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Telegraph.co.uk

Thursday 07 July 2016

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Semi-final brings a raise in tempo

Peter Ebdon's game plan which helped to beat holder Ronnie O'Sullivan became crystal clear as he took a 6-2 lead over Shaun Murphy in the Embassy World Championship semi-finals at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, yesterday.

Ebdon, the 2002 world champion, defeated O'Sullivan 13-11 in a nine-hour marathon which tested the resolve not only of the players and referee, Colin Brinded, but also those watching the contest.

After taking 3hr 35min winning seven of the last eight frames of his quarter-final, the game plan changed for Murphy with the first eight of the scheduled 33 frames completed 80 minutes faster.

The end justified the means for Ebdon in the quarter-final, but were his tactics over the top? In horse racing, a stewards' inquiry could have been held, in football the FA might have made some constructive observations but in snooker, whatever one's opinion, it was in fact considered fair play.

Remarkably referee Brinded did not call Ebdon to task and no one filed a complaint to snooker bosses which left Ebdon free to continue his assault on a second championship success, starting off against Murphy with breaks of 93, 78, 70, 69 and 52.

Back stage, though, the rumblings continued and John Parrott, the 1991 world champion, felt Ebdon, under the rules, should have been docked a frame for slow play, with one break of 12 taking longer than O'Sullivan's maximum in 1997. He said: "If I had been Ronnie, I would have asked the referee whether what Peter was doing was within the rules."

Yesterday, Ebdon commented: "I was hanging on somehow when Ronnie went 8-2 ahead. I didn't do anything intentionally, it just happens that my game slows up when I have to concentrate."

Ian McCulloch, a 100-1 outsider at the start of the tournament, compiled four half-centuries and two centuries to open up a 6-2 lead against Welshman Matthew Stevens in the other semi-final.

McCulloch, 33, had already secured his place in the world's top 16 for the first time after his quarter-final win against Alan McManus.

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