World Championship Round 1 review

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Robin Hull

As is tradition the defending champion was the main attraction on the opening morning. His opponent, Robin Hull was the lowest ranked player in the draw, but I thought gave a good account for himself. He looked very solid and did himself justice, however I would have liked to see him cast of the shackles somewhat. He was overly cautious, as lower ranked players usually are, and the Rocket came through a comfortable 10-4 winner without needed to excel. 

Joe Perry v Jamie Burnett

Joe Perry has had an excellent season and would have been feeling confident about making a good start at this year’s World Championships. I’m going to use the old Football cliché – It was a game of two halves – and this match was a great example. The first session was excellent match play from Jamie Burnett while Perry struggled to impose his high scoring game.  Trailing 6-3 overnight, Perry came out hot and won six straight frames, stunning his opponent into submission. Although Burnett was able to stop the run of frames he could only add one frame to his overnight total before Perry completed a good 10-7 victory. 

Shaun Murphy v Jamie Cope

While the quality of the opening week has been questionable the drama hasn’t been and this was one of four deciding frames we’ve had the pleasure of viewing. First of all it’s great to see a rejuvenated Jamie Cope, while he has one of the more unique techniques, when he plays well he’s a superb player. I thought this match was of up and down quality but the drama kept it interesting, in the end Murphy grabbed his opportunity and the lack of big match experience might have cost Cope. Hopefully Jamie continues to get to the later stages of tournaments as he is an asset to the game.

Marco Fu v Martin Gould

Marco was able to avenge his two first round World Championship defeats to Martin Gould while also looking very solid. The Jekyll and Hyde character that Marco often is during a season showed its better side. If Marco can gather some momentum he is one of the few players who aren’t fazed by playing O’Sullivan & they are drawn to meet in the Quarters.

Ricky Walden v Kyren Wilson

I had this down as a shock & felt good after Kyren made a quick start and led 3-1 at the opening midsession interval. From there Ricky fought his way back and the quality just dropped down quite a few notches. By the end neither player could pot more than a few balls in a row, almost breaking the record for the longest frame in Crucible history, finishing 3 minutes shy of the 75 minute record. Ricky was able to crawl over the line but it was very poor performance.

Ding Junhui v Michael Wasley

With five ranking event victories and six finals a lot of people thought this was the year for Ding. 1/66 coming into this against a complete unknown in Michael Wasley we were given my favourite match of the first round. I can’t remember a more mature and surprising performance from a debutant, cool and composed his century to force a decider was one of the bravest and best breaks I’ve seen in a long time. The draw is rather favourable and if Michael was to play at that level again he would be favourite to reach the quarter finals.

John Higgins v Alan McManus

Alan has had a good few months and defeating John Higgins 10-7 in this match will surely top it so far. From the start he controlled the match, creating openings with excellent safety and not taking any risks while in the balls. Higgins was very slow to get going and it wasn’t until he was 9-4 down he reeled off three straight frames with good breaks. At this point it looked like Alan was stumbling and Higgins would complete another memorable comeback, however it didn’t materialise and he had left himself too much to do. Instead of being dismayed by an early exit, Higgins was portraying a much more positive outlook, claiming he was getting close to being a threat again.

Stuart Bingham v Ken Doherty

I must admit I gave Doherty very little chance in this match, I thought Bingham was a good draw for him but Ken had only won three matches in ranking events this season. Inspired by his surroundings Ken was excellent against an under par Bingham and won 10-5 after being 3-0 down. Now due to face another older player in McManus this is the classy match player part of the draw & I’m very much looking forward to Doherty v McManus.

Judd Trump v Tom Ford

This looked like a good match on paper but ended up being very scrappy with uncharacteristic misses by both players. Trump crawled over the line and will need to improve if he has serious thoughts about winning the title. 

Stephen Maguire v Ryan Day

Many had picked Ryan Day to cause an “upset” in this one; they were correct however it was a lot closer than I expected. Maguire has been struggling with a lower back injury and I’ve been disappointed with his season, having fallen before the quarter final in seven of the nine ranking events he entered this year. In this match though Maguire played looked a lot better & Ryan Day had to play very well to get over the line. In the decider he was the more aggressive player and created his own chance and took it very calmly. 

Mark Allen v Michael Holt

Fighting with food poisoning against a tough opponent in Michael Holt, Mark was able to get over the line with a comfortable 10-4 victory. Both fiery characters this match was more entertaining off the table than on and Allen will be hoping for a quick recovery before facing Robertson in round 2.

Neil Robertson v Robbie Williams

Neil looked very fluent in his first round victory over Robbie Williams, adding three centuries to his season total; he now stands four short of a ton of centuries. This was a very professional performance, something that we’ve become very accustomed too with Robertson as he ran out a 10-2 winner.  

Also Barry Hawkins completed a routing 10-4 victory over Dave Gilbert & Ali Carter defeated Xiao Guodong 10-8. It just felt a little too early for Xiao and Carter was able to exhibit more maturity.

Dominic Dale’s return to form continued with a 10-5 victory over Mark Davis, although he really struggled to get over the line at the end.  Mark Selby & Michael White had an entertaining first round, eventually Selby clinched a final frame victory but I was impressed for the second straight year with Michael White, he needs to sharpen his safety but he looks fearless. 

The first round lacked quality but was very entertaining; I expect the quality to increase in the 2^nd & I’m particularly looking forward to Marco Fu v Shaun Murphy & Neil Robertson v Mark Allen.

The Curious Case of Mark Allen

Good memories and good form.

Mark Allen is a phenomenal snooker talent, however without this good run in the World Open he was staring at a possible qualifier for a place at the World Championships in five weeks.

It was in Haikou two years ago he went on one of his many twitter rants about the venue & the surrounding area, however in riling himself up, he produced some of his best snooker and won the tournament. Last year there was none of the previous rants but the high quality snooker remained and he defended his title.

This season he has hardly set the world alight, so when his need was at it's greatest he has summoned his form from nowhere and is now in tomorrow's semi finals. Talent isn't a problem, application and motivation I couldn't say however there have always been up and down players in the game, he has the feel of a Matthew Stevens, will have a few exceptional tournaments but will we be left feeling disappointing when the dust settles on his career. I hope more than anyone that this is incorrect, I find him one of the most engaging characters in the game and his on table action is among the best our sport has to offer.

So tomorrow he will face Shaun Murphy, who has re-gained his confidence - the key to Murphy's attacking game. I would fancy Allen to win after today's self-assured display against Higgins. However the big questions isn't about this weekend with Mark Allen, it'll be about the following three tournaments and whether he will go back into his shell or continue his good form?

The Final Eight - UK Championships

So after 10 days of action, 120 players have been eliminated from the 2013 UK Championships. The threat of top players not reaching the final stages has not materialised and we are left with the cream of the crop. Many of the fears I highlighted in my preview piece have sadly come true. World Snooker has simply blamed these teething problems on the venue & it appears this will be the last year the event is held in York – a crying shame.

Mark Selby v Barry Hawkins

Mark Selby’s progress has been quiet and unspectacular; however he hasn’t overexerted himself and should feel very fresh for the upcoming challenges. Barry Hawkins played well to defeat Shaun Murphy and looks like he is returning to the form that got him to the Crucible final Seven Months ago. I think Selby will have enough to avenge Hawkins defeat of him at the World Championships earlier this year.

Mark Selby 6-3 Barry Hawkins

Mark Allen v Ricky Walden

After a very shaky start yesterday against Judd Trump, Mark Allen steadied himself to win four frames on the spin from 4-2 down. Trump has every right to feel aggrieved today as he was in complete control and let it slip yesterday. Ricky Walden ended Ding Junhui’s 22 match winning streak in full ranking events with his 6-4 win. Ricky was far from his best but had enough to defeat a well under par Ding, it wasn’t a classic but Walden will be pleased progress against such a decorated opponent. I think Allen will have too much for Ricky and will win.

Mark Allen 6-3 Ricky Walden

Neil Robertson v Stephen Maguire

I have no doubt in my mind that Robertson is the best player in the game at the moment. He dispatched of a poor Joe Perry last night 6-1 while Stephen defeated a confidence stricken John Higgins 6-2 on Tuesday night. This could be a cracker, there were signs Maguire was hitting the ball well against Higgins & he won’t be bullied by Robertson. However I still fancy Robertson to win due to his clinical ability in the balls, he is less likely to break down and allow counter clearances in tight frames – which are usually the key frames in close matches.

Robertson 6-4 Maguire

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stuart Bingham

This I fear won’t be very exciting but will still take centre stage on the BBC, as all of O’Sullivan’s matches have so far. He is the biggest draw but you don’t make new stars by giving nobody else airtime, as has been the case so far this week. I fancy O'Sullivan to win this one, he's not been cueing that well this week but has been taking his chances. If Stuart doesn't get overawed he will give himself a very good chance of causing an upset.

O’Sullivan 6-1 Bingham

Champion of Champions Day 3

It was a full house on day three as we were treated to 25 engrossing frames. Spectators and viewers were able to enjoy three high quality deciders at the Ricoh on Thursday.  

Neil Robertson v Martin Gould

Martin Gould raced into a 3-1 lead before missing an easy chance to clinch the match in the fifth frame. Robertson who had been missing a few chances in the opening four frames then showed why he is the World number 1 with three impeccable frames of snooker. Afterwards he cited he was distracted on an easy black by a member of the crowd, helping him focus and play fault free snooker from then on.  For Martin it was a much improved performance but he could do with winning a few matches in the next few events to get his confidence back.

Mark Allen v Ali Carter

Although ending with a slight tinge of controversy as articulately well by David Hendon here, this was an enthralling match. Both players showing a gritty determination to win and it felt like a coin toss. In the end it was a good win for Carter against the inform Mark Allen.

Neil Robertson v Ali Carter

This was the best match of the tournament so far!

Five centuries in 11 frames as momentum swung in both players favour, it looked like Robertson was going to win 6-4 but a determined Carter took his chance when Robertson broke down and forced the third decider of the day. The best all round player in the game at the moment is Neil Robertson for me and he showed his class in conquering a very impressive Ali Carter.

Robertson will play the eventual winner of today’s group on Saturday. Friday’s action features Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Davis and Ding Junhui v Barry Hawkins.

World Championships Round 1 Review

We are seven days into the marathon of the mind that is the World Championships. So far we’ve had a handful of centuries, shocks and the appearance of everyone’s favourite new player, Dechawat Poomjaeng.

Defending Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan made light work of experienced campaigner Marcus Campbell on day one, defeating the Scot 10-4. O’Sullivan’s game looked sharp in all departments apart from his long game, but this has never stopped him in previous years.

He will face Ali Carter in the next round in a repeat of last year’s final. The “Captain” went through the gears in his second session against Ben Woollaston winning all of the required five frames. His long game looked very strong - exactly what will be required to take his chances against O’Sullivan.

Stuart Bingham is on the verge of a very comfortable win over debutant Sam Baird who struggled to settle in the first session. Leading 8-1 going into today’s final session he looks certain to make it into round two.

Mark Davis made it three wins over John Higgins this season with a strong performance in defeating the four time former champion. His safety and potting were of the highest class and through both sessions he outplayed a rather bedraggled looking Scot. At the age of 40 it’s refreshing to see an older player hitting his peak later in life.

Shaun Murphy has slipped under the radar coming into this year’s World Championships despite having had a solid season. His game is always suited to the longer formats and he had a comfortable win over the tricky Martin Gould.

His opponent Graeme Dott survived eight gruelling hours in the lion’s den with Peter Ebdon. Ebdon, the 2002 World Champion, was taking slow play to a new level as he struggled with his game. Dott at times looked thoroughly frustrated but did well to raise his game and come through a 10-6 winner.

New father Marco Fu avenged his defeat to Matthew Stevens at this stage last year by defeating the Welshman 10-7 yesterday. Getting over the winning line proved difficult but it’s been a decent year for Marco and I fancy he will cause Judd Trump a few troubles in the next round.

Speaking of Trump, he had an easy victory over Dominic Dale. Moving through the gears effortlessly in the second session to win 10-5, however Fu will prove a much sterner test.

Neil Robertson is currently leading 5-4 over Robert Milkins. This was a tough first round draw but I still expect the Aussie to progress. His 143 was a new highest break for him at the tournament.

Ricky Walden was in superb form against an out of sorts Michael Holt. He was clinical in the balls and his overall game looked very good, however he won’t be given the same chances against Neil Robertson – assuming the Thunder from Down Under progresses.

Extremely talented Welsh youngster Michael White made his breakthrough in defeating Mark Williams. It was a solid performance against an under cooked Mark Williams who’s dreadful season ended on a low. With Stephen Maguire losing to Dechawat Poomjaeng, White will now be the favourite to progress to his first ranking event quarter final. 

Dechawat Poomjaeng became everyone’s new favourite player when he held his nerve to defeat the World Number Four Stephen Maguire. His very slow play around the table seemed to be forgiven due to his eccentric behaviour and bright personality. However behind these strange antics was a very driven and impressive performance.

The biggest shock of the first round was Mark King’s very remarkable victory over Mark Allen. He thrived under the intense spotlight and played his best snooker when the finish line approached. It was probably the best match I’ve seen from King but, for Allen, it’s a big setback as he was heavily fancied at the start of the tournament.

Promising youngster Jack Lisowski showed he still isn’t quite ready to breakthrough as he was swept aside by Barry Hawkins. Hawkins was very clinical and cleaned up Lisowski’s mistakes.

Mark Selby wasn’t that impressive in his first round victory over Matthew Selt. However that won’t bother the Jester, winning is all that matters in round one. He will be a big favourite against Hawkins but unless he improves he could struggle.

Haikou and Good Night

Mark Allen retains Haikou World Open
 
Yesterday Mark Allen became the 13^th different ranking event winner of the season after defeating Matthew Stevens 10-4 in a one sided final.

The Antrim potter was a big favourite after his exemplary display against John Higgins in the semi finals and he started the stronger racing into a 3-0 lead. The remaining 6 frames were shared as Stevens just about kept himself in the match.

Resuming at 6-3 Allen nicked the first frame and dealt a body blow to his opponent and from there won three of the next four to win the title with relative ease. Allen has shown some signs of maturing this week and has been able to raise his game when it matters and conserve energy at other times of the week. These strengths will be invaluable if he wants to win the marathon of the mind that is the World Championships, which begins in Seven weeks.

The tournament as a whole was very entertaining and there were very few shocks, maybe a sign that the players are really upping their game in the lead up to the Crucible. This event needs to look at ticket prices however as all week it appeared empty, even the final had more empty seats than filled.

There was a return to snooker for ITV who covered the event all week very professionally and it was very nice to hear Clive Everton commentating again on a full ranking event. Hopefully the BBC took notice of the Commentator/Colour Commentator roles that were employed by Everton and Foulds and look at their own commentary situation for the future.

The PTC Finals will take place in Galway on the 12^th of March and Beyond the Baize will cover this event in full.