BINGHAM MATCH IS JUST THE TICKET

Stuart Bingham usually has a decent following in London for the Dafabet Masters – and a first world title last May did not exactly dampen demand among friends and family for the man from Basildon.

The world No2 estimated that he had to get hold of “around 60-70” tickets for his Sunday night first-round match against Ding Junhui, giving him a very solid support base in the Alexandra Palace arena.

Players receive 10 complimentary tickets at the Masters but are also afforded the right to buy additional ones at a discounted rate, an option the 39-year-old Bingham had to exercise, keeping him very busy in the build-up.

Extra seats have been installed this year bringing the capacity to just below 2,000, a figure that looks certain to set a record for the venue for Ronnie O’Sullivan’s already virtually sold-out clash with Mark Williams on Tuesday.

EBDON JOINS THE BBC COMMENTATORS CLUB

Peter Ebdon arrived at Alexandra Palace in good time for his debut full live commentary stint with the BBC alongside Dennis Taylor for the Stuart Bingham v Ding Junhui evening first-round match on opening Sunday.

Being a former world champion, Ebdon very much fitted the mould for recent BBC appointments in the role, and Taylor and fellow former Crucible king and broadcaster John Parrott spent time reassuring Ebdon in the salubrious surroundings of the media centre canteen area before he took up his place in the booth.

For Parrott, this consisted mainly of telling Ebdon that Taylor once couldn’t speak in the commentary box with a large boiled sweet in his mouth, which led to the wise-cracking Scouser immediately offering him another one.

But Taylor had his own victory to celebrate, having finally won a battle lasting several years with the bean-counters to install some more comfortable chairs for the late-night finishes.

Ebdon was helpfully told by the press that swearing, shouting ‘Vegan Power’ at full volume and discussing the merits of organic carrots were all de rigeur as a commentator – advice he wisely chose to ignore.