Burden Takes Baird Beating
Alfie Burden became Sam Baird’s latest victim in the qualifying stages of this year’s Betfred.com world championship at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Baird, an unassuming 22-year-old who lost his professional ‘Tour Card’ last year, produced an accomplished performance to see off the confident Londoner by ten-frames-to-seven.
World number 59, Burden started brightly taking the opening two frames allowing his opponent just 18 points.
Any early nerves were soon removed by the unranked Devonian as he took frame three and added the fourth with a break of 52 to level at the mid-session interval.
Baird went ahead for the first time in the next and demonstrated his class with back-to-back century breaks, 102 in frame six and 120 in the seventh to extend his lead to 5-2.
Burden, IBSF world champion in 2009 looked shaken and despite having the first scoring chance in the last two frames of the session, failed to convert them into frame winning opportunities.
Breaks of 41 and 69 helped Baird to a commanding 7-2 first session lead, and giving his higher ranked opponent plenty to think about.
When play resumed in the evening, it was Burden who made the first move. He won a scrappy tenth which lasted over half-an-hour and added the eleventh with a run of 58.
Baird impressively remained in control of his own emotions and when the chance presented itself in frame twelve, he slotted away a superb break of 86 and restore a four frame advantage.
Without doing anything outstanding in the next, Baird moved within one frame of victory and leaving his opponent five down with six to play.
Understandably, Baird appeared to recognise the enormity of what he was on the verge of achieving and missed a couple of good scoring opportunities in the next two frames, which Burden gratefully accepted, winning them both to reduce the deficit to three.
In frame sixteen, Burden looked to be growing in confidence and with a break of 91, he looked like he believed he could pull off one of the Great Escapes that the Betfred.com world championship is renowned for.
The youngster was having none of it though, and when he got the chance, he calmly made a break of 69 to put the frame and match beyond Burden’s reach.
Having beaten Colin Mitchell and Neil Selman in a non-tour qualifying section of the draw, and Reanne Evans in round one, Baird is just two wins from making his Crucible debut.
Mike Dunn and Mark King stand in the way of Baird and the most stage in professional snooker.
