Tag Archive for World Snooker

Hendry Makes a Comeback as Day 2 is Complete.

April 20, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

Stephen Hendry came back from 7-5 down against Mark Williams to pick up the next 5 consecutive frames and step into round 2 with a 10-7 victory.

Williams who I had earlier in the week predicted may be an outsider for the title had a damaged tip that meant the mid-session interval being taken early. He came back from the break and did not win a frame.

Another former World Champion, Graeme Dott, who like Hendry trailed 5-4 overnight to Barry Hawkins also fought well to win his match 10-8.

Today’s matches started with Mark Allen against Martin Gould, Allen led 7-2 overnight after a masterful performance. There was a hint of a comeback from Gould (a debutant at the Crucible) this morning and he will have given himslef a boost after it could have easily been a different story. Allen is through to play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the next round with a 10-5 win.

Monday’s Play

14.30

  • Mark Selby 6 v 3 Ricky Walden
  • Ding Junhui v Liang Wenbo

19.00

  • Joe Perry v Jamie Cope
  • Marco Fu 5 v 4 Joe Swail

Live Snooker coverage continues on the BBC, BBC Interactive (& online), Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , ,

Day Two at the Crucible

April 19, 2009 / The_Teach / One comment

First up this morning on the Live Snooker front is the continuation of the Mark and Rory McLeod match from yesterday. I choose the word continuation as this is supposed to be the concluding session, but after being pulled off at 3-3 each yesterday it is highly unlikely (I think) that this one will be finished before the afternoon session!

On the other table is Mark Allen against Crucible newbie, Martin Gould. At the moment Northern Irish hope Allen leads 2-0.

The rest of todays action:

14.30

  • Mark Selby (Eng) v Ricky Walden (Eng)
  • Ali Carter (Eng) 6 v 3 Gerard Greene (NI)

19.00

  • Stephen Hendry (Sco) 4 v 5 Mark Williams (Wal)
  • Graeme Dott (Sco) 4 v 5 Barry Hawkins (Eng)

Today will see the conclusion of four matches with the one I will be looking out for being the Hendry-Williams encounter. Great quality by these two former champions yesterday and it will be close all the way in my opinion.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , ,

O’Sullivan First Man into Round Two

April 18, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the first man through to the second round of the 2009 BetFred.com World Snooker Championships. The defending champion served up some brilliant snooker en route to a 10-5 victory over Stuart Bingham.

Amongst the balls both players looked very solid with O’Sullivan notching up 3 centuries, the pinnacle a 140 and Bingham picking up one himself. There were a further 8 breaks over 50 in a match of some very quality break building.

The biggest shock was O’Sullivans ability at distance – at one point his long pot success rate was as low as 35% – this allowed Bingham to get into the balls on two back-to-back occasions, something he took gleefully knocking in 100 and 97 breaks.

The rest of todays scores:

  • Hendry 4 v 5 Williams
  • Dott 4 v 5 Hawkins
  • King 3 v 3 McLeod
  • Carter 3 v 1 Greene (as I type, still playing first session)
Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , , ,

World Snooker Championships Live Today

April 18, 2009 / The_Teach / One comment

It’s the big one, The 2009 BetFred World Snooker Championships starts today from the legendary Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. (A Theatre that has incidentally had a refurbishment this year.)

The action starts live today from 10.00am (BST) – in about 20 minutes actually – you can watch it on BBC Interactive, Eurosport, Eurosport web player, BBC Online and BBC 2 (some coverage will be on BBC 1).

Today’s matches are the following:

10.00

  • Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
  • Mark King (Eng) v Rory McLeod (Eng)

14.30

  • Graeme Dott (Sco) v Barry Hawkins (Eng)
  • Stephen Hendry (Sco) v Mark Williams (Wal)

19.00

  • Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
  • Ali Carter (Eng) v Gerard Greene (NI)

As always the reigning champion starts the defence of his title with the first match on. Bingham should not pose too much of a threat to Ronnie over the longer distance, that match actually concludes with the second session this evening.

Of the afternoon session, the one I will be watching will be two former world champions, Stephen Hendry (who underwent a resurgence in China recently) and a man who has performed well all season, breaking back into the top 16, Mark Williams. This should be a real cracker and I fancy Mark Williams as an outisde chance for this title.

King v McLeod and Dott v Hawkins in my opinion will be very close, they finish tomorrow. Ali Carter, who was predicted as a possible winner by Peter Ebdon this week has a reasonably easy start (again in my opinion) against Irishmen Gerard Greene.

So the action comes thick and fast over the next two weeks, I will make an update everyday so stay tuned or subscribe via RSS.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , , , ,

Surprise as Ebdon Reaches China Open Final

April 4, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

Peter Ebdon, a man who won a World Snooker Championship in 2002, has had an awful season that has seen him slip to number 17 in the provisional rankings. Well this week in Beijing he has managed to find some form and tomorrow will see him compete in the China Open Final.

He had an impressive 5-1 win over Stephen Hendry in the quarter finals and backed that up with a 6-1 win over semi final debutant Stuart Pettman in his semi final.

The other semi final between John Higgins and Ryan Day is still going with Higgins leading 5-3 in the best of 11 frame match.

If John Higgins does not win this title then we will be guaranteed our 7th different winner in 7 world ranking events this season.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , , , ,

Higgins to Play Day in Semi-Finals

April 3, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

John Higgins, who at one point led 4-1 against Ronnie O’Sullivan until the reigning World Snooker Champion had a bit of a resurgence, came through his quarter-final a 5-4 victor.

Higgins will now play Welshman Ryan Day who himself demolished Saun Murphy 5-0 in an earlier encounter.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , , , ,

Pettman Continues China Open Form

April 3, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

Stuart Pettman the 34 year-old professional from Preston is having a tournament to remember out in Beijing. Never before in his 17-year professional snooker career had he reached a World Ranking 1/4 final until this event.

Well now he has gone one better, he has beaten Graeme Dott 5-2 to progress to tomorrows semi-finals where he will play Peter Ebdon.

The other two 1/4 finals are currently in progress with Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins locking horns at 1-1 and Ryan Day leading Shaun Murphy 2-0.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , ,

Ebdon Demolishes Hendry

April 3, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

Just as I finished writing my last post Peter Ebdon wrapped up his 1/4 final against Stephen Hendry.

Ebdon one of the players (alongside Hendry) lacking form this year and with the possibility of dropping outside the top 16 has found some form at the right time.

Good also to see Hendry back into the thick of the action, at 40 he may be past his best but I am confident he still has the ability to pick up a ranking event win at some point.

Ebdon now awaits the winner of the Stuart Pettman vs Graeme Dott match. Pettman currently leads 4-1.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , ,

World Snooker Champions Do Travel Well!

April 3, 2009 / The_Teach / No comments

No less than six former World Snooker Champions have made it through the the last eight of the China Open. A couple are well known for their batting qualities, Peter Ebdon, who faces Stephen Hendry (he is also leading 4-1 as I type) and Graeme Dott.

Dott is currently trailing Stuart Pettman 4-1. One of the stories of this tournament has been Pettman who has reached his first ever ranking event 1/4 final in 17 years as a professional. This shows that there is still a lot of quality lower down the world rankings and further adds to the funny season we have had with 6 different winners in six events.

In the other 1/4 finals later today Ronnie O’Sullivan will once again play John Higgins and Shaun Murphy plays Ryan Day.

I have been saying all season that Ryan Day is due a tournament win, could China finally be it?

My title to this post relates really to those players who do not always perform at tournaments outside of the UK. Ronnie O’Sullivan pulled out of the Bahrain event earlier in the year and the other players on show did not perform either. Maybe the tide is changing, snooker has to change to really become a ‘world sport’ and are players starting to accept this?

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , , , ,

China Can be a Dominant Force in World Snooker

April 2, 2009 / The_Teach / 2 comments

People have been suggesting that China could be a dominant force in snooker for the last few years, especially after the emergence of Ding Junhui.

With the performances of the Chinese players in this weeks China Open those suggestions are starting to bear fruit. Players not even featuring on the main tour or the PIOS Tour have beaten professional opponents with good snooker and a massive following.

Tian Pengfei beat both David Gray and Marco Fu to set up this mornings match against John Higgins. Higgins was a step too far for the youngster and he did lose 5-2 but the previous performances were fantastic.

Xiao Guodong has already beaten Michael Holt and China’s number 1 – Ding Junhui – to set up a tie in the last 16 (this afternoon incidentally) with the World Number 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan. Again the professional on this occasion did pick up the win, but it was by no means easy with O’Sullivan winning 5-3.

How long before we see a Chinese World Champion? I am not sure especially when Ding has gone off the boil recently but I do expect to see one within the next 10 years. If China can keep producing the players with the right attitude and positive game plan then snooker could be dominated by them in the next 10 years and beyond.

I don’t think Britain will ever diminish it’s grip at a world level but the bar could very much come lower.

Let me know your thoughts.

Category: World Snooker / Tags: , , ,
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