Snooker World ChampionshipPeter Ebdon not only accumulated an 11-5 lead over Tony Drago in their best-of-25 frames second-round match but reduced him to impotent exasperation.
Drago is exceptionally fast, averaging as little as 11 seconds for each shot. Even as he was struggling yesterday, he averaged just 14. Ebdon tends to be on the slow side. Even when well in command his average had come down to 29. Malta's emotionally volatile number one was denied the sort of tempo on which he thrives. The only time he was in full stride was in his 107 which limited his arrears to 6-5.
His frustration, partly due to unforced errors, exploded in their penultimate frame when his failure at a simple pink prompted him to concede impulsively when 19 behind with seven reds remaining. Ebdon then took a lengthy toilet break, leaving Drago to stew and applaud him sarcastically on his return.
Implacably, Ebdon kept him fuming as he made 105 to need only two of this morning's nine frames to reach the quarter-finals. The session ended with Drago offering the most glacial of handshakes. Raised voices were heard backstage afterwards.
It also emerged Ebdon had met tournament director Michael Ganley behind closed doors during the mid-session interval to complain about the cloth, which most competitors consider too slow,with too thick a nap, and an excessively warm arena temperature.
Jimmy White has not won a title for 10 years but he produced his best session of the season to lead Stephen Lee, the number seven seed, 5-3 with two more sessions to play today. Lee made two centuries, 102 in the second frame and 125 in the last, but White's four-frame winning streak to lead 5-2 was the core of the session.
Stephen Hendry went three frames ahead of his fellow Scot, Drew Henry, four times before lunch to lead 9-7 going into the final session. and in the final session last night he completed the task with a 13-10 victory.
John Higgins, the 1998 champion, almost stole a share of Ronnie O'Sullivan's highest-break prize in taking a 10-6 lead over Sean Storey. Higgins potted 15 reds and 15 blacks in the second frame but his rest shot on the yellow left him with a tricky green and his break ended on 122. The final session is this afternoon.
