Sam Craigie 4-0 Mark King - Have to say that was very good today from Sam Craigie. A player who is good enough to make a break through when he puts it all together. King though was nowhere near his best and did make life pretty easy for Craigie at times, though the young man's scoring and ability to severely punish those errors is why it was such an easy morning. He's the first man into the last 64 here in Cardiff with an impressive whitewash win.
Having built a lead of 51 with five reds left Craigie loses position and has to play safe. King is now firmly at last chance saloon stage but again fails to do any damage after getting in with a good red to middle. Craigie is now about to wrap this up.
After a period of safety play that King was controlling he earns his chance only to miss the opening red and leave Craigie in yet again. Hard to see any way back for King playing as he is today and he may have already played his last shot. Good opening here for Craigie to score heavy again.
Frame 4 - Craigie is making very light work of this today even if King is not quite on top of his game. Craigie certainly is and he is back in amongst them here. His pack split attempt on the brown fails to make contact though and he's going to have to run for safety this time on just 16.
Frame Craigie - It looked for a second like Craigie had lost position on frame ball red but he keeps the break going with a good pot and has really taken control. He looks really confident and calm out here today and goes on to clear the table for an excellent break of 103 to lead King 3-0.
Craigie is still going strong here. A nicely judged plant kept his break going and he played another nice red after opening the bunch up so this is now a chance to really stretch his lead in this match.
King just is not firing so far today having been largely shut out by Craigie in the opening stages. He misses a red to middle on 24, then after Craigie misses to the same pocket he fails with a red to the green pocket and allows Craigie back to the table with an opportunity once again
Frame 3 - This could be just the let off that King needs. Craigie gets in first with a great red, just running through an inch to get on the black but misses a tricky second red into the green pocket, allowing King his first really good opening of this contest.
Frame Craigie - After a short battle, Craigie ends up getting King snookered and his failure to escape leads to the frame concession. So in the end that break of 65 from Craigie was enough to clinch the frame. 2-0
A break of 65 from Craigie was certainly well made but a miss on frame ball red gives King at least half a chance. He needed blacks with every red though and fails to get around the table from the first red so lays a snooker, needing two to have any chance of winning the frame.
Frame 2 - Craigie is in first again in the second frame as he looks to take charge. He goes into the pack from the blue in the twenties of the break and gets a nice split so he will definitely back himself to win the frame from here.
Frame Craigie - Craigie took his opportunity comfortably and never looked in any trouble in the break of 57 that gave him the opening frame. The shot to get in behind frame ball red into the middle was probably the pick, but he was never out of position. Feel like it was important to win that first frame like that and set his stall out. 1-0 Craigie.
King again gets the next chance but after potting a thin black he leaves the next red from distance, misses and leaves Craigie right in amongst them with an excellent opportunity.
Frame 1 - King had the first chance in this opening frame after a loose safety from Craigie, but only made four before missing a red to middle. Craigie does not take advantage though, missing on seven but fortunately he leaves nothing for King who has to play safe.
The first live blog of the week here in Cardiff comes from this morning's contest between Mark King and Sam Craigie.
For me this is by far the best match on the outside tables in the 10am session. King will go in as favourite and rightly so but Craigie is a dangerous player and a heavy scorer wheb on top of this game.
While Craigie has had some good wins so far this season he has not gone beyond the last 64 in any event, though he has lost a number of close games.
That bodes well for King as his best finish this season was a semi-final in Lommel in October, helping him qualify for last week's World Grand Prix. Craigie meanwhile is one of many players here this week playing for the first time since Christmas but hopefully for his sake that lack of match time does not impact today's outcome.
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