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.

2014 World Championships Preview

The final pieces of the 2014 World Championship draw were completed today at lunchtime.

In short the already very tough bottom half was strengthened even further while the top half is looking more and more predictable.

Robin Hull, the lowest seed to qualify, has the daunting task of facing two time defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan on Saturday. This
already looks like an impossible task and a potentially kinder opening draw for the Rocket.

I picked out four players I thought were the ones to avoid before the draw: Xiao Guodong, Kyren Wilson, Michael White & Martin Gould. The unfortunate seeds to draw these players are Ali Carter (v Xiao), Ricky Walden (v Wilson), Mark Selby (v White) & Marco Fu (v Gould).

There will be an all Scottish affair after John Higgins was drawn to face his former mentor Alan McManus, good friends off the table this will prove to be a tough but enjoyable match for both players.

Tom Ford v Judd Trump and Ryan Day v Stephen Maguire are both very enticing first round encounters in the already stacked bottom half. I fancy Trump to progress in a tight match. Given Maguire's current form he might be another seed to fall to the three time Crucible quarter finalist Day.

My Predictions in full are

    Ronnie O'Sullivan 10    v     3        Robin Hull          
    Joe Perry       10     v       5    Jamie Burnett          
    Shaun Murphy     10    v     5    Jamie Cope          
    Marco Fu     10    v     6    Martin Gould          
    Barry Hawkins     10    v     4    David Gilbert          
    Ricky Walden     8    v     10    Kyren Wilson          
    Mark Davis     8    v     10    Dominic Dale          
    Ding Junhui     10    v     2    Michael Wasley          
    Mark Selby     10    v     7    Michael White          
    Allister Carter 9    v     10      Xiao Guodong          
    John Higgins     10    v     7    Alan McManus          
    Stuart Bingham     10    v     4    Ken Doherty          
    Judd Trump     10    v     8    Tom Ford          
    Stephen Maguire 6    v     10    Ryan Day          
    Mark Allen     10    v     6    Michael Holt          
    Neil Robertson     10    v     5    Robbie Williams

In recent seasons we've seen a lot of top seeds fall, however this year I've only picked four to fall from 16 matches.

I think the quarter final line up will be

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Shaun Murphy
Hawkins v Ding Junhui
Xiao Guodong v John Higgins
Judd Trump v Neil Robertson

Semi's

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ding Junhui
John Higgins v Neil Robertson

This is what I think might happen, but it's also a bit of dream semi final line up. The best players of the last 15 years and the new two best players in the world. I would actually pick both the older World Champions in Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins to meet in another World final, one that would surely be a classic, and a 5th World Title for the Wizard of Wishaw.

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?

O'Sullivan wins Best Picture at the Welsh Open

There are a lot of arguments about how the standard at the top of snooker has gotten worse, this may or may not be true. However I would argue that the standard bearer, Ronnie O'Sullivan, is actually playing the best snooker of his career at the moment. His opponents are mere shadows of their normal self when they play him, allowing him to flow graciously around the table. Mesmerizing his millions of fans and envious compatriots.

Sunday provided another moment of genius for the already 3 hour Oscar winning drama that would be his highlight reel. A 7 minute 25 seconds 147 in the final frame of the final, admittedly the score was 8-3 at the time and the risk was worth taking. Along the way he hit some of the most beautifully executed shots, technical feats that Alfonso Cuaron would have been proud of. The left handed red into the green pocket where he screwed back perfectly for the black was impossibly difficult in an exhibition, let alone the last red of a 147. Stephen Hendry on twitter called it "one of the best shots he's ever seen", nothing else needs to be said.

I'm listening to Coldplay's new single Magic while writing this and it feels very apt. I've never been O'Sullivan's greatest fan, however I'm a fan of snooker and there is no denying he brings more moments of magic than most.

I suppose I should get some stats out of the way:

3rd Welsh Open Title (Joint most wins with John Higgins & Stephen Hendry)
12th Maximum break (now top of all time 147 list)
26th Ranking Event (3rd on his own now, only two behind Steve Davis & 10 behind Hendry)

Ding reached another final in this remarkable season he is having, having won 39 of his 43 ranking event matches this season he is making a charge at Neil Robertson's number one ranking. I was glad we saw a smidgen of his limitless talent tonight when he won the opening two frames with superbly crafted centuries. Sadly it was all too late and a slow, nervy start in the afternoon cost him dearly.

The tournament as a whole was excellent in the latter stages. I still stand by my original opinion that the early rounds should be played away from the venue, they are dull and it's not fair for players to be traveling long distances in the middle of a tournament.

Next up is the Haikou World Open, where Mark Allen has reigned supreme for the previous two years. Can the Antrim potter make it a three peat.

Neil Robertson joins the Greats

Last night Neil Robertson became only the 8^th player to win the snooker triple crown – World, UK and Masters titles

In an engrossing final, Robertson came from 5-1 & 6-3 behind to win 10-7. After lacking fluency in the opening session he did well to come out of it only two frames behind at 5-3. A more positive Robertson appeared for the evening session, throwing off the shackles of Selby’s safety and becoming more aggressive was key. Robertson was getting in first and making the most of his chances each frame.

Although struggling throughout Selby was never too far behind and looked to pounce on an unusual error in the 16^th frame when Robertson missed a regulation frame ball pink. However Selby missed the easiest of final blacks much to the shock of himself, Neil and the audience. Robertson tapped in the black and a wave of relief was visible on his face. He held his never in the next frame to complete an emotional victory. 

Had Selby potted that black the match would have been level and thoughts of that Pink may have manifested over the next few frames. However he didn't and the rest is history,. 

Neil finishes the year as the World Number One and is a fantastic role model and spokesperson for the sport. He is the first overseas player to complete the Triple Crown and joins a very prestigious group who have done so before: Alex Higgins, Terry Griffiths, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams & Ronnie O’Sullivan. 

I’ve said in previous articles that I believe Neil is the most complete player on the tour at the moment and he should be the yardstick by which everyone else is measured. He joins Ding Junhui on 9 ranking title’s victories and I can see him closing in on Mark Williams 18 over the next five seasons.

The next tournament will be the Masters on the 12^th of January from the Alexandra Palace, London.

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

2013 UK Championships Preview

I think this year’s UK Championships might be the most important for a long time. It’s the first time Barry Hearn’s new flat 128 player draw is being played on the BBC, the sport’s most prestigious broadcaster.  It is widely regarded that the World Championships fate in Sheffield goes hand in hand with the BBC’s commitment to continue broadcasting the event.

From the onset I think this tournament looks badly thought out, with the two organisations idea’s of a good event clashing. The event starts today but the main coverage doesn’t being until the traditional Saturday, with the top four seeds opening matches held over for Saturday. The BBC has negotiated that the draw is seeded, so the 1^st seed plays the 128^th and so on – in an effort to protect the bigger names of the sport. So Saturday see’s the four top seeds playing amateurs in what I expect will be extremely one sided matches, not the best of starts.  

In the past the BBC had complained about matches happening away from the TV cameras and the event being harder to follow. This is only going to be magnified as so many matches are crammed into a 13 day period. You could have Shaun Murphy losing to a rank outsider and not have any highlights of the match. 

Last week at the Champion of Champions the top players voiced their opinions that the tour lacks rewarding events for the top players. I personally think with the rolling ranking system its fair that the top 32 all qualify for the UK championship with the remaining 64 playing each other for the remaining 32 places. With the first round taking place at Gloucester, so when we get to the event we only have 32 players. The event can have a more structured feel and supporters can work out when and where their favorite players will be playing – something that is impossible with the current system.  

It’s going to be very interesting to see how it plays out on the BBC, which attracts higher UK viewing figures & more general fans who will be experiencing this new set up for the first time.

I’ve picked out my five favorites for the title.

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Only a week after winning the Champion of Champions the Rocket looks to be playing quite well, his all round game and aura will make him hard to beat. 

Neil Robertson

Is having a very good season, with almost 50 centuries to his name Neil is creating chances and finishing them in one visit almost every time. His safety play is as good as anyone and with the Wuxi title already under his belt it’ll take someone playing very well to defeat the young Aussie.

Mark Selby

It was a very slow start to the campaign for Mark, however in the last few weeks he looks to have stepped it up just at the right time – with the defence of his UK and Masters crowns coming up. Along with John Higgins he is the most capable of defeating an inform O’Sullivan & if he gets to the later stages he will be very hard to defeat.

Mark Allen

He is a bit of a wildcard but if he is on form he will be a formidable opponent as he has shown in two ETPC’s this season in Germany and Antwerp. He should be feeling confident off the back of those triumphs and along with Ding Junhui he has been the form man of the last two months.

Ding Junhui

Everyone knows that he won three ranking events on the spin earlier this season, becoming the first person since Stephen Hendry to achieve this feat. However his faultless technique and added bottle makes him a fearsome opponent. He was only beaten at the last minute by O’Sullivan in the Champion of Champions and was slightly unlucky so his confidence should still be sky high.