Peter Ebdon dug deep into his resources to clinch a place in the Embassy World Championship final as he made a nerve-jangling recovery to defeat Matthew Stevens 17-16 at the Crucible Theatre last night.
A titanic struggle ended after a near four-hour session with Ebdon clinching a final spot against seven-times winner Stephen Hendry, who had disposed of Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-13 earlier in the day.
That will mean a re-match of the 1996 final in which Hendry triumphed 18-12.
What Ebdon has left in terms of resources after such a marathon effort when he steps out into the arena tomorrow afternoon remains to be seen.
But Ebdon showed once again that he is the modern-day equivalent of 1970s and 1980s star Cliff Thorburn, who was nicknamed 'The Grinder' for his never-say-die attitude.
He was facing a semi-final exit when he trailed 16-14 but pulled off a pressure clearance in frame 31 to keep his hopes alive and then stamped his authority on the final two frames.
It was hard not to feel sympathy for Stevens, who had been runner-up in 2000 and a beaten semi-finalist 12 months ago after the tragic death of his father and mentor Morrell.
PA
