The Stats Zone
April 24 2019, 15:35 · Adam Evans

2019 World Snooker Championship – Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill Preview & Prediction

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THE FACTS

Where is Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill taking place? The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

When is Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill taking place and what time does it start? Thursday 26th April – 10:30 (UK)

What channel is Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill on? BBC & BBC Red Button / Eurosport 1

Where can I stream Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill? BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and the BBC Sport app / Sky Sport subscribers can also stream the match via Sky Go

Where can I get tickets for Stephen Maguire vs James Cahill? https://www.cruciblesnooker.com/#section-tickets

THE STATISTICS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
All-time meetings: Stephen Maguire 1-0 James Cahill
Previous meeting: Stephen Maguire 4-3 James Cahill

THE LOWDOWN

STEPHEN MAGUIRE

  • Stephen Maguire played out a difficult first-round match with Tian Pengfei in which the Chinese player was 8-5 up at one stage, but the Scot won the deciding frame to set up a second-round tie with man of the moment James Cahill.
  • Maguire has won exactly half of his professional matches in 2019, poor by his standards, with an 18-18 record and plenty of missed opportunities this year.
  • The 38-year-old will not relish facing James Cahill in the second round despite beating him in their previous meeting, with the Scot not in great form and Cahill a relatively unknown entity.

JAMES CAHILL

  • James Cahill pulled off one of the biggest shocks in Crucible history on Tuesday when he knocked out five-time world champion and tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-8.
  • 23-year-old Cahill had already made headlines when he became the first amateur to qualify for the World Championship, and he must now deal with the exposure of beating perhaps the greatest player of all time.
  • Cahill has faced his second-round opponent Stephen Maguire once before, losing in a deciding frame, but will likely have the majority of the crowd on his side.

THE PREDICTION

It is a case of head versus heart in this match between amateur James Cahill, who comes into this match in the limelight after beating Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Stephen Maguire, who has all the experience required to ruin the fairy-tale. Maguire has faced Cahill before, last year in the English Open which went to a decider, as did his first-round match in this tournament. With this World Championship already throwing up a few surprises, count out Cahill at your peril. He resembles the plucky underdog now but his career could be blossoming right before our eyes.