史無前例的體育大賽
史無前例的體育大賽：實地空場如火如荼斯諾克冠軍聯賽賓漢姆沃拉斯頓雙雙晉級
趙雪湄 May Zhao
作者與賓漢姆賽場合影
英國當地時間6月6日，斯諾克冠軍聯賽第1、8小組的比賽全部結束。斯圖亞特·賓漢姆憑借單桿得分的優勢以及傑米·克拉克在最後一場比賽中的間接助攻，力壓同組的沃頓，和沃拉斯頓一起晉級勝者組。
賓漢姆從小組賽中驚險晉級 賽事組委會供圖
在第一小組兩輪比賽中，賓漢姆以3-0擊敗了傑米·克拉克，雖然在第二輪與喬丹·布朗打平，但賓漢姆打出了單桿94分的高分，這一分數也為他之後的晉級奠定了基礎。最後一輪，賓漢姆與里奇·沃爾登打得難解難分，最終雙方戰成2-2平，沃爾登沒能打破賓漢姆94分的紀錄，小組提前出局。而賓漢姆能否晉級，還要看小組最後一場傑米·克拉克與喬丹·布朗之間的結果。
賓漢姆並沒有等待太長時間，克拉克3-0阻擊布朗，為賓漢姆的晉級之路獻上了最後的“助攻”。
這太瘋狂了”，賓漢姆賽後說，“我要向傑米·克拉克脫帽致敬，他拿下最後一輪，彌補了我在比賽中犯下的那些錯誤。”
“考慮到我們已經有三四個月沒有打過一場比賽了，我對我的比賽感到滿意。有幾局讓我有點緊張，但總的來說，這是不錯的一天。”
賓漢姆關註傑米·克拉克與喬丹·布朗的比賽 賽事組委會供圖
第八小組比賽，沃拉斯頓在前兩輪中先後以3-0的比分擊敗了海菲爾德和塗振龍，在最後一場比賽“打平即可出線”的情況下，開局後就打出兩桿70+，提前完成晉級任務，並最終2-2戰平吉米·羅伯遜。
“我知道我需要和吉米打平”，沃拉斯頓說，“前兩局我打出了完美的開局，本應以3-0贏得比賽，但我在贏下前兩局後有些放松，被吉米追了回來，不過最終能晉級下一輪還是讓人很高興。”
Stuart Bingham and Ben Woollaston are the latest players to win their Matchroom. Live Championship League groups, and Bingham was left sweating on other results backstage at Marshall Arena before his progression to the next phase was confirmed.
‘Ball Run’, a previous Championship League winner, had beaten Jamie Clarke 3-0 and drawn with Jordan Brown ahead of his clash with Ricky Walden, who also had four points in the group after matching Bingham’s results like-for-like.
That meant the match winner would advance, but in the event of a draw Bingham – who had a higher break than Walden – would be left waiting on the result of Brown against Clarke, with the former needing a 3-0 win.
At 2-1 up over Walden, Bingham looked on course to make it 3-1 and top the group outright, but he opted to take on a tricky pink rather than a straight blue and when he missed, his break of 62 broke down. That allowed Walden to steal the frame and keep the Essex man waiting nervously backstage.
The wait wasn’t long, however, as Clarke took the first frame against Brown, for whom only a 3-0 win would do. That sealed Bingham’s progression, and as Clarke won the match 3-0, he leapfrogged Brown into third.
“That was mad, I don’t like to make it easy on myself,” said Bingham afterwards. “Hats off to Jamie to get the frame. I made a mistake on the blue ball where I needed just the blue but I looked at the scoreboard and I just went blank. Ricky did well to clear up and that put a few extra grey hairs on me tonight!
“Watching it all week, the winners usually had at least seven points so the way it is worked out is mad but I’m over the moon to get through.”
“I was happy with my game, considering we haven’t played a competitive match for three or four months. I was a bit twitchy in some of the frames but all-in-all it’s a good days work.”
“Harvey Chandler and Ronnie are in my next group so I am going to stay here a couple more days and practice in the mornings.”
On table two, Woollaston won his first two matches 3-0, against Liam Highfield and Thor Chuan Leong. That set up a group decider against Jimmy Robertson, who had four points after drawing with Highfield and beating Thor.
A point would be enough for Woollaston, and he was assured of that after taking the first two frames. Robertson hit back to ensure he finished second in the table, but it was the Leicester man who advanced to the next round, where Tom Ford and Liang Wenbo will be amongst his opponents.
“I knew I needed a draw against Jimmy,” said Woollaston. “I played two perfect frames really and should have won the match 3-0 but I put so much into those two frames that I probably lost my concentration a bit, but I am happy to be through.”
“In a short format you need to play some good some good frames, steal a few frames and see how it goes. There is still a long way to go but I will try and play well, because I know this gets you into the Champion of Champions as well.”
趙雪湄 2009年春主創《英倫飛鴻》。
May Zhao, Entrepreneur and creative force behind <letter from London > since the spring of 2009.
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Editor, Yidi Wang
實習記者：王北方
journalism intern，Beifang Wang