Perry could be in line for upset win before Selby takes the floor
Published:Joe Perry has already bested Graeme Dott once this season, and the confidence gained from that result will encourage him to complete a double over the Scotsman at 15/8.
The pair met as early as last month, in a fixture where Perry triumphed 4-2 over Dott to book a place in the PTC Grand Finals quarter final.
An impressive series of frames which included a decent 87 break set Perry on his way, and despite Dott’s superior experience in World Snooker Championship events, the 2/5 Scotsman could come undone at the hands of his English counterpart again.
Perry comes into the match fresh from only a narrow defeat to the in-form Stuart Bingham, who is one of the leading fancies as an outside bet for the Crucible tournament, and will recall his opening round match of 2008 for confidence going into this meeting.
In that showdown four years ago, Perry defeated Dott 10-7, and punters should feel more comfort investing in the longer priced competitor in light of this.
Tonight’s Crucible action meanwhile, will see world number one Mark Selby aim to justify a 1/4 price for victory as he meets Dartford cueman Barry Hawkins.
Selby’s best World Snooker Championship performance resulted in a runner-up spot back in 2007, but more recent Shanghai Masters success and a second-place finish in this year’s Welsh Open have seen ‘Mark the Shark’ rise to the pinnacle of the world rankings.
His opponent Hawkins meanwhile, only ended a 100% losing streak at the World Snooker Championship last year after six consecutive appearances at the Sheffield tournament, when he downed Stephen Maguire in a first round clash.
Despite breaking his Crucible duck in his last appearance in the competition, Hawkins went on to fall in the second round, and an opponent the calibre of Selby looks too tough a task for him to overcome at 3/1.
