand Prix and China International said, "Jonathan made four frame winning breaks and played to a very good standard. He kept me very quiet and was in the driving seat all the way."

John Higgins (Sco) 5-4 Jimmy Michie (Eng)

John Higgins scraped home 5-4 against Yorkshire's Jimmy Michie who led 3-1 and 57-0 in frame five. But a clearance of 71 reduced his opponent lead to one, a 107 tied the scores and a 67 enabled him to lead 4-3.
Then after Michie's 72 forced the decider, Higgins put together a match winning break of 94 to go through to the last 32.
But he admitted, "I thought I was going to lose, my mind was nowhere and it looked like an early ride home for me. But winning the fifth frame put some fight back into my game."
"Yet if the match hadn't been played on TV, I honestly believe I would have lost. I agree with Stephen - it definitely in our favour to be seeded through to the televised stages without having to play a third round opponent on the multi table set-up."
Higgins now faces Dominic Dale for a place in the last 16.

Stephen Hendry (Sco) 5-2 Gary Ponting (Eng)

World champion Stephen Hendry who targets for a fifth Grand Prix title, began with a convincing 5-2 victory over Gary Ponting with breaks of 100, 80, 69 and 62.
Hendry also applauded snooker bosses for seeding him through to the televised stages along with the remaining five players at the head of the world rankings.
"It's a huge advantage not having to contend with the multi table squash court syndrome as there is a much bigger danger of losing in conditions like that." said world number 2.
"But it's a fact of life that sponsors and the public want to watch the best players in action."
"The game needs sponsors which means the top faces must be seen on television. We aren't likely to attract them if they are watching someone they don't know while the public won't even bother to turn on their TV's if they don't know who the players are."
"Steve Davis has already lost his qualifier for the China International in December yet he is the biggest name among all of us as far as the Chinese are concerned. This has put that event on a downer before a ball is potted."

Steve Davis (Eng)	2-5	Jonathan Birch (Eng)
Jonathan Birch, the Middlesbrough based professional who is also a top of the range kitchen salesman, defeated Steve Davis 5-2 when the third round got under way. Birch, "snooker is only a hobby" compiled breaks of 136, 97, 81 and 68 on his way to the televised stages. The 31 year old admitted, "I haven't played at all since the British Open last month and it's not an arrogant attitude to take when I say I haven't practised because that would be stupid. "But I do feel I have a career outside this game and it's taken the pressure off me. Snooker is no longer the major source of income, it's become a pastime and I'm getting more pleasure from it." Davis whose season at the outset promised so much, has now lost his opening match in both the Grand Prix and China International said, "Jonathan made four frame winning breaks and played to a very good standard. He kept me very quiet and was in the driving seat all the way."

John Higgins (Sco)	5-4	Jimmy Michie (Eng)
John Higgins scraped home 5-4 against Yorkshire's Jimmy Michie who led 3-1 and 57-0 in frame five. But a clearance of 71 reduced his opponent lead to one, a 107 tied the scores and a 67 enabled him to lead 4-3. Then after Michie's 72 forced the decider, Higgins put together a match winning break of 94 to go through to the last 32. But he admitted, "I thought I was going to lose, my mind was nowhere and it looked like an early ride home for me. But winning the fifth frame put some fight back into my game." "Yet if the match hadn't been played on TV, I honestly believe I would have lost. I agree with Stephen - it definitely in our favour to be seeded through to the televised stages without having to play a third round opponent on the multi table set-up." Higgins now faces Dominic Dale for a place in the last 16.

Stephen Hendry (Sco)	5-2	Gary Ponting (Eng)
World champion Stephen Hendry who targets for a fifth Grand Prix title, began with a convincing 5-2 victory over Gary Ponting with breaks of 100, 80, 69 and 62. Hendry also applauded snooker bosses for seeding him through to the televised stages along with the remaining five players at the head of the world rankings. "It's a huge advantage not having to contend with the multi table squash court syndrome as there is a much bigger danger of losing in conditions like that." said world number 2. "But it's a fact of life that sponsors and the public want to watch the best players in action." "The game needs sponsors which means the top faces must be seen on television. We aren't likely to attract them if they are watching someone they don't know while the public won't even bother to turn on their TV's if they don't know who the players are." "Steve Davis has already lost his qualifier for the China International in December yet he is the biggest name among all of us as far as the Chinese are concerned. This has put that event on a downer before a ball is potted."

FOURTH ROUNDS

Jimmy White (Eng) 3-5 James Wattana (Thai)

Whirlwind Jimmy White was blown out of the Grand Prix when losing 5-3 to Thailand's James Wattana.
World No.16 White admitted, "That was a nightmare, I didn't know what I was doing after my tip came off."
The tip incident came in the second frame and before the next could start, play was held up until Scottish referee and assistant tournament director, Lawrie Annandale had carried out the necessary repairs.
"It was so frustrating, I was all over the place and when James led 4-1 I just wanted to get out of the place. Then he started missing a few balls and I managed to win a couple of frames.
"Over the years we have played each other a few times but this must have been the worst of all of them."
"But James is good for the game and I would like to see him go all way," added White who knows he still has a lot of work to do if he is to stay in the top 16 for another season.
Wattana who lost his top 16 ranking this season, said: "I came here hoping to win two matches and that's what I've done. I will be more relaxed next time whoever my opponent is."
That will be world No.1 John Higgins providing the Scot beats Dominic Dale.

John Parrott (Eng) 4-5 Marcus Campbell (Sco)

Campbell, ranked 48, won the last three frames to remove Parrott from the event and said: "It was a bit scrappy. I missed an easy black which should have led to me winning the sixth frame but I stuck to my guns as John was finding it difficult to put me away."
"I haven't had the best of starts to the season but at the same time I played well enough and never became despondent. It would have been so easy to give up."

Matthew Stevens (Wal) 2-5 Chris Small (Sco)

Chris Small went through 5-2 against Regal Masters champion, Matthew Stevens who had beaten him in a qualifying round of the Motherwell invitation tournament.
"Preston seems to be a lucky venue for me having reached the last four here a year ago. I reckon I can do even better this time," said Small.
"But a week or so ago I couldn't make a 50 break in practice and was beginning to think that overnight, I had either turned into a bad player or there was something wrong with my eyesight. I was all mixed up until I recovered from being 3-1 down to beat Steve James 5-3 in the previous round."
"That was due to the fact I decided there and then to forget about technique and get on with the job of playing snooker. Now I have beaten a top ranked player whose confidence is on a high and I'm really pleased," added Small whose top breaks were a 70, 56 and 50.

Alan McManus (Sco) 2-5 Dave Harold (Eng)

Glasgow's Alan McManus crashed out on losing 5-2 to Dave Harold who has now won four times out of five against the Scot. But McManus groaned afterwards, "That was like watching paint dry, I couldn't get into a rhythm at all." World No.8 McManus had been involved in a match which lasted 190 minutes which forced him to ask the question, "three hours for seven frames of snooker is ridiculous but what can you do about it?" The Scot was obviously upset at Harold's pedantic pace though he would not be drawn into a slanging match with his English rival. "The game was played at a snail's pace following a scrappy first frame which lasted 39 minutes. It was garbage and the worst match I have ever been involved in." "This sort of snooker is not what the public want to see, it's a bad advert for the game. I was trying to get on with it but nothing happened. I never enjoyed the match, it just wasn't any fun." Harold, runner-up five years ago, had breaks of 79, 55 and 54, said, "Alan is a tough player to beat but I kept playing positively after losing the first two frames. The balls seemed to go scrappy and it became a bit of a battle in so many frames."

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) 5-1 Graeme Dott (Sco)

Television viewers were in uproar after the BBC pulled the plug on Ronnie O'Sullivan's third maximum break.
The cameras stopped rolling when O'Sullivan's break had reached 24. But in under eight minutes he had finished off the 147 which earned him 5,000 pounds and a 20,000 pounds Vauxhall Vectra saloon car.
Only Stephen Hendry, with six, has logged more 147's than O'Sullivan whose maximum was the 32nd in major competition, 14th on TV and eighth this year. It was also the first in the 15 year history of the Grand Prix.
Ironically Dott also recorded a maximum this year, in front of the TV cameras at the British Open in April.
"I was thinking about the 147 very early on, maybe around 17 or 24 and it was nerve wracking towards the end with the adrenalin flowing."
"But there is no substitute for a high like that, it's probably something that no other game provides," added the world No.4 who also had breaks of 98, 56 and 40.
Dott remarked, "Ronnie is unbelievable, different class, when he plays like that. I never thought for a minute he would make a 147, the balls didn't look right for it."

John Higgins (Sco) 5-0 Dominic Dale (Wal)

Scotland's world No.1, John Higgins lines up against Thailand's James Wattana in the last 16.
Higgins whitewashed peroxide blond, Dominic Dale, 5-0 in what so far has been the most one sided contest of the event.
"Dominic didn't play very well at all. It was off putting for me because he was so bad," said Higgins who reached the winning post in only 63 minutes.
The UK champion whose top breaks were only 57 and 51 added, "I can't complain at the score line but at the same time the snooker wasn't the sort to put bums on seats."
He added, "It will be different against James. He looks to be coming back to form and it's good to see him still involved in the tournament. Once his confidence comes back, he will beat anyone."

Stephen Lee (Eng) 4-5 Tony Drago (Mal)

Tony Drago for once kept his composure to win the last two frames and complete a 5-4 victory over Stephen Lee, the holder, in the fourth round of the Grand Prix at Preston Guild hall.
Drago so often a bag of nerves at the business end of an important contest, produced a match winning break of 91 which carried him into the last 16 after all seemed lost with Lee ahead 4-3.
"It wasn't easy having to win those last two frames but I still believe in myself. I also believe I should be in the top 16 and I won't be happy until I get back there," said Drago.
The world No.20 lost his top 16 ranking at the end of last season and knows how hard it will be to climb back during the next eight months. He also revealed how Ronnie O'Sullivan helped him rekindle his interest in playing.
"Only a month or so ago, I was playing that badly in practice that I just didn't want to know about snooker. I wasn't going to pack it in or anything like that, after all what else can I do. Then Ronnie agreed to come over to my club and practice with me and my enthusiasm soon came back. I can't thank him enough."

Jimmy White (Eng)	3-5	James Wattana (Thai)
Whirlwind Jimmy White was blown out of the Grand Prix when losing 5-3 to Thailand's James Wattana. World No.16 White admitted, "That was a nightmare, I didn't know what I was doing after my tip came off." The tip incident came in the second frame and before the next could start, play was held up until Scottish referee and assistant tournament director, Lawrie Annandale had carried out the necessary repairs. "It was so frustrating, I was all over the place and when James led 4-1 I just wanted to get out of the place. Then he started missing a few balls and I managed to win a couple of frames. "Over the years we have played each other a few times but this must have been the worst of all of them." "But James is good for the game and I would like to see him go all way," added White who knows he still has a lot of work to do if he is to stay in the top 16 for another season. Wattana who lost his top 16 ranking this season, said: "I came here hoping to win two matches and that's what I've done. I will be more relaxed next time whoever my opponent is." That will be world No.1 John Higgins providing the Scot beats Dominic Dale.

John Parrott (Eng)	4-5	Marcus Campbell (Sco)
Campbell, ranked 48, won the last three frames to remove Parrott from the event and said: "It was a bit scrappy. I missed an easy black which should have led to me winning the sixth frame but I stuck to my guns as John was finding it difficult to put me away." "I haven't had the best of starts to the season but at the same time I played well enough and never became despondent. It would have been so easy to give up."

Matthew Stevens (Wal)	2-5	Chris Small (Sco)
Chris Small went through 5-2 against Regal Masters champion, Matthew Stevens who had beaten him in a qualifying round of the Motherwell invitation tournament. "Preston seems to be a lucky venue for me having reached the last four here a year ago. I reckon I can do even better this time," said Small. "But a week or so ago I couldn't make a 50 break in practice and was beginning to think that overnight, I had either turned into a bad player or there was something wrong with my eyesight. I was all mixed up until I recovered from being 3-1 down to beat Steve James 5-3 in the previous round." "That was due to the fact I decided there and then to forget about technique and get on with the job of playing snooker. Now I have beaten a top ranked player whose confidence is on a high and I'm really pleased," added Small whose top breaks were a 70, 56 and 50.

Alan McManus (Sco)	2-5	Dave Harold (Eng)
Glasgow's Alan McManus crashed out on losing 5-2 to Dave Harold who has now won four times out of five against the Scot. But McManus groaned afterwards, "That was like watching paint dry, I couldn't get into a rhythm at all." World No.8 McManus had been involved in a match which lasted 190 minutes which forced him to ask the question, "three hours for seven frames of snooker is ridiculous but what can you do about it?" The Scot was obviously upset at Harold's pedantic pace though he would not be drawn into a slanging match with his English rival. "The game was played at a snail's pace following a scrappy first frame which lasted 39 minutes. It was garbage and the worst match I have ever been involved in." "This sort of snooker is not what the public want to see, it's a bad advert for the game. I was trying to get on with it but nothing happened. I never enjoyed the match, it just wasn't any fun." Harold, runner-up five years ago, had breaks of 79, 55 and 54, said, "Alan is a tough player to beat but I kept playing positively after losing the first two frames. The balls seemed to go scrappy and it became a bit of a battle in so many frames."

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)	5-1	Graeme Dott (Sco)
Television viewers were in uproar after the BBC pulled the plug on Ronnie O'Sullivan's third maximum break. The cameras stopped rolling when O'Sullivan's break had reached 24. But in under eight minutes he had finished off the 147 which earned him 5,000 pounds and a 20,000 pounds Vauxhall Vectra saloon car. Only Stephen Hendry, with six, has logged more 147's than O'Sullivan whose maximum was the 32nd in major competition, 14th on TV and eighth this year. It was also the first in the 15 year history of the Grand Prix. Ironically Dott also recorded a maximum this year, in front of the TV cameras at the British Open in April. "I was thinking about the 147 very early on, maybe around 17 or 24 and it was nerve wracking towards the end with the adrenalin flowing." "But there is no substitute for a high like that, it's probably something that no other game provides," added the world No.4 who also had breaks of 98, 56 and 40. Dott remarked, "Ronnie is unbelievable, different class, when he plays like that. I never thought for a minute he would make a 147, the balls didn't look right for it."

John Higgins (Sco)	5-0	Dominic Dale (Wal)
Scotland's world No.1, John Higgins lines up against Thailand's James Wattana in the last 16. Higgins whitewashed peroxide blond, Dominic Dale, 5-0 in what so far has been the most one sided contest of the event. "Dominic didn't play very well at all. It was off putting for me because he was so bad," said Higgins who reached the winning post in only 63 minutes. The UK champion whose top breaks were only 57 and 51 added, "I can't complain at the score line but at the same time the snooker wasn't the sort to put bums on seats." He added, "It will be different against James. He looks to be coming back to form and it's good to see him still involved in the tournament. Once his confidence comes back, he will beat anyone."

Stephen Lee (Eng)	4-5	Tony Drago (Mal)
Tony Drago for once kept his composure to win the last two frames and complete a 5-4 victory over Stephen Lee, the holder, in the fourth round of the Grand Prix at Preston Guild hall. Drago so often a bag of nerves at the business end of an important contest, produced a match winning break of 91 which carried him into the last 16 after all seemed lost with Lee ahead 4-3. "It wasn't easy having to win those last two frames but I still believe in myself. I also believe I should be in the top 16 and I won't be happy until I get back there," said Drago. The world No.20 lost his top 16 ranking at the end of last season and knows how hard it will be to climb back during the next eight months. He also revealed how Ronnie O'Sullivan helped him rekindle his interest in playing. "Only a month or so ago, I was playing that badly in practice that I just didn't want to know about snooker. I wasn't going to pack it in or anything like that, after all what else can I do. Then Ronnie agreed to come over to my club and practice with me and my enthusiasm soon came back. I can't thank him enough."

FIFTH ROUNDS

Allistair Carter (Eng) 5-3 Stephen Hendry (Sco)

Scores: 75-1 (75), 0-74, 58-15, 48-61, 65-13 (58), 82-49, 40-60, 77-41 (73)
Stephen Hendry was the victim of a sensational upset - losing 5-3 to Essex youngster Allister Carter, the world No.142 who kept his nerve in the last frame with a match winning break of 73.
"My concentration wasn't good enough. It's always the same when I play someone I don't know and it's a big worry. But you cannot take anything away from him, he played fantastic," said Hendry whose highest break was only 40.
He continued, "Allister's cue control really impressed me. He won't be ranked as low as he is for much longer if he can maintain this sort of form. I think he is a very good player.
"I wondered whether he might go when missing the brown in frame seven. I should have won the next as well but failed to a pot a red into a middle pocket. That was the story all night, my mind seemed to be on other things."
"You just cannot afford to lose your concentration because you won't get away with it at this level."
Carter a 20 year old from Tiptree said, "I got off to a good start in making a break of 75 in the first frame. It enabled me to settle down straight away."
"I also didn't want to be in awe of Stephen and find myself three or four behind before I knew what was happening. But my safety was good and I kept him out of the game early on."
"Since I got here I've been playing each match as it comes and thinking no further. Now I'm in the quarters and anything can happen," added Carter whose next opponent is Marco Fu.
Hendry has suffered some surprise defeats over the years. He lost 5-2 to noice monk Tai Pichit in the first round of the 1993 Thailand Open and 9-0 by Marcus Campbell in the first round of last season's UK championship.

QUARTER FINALS

Anthony Hamilton (Eng) 2-5 Dave Harold (Eng)

Scores: 0-69, 12-65, 9-83, 48-68, 135-0 (135), 107-8 (52, 55), 0-72 (68)
Dave Harold, the world No.17, from Stoke, led 4-0 before the interval. Anthony Hamilton came back to win the fifth and sixth frames before Harold put together a match winning 68.
"Even though I haven't been playing my best snooker, I must be doing something right to get this far," said Harold who was runner-up to Higgins in the 1994 Grand Prix.

Ken Doherty (Ire) 3-5 Mark J Williams (Wal)

Mark J Williams, world No.3, defeated Ken Doherty with a 5-3 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Grand Prix.
In a match riddled with mistakes during the early frames, Williams crossed the winning line helped by breaks of 54, 62 and 41. But he admitted, "I seemed to go well for two frames then miss four or five sitters in a row. I know I'll miss one, maybe two, but that many is ridiculous."
Williams, winner of the 1996 Grand Prix, added, "Ken must have been over the moon when he went 3-2 in front because at the time I was playing a lot better than it looked. In the end I did well to come through."
Yet Williams gave up in frame four with Doherty leading 30-17 with still two reds left. "I had missed so many easy ones I thought enough is enough. I lost my head a bit because Ken had been missing as well though I don't think he would have allowed things to slip away from him at this point."
Doherty remarked, "It wasn't a classic but at least I'm playing better than I have been. The killer blow was frame seven which I lost on a respotted black."

John Higgins (Ire) 5-3 Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)

John Higgins kept the tartan flag flying in the Grand Prix when he defeated O'Sullivan 5-3 to set up a semi-final against giant killer Carter.
The UK champion, the only Scot left in the event, put together a match winning break of 103 in the last frame, his fourth century of the televised stages.
O'Sullivan also weighed in with a ton, a 137 but Higgins came out best adding further breaks of 83, 76 and 57.
"I'm pleased to have pulled it off because I was a bit down after going in off the last red in the seventh frame. Then I had a bit of lucky getting out of a snooker otherwise Ronnie might have gone on to force the decider, " said Higgins.
"The rivalry between Ronnie and myself is perhaps the closest and best in the game today. It's rather like Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry in the late 1980's and early 90's."
"I came on the pro scene at the same time as Ronnie and I think the win tonight puts us level at 12-12 on the head to head. He had also beaten me twice this season and the last thing I wanted was to suffer a third."
Higgins continued, "It will now be interesting to see how Alli copes with the pressures of his first semi-final. He has a great temperament and will be around for many years to come. He has certainly handled himself well so far."
"I won't hold any fears for him and I won't be taking anything for granted. I have slipped on my face before playing an underdog."

Macro Fu (HK) 3-5 Allistair Carter (Eng)

Scores: 101-25 (97), 70-28, 61-73, 41-81, 2-51, 64-49, 8-91 (91), 5-89 (87)
Carter, who derailed Stephen Hendry's Grand Prix hopes, knocked out Marco Fu in the quarter-finals.
The 20 year Essex hitman defeated Fu 5-2 after losing the first two frames. "I'm just trying to take all this in," he said afterwards.
Carter who had never progressed further than the last 64 of a ranking event until he arrived in Preston, has now won six matches in 12 days. He is also guaranteed 16,500 pounds in prize money - almost twice as much as he has earned since turning professional three years ago.
A 500-1 chance to pick up the 62,000 first prize in the pre-tournament betting Carter, 7-4 to beat Fu, is now at 10-1.
"It was a bit scrappy before the interval but I felt good and knew I could come out and put some decent breaks together, given the chance."
"The turning point was frame four when Marco missed the yellow leaving me to clear to the pink to draw level. I wasn't all that worried when he led 2-0, I was more concerned with my own game."
"I'm playing just as if I was at the practice table, perhaps that's why I'm doing so well," said Carter who finished off the match with breaks of 91 and 87.
He added, "All this seems a long way from last season's UK Tour events on which I did well enough to qualify for the Main Tour. But once you get a couple of good match wins under your belt, it's surprising what it can do for your confidence."
"Six down and two to play - I don't mind who that it is. After all I've beaten the best in the world and a great up and coming player."
Hong Kong's Fu said, "I knew it would be a very tough match bearing in mind he had beaten Stephen in the previous round. Alli played really well, he handled the pressure better and scored heavier than I did, all credit to him."
"It might have been different if I'd I won the fourth frame. I fancied winning had I gone into a 3-1 lead."

Allistair Carter (Eng)	5-3	Stephen Hendry (Sco)
Scores: 75-1 (75), 0-74, 58-15, 48-61, 65-13 (58), 82-49, 40-60, 77-41 (73) Stephen Hendry was the victim of a sensational upset - losing 5-3 to Essex youngster Allister Carter, the world No.142 who kept his nerve in the last frame with a match winning break of 73. "My concentration wasn't good enough. It's always the same when I play someone I don't know and it's a big worry. But you cannot take anything away from him, he played fantastic," said Hendry whose highest break was only 40. He continued, "Allister's cue control really impressed me. He won't be ranked as low as he is for much longer if he can maintain this sort of form. I think he is a very good player. "I wondered whether he might go when missing the brown in frame seven. I should have won the next as well but failed to a pot a red into a middle pocket. That was the story all night, my mind seemed to be on other things." "You just cannot afford to lose your concentration because you won't get away with it at this level." Carter a 20 year old from Tiptree said, "I got off to a good start in making a break of 75 in the first frame. It enabled me to settle down straight away." "I also didn't want to be in awe of Stephen and find myself three or four behind before I knew what was happening. But my safety was good and I kept him out of the game early on." "Since I got here I've been playing each match as it comes and thinking no further. Now I'm in the quarters and anything can happen," added Carter whose next opponent is Marco Fu. Hendry has suffered some surprise defeats over the years. He lost 5-2 to noice monk Tai Pichit in the first round of the 1993 Thailand Open and 9-0 by Marcus Campbell in the first round of last season's UK championship.

Anthony Hamilton (Eng)	2-5	Dave Harold (Eng)
Scores: 0-69, 12-65, 9-83, 48-68, 135-0 (135), 107-8 (52, 55), 0-72 (68) Dave Harold, the world No.17, from Stoke, led 4-0 before the interval. Anthony Hamilton came back to win the fifth and sixth frames before Harold put together a match winning 68. "Even though I haven't been playing my best snooker, I must be doing something right to get this far," said Harold who was runner-up to Higgins in the 1994 Grand Prix.

Ken Doherty (Ire)	3-5	Mark J Williams (Wal)
Mark J Williams, world No.3, defeated Ken Doherty with a 5-3 victory to reach the semi-finals of the Grand Prix. In a match riddled with mistakes during the early frames, Williams crossed the winning line helped by breaks of 54, 62 and 41. But he admitted, "I seemed to go well for two frames then miss four or five sitters in a row. I know I'll miss one, maybe two, but that many is ridiculous." Williams, winner of the 1996 Grand Prix, added, "Ken must have been over the moon when he went 3-2 in front because at the time I was playing a lot better than it looked. In the end I did well to come through." Yet Williams gave up in frame four with Doherty leading 30-17 with still two reds left. "I had missed so many easy ones I thought enough is enough. I lost my head a bit because Ken had been missing as well though I don't think he would have allowed things to slip away from him at this point." Doherty remarked, "It wasn't a classic but at least I'm playing better than I have been. The killer blow was frame seven which I lost on a respotted black."

John Higgins (Ire)	5-3	Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)
John Higgins kept the tartan flag flying in the Grand Prix when he defeated O'Sullivan 5-3 to set up a semi-final against giant killer Carter. The UK champion, the only Scot left in the event, put together a match winning break of 103 in the last frame, his fourth century of the televised stages. O'Sullivan also weighed in with a ton, a 137 but Higgins came out best adding further breaks of 83, 76 and 57. "I'm pleased to have pulled it off because I was a bit down after going in off the last red in the seventh frame. Then I had a bit of lucky getting out of a snooker otherwise Ronnie might have gone on to force the decider, " said Higgins. "The rivalry between Ronnie and myself is perhaps the closest and best in the game today. It's rather like Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry in the late 1980's and early 90's." "I came on the pro scene at the same time as Ronnie and I think the win tonight puts us level at 12-12 on the head to head. He had also beaten me twice this season and the last thing I wanted was to suffer a third." Higgins continued, "It will now be interesting to see how Alli copes with the pressures of his first semi-final. He has a great temperament and will be around for many years to come. He has certainly handled himself well so far." "I won't hold any fears for him and I won't be taking anything for granted. I have slipped on my face before playing an underdog."

Macro Fu (HK)	3-5	Allistair Carter (Eng)
Scores: 101-25 (97), 70-28, 61-73, 41-81, 2-51, 64-49, 8-91 (91), 5-89 (87) Carter, who derailed Stephen Hendry's Grand Prix hopes, knocked out Marco Fu in the quarter-finals. The 20 year Essex hitman defeated Fu 5-2 after losing the first two frames. "I'm just trying to take all this in," he said afterwards. Carter who had never progressed further than the last 64 of a ranking event until he arrived in Preston, has now won six matches in 12 days. He is also guaranteed 16,500 pounds in prize money - almost twice as much as he has earned since turning professional three years ago. A 500-1 chance to pick up the 62,000 first prize in the pre-tournament betting Carter, 7-4 to beat Fu, is now at 10-1. "It was a bit scrappy before the interval but I felt good and knew I could come out and put some decent breaks together, given the chance." "The turning point was frame four when Marco missed the yellow leaving me to clear to the pink to draw level. I wasn't all that worried when he led 2-0, I was more concerned with my own game." "I'm playing just as if I was at the practice table, perhaps that's why I'm doing so well," said Carter who finished off the match with breaks of 91 and 87. He added, "All this seems a long way from last season's UK Tour events on which I did well enough to qualify for the Main Tour. But once you get a couple of good match wins under your belt, it's surprising what it can do for your confidence." "Six down and two to play - I don't mind who that it is. After all I've beaten the best in the world and a great up and coming player." Hong Kong's Fu said, "I knew it would be a very tough match bearing in mind he had beaten Stephen in the previous round. Alli played really well, he handled the pressure better and scored heavier than I did, all credit to him." "It might have been different if I'd I won the fourth frame. I fancied winning had I gone into a 3-1 lead."

SEMI FINALS

Dave Harold (Eng) 5-6 Mark J Williams (Wal)

Scores: 75-14 (75), 20-64, 64-67 (54 Harold), 76-11, 49-59, 69-23 (69), 61-30, 74-47 (52), 36-61, 43-91, 62-51
Williams went through to the final when he defeated Harold 6-5 in a near four hours contest which was resolved on the black following a 48 minutes 11th frame.
The Welshman who led 5-3 and compiled breaks of 75, 69 and 54, was forced to clear from blue to black to deny Harold going through to what would have been his second Grand Prix final having lost to Higgins five years ago.
Williams wasn't happy with the bouncing of the table and said, "The table was disgusting, I have never played on one that bad before. It made us look stupid but in the end I managed to scrape through."
"Whether anything can be done before the final, I don't know but if it's still like this, I won't be able to play my game on it. I've been complaining all week about the cushions being too lively but nothing has been done," said the Grand Prix in 1996 champion.
Harold supported Williams. "We both struggled with the table and I did well to hold on. Anything could have happened in the decider but all credit to Mark, he potted a good black."

John Higgins (Sco) 6-3 Allistair Carter (Eng)

Scores: 85-1 (85), 66-31 (66), 63-10 (50), 43-70, 69-43 (52), 20-72 (66), 2-63, 62-35 (56), 95-0 (95)
Higgins, ended the remarkable progress of Essex youngster, Allistair Carter.
Higgins who beat the 20 year old 6-3 was the first to applaud Carter's six match winning sequence which included the scalps of world champion, Stephen Hendry and Hong Kong's Marco Fu.
"He has done so well to get this far and if he keeps up the form he showed in the earlier rounds, he will do very well. I don't think he played to his best in the semi-final," said Higgins who finished off Carter with a break of 95.
Higgins added, "started off well then let things slip away a bit after leading 4-1 through making some stupid errors. I was fuming inside because in the seventh frame I had chances to win it and didn't take them."
"I managed to hold myself together and clearing up with a break of 56, won the match for me. I think Alli thought he was going to draw level and looked a bit down when he didn't."

Dave Harold (Eng)	5-6	Mark J Williams (Wal)
Scores: 75-14 (75), 20-64, 64-67 (54 Harold), 76-11, 49-59, 69-23 (69), 61-30, 74-47 (52), 36-61, 43-91, 62-51 Williams went through to the final when he defeated Harold 6-5 in a near four hours contest which was resolved on the black following a 48 minutes 11th frame. The Welshman who led 5-3 and compiled breaks of 75, 69 and 54, was forced to clear from blue to black to deny Harold going through to what would have been his second Grand Prix final having lost to Higgins five years ago. Williams wasn't happy with the bouncing of the table and said, "The table was disgusting, I have never played on one that bad before. It made us look stupid but in the end I managed to scrape through." "Whether anything can be done before the final, I don't know but if it's still like this, I won't be able to play my game on it. I've been complaining all week about the cushions being too lively but nothing has been done," said the Grand Prix in 1996 champion. Harold supported Williams. "We both struggled with the table and I did well to hold on. Anything could have happened in the decider but all credit to Mark, he potted a good black."

John Higgins (Sco)	6-3	Allistair Carter (Eng)
Scores: 85-1 (85), 66-31 (66), 63-10 (50), 43-70, 69-43 (52), 20-72 (66), 2-63, 62-35 (56), 95-0 (95) Higgins, ended the remarkable progress of Essex youngster, Allistair Carter. Higgins who beat the 20 year old 6-3 was the first to applaud Carter's six match winning sequence which included the scalps of world champion, Stephen Hendry and Hong Kong's Marco Fu. "He has done so well to get this far and if he keeps up the form he showed in the earlier rounds, he will do very well. I don't think he played to his best in the semi-final," said Higgins who finished off Carter with a break of 95. Higgins added, "started off well then let things slip away a bit after leading 4-1 through making some stupid errors. I was fuming inside because in the seventh frame I had chances to win it and didn't take them." "I managed to hold myself together and clearing up with a break of 56, won the match for me. I think Alli thought he was going to draw level and looked a bit down when he didn't."

FINAL

Mark J Williams (Wal) 8-9 John Higgins (Sco)

Scores: 89-1 (64), 5-69, 77-46 (55), 0-83 (82), 2-77 (73), 30-62, 33-53, 2-49, 50-42, 68-12 (68), 86-0 (53), 78-0 (78), 59-37, 24-88 (65), 1-65, 107-23 (66), 75-0
Welshman Mark Williams was firmly in control after the first session and with a four frame lead must have been harbouring thoughts of moving to the top of the provisional world rankings. However, the Scot rediscovered something like his best form after Williams had missed the green clearing up in frame nine. The transformation was amazing as the Scot went on to compile successive breaks of 68, 53 and 78 to draw level.
Even an 8-7 deficit did not deter Higgins who squared the final with a break of 66 and made sure of his 12th ranking event and the first prize of �62,000 with runs of 30 and 45.
"I can't believe I've won but in the last frame I wasn't nervous at all though I was in the previous one."
"Once again I missed some stupid balls and I was fuming when I went 6-2 down but I was able to compose myself back at the hotel and that made all the difference," said Higgins.
"The standard wasn't great all day and if Mark had taken his chances he might well have won. But as far as I am concerned this is the greatest night of my life apart from when I won the World Championship - though I can't believe I've won."
Williams, he picked up �33,000, had high breaks of 82 and 73, remarked, "I had a chance to win when leading 8-7 but I guess the pressure got to me."
Williams was magnanimous in defeat and candidly revealed that at this stage of what has so far been a glittering career, he is not quite ready to assume the mantle of the world's best player. "I haven't played to my best in the last three matches, but having said that, John came back strongly. Perhaps that green in frame nine turned things round for him. It might have made a difference, I don't know."
"I bottled things a bit afterwards and that's why I don't believe at the moment I'm good enough to be the world's No1."

Mark J Williams (Wal)	8-9	John Higgins (Sco)
Scores: 89-1 (64), 5-69, 77-46 (55), 0-83 (82), 2-77 (73), 30-62, 33-53, 2-49, 50-42, 68-12 (68), 86-0 (53), 78-0 (78), 59-37, 24-88 (65), 1-65, 107-23 (66), 75-0 Welshman Mark Williams was firmly in control after the first session and with a four frame lead must have been harbouring thoughts of moving to the top of the provisional world rankings. However, the Scot rediscovered something like his best form after Williams had missed the green clearing up in frame nine. The transformation was amazing as the Scot went on to compile successive breaks of 68, 53 and 78 to draw level. Even an 8-7 deficit did not deter Higgins who squared the final with a break of 66 and made sure of his 12th ranking event and the first prize of �62,000 with runs of 30 and 45. "I can't believe I've won but in the last frame I wasn't nervous at all though I was in the previous one." "Once again I missed some stupid balls and I was fuming when I went 6-2 down but I was able to compose myself back at the hotel and that made all the difference," said Higgins. "The standard wasn't great all day and if Mark had taken his chances he might well have won. But as far as I am concerned this is the greatest night of my life apart from when I won the World Championship - though I can't believe I've won." Williams, he picked up �33,000, had high breaks of 82 and 73, remarked, "I had a chance to win when leading 8-7 but I guess the pressure got to me." Williams was magnanimous in defeat and candidly revealed that at this stage of what has so far been a glittering career, he is not quite ready to assume the mantle of the world's best player. "I haven't played to my best in the last three matches, but having said that, John came back strongly. Perhaps that green in frame nine turned things round for him. It might have made a difference, I don't know." "I bottled things a bit afterwards and that's why I don't believe at the moment I'm good enough to be the world's No1."

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