Reports are suggesting that Sir Rodney Walker has failed in his efforts to remain as Chairman of the WPBSA. Also leaving are Jim McMahon and Mike Dunn. Walker lost 32-24 in the voting so interesting that some players have finally seen light and backed snooker for a future.
It has been heavily publicised recently that Barry Hearn would be interested in the job but I imagine that it is more than a formality.
More information as I find it.
World Snooker
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Drago wins EBSA Main Tour Playoff
Tony Drago yesterday won the EBSA Pro Tour playoff to put himself back into the World Snooker Main Tour for the 2009/10 season.
He beat Roy Stolk 5-4 after trailing 4-3 so has also showed he still has a bit of fighting spirit.
It is great to see Tony back into the highest echelons of snooker and I know from talking to him in January this year how much he still loves the game of snooker.
He said to me at the time that he would, “…never give up snooker for pool.” This was in reference to the success he has been having on the professional pool ciruit, the pool may now take a backburner again as he tries to re-establish himself amongst snooker’s professionals.
It will be great to see him back competing on the big tables.
World Snooker
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Twelve high quality snooker players are in action from this morning, including four Chinese, in the 2009 Wuzhou International Group World Snooker Jiangsu Classic (that is the full title!)
Three former World Champions in Stephen Hendry, Peter Ebdon and Shaun Murphy are joined by defending Jiangsu Classic Champion and crowd favourite, Ding Junhui.
Completing the line up top 16 stars, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, Joe Perry, Ali Carter and Ryan Day and two other Chinese players in Jin Long and Li Hang.
The invitational tournament was first held in 2008 and was won by Ding Junhui, he will be looking to lift the title on home soil once again but faces some very stern opposition from some of snooker best known players.
Two groups of six players play a round-robin format with each playing competing against every other player in their group over the best of 3 frames. The top two from each group step through to the best of 9 semi finals and the final will be a best of 11 affair to be played on Sunday 7th June.
The Groups:
GROUP 1
Ding Junhui
Ryan Day
Mark Allen
Peter Ebdon
Stephen Hendry
Li Hang (Wildcard)
GROUP 2
Shaun Murphy
Ali Carter
Joe Perry
Mark Selby
Marco Fu
Jin Long (Wildcard)
Updates to follow.
World Snooker
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John Higgins - Photo from WorldSnooker.com
World Snooker recently carried out a pool on Worldsnooker.com and from 600 respondents John Higgins was named fans player of the year for the 2008/09 season.
The ‘Wizard of Wishaw’ no doubt achieved the accolade through winning his third world title but he was the only player to lift two world ranking events in the season.
World number 1, Ronnie O’Sullivan, came in second after wins in the Northern Ireland Trophy and the Masters, but probably receives a lot of votes not for his achievements but for his popularity.
In third place was World Championships semi-finalist and Bahrain Championship winner, Neil Robertson.
The full results:
John Higgins 178
Ronnie O’Sullivan 109
Neil Robertson 90
Mark Selby 65
Mark Allen 41
Ali Carter 32
Stephen Hendry 22
Shaun Murphy 21
Judd Trump 8
Ricky Walden 7
Steve Davis 6
Graeme Dott 2
Michael Holt 2
Stephen Maguire 2
Marco Fu 1
Dominic Dale 1
Martin Gould 1
Liang Wenbo 1
Jimmy White 1
Ryan Day 1
Joe Perry 1
Matthew Stevens 1
Joe Swail 1
Mark Williams 1
Vincent Muldoon
Source: World Snooker
World Snooker
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World Snooker have launched a competition which will allow fans and enthusaists to vote for the 2008/09 Player of the Year. Voting has to be in by 29th May.
These would be my candidates:
- Judd Trump (For winning spot in Masters & Premier League)
- John Higgins (3rd World title)
- Shaun Murphy (Winning the UK Championships)
- Ricky Walden (For first ranking event victory, as a qualifier, in Shanghai)
You can vote for your Player of the Year by following this link:
http://www.worldsnooker.com/ws_championship_news-45905.htm?tid=124
Let me know your thoughts.
World Snooker
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John Higgins moved into the realms of the greats with his third World Snooker title.
In a final that by his own admission (and that of his opponent Shaun Murphy) was won in the second session on Sunday, John Higgins lifted the trophy ad picked up a cheque for £250,000 with an 18-9 winning margin.
Shaun Murphy had looked good throughout the whole tournament but lost his way in the second session of the final where some uncharacteristic misses allowed John Higgins to capitalise. He won that particular session 7-1 and Shaun was always going to find it hard to comeback from that scoreline.
There was a bit of a resurgence in Monday afternoon’s session which meant the crowd were treated to at least part of a final session, in the end though it proved too much for Murphy, who over the next few years will no doubt be back in the winners circle.
His third title puts John Higgins amongst snooker’s greats and at 33 he still has a few years of top level snooker ahead of him. If he can continue to perform at this level then I can see him reaching 5 world titles.
The season is now finished and the players can take a break until the return in August.
World Snooker
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The semi finals of the 2009 Betfred.com World Snooker Championships started yesterday afternoon with twice former World Champion, John Higgins against rising Northern Irish talent, Mark Allen.
Allen has been playing some of the best snooker of his career after already having dispatched Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ryan Day. This session started well, Allen winning the first frame, however Higgins came back and handn’t even looked as if he was playing at his best. He lead 3-1 at the mid-session interval.
In the interval the players spoke to the tournament director about the less-than-adequate table conditions, aparantly caused by increased humidity. This led to a very hot iron and a complete change of balls at the halfway point in the session.
The table played better in the latter half and Higgins extended his lead to 6-2, this match continues this morning from 10.00.
Honours Even With Robertson and Murphy.
The other World Champion still in the draw, Shaun Murphy, had a very tight session against Australian Neil Robertson. The match will continue at 14.00 today with the score at 4-4. There were six breaks over 50 with Murphy winning this stat 4-2.
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40-year-old 7 times world champion, Stephen Hendry, this morning compiled a maximum 147 break at the Crucible.
His career 9th maximum came in the 7th frame of his quarter-final against Shaun Murphy, who came straight out of his chair to congratulate the Scot. The break is worth a whopping £157,000 unless someone can match it in the remaining days of this years championships.
The form Hendry is showing in this years championships is far better than the pre-tournament 66-1 odds were suggesting and he now takes a 5-3 lead into this evening’s second session.
In this morning’s other quarter final, Mark Allen leads Welshman Ryan Day by the same 5-3 scoreline.
Watch Hendry’s last few shots here: Hendry Fires in Maximum 147 Break.
World Snooker
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Ronnie O’Sullivan has been magnificently sent packing out of this years Betfred World Snooker Championships. Mark Allen, the world number 16, is the man that has sent Ronnie home early and what a victory it was.
A match of the highest quality where the pressure on Allen never really seemed to phase the Northern Ireland star, he wound up a 13-11 winner.
The match had been close throughout the three sessions with Ronnie leading 9-7 overnight. Allen came back the fresher player it seemed this morning winning the first three frames to lead 10-9. In the 20th frame Ronnie responded with a 147 attempt failing to get his 10th maximum by missing a difficult 14th black playing left handed.
Even with everything Ronnie threw at him Mark Allen had the confidence and ability to step into the 1/4 finals for the first time.
In this mornings other match, Shaun Murphy only needed two sessions to demolish former semi-finalist Marco Fu 13-3.
World Snooker
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Day six saw the completion of the first round as both a former champion and the world number 2 eased through.
Former World Champion John Higgins playing what I thought would be a tricky tie against Michael Holt was thouroughly in control throughout and went into round two with a 10-5 victory. His opponent in round two will be Jamie Cope.
World Number 2, Maguire went through by the same 10-5 scoreline against fellow Scot, Jamie Burnett. This was their first professional encounter since December. The December match shrouded in the controversy of irregular betting patterns, something that is still under investigation.
Maguire will now play Mark King in round 2.
The first matches to start in round 2 were the matches between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen, this one ended 4-4 after the first session, and Ronnie looked out-of-sorts with Allen playing some good snooker early on.
In the other second match, Stephen Hendry came up against a re-energised potting machine in Ding Junhui. The score was 3-1 in Ding’s favour at the interval only for Hendry to come back fresh after the break to level the match at 4-4.
Both of these ties are poised nicely for the second session. Don’t forget in round two it is now best of 25 frames.
World Snooker
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