Betfred World Championship snooker day one matches preview & free tips

Preview, tips and analysis for day one of the 2020 Betfred World Championship snooker which starts at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield on Friday.

When to watch

BBC & Eurosport, from 10am Friday

Best bets

Tom Ford +5.5 frames v Judd Trump
3pts 8-13 Betfred, Sky Bet

Ashley Carty +5.5 frames v Stuart Bingham
1pt 8-11 Betfred, Sky Bet

Mark King +4.5 frames v Ding Junhui
1pt 4-6 Betfred, BoyleSports, Sky Bet

Over 15.5 frames in Mark Williams v Alan McManus
1pt 4-5 Hills

Preview

This year's Betfred World Championship, which starts on Friday morning, was thrown into chaos on Thursday when one of the qualifiers withdrew due to concerns over the decision to allow a limited crowd into the Crucible Theatre in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Anthony Hamilton had been due to face Kyren Wilson on day one of the tournament, the first indoor sporting event with a crowd since lockdown.

But Wilson will receive a bye into the second round after 49-year-old asthma sufferer Hamilton scratched from the 17-day marathon.

Judd Trump v Tom Ford
10am

The tournament opens with a potential cracker with title-holder and trophy favourite Judd Trump taking on serial underachiever Tom Ford.

It’s not one to miss and while Trump has taken the sport to new levels in the last two seasons, he could still be vulnerable if Ford carries over the form he showed in qualify­ing for a trip to the Crucible Theatre.

The problem is, Ford has a tendency to go into his shell in key tournaments, which obviously can make life difficult for his backers.
But there’s a chance that the Leicester cueman, who is blessed with serious talent, is getting temperamentally stronger with experience and it’s worth having a punt on him with a handicap start of 5.5 frames.

For the bet to be thwarted, Trump will pretty much have to thrash Ford. And while the occasion may still get to the outsider, this is a match he is capable of winning if he keeps his mind on the job.

Trump was awesome when landing his first Crucible crown last year, but he is often edgy in first-round outings in Sheffield and had to pull out the stops to pip the dynamic Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-9.

Ford is a similarly attack-minded player to Un-Nooh and also has greater experience than the Thai, so Trump may have to watch his back again.

Stuart Bingham v Ashley Carty
10am

The general feeling this year is that the lockdown break could have suited the top-16 players and it’s no surprise to see 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham a hot favourite to make light of debutant Ashley Carty.

Bingham is capable of putting the best players to the sword, so Carty will have to be ready to go from the off.

But the Rotherham battler has plenty of positive attitude to his game and Carty may just be the type not to be silenced by his Essex opponent.

South Yorkshireman Carty will be able to count on plenty of support in the admittedly limited Crucible audience. He could make more of a nuisance of himself than most oddsmakers expect, so backing him with a pull of 5.5 frames may be the way to go.

Ding Junhui v Mark King
2.30pm

After a series of confidence setbacks, Ding Junhui is still looking for the answer in his bid to ditch his Crucible maiden tag.

He’s a happy family man these days and that could help, but his 50-1 triumph in the Betway UK Championship in December was something of an oasis in an otherwise unremarkable season.

Ding remains good enough to win a world title, but it’s four years since he conducted himself brilliantly in his Crucible final defeat to Mark Selby and it still hasn’t happened for the Chinese number one.

He will probably beat Mark King, his first-round opponent this year, but the Romford bulldog was in good nick in the qualifiers so Ding may have to pay due respect to his rival.

King remains a decent performer when he’s on top of his game and he may be worth a punt with a start of 4.5 frames.

Mark Williams v Alan McManus
7pm

There’s a feeling going into this year’s Crucible extravaganza that three-time champion Mark Williams may again go well, but the Welsh ace will probably have to remain focused and patient to dispel the threat of Alan McManus.

It’s 27 years since this pair first crossed swords and both are still doughty competitors on the baize.

Williams will probably win the day, but McManus’s game looked in decent order in qualifying and this match could go long, so back over 15.5 frames to be contested.

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