A new venue, a new sponsor, but for Fergal O'Brien the soothing familiarity of friendly faces in a packed auditorium at the Citywest Hotel for last night's first round clash in the Irish Masters Snooker championship. By the end of last night's clash they would be there simply to console him.
Opposed by the world number four, Matthew Stevens, the Dubliner received an early reminder of the magnitude of the task he faced. Stevens, may have been struggling with his form this season, compounded by the recent death of his father, but he demonstrated his pedigree immediately with a superb 105 break.
Rather than concede the frame, O'Brien used the opportunity to acclimatise to the pace of the table, potting the final red and colours. The Irishman has established a reputation as a dogged competitor and unfazed by his opponent's opening salvo, he produced exemplary snooker of his own, including a 56 clearance to level at 1-1.
Stevens's break of 50 in the third frame foundered when he missed a straightforward red to the bottom pocket: O'Brien's response, a flawless 71 to seize the initiative. He appeared set to increase his advantage in the next despite trailing 51-0 but having complied a break of 43, he twice missed chances on the final red - the second time carelessly - to allow Stevens a respite.
The Welshman played a beautifully judged swerve shot around the yellow to pot the offending red in the left hand top pocket, before claiming the frame and going into the mid-session interval at 2-2. It proved the pivotal moment of the contest.
The Welshman took the fifth with a break of 61, the sixth with a 59 underlining the quality of snooker.
O'Brien had two chances to win the next but the pressure imposed by the quality of Stevens's play manifest itself in a brace of poor shots and the Welshman claimed the frame and a 5-2 advantage. There was to be no comeback for O'Brien, comprehensively eclipsed 90-0 in the final frame and Stevens now goes on to face world number one Mark Williams in the quarter-final.
The Irishman was magnanimous in defeat, highlighting the quality of his opponent's play. "I was punished pretty much every time I made a mistake." The local emphasis will now switch to Ken Doherty who faces Steve Davis this afternoon.
Earlier in the day, Jimmy White lost 64 to Alan McManus. He struggled initially to find a rhythm, a predicament shared by his opponent, as neither player enjoyed the control and precision to make a single visit decisive. White seemed periodically preoccupied by the misfortune that befell him.
The final straw was an unfortunate collision with the angle of the middle pocket when attempting to play a safety shot in the 10th and ultimately decisive frame. McManus stepped in to produce his most fluent snooker of the match, compiling a break of 80 and guaranteeing a quarter-final match against fellow Scot Stephen Hendry.
For the three hours and seven minutes it took McManus to prevail, White was tortured by poor safety play and a constant struggle to control the cue ball, not that he harboured any complaints in the aftermath. "Alan was pretty steady and he took his chances." As far as the new venue is concerned White enthused: "It's a good buzz and a great venue."
McManus led 3-1 at the interval, a break of 102 in the fourth frame the highlight of the opening session. The next four frames were shared, before White offered a glimmer of better times with a break of 89. The crowd roared for the first time but the Whirlwind was blown out in the next, McManus's 80 enough to progress.
