How hero Stuart Bingham 'cracked code' on locked cue case to save Luca Brecel ahead of 'must-win' match at Scottish Open
By Jonny Bray
Published 11/12/2024 at 10:35 GMT
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Luca Brecel's faltering season could have gone from bad to worse were it not for the codebreaking heroics of Stuart Bingham. 'Ball-Run' was able to crack the code on the Belgian's cue case, which was locked, just moments before the start of his "must-win" match at the Scottish Open in Edinburgh. Brecel came out on top in a 4-3 victory while Bingham is preparing to face David Lilley.
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Stuart Bingham came to Luca Brecel's rescue at the BetVictor Scottish Open after the 2023 World Snooker Champion forgot the code to his cue case moments before a match with Julien Leclercq.
'Ball-Run' was able to crack the code on the case, allowing Brecel to recover from the pre-match crisis and beat his compatriot Leclercq 4-3Â in Edinburgh.
Bingham progressed to the second round of the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Jimmy Robertson and will now take on David Lilley in the next stage.
Brecel has struggled through a difficult season and admitted that the clash with Leclercq was a must-win game.
"He cracked the code," said Brecel. "I thought it was 009 to open the lock, but it turned out it was 000. So everyone knows the code now!
"It was Stuart Bingham to the rescue. If he didn't get the code, we were going to have to break it open.Â
"That match was probably the most pressure I've felt since winning the World Championship. I had to win that game, just for myself, because I have been playing well when practising.
"I think I brought it to the match table today."
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Brecel is not the only player hoping to get his season back on track in Edinburgh.
Stephen Maguire cruised to a 4-0 victory over Matthew Selt on Tuesday and will now face a tough test against World Champion Kyren Wilson.
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Maguire insists that his current form has not been good enough.
"I'm nowhere near good enough at the moment," he said.
"That's a good result, but I'm not going to pretend I'm up there with the best player in the world or anything like that.
"I've got a long way to go and a long road ahead.
"I went to see Chris Small. We've only been working together for a month, and we have started from scratch.
"We have gone to the basics. I'm trying to find my feet. Whether it is round the corner, I don't know."
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