Stuart Bingham beats Stephen Maguire in the semi-finals of the English Open
Stuart Bingham booked his place in Sunday's final of the English Open by beating Stephen Maguire 6-3 in Crawley.
There is no love lost between the two players but the pair shook hands before the proceedings got underway, though the pleasantries ended there as a hard-fought contest ensued.
Bingham was fastest out the blocks and took the first frame before Maguire replied with breaks of 69 and 72 to put himself in front at 2-1.
Bingham responded with a run of 76 to ensure the scores were all square at the mid-session interval but Maguire was again in front upon the resumption thanks to a well-taken 93.
Maguire couldn't capitalise on his advantage, however, and when Bingham again drew level with a break of 72, it was he who seized the momentum.
Some solid match play saw him get his head back in front at 4-3 before he won a near identical eighth frame to extend his lead further.
Maguire looked to set to keep his hopes alive when producing a counter-attack in frame nine but when he broke down again, Bingham made no mistake, clearing to the pink as he booked his place in Sunday's final.
Awaiting the former world champion will be Ronnie O'Sullivan or Mark Davis who meet in the second semi-final on Saturday night.
