Stevens misses chance to take commanding lead

If Matthew Stevens fails to reach his third final at the Travis Perkins UK Championship then he will reflect on a candidate for miss of the season.

The Welshman, UK runner-up in 1998 and 1999, resumes the final session of his semi-final against Jimmy White at York’s Barbican Centre tonight with a 5-3 lead.

But Stevens may yet regret a sixth-frame blunder that cost him a certain 5-1 lead.

White could not believe his eyes when the world number nine from Carmarthen failed to pot the final black off its spot.

Had the ball gone in then there surely would have been no way back for the 41-year-old ‘People’s Champion’.

Instead, White, trying to reach his first final sine the 2000 British Open at Plymouth, reduced his arrears to 4-2 to stay in contention.

It was to Stevens’ credit that he was able to dismiss the error and go 5-2 in front following his opponent’s poor safety shot on the last yellow.

He should have made it 6-2 but missed a blue using the rest and White knocked in a brilliant final red along a side cushion before clearing to the pink with 27.

However, if White wants to progress to the UK final for the first time since beating John Parrott in 1992 then he has much work to do.

His break of 70 in the opening frame was the highest by either player in a scrappy session memorable only for the number of careless shots from two players of outstanding ability.

But he needs to win six of the remaining nine frames to clinch a a place in the best-of-19 frames final on Sunday against Stephen Hendry or Ronnie O’Sullivan. Their repeat of the recent British Open final takes place tomorrow.

It is hard to see either failing to beat White or Stevens on the evidence of this afternoon’s session.

But the first priority for today’s semi-finalist was to make sure their tournament did not end in the penultimate round.

Stevens is desperate to rip up his tag as the ’nearly man.’ He is the only member of the world’s top 10 never to have won a ranking title and the final on Sunday would be his first since losing to Mark Williams in the 2000 World Championship.

The death of his father, Morrell, the following year plunged Stevens into despair and his form suffered as a result.

However, he has finally come to terms with his grief and this season has shown a big improvement.

And having beaten White seven times in their 10 previous meetings he is favourite to add four further frames for another victory.