UK Snooker Championship / Paul Krishnamurty / 05 December 2011 /

Paul Krishnamurty selects the best bets as two former-champions go head to head in the second round at the UK Snooker Championships...

Matthew Stevens got our series of daily tips off to a winning start on Saturday, and on the evidence of their respective opening round performances, the Welshman must rate good value to beat Ding Junhui.

Both men are tournament specialists - Stevens winning the title in 2003 after twice losing in the final, whereas Junhui has been twice champion in 2005 and 2009. As those dates suggest, the younger man is the stronger candidate, with better days ahead of him. However, that is reflected by the odds, and having given his supporters an almighty scare in the first round, it would take a brave man to pile into Ding at just [1.56].

Faced with hardly terrifying opposition in journeyman Mark Davis, Ding needed a deciding frame to progress, and a fluke on the final pink at that. The provisional world number 17 must have been devastated afterwards, as prior to that awful piece of bad luck, Davis had missed several good chances to pull off a big upset, and with it a glorious opportunity to transform his career by joining the game's elite.

It is highly unlikely Stevens will spurn such opportunities if they are presented, especially if maintaining the fine form shown during his comfortable 6-2 victory over Marcus Campbell. Breaks of 140 and 136 are the best two of the tournament so far, confirming that when his head is right, Matthew retains all the class that twice so nearly made him world champion earlier this century. As I pointed out before the event, Stevens is not a man to trust in front at short odds, but he is certainly worth considering pre-match, and when the outsider of two.

Recommended Bet
Back Matthew Stevens @ [2.9] (v Junhui)

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