Ashley Carty 4-1 Harvey Chandler - After Carty left the last red over the corner, Chandler was able to get in and clear down to a difficult pink which he missed. That left Carty a half chance at a cut which he rattled and left in the jaws for his opponent. Chandler potted it but ran too far for the black playing safe, but still inviting a cut which Carty missed. Chandler then took a risky long attempt on, leaving it safe though but a few shots later Carty landed the cross double for victory. A good first outing for Carty then and a learning experience for both players, with positives for Chandler to take into his World Open qualifier against Michael White. Carty though will be delighted to get off to a winning start in what felt like a nervy match.
A safety error from Carty has left Chandler in with a chance to reduce his deficit in this frame. The last two reds on the bottom cushion could prove troublesome and Chandler plays safe.
Helped by a small fluke Carty adds another 9 to his lead before laying a snooker, from which he gets a third chance in this frame straight away. Only another 8 points is added though and he'll need a fourth opportunity in order to close this out.
Carty breaks down initially on 30 but a nice long pot rolled in for black ball position has him back at the table, but again there are not many loose reds to go at.
Frame 5 - After a quiet start to this frame the first real chance has fallen to Carty. There are not many loose reds at this stage but he'll certainly be able to edge closer to victory here.
Frame Chandler - It may have taken four chances there in the end to leave Carty needing snookers, but Chandler should not care. He has a frame on the board and may settle a little more now and make a fightback, as he did look more solid in parts of that frame.
It would not be the most settling first experience as a pro to lose 4-0 and Chandler now has a second chance in this frame to make sure he avoids that. It is not clear cut but he should build a commanding lead. Having said that he's over hit a positional shot on a red to middle and snookered himself behind the blue so has to play safe.
Frame 4 - Chandler is on the brink now and has not been able to yet in this match. He gets the first opportunity in the fourth but breaks down after losing position for a speedy 27.
Frame Carty - After Chandler's missed blue, Carty was able to open things up a bit, clearing the remaining reds and left Chandler needing a snooker on the blue. The European Champion failed to make any inroads on this occasion and Carty is just one away from taking out the match. 3-0 Carty.
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| Carty pots the green at the back end of the third frame. |
Well that's a first. Carty manages to pot three reds in one shot after knocking a plant in and now has a nice little opportunity to turn around his slight deficit in the frame, before missing the pink off the spot. That allows Chandler back but with the colours scrappy it was not the best chance, and he's missed the blue to allow Carty back. There's still a long way to go in this frame.
Frame 3 - It's getting towards make or break time in the match for Chandler now. This is what makes the best of 7s so tough. He's in now though but is not able to construct much from the early opening.
Frame Carty - He did not get the frame won at the visit I initially thought he would but it was not long before another red went down to leave Chandler needing snookers. The attempts did not mount to much and while it was not a flashy frame, Carty won't care at all. 2-0 Carty.
Carty's break ended on 30 after a mis-judged positional shot. Now though he has Chandler snookered and from the escape he has earned another chance and should clinch this frame.
Carty broke down early but is in again now. The table had gone a bit scrappy but Carty can soon change that and make this into a really good opening, if he plays his cards right.
Frame 2 - It's been a bit of a slow start to frame two here, both players have potted reds but not been able to get on colours, with the black tied up for now. What is a good sign is seeing both players knock in reds from range and get close to almost all long attempts, as there must be some nerves. The first decent look has now fallen to Carty after Chandler gets close to a long red but leaves it over the corner.
Frame Carty - Carty takes advantage adding another 31 after a good red with the rest and extension to leave Chandler needing snookers. Chandler played on and despite a bit of success Carty held firm and clinches his first frame as a pro. 1-0
Chandler does indeed force the mistake from Carty but a missed black means he will not take full advantage. Carty is in now from Chandler's error and is not far from taking the frame.
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| Carty's first break would end after this pot on the blue. |
Carty's break comes to an end on 36 after losing position and he gets a good safety in. Chandler meanwhile has had the perfect pace on almost every safety shot he's played so far, finding the baulk cushion each time and Carty is now in a spot of bother.
Frame 1 - Chandler has an early chance and from his very first shot he had the pace of the table, before smashing a long red in with his second. A tricky miss though has left Carty in now though for his first opportunity but he'll need to get into the pack soon.
The second live blog today is an all-rookie clash between Ashley Carty and Harvey Chandler.
Readers of the blog should have seen my interview last week with Chandler, where he spoke about how he'd gotten to this point in his career, winning the European Championship, but also how he had pretty much given the game up at one point. He also mentioned that himself and Carty know each other from their junior days which adds a nice dynamic to this contest. Expect some nerves from both guys in what is their first outing on the tour but hopefully it will still produce some high quality.
Carty has come close to being on tour a few times before winning his tour card in May. He's reached the last 32 in a couple of events as an amateur and is a good scorer so he will hope to show all that again now that he is a pro, while continuing to progress. In my season preview Carty is selected as one of three rookies to watch, so my expectations for him are high.
This is definitely a tough match to call and it may be who settles the quickest, and handles those first pro game nerves the best that comes out on top.
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