Much credit should go to the crew setting up the new and larger arena for the Masters at Alexandra Palace. The extra 200 seats, bringing the capacity to around 1,700, could easily have had a ‘bolted-on’ feel with the decision having been made late in the day to cope with demand.
But the extra space was as if designed and really enhanced the amphitheatre and potential for atmosphere, helped and brought to life by the excellent crowds flocking in to watch the early drama on day one as Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby served up their classic, and Marco Fu chipped in with his magnificent maximum break.