Bond progresses in Wales

Nigel Bond gained revenge against Liang Wenbo by completing a 5-3 victory over the Chinese teenager to reach the second round of the Welsh Open in Newport today.

Bond, a former British Open and Scottish Masters champion, compiled a highest break of just 16 in losing 5-0 to Wenbo in the same tournament a year ago.

Despite failing to kill the match off with a good chance in the seventh frame, he cleared from last red to pink in the eighth to earn a clash with defending champion Stephen Lee.

“He bashed me up last year,” Bond said. “He played really well. You have to worry about your own game, not your opponent, but I knew what he was capable of.

“I started off really well but because I’ve struggled to win matches lately it was hard to get over the line.”

Bond, runner-up to Stephen Hendry in the 1995 World Championship, compiled breaks of 65, 68 and 70 in claiming a 3-0 lead.

Nineteen-year-old Wenbo shaded a scrappy fourth frame and made a break of 86 in the fifth to trail only 3-2.

Bond won the sixth but lost position on the green clearing up in the seventh, which Wenbo eventually won with a brown-to-black clearance.

He had chances to make it 4-4 before Bond finally got over the winning line in the eighth.

“I probably should have been 4-0 up and could have won 5-2 but that’s what happens when you are struggling. You don’t take the game by the scruff of the neck,” Bond said.

“But a win is a win however you look at it and I’m just pleased to get through.”

Alan McManus, the Welsh Open runner-up in 1993 and 1994, set up an all-Scottish second-round meeting with Stephen Maguire by beating Liverpool’s Rod Lawler 5-2.

McManus admitted he felt uncomfortable playing in a sparsely-attended arena as the first day of the tournament failed to bring in the crowds.

“I’ve spent so many years playing on the main table and you get used to it,” he said.

“I feel more comfortable playing in front of 2,000 people than in front of just two. It makes me nervy when there’s nobody watching.”

England's Stuart Bingham finished off his 5-0 drubbing of Dubliner Joe Delaney with a run of 115 to set up a clash with Ali Carter, who reached the semi-finals of the Malta Cup earlier this month.