Ireland could have three representatives in the quarter-finals of the World Championship this evening if Patrick Wallace can build on his impressive showing so far in his unfinished second round match against Mark King.
Wallace ended yesterday afternoon's session against England's King 5-3 ahead and is on course to join fellow Irishmen Ken Doherty and Joe Swail in the last eight of the sport's premier competition.
The solid Dungannon player, Wallace, took a 3-1 lead with a 104 in the fourth frame, before King pulled back to 3-3. But unperturbed, 31-year-old Wallace rattled off the last two frames for the slender overnight lead.
While Swail dramatically put top seed Mark Williams to the sword, former champion Doherty beat his Dublin practice partner Michael Judge 13-7 to set up a probable meeting with second seed John Higgins.
Judge began promisingly against Doherty, winning the first two frames before the seventh seed took the following five for 5-2.
By the end of the second session the more experienced player led 11-5 and needed only two frames from the eight remaining. Despite Judge hitting breaks of 82 and 72 Doherty was under little pressure and in the end took only 20 frames of the available 25 to win the match.
"There was a possibility in the last session that I might get back into it," said Judge. "But I had to win the first four frames in the final session and when I lost the first that was it. Ken is far too good a player to have to win eight frames out of eight."
Swail's remarkable grip on the Crucible was gossamer thin for all but 16 minutes of his six-hour 56 minute match against world number one Williams.
Swail's approach is that of the free base jumper. Fast and loose you go up to the top of a very high building. You then jump off and feel the rush of gravity taking effect. At the last moment you pull the rip cord and hope the parachute safely opens.
This has been Swail's cameo role for the past two years, one that would have guaranteed most other snooker players a fortnight in the Priory.
At 10-6 down the Belfast player was packing his bags. At 11-7, the world number one had just two frames to win to Swail's six. But the 31-year-old, who figured in last year's semi-final after recovering from 12-8 down to John Parrott to win 13-12, again inverted logic.
An outrageous fluke on the last red at 11-7 sent Swail spiralling towards Williams, who instead of being four up with five to play found himself at 11-11. Williams , with a typically cavalier 71 clearance again nudged ahead before Swail's magisterial finish again had the crowd whooping, largely in disbelief.
Along the way he posted the highest break of the championship, 140 and now faces the winner of Wallace and King. If Wallace wins at least one Irish player will play in the semi-final. Swail later said that he had critically changed back to his old cue tip over night after the first two sessions.
"I couldn't control the white and I had to give it my best shot so I changed the tip," said Swail who has never been involved in the final of any ranking event.
"I don't know what it is but I get psyched up and get incentive when I'm behind but I can't keep doing this. It's not good for the 'oul ticker."
A disillusioned Williams said: "I'm crap, My game is crap. I'm f*****g crap. That's the way it is."
Doherty meanwhile, yesterday reacted to Ronnie O'Sullivan's declaration that neither the Dubliner or Peter Ebdon would win this year's title. The 1997 winner was angry at O'Sullivan's words printed in The Daily Record last Tuesday. (see Doherty's diary)
Fourth seed O'Sullivan also advanced, beating Dave Harold 136. O'Sullivan now becomes the favourite to make it to the final along with Higgins in the other half of the draw.
Stephen Hendry of old also bore his teeth and ended his first session against the hot Paul Hunter 6-2 up. Hendry peerlessly built breaks of 71, 129, 100 and 95 in his best session of snooker this season. That match concludes today.
