There were mixed fortunes for the Scots at the 2010 Masters yesterday when Stephen Maguire booked his place in the second round but Steven Hendry was edged out by Shaun Murphy in an engrossing match at Wembley. Hendry lost 6-4 to the 2004 World Champion and blamed himself after “twitching” on an easy green.
Hendry, who held the Masters crown for five straight years from 1989 to 1993 and hit the first century break of the tournament with a 114, was frustrated after playing some top class snooker but failing to show the consistency of his early years. The Scot also found his luck had deserted him in the final frame when he missed a potable green and then saw Murphy take the match after a fluke shot sank the blue.
“There are no excuses for missing that green," Hendry said.
“It was part twitch and part changing my mind. I didn't put a good cue action on it.
"I played OK, but to lose because of that miss is hard to take, because Shaun was getting nervous. It's frustrating because when I play well, the other guy seems to play well too."
Stephen Maguire enjoyed a better day as he sealed his passage to the next round with a 6-3 victory over Mark King. Maguire found himself 2-0 and then 3-2 down but rallied to take the next four frames. He revealed he had to overcome a lack of confidence in his own ability.
“There were times when I thought I could miss anything,” he admitted.
“It’s hard work at times as he plays a different game and makes it messy. I’m fighting against myself to stay in the match.
“I don’t fancy myself when it gets scrappy. He’s better at playing like that than me.
“I played two games, one against him and one against myself.”
