The Scotsman

Mcgill pegged back in bid to become first qualifier to reach Crucible final for 15 years

- By PETER WHITE

Anthony Mcgill’s hopes of a first Triple Crown final appearance remain firmly in the balance after his World Snooker Championsh­ip semifinal opponent Kyren Wilson fought back from a 6-2 first session deficit.

The World No 8 showed he meant business by kicking off yesterday’s play with a ton and a half-century to claim the opening two frames of the second session, and although Mcgill, pictured, fought back by claiming two of the next three, he was only able to pot 47 balls all session.

With the score at 8-8 going into the penultimat­e session in the evening, Mcgill twice regained the lead but was immediatel­y pegged back, leaving the game finely poised at 10-10 at the interval.

Havingbeat­enjackliso­wski,

Jamie Clarke and Kurt Maflin en route to the last four, Mcgill is bidding to become the fourth Scot after Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Graeme Dott – and the first qualifier since Shaun Murphy in 2005 – to reach the Crucible final.

Awaiting the victor in the competitio­n’s showpiece will be either Mark Selby or Ronnie O’sullivan, the Jester from Leicester having boosted his hopes of a fourth Crucible title by overturnin­g a 5-3 disadvanta­ge to take control of their semi-final after two sessions.

The 37-year-old, who is looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2017, needed a fast start, entering the arena having won two of the opening session’s final three frames to keep himself in it following some top form from the Rocket.

Selby immediatel­y found his rhythm in the second session, notching two half-centuries, including a break of 97 in the tenth, to rattle off four frames in a row and take a 7-5 lead.

O’sullivan – who Selby beat in the 2014 final – fought back with two of the next three with breaks of 87 and 82, but the world No 7 had the last say of the day, claiming the 16th frame to re-establish his twoframe advantage.

Having looked the favourite to level the tie ahead of Friday’s final two sessions while in among the reds, the Essex potter missed a long-range pink into the green pocket - to which he punched the table in frustratio­n – and Selby duly made a break of 76 to stay on top 9-7.

Selby dominated snooker’s leading tournament in the 2010s, winning three titles in four years, but had failed to get past the second round in the past two years.

● Live snooker returns to Eurosport and the Eurosport app. Watch the World Championsh­ip from 31 July-16 August with analysis by Jimmy White

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