Slender lead for Dott

Scottish former champion takes narrow advantage after opening session

Last updated: 2nd May 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Slender lead for Dott

Dott: Slender lead

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Graeme Dott edged into a very early lead in the World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible, as he moved 5-3 in front of Neil Robertson after the opening session.

The build-up to the start of Sunday's final was marred by the emerging match-fixing scandal involving reigning world champion John Higgins, but fans inside the Crucible were glad to see the action on the baize finally take centre stage.

Former champion Dott ensured that the watching fans and snooker officials enjoyed the opening of the showpiece event as a break of 80 gave him the first frame of the 2010 final.

That proved to be the best break of the session though as the remaining seven frames proved to be more of a tough scrap than an example of flowing potting ability.

Australian left-hander Robertson is appearing in his first Crucible final but his nerves will have settled in the second frame when he levelled following Dott's easy miss on a regulation red.

Mid-session

Scotsman Dott, the 2006 champion appearing in his third final, took the next two to lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval of the best-of-35 frame final.

Robertson hit back after the break though as he answered Dott's break of 56 with one of 62 to pull a frame back, and he also grabbed the sixth on the black to level at 3-3.

Dott escaped a good snooker en route to going back in front, and he ensured he led going into the second session as Robertson left him an easy red to clinch the frame and lead 5-3.

With the opening skirmishes going in favour of 32-year-old Dott, Robertson will hope to settle in the evening's eight-frame session now that the opening nerves have disappeared.

Robertson has a lot to think about with his girlfriend due to give birth at any time now, but the 28-year-old has managed so far as he bids to become the first non-British or Irish winner at the Crucible since Canadian Cliff Thorburn in 1980.

Hang on

"Hopefully she can just hang on for a few days yet," Robertson said. "She's told me just to play and not worry about it too much. Being a first time, usually they're a little bit late.

"Every single part of my life right now is so exciting. We were talking about the due date, how wouldn't it be funny if I got to the final.

"Now it's happened, it's really strange. I haven't been thinking about it at all during my matches but it's obviously a fantastic time for me."