UK Championship review: Barry Hawkins makes 147 maximum break; Ding Junhui reaches round two
A review of the action on day two of the UK Championship, where Barry Hawkins made a 147 maximum break and former champion Ding Junhui progressed to the second round.
Hawkins fires in 147 maximum break
Barry Hawkins recorded the third 147 maximum break of his career in his impressive 6-2 defeat of Gerard Greene.
The magic moment came in the fourth frame when Hawkins produced the perfect break, one which saw the 2013 quarter-finalist strike the ball with his customary crispness and find the heart of the pocket with the regularity that has been missing from his game so far this season.
In front of a good crowd for only the second day of the event, Hawkins negotiated the final pink and black before receiving warm applause from the Yorkshire faithful, Greene and referee Brandan Moore.
🎱 147 maximum break time!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 27, 2019
👏 A break-building masterclass from @TheHawk147 pic.twitter.com/j2hg5WAz4a
Hawkins had already strung together breaks of 91, 68 and 80 in a pulsating opening that saw him race into a 4-0 lead and although Greene rallied by winning frames five and six, he was always swimming against the tide as Hawkins wrapped up a memorable success.
Hawkins said afterwards: "It was brilliant. To get a maximum at the UK Championship was a great feeling but it wasn’t as easy as it might have looked.
“I had the white in control for most of the break, but I started to feel the nerves towards the end. I took a deep breath on the blue, and it was nice to get it done in front of a big crowd.
“They enjoyed it but I tried not to make a big deal because the other matches were still going on around us.
“I played brilliantly in the first four frames and that rounded things off really nicely before we went into the break.”
Maguire defies ailments to progress
Stephen Maguire sported a pair of trainers as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury and the Scot was made to work hard for his 6-4 victory over Billy Joe Castle.
A break of 55 was the best Maguire could manage but he looked set for a comfortable outing when he found himself 5-2 in front.
However, Castle produced a dogged fightback and when Maguire missed a tricky final black along the bottom cushion to win the match in frame nine, an unlikely comeback appeared to be on the cards.
Both players had plenty of chances in a tense tenth frame but Maguire, who lifted this trophy in 2004, held his nerve to close out the match and book his place in the next round.
Afterwards, Maguire admitted to having been unwell in the build-up to the tournament, something that has further hindered the amount of practice he has been able to put in, with a couple of days rest now planned before his second-round match.
He said: "I was just glad to get that match over and done with because I'm not in a good way.
"I've got a few days now to get rested and get rid of whatever I've got."
Ding pleased with opening win
Ding Junhui produced a polished performance to book his place in round two, making a century on the way to beating Duane Jones 6-2.
A break of 56 had seen Jones take a 2-1 lead but a run of 103 allowed Ding to level the scores and he was utterly dominant thereafter, winning the next four frames in a performance he later said he was “very pleased” with.
Ding dictated terms in frames five and six to take control of proceedings and he closed out the match in really good style, finally finding the form he has been searching for all season with breaks of 77 and 92.
English Open winner Mark Selby kicked off his title bid in the best possible way, a 6-0 whitewash of veteran Andy Hicks.
Selby opened up with a break of 78 and added runs of 134 and 114 to seal a routine victory.
Dott hoping to improve York record
Fellow Scot Graeme Dott had less trouble in seeing off Barry Pinches 6-1 and the former world champion is hopeful he can improve on a modest record in York this year.
Dott finished the match with a classy hand of 103 having put himself on the cusp of victory by dominating a number of scrappy frames throughout the contest.
Dott said afterwards: "I was getting a little bit frustrated because every frame seemed like it was taking half an hour.
"I played ok, I've played ok all year, so it's nice to keep it going.
"I've probably played better than my results would suggest this season so hopefully I can keep playing well.
"I've never actually done that well here - I think I got to the semi-finals one year - so hopefully I can kick on."
Graeme Dott happy to get through to the second round and feels he has ‘played better than his results would suggest’ this season. pic.twitter.com/YC4ZEY8GhP
— Richard Mann (@Richard_Mann11) November 27, 2019
Wilson starts with a bang; Williams back on song
Kyren Wilson looked in good touch as be overpowered Riley Parsons 6-0 to reach the last 64.
Wilson made contributions of 92, 71 and 71 in a dominant display before finishing with a second break of 92.
Mark Williams made a striking return to the fold as he knocked in two centuries in his 6-2 defeat of Fraser Patrick.
Williams has chosen to miss a number of events of late, even suggesting he might be close to retirement, but he looked fresh and sharp on his return to action as he made breaks of 133, 61 and 124.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Ryan Day, Yuan Sijun, Ricky Walden and Marco Fu.
- Watch the World Championship LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds
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