World Championship Semi Final Preview.

Well after all the drama of yesterday,four men remain in with a shout of claiming the title,but they may not be four we were expecting.

Shaun Murphy v Barry Hawkins.

What a difference a year makes,last season Murphy was Mr Consistent,reaching the latter stages of many tournaments,without ever really looking like winning any of them,this term though we have seen a different player as was apparent in his Masters triumph and that old determined stomp around the table is back.

To reach this semi final he has played some really top quality snooker here that has possibly gone below the radar,with the headlines been made by others.His victory over McGill though showed he is cuing as well as he has at any stage since he lifted the crown here in 2005.

Hawkins on the other hand has endured a nightmare season,but as so often in the past ,he has discovered his best form here and his victory over Robertson last night can only have given him him even more of a boost.

This one could go very close,but I just think Murphy might have too much in the end and win something like 17-14 or 17-15

Judd Trump v Stuart Bingham

Judd Trump has been doing what Judd Trump can do in this tournament,thrilling the crowd with some extraordinary snooker. As we have seen this season,though Trump now has an all round game too and will undoubtedly feel he has every chance of going one better than he did here in 2011 when he was runner up to Higgins. The bookies certainly think so too ,as they have made him a very short favourite to claim a first world title.

I'm sure Trump was expecting to be facing off against his great rival Ronnie O'Sullivan here,but Stuart Bingham had something to say about that and he produced a string of big breaks to end Ronnies hops of a sixth title here last night.

Trump would do well not to think too far ahead of himself here,as Bingham has shown what a dangerous opponent he can be when he gets going in a match.That said though Trump in this form is a very different proposition to an O'Sullivan playing below his best and it would be an even bigger shock if Bingham were to get through here. 

For that reason I think this one may not be as close as the other semi final & I expect Trump to win comfortably 17-9 or 17-10