UK Championship Full Preview

It's that time of the year again folks! Yes that's right time for the first Triple Crown event of the season, and the first BBC event since the World Championships in April... The UK Championships, from the Barbican Centre in York. Even though the format for most of the event has been shortened in recent years, the format is still a longer format (and the same as last years event) and the event is still one that I certainly look forward to on the calendar every year. One thing that has changed this year, is the conversion of this event to the Flat 128 structure, although not in the same way as all of the other events. This is mainly because, the structure sees that the top seed, plays the bottom seed, and that it works through from there. For example: Seed 1 Vs Seed 128, would then play the winner of Seed 64 Vs Seed 65 in the Last 64 and so on. What that should mean (though nothing is ever certain) is that all of the top 16 players should make it through to the latter stages, and that the top seeds have draws that make it more favourable for them to go very deep in the tournament, rather than it being a random draw of the Top 64 seeds against the bottom 64 seeds for the first round.

That has basically all been done for the benefit of the BBC who don't want to see the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump etc. knocked out before the tournament really gets going and the viewers get a good chance to see them. Another thing it should also see is a lot of classic matches at the back end of the event. I hope the BBC really step up their coverage of the event, although that already looks unlikely as rumour has it that the morning matches aren't being covered by anyone, once we get into the TV stages. The BBC's coverage, has started to go down hill a fair bit lately, and with the job that ITV4 have done recently on the Champion of Champions event, they could soon have some competition for the Triple Crown events which they cover at present.

Anyway, here's what we can expect in the next 13 days then, with the usual terrible predictions:

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw:

Mark Selby Vs Shane Castle
Tian Pengfei Vs Pankaj Advani
Ken Doherty Vs John Astley
Ben Woollaston Vs Stuart Carrington
Graeme Dott Vs Fraser Patrick
Nigel Bond Vs Craig Steadman
Ali Carter Vs Ratchayothin Yotharuck
Jimmy Robertson Vs Li Yan
Jamie Jones Vs Gary Wilson
Dominic Dale Vs Vinnie Calabrese
Cao Yupeng Vs Zhang Anda
Barry Hawkins Vs Alexander Ursenbache
Anthony Hamilton Vs Sean O'Sullivan
Tom Ford Vs Noppon Saengkham
Gerard Greene Vs Paul Davison
Shaun Murphy Vs Lee Spick

The top quarter is one that is certainly filled with talent, with plenty of big match experience including the defending champion Mark Selby, last year's runner-up Shaun Murphy, former world champion Graeme Dott, and former world championship runners-up Ali Carter and Barry Hawkins. When it comes to these big triple crown events, I only really look at the big players to come through, and with the draw the way it is, it is very difficult to see the likes of Tom Ford, Dominic Dale or Ben Woollaston upsetting the odds despite their capabilities. For me, Mark Selby is probably in the best form of the players in this section at the moment, winning the Antwerp Open and making the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions. From the rest, I still think that we haven't seen the best of Shaun Murphy this season, and with a pretty favourable draw for him to play himself into a bit of from, and if he can recreate some of the form he showed last year he will go far again in this event. You can never rule Ali Carter and Graeme Dott out either (who could meet in the Last 32) and with them coming back into some form this could be a very entertaining quarter indeed. For me though, Selby has definetly showed signs of not being at his best in the semi-final of the Champion of Champions and Murphy may not be a bad bet at 22/1 for the tournament, though I don't really see it happening.

Quarter Winner: Mark Selby in the best form out of the guys in this section

Quarter 2

Last 128 Draw:

Judd Trump Vs Gareth Green
Dechawat Poomjaeng Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Xiao Guodong Vs Andrew Pagett
Mark Joyce Vs Jamie O'Neill
Mark Allen Vs Jak Jones
Dave Harold Vs Chen Zhe
Michael Holt Vs Lee Page
Alan McManus Vs Joel Walker
Rory McLeod Vs Martin O'Donnell
Mark Williams Vs Allan Taylor
Peter Lines Vs Sam Baird
Ricky Walden Vs Cao Xin Long
Fergal O'Brien Vs Alex Davies
Mark King Vs Ross Muir
James Wattana Vs Ian Burns
Ding Junhui Vs Anthony Parsons

This quarter sees the likes of former UK champions Ding Junhui, Judd Trump and Mark Williams, while Mark Allen has also been in a UK final before, and Ricky Walden has previously been in World and UK semi-finals. I don't really see anyone else in the quarter that could possibly get past the names that are involved. Ding Junhui probably has the best form and the most favourable draw out of everyone in this section, while Allen is in good form, but faces a possible Last 16 match with Judd Trump who has also been playing decent stuff coming into this, but will be under a lot of pressure desperately needing a run, having won the event 2 years ago. Meanwhile, with Ding on a run of 3 ranking event wins in a row, and Mark Allen winning European Tours 5 and 6, Trump will certainly have to step it up if he is going to win this section. So, I think it will be a quarter-final showdown between Allen and Ding, and the way the 2 are playing either one could win, but I feel that Ding would just edge what would be a very tense match. Mark Williams and Ricky Walden could never be ruled out of runs if they got going, but Williams draw is quite tough now he is out of the top 16, and Walden is in quite poor form really.

Quarter Winner: Ding Junhui

Quarter 3

Last 128 Draw:

Neil Robertson Vs Dylan Mitchell
Aditya Mehta Vs Robbie Williams
Andrew Higginson Vs Hammad Miah
David Gilbert Vs Li Hang
Mark Davis Vs Robin Hull
Matt Selt V Scott Donaldson
Joe Perry Vs James Cahill
Alfie Burden Vs Daniel Wells
Jamie Burnett Vs Simon Bedford
Ryan Day Vs Chris Wakelin
Rod Lawler Vs Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon
John Higgins Vs Alex Borg
Jack Lisowski Vs Michael Leslie
Liang Wenbo Vs Elliot Slessor
Mike Dunn Vs Luca Brecel
Stephen Maguire Vs Sanderson Lam

Again this another quarter filled with plenty of quality players including former World champions Neil Robertson and John Higgins, former UK champion Stephen Maguire, World Championship semi-finalist Joe Perry and last years UK semi-finalist Mark Davis. Robertson is clearly the in-form man out of the guys in this quarter, making centuries for fun and leading the current world rankings by a mile of the rest. Maguire's form is not bad, making a decent impression in the Champion of Champions, while Higgins looked good despite his early exit. Perry has also been playing very well and is capable of run that could win this quarter, as he showed when he made the semi's of the recent International Championships. Mark Davis is struggling though, and I can't see him matching his run of last year at the York Barbican. I think it could well be a Maguire/Robertson quarter-final, and that would be one i'd certainly fancy Robbo, and having never won the UK Championship's before he will desperate to end that this year. The likes of Higgins and Perry could never be ruled out though and I wouldn't be surprised if they won this quarter either.

A note does have to go to 1 very important match in this section as far as tour survival goes and that is Mike Dunn against Luca Brecel. Both players in this one need the win to boost their prize money ranking and that could be a very nervy match. However, I think that Dunn should just steal it and go one step closer to staying on the tour for next year.

Quarter Winner: Got to be Neil Robertson looking at how well he's been playing.

Quarter 4

Last 128 Draw:

Marco Fu Vs Mitchell Travis
Kurt Maflin Vs Liam Highfield
Peter Ebdon Vs Andrew Norman
Jamie Cope Vs David Morris
Stuart Bingham Vs Ahmed Saif
Jimmy White Vs Michael Wasley
Martin Gould Vs Chris Norbury
Anthony McGill Vs Kyren Wilson
Yu De Lu Vs David Grace
Matthew Stevens Vs Ryan Clark
Liu Chuang Vs Tony Drago
Robert Milkins Vs Patrick Einslie
Michael White Vs Joe Swail
Marcus Campbell Vs Lu Haotian
Adam Duffy Vs Barry Pinches
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Rhys Clark

The final quarter of the draw sees the likes of World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, former UK runner-up Marco Fu, former UK champion Matthew Stevens, Champion of Champions runner-up Stuart Bingham, Robert Milkins and Martin Gould. This should be a really competitive quarter with the likes of O'Sullivan, Fu and Bingham all in good form at the moment, while Gould also showed signs of coming into some form at the Champion of Champions and Milkins and Stevens are both very quality players despite some inconsistent form over the past few months. It will be very hard to stop Ronnie the way he's playing, especially when he says that there is even more to come from him. Fu and Bingham will probably be his biggest competition, though Bingham's record in UK ranking events isn't fantastic, and I think that Fu would come through to meet Ronnie in the quarter-final. However, if O'Sullivan plays as well as he did in Coventry, and is really up for the fight again (which will be the key) he should breeze through the quarter, and would probably go on and win the event, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Another thing to note from this quarter is an absolutely vital match when it comes to tour survival, between Adam Duffy and Barry Pinches. The draw being the way it is, one of these was bound to happen, and both players really do need a couple of wins to boost their prize money ranking, currently hovering in the danger zone. Looking at the form guide you'd have to say that Barry would pinch it, though form won't count for much in such an important match, with plenty of nerves.

Quarter Winner: I'd be mad not to pick Ronnie O'Sullivan


Whatever happens it should be an absolutely cracking event given the way the draw is set out, although there is always one unpredictable result that will stir things up somewhere along the line. Still, I'm really looking forward to what should be a great event, and I'll be back to have another look at the tournament ahead of the start of the TV stages on Saturday.

The match schedule, with all of the start times for the next few days can be found on the world snooker live scores website, if you want to know what's coming up before the start of the TV coverage on Saturday.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is the Champion of Champions

Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Champion of Champions event in Coventry last night after he beat Stuart Bingham 10-8 in the final at the Ricoh Arena, which has been a very good host for the event I should add.

Here's what happened in the final:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-8 Stuart Bingham - It was Stuart Bingham that started brightest in the final, and he played well throughout, making a break of 109 to kick the match off in style. Ronnie hit back immediately though with a break of 66 helping him square the contest. The Rocket soon went ahead, a break of 55 helping him on the way to a 2-1 lead. Bingham needed to stick with O'Sullivan and to start with he did so very well, taking a scrappier fourth frame to level the match again at 2-2 going into the mid-session interval of the first session. It was Stuart that came out from the break the stronger of the 2 players, as a run of 72 put him ahead again, and that lead was soon doubled when he knocked in a 52 to go 4-2 up. All of a sudden it was Ronnie who wasn't playing his best snooker in the opening session and needed to stick with Bingham. O'Sullivan just about managed to do so, a break of 76 making it 4-3. However, Bingham was soon 2 frames in front again with a nice century break of 109 to make it 5-3, and guarantee that Bingham would be in front at the start of the final session. Although, Ronnie ended the session brightly and insured that he would only be 1 behind with a break of 130 to make it 5-4. Stuart probably could've been slightly annoyed that he wasn't further ahead after the opening session, with Ronnie nowhere near his best, and Bingham actually playing very well himself.

The second session started much better for O'Sullivan as he squared the match with a break of 93 at 5-5. All of a sudden a clearance of 32 from Ronnie put him 6-5 in front, and Bingham had still done very little wrong. However, Ball-run kept himself in the game, equalising with a break of 48, before he took a pretty scrappy frame before the interval of the final session to lead the match 7-6. O'Sullivan was never down in the match for long though, and levelled this tight contest once again with a break of 62. The pendulum swung Ronnie's way again in the fifteenth frame, as a break of 96 made it 8-7 to O'Sullivan. Just when you thought that Ronnie was going to start running away with the contest, the last Premier League champion had a run of 66 to square the match once again at 8-8. Then it became a test of nerve for both players, and it looked like Bingham was just beginning to feel the pressure a little bit more. It showed in the seventeenth frame as both players had chances to score, but it turned out that an early 46 from the Rocket was the telling contribution of the frame, putting him 1 frame away from the title at 9-8. As you would expect from a natural front runner, there was no shying away from O'Sullivan as breaks of 33 and 49 helped him take the frame that he needed to seal the match, and take the £100,000 winners cheque.


Overall, it was an absolutely brilliant tournament that had a lot of classic matches throughout, and I hope to see this event on the calendar for many years to come. As for the coverage, ITV4 did a magnificent job once again, covering the event very well with great commentary and analysis from Clive Everton, Alan McManus and Neal Foulds. In fact I would like to see the ITV take on a lot more tournaments that are not currently covered on terrestrial TV, and if the BBC don't step up their own coverage, I would be quite happy to see some of their tournaments move to ITV4. With the UK Championship's on BBC from Saturday (with the tournament itself starting tomorrow) it will be a good comparison between their coverage, and the coverage ITV4 have given this week.

As for me, hopefully I will be able to preview the UK Championship in full ready for the start again, and i will be writing a second/updated preview ahead of the TV stages starting on Saturday.

Bingham and O'Sullivan to contest Champion of Champions final

Stuart Bingham and Ronnie O'Sullivan will play for the title of Champion of Champions after Stuart Bingham overcame Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Neil Robertson in the semi-finals in Coventry. The standard in the latter of those 2 matches was top class again, and provided some more great entertainment for a packed crowd at the Ricoh Arena. That actually brought Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan onto a good point in the ITV studio, that there should be more of these types of events in the UK, and that they only get a real buzz from playing the best players in the big venues, rather than the PTC's.

Anyway, here's a round-up of the semi-final action:

Stuart Bingham 6-4 Mark Selby - Stuart Bingham beat Mark Selby in what turned into a fairly scrappy match, to book his place in the final. Stuart played really well, and scored nicely for the most part of the match, and thoroughly deserved his win. Bingham started brightly with a break of 74 to take the opening frame, before breaks of 35 and 36 by Selby levelled the match at 1-1. The next frame was a fairly scrappy, and Stuart needed 3 chances to take it and move 2-1 in front. However, "Ball run" was soon in full flow again making a break of 73 to lead the match 3-1 going into the mid-session interval. After the break, Stuart resumed from where he left off with a break of 40 helping him on the way to a 4-1 advantage. Selby needed to fight back, and he did so in his true fighting fashion. A break of 48 helped him get the score back to 4-2, before he truly grinded out the seventh frame to make it 4-3. Then in frame 8 Selby started to get into full flow making a break of 73 to equalise at 4-4. Bingham didn't buckle under the pressure though, needing a couple of chances to seal the ninth frame, but when he eventually did, it was looking good for a Bingham win at 5-4. This time there was to be no fight back from Selby, as Bingham won the frame he needed with a break of 56 to give him a 6-4 victory and a spot in the best-of-19 final.

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Neil Robertson - This match was another classic, between 2 guys that already been involved in classic best-of-11's already this week. The standard was great, and the match was gripping from start to finish. The match started off well for the Australian, who made breaks of 43 and 48 to go 1-0 ahead, and looked like doubling his lead on 50 in the next. However, he couldn't finish the job off, and Ronnie completed a brilliant steal of 56, with a certain shot of the week contender to split the last red from the black., levelling the match at 1-1. That got Ronnie into his stride and he was swiftly 2-1 in front with a break of 52. Robbo needed to win the last frame before the interval, and with the help of a break of 39 he did so to make it 2-2 at the break. That gave the momentum back to Robertson, who took advantage in the fifth. An early 59 proving enough to win the frame and move 3-2 ahead. Neither player could get away though at this stage, and Ronnie was soon level once more at 3-3 thanks to a break of 54. A run of 70 in the next put the Rocket ahead once more, before he doubled his lead with the first century of the match (a 103) in the eight frame. Robertson didn't give up though, making a very gutsy 80, to get back into it at 5-4. The match really deserved the decider, and the crowd were lucky enough that Robertson could give them a tense finish, a break of 125 sending us into a 1 frame shoot-out for a place in the final. There wasn't a lot that the Aussie could do about what followed, as Ronnie was able to get in after a Robertson foul, and he never looked back knocking in a 119 break to win the frame and the match, and go into the Champion of Champions final.

Final Preview:

Stuart Bingham Vs Ronnie O'Sullivan - Both players have played very well all week in getting to this final, but I would have to say that O'Sullivan has played the better snooker in the event as a whole. Having played his group on Friday, Ronnie also has a lot of momentum behind, with 3 good wins in 2 days coming into this. Bingham has only really been tested once on the way to the weeks finale, and that was by Selby yesterday. Even though Bingham responded well, he still hasn't come against someone that will score very heavily and really punish his mistakes in full. Another thing worth noting about this match, is that Bingham's record against Ronnie is pretty dire, and we only need to go back to April when they last played over a longer format, O'Sullivan beating Stuart 13-4 in the World quarter-finals. One thing that is noticeable this week with Ronnie is that he wants to win, and he is up for the fight, and when he's like that he's almost unstoppable.

Predicted Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan


Whatever the final outcome, it has been a really great, entertaining week of snooker and probably the best of the season so far. Barry Hearn take note.

O'Sullivan fights back to win final group

Ronnie O'Sullivan fought back from the brink in his group final with Ding Junhui, after he thrashed Mark Davis earlier on and Ding Junhui beat Barry Hawkins. It was the second night running that the group final was a classic, and a packed house at the Ricoh Arena was treated to another great standard, but also a very tense match.

So, great stuff again in Coventry. Let's have a look back at the action:

Ding Junhui 4-2 Barry Hawkins - Ding played fairly well in beating Barry Hawkins who wasn't at his best in the match. Ding took the opening frame with the help of a break of 63. The second frame was nothing to write home about, a very scrappy affair which eventually went the way of Hawkins to level the match. It didn't affect Ding though as he took the next frame with a break of 67 to edge in front again at 2-1. Hawkins looked better in the next frame, squaring the match again with a well made 76. Ding stepped up a gear in the fifth frame with a break of 104 to put himself 3-2 in front, and 1 away from the evening's group final. When Hawkins broke down on 40 in the sixth frame, Ding managed to get in and make a break of 61 to win the frame he needed and take out a decent 4-2 victory.

Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-0 Mark Davis - Ronnie O'Sullivan whitewashed a poor Mark Davis in the second group semi-final. O'Sullivan played some decent stuff, and certainly got better as the match went through, while Davis couldn't get into the match at all. After a fairly scrappy start in the first, Ronnie was able to get in and make a break of 69 to go 1-0 up. The Rocket needed a couple of chances in the second frame, but any mistake he made went unpunished as he was able to get in and make a break of 54 to double his advantage. Then O'Sullivan began to turn on his scoring style, moving 1 frame from victory with a nice break of 101. It didn't take Ronnie long to seal the match, after Davis left the door open again for O'Sullivan to score, and he knocked in a break of 130 to book his place in the group final against Ding Junhui.

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-5 Ding Junhui - Ronnie O'Sullivan fought back from 3-0 and 5-3 down in style to beat Ding Junhui in this highly anticipated group final and book his place in the semi-finals against Neil Robertson. The match didn't get off to a brilliant start with Ding eventually taking the opener with a break of 53, but he did look solid in doing so. That advantage was soon doubled, with the Chinaman knocking in a break of 66 which practically sealed the frame. The next frame took a couple of chances for Ding to get over the winning line, but he did so and put himself into a commanding 3-0 lead. Ronnie needed to win the last frame before the interval, and a 53 set him along the way to doing so and reducing his deficit to 3-1. Ronnie was a lot better after the break, with breaks of 63 and 50 pulling the score back to 3-2 and putting a lot of pressure on China's No.1. He responded by going 4-2 ahead in the next frame taking a couple of good chances to do so. The pressure was back on the Rocket, but he didn't shy away, thriving on it making a brilliant 98 that deserved to be a century, and making the score 4-3. Ding showed a bit more of his mental strength in the next though, staying strong under increased pressure from Ronnie, making a break of 91 to go 5-3 and 1 frame from the semi-finals. Breaks of 47 and 36 from the World Champion reduced the gap to 1 frame, before a break of 55 forced the decider. The decider was a tense affair that swung left and right, Ding getting in first but only making 50. Ronnie got in next and countered with a break of 63, before he missed match ball blue after potting a trickier brown. After a few safety shots on the blue, both players missed chances to pot it, before Ding missed a second time and gave Ronnie a simple enough blue to clinch the match and a dramatic 6-5, sending him onto the semi-finals.

Semi-Final Preview:

Mark Selby Vs Stuart Bingham - The first semi-final sees the winners of the first 2 groups on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham. A few things are leaning me towards Selby for this one, after he played very well on Tuesday and won the Antwerp Open last weekend, and sort of has a home advantage, living only 20 minutes from the venue. Bingham though, played very well himself on Wednesday, but didn't really have a challenge in either of his matches, so this will be his first test of the week. However, Stuart has also said that he likes the way the table is playing this week, and it could be tailor-maid for a Bingham victory on Sunday. However, I just think that Selby is playing better at the moment, and even though it should be a very close match, I think that Mark will be able to do enough to win it.

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Neil Robertson - This has the makings of a classic match written all over it with two of the games big hitters and great break builders of the modern game facing off for a place in the final. Both players played very well in their respective groups on Thursday and Friday, and have been fighting hard as well as scoring well, with both players producing good comebacks at some point during the group stages. Neil does have a bit of recent wood on Ronnie, beating him in the ET6 event, but that counts for nothing in a best-of-11 on the big stage under immense pressure. However, I did tip Ronnie and Neil to win their groups at the start of the tournament, before then predicting that the Aussie would go on and win the event on Sunday evening. Therefore, from what I've seen so far I see no reason to change that prediction, and think that, while it will be another very close contest, that Robertson will just knick it and go through to the final.


Whatever happens, it should be an absolutely classic weekend of snooker to go with the great week of entertainment that we have already seen this week. I'm really looking forward to watching how things unfold over the weekend and who takes the £100,000 winners cheque on Sunday night.

Robertson wins group 4 of Champion of Champions

Neil Robertson won group 4 in Coventry after coming from 3-1 down to beat Martin Gould, and then winning a thrilling match against Ali Carter who overcame Mark Allen earlier in the group semi-finals. Overall it was an absolutely great standard from all of the players on show on the third day at the Ricoh Arena, and it was easily the best group so far.

So let's have a look back on the action:

Neil Robertson 4-3 Martin Gould - Neil Robertson produced a great comeback to beat Martin Gould from 3-1 down in the group semi-finals in Coventry. The match got off to a fairly scrappy start with Martin Gould needing a few chances to kill off the opener. Robertson need a couple of chances himself to square the score in the next, but a break of 44 helped him do just that. Gould started to take control of the match, a break of 48 helping him towards the next frame and a 2-1 lead, before a brilliant run of 102 put him 3-1 up and 1 frame from victory. Robertson didn't give up though and managed to find that extra gear to come back at Gould. A break of 77 pulled the score back to 3-2, before a wonderful 129 from Neil levelled the match and took it into a deciding frame. In the end the deciding frame was dominated by Robertson with a break of 112 giving Neil the match, and completing the magnificent come back. It was unlucky for Gould but there wasn't a whole lot he could have done to prevent that fight back, it was just magnificent stuff from the World No.1.

Ali Carter 4-3 Mark Allen - Ali Carter had to come back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to beat Mark Allen 4-3 in the other group semi-final, in another brilliant match that kept a good standard up throughout. Mark took an early lead with a break of 58 helping him to the opening frame, before a break of 54 put Allen 2-0 ahead. The Captain fought back though, with very nice breaks of 77 and 68 squaring the scores at 2-2 in what was shaping up to be a very close battle. Both players had chances in the fifth frame, and it could have been key to the overall outcome, and it was Allen that took at the second time of asking to lead 3-2. Allen had his chance to take out the match in the next, but played a poor shot and let Carter in, who made a break of 54 which was enough for him to force the decider. It was Ali that dominated the decider, with Allen not really having a proper chance to clinch the match, and it was eventually a break of 41 that was practically enough for him to seal the match and book his place in the group final against Neil Robertson.

Neil Robertson 6-5 Ali Carter - The group final was played at a great standard throughout the match, and if you will excuse all of the clichés, it really was a shame to see one of them lose in what was easily the match of the tournament so far. It was Carter that set the standard early on with a magnificent break of 112 giving him the opener. It wasn't long before Robertson was level with a brilliantly constructed break of 119 making it 1-1. The next frame was dominated by Carter until he fluked the blue in going for a thin red when Robertson already needed snookers. However, Carter eventually managed to take the frame and make it 2-1. Ali needed 2 or 3 chances to take the next frame, but once he did The Captain had a 3-1 lead at the mid-session lead. In true champions style, Robertson fought back once more making it 3-2 with yet another century (a 105 this time) before he levelled the match at 3-3, after missing the 15th black on 113, going for a maximum. Carter didn't buckle though making it 3 consecutive centuries with his own break of 127 regaining the advantage at 4-3. Both players had chances in the eighth frame before Robertson produced another brilliant clearance of 52 to square the scores at 4-4, making it a best of 3 for a place in the semi-finals. The next frame was fairly tense, with a break of 59 not proving enough to take the frame, as Robertson's break of 30 was enough for him to go 5-4 ahead and a frame from victory. One thing that this match deserved was a deciding frame to settle a great contests, and 2 evenly matches players. In the end the match got what it warranted, as Carter plucked out a brilliant break of 72 to make it 5-5. The decider, as you would expect, was a very tense affair, that swung like a pendulum with both players having chances (which is all you want in a decider I've heard). However, the last swing of the pendulum was towards the World No.1 as he managed to win a classic contest 6-5 and go into Saturday's semi-finals.


A great standard then on day 3 of the Champion of Champions, and one that would be difficult to match in the rest of the tournament. Although, with the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins and Mark Davis in action on the final day of the "group stages" from Group 1, it could easily be matched, or even bettered if Ding and O'Sullivan are at the very best. I'm really looking forward to another day of quality snooker then in Coventry, with ITV4 continuing to do themselves proud.

Bingham takes group 3 at the Ricoh Arena

Stuart Bingham won group 3 of the Champion of Champions event in Coventry after he beat Ricky Walden and Judd Trump, after Trump beat Marco Fu. Bingham was on top form on day 2 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, and only dropped 2 frames all day.

So let's have a look back at the action:


Judd Trump 4-1 Marco Fu - Judd Trump won a fairly scrappy affair against Marco Fu in the first semi-final of group 3, without having to play his best snooker. Fu needed 2 or 3 chances to take the opening frame of the match, but a break of 65 from Judd soon levelled the match. It only went downhill from there for Fu, who had been in good from ahead of the event, but he was unable to bring that form to Coventry. Trump took a very scrappy third frame to go 2-1 ahead, and didn't look back from there going 3-1 up and 1 away from victory with the help of a break of 48. Trump sealed his place in the group final in the next frame, with a break of 69 doing enough for him to win it 4-1.

Stuart Bingham 4-0 Ricky Walden - Stuart Bingham played well to whitewash a below par Ricky Walden in the second match of the afternoon and book his place in the evenings group final. It all started very well for Bingham with a break of 75 putting him 1-0 up. Bingham needed a couple of chances in the next frame but he'd soon doubled his lead with the help of 2 breaks of 32. Bingham continued to seize on Walden's errors, a run of 60 putting him 3-0 ahead and a frame from victory. Bingham needed a couple of chances in the next frame, but a break of 41 helped him along the way to the frame he needed, to book his place in the group final with Judd Trump.

Stuart Bingham 6-2 Judd Trump - As I say, Stuart was in top form all day, and he was superb once more against Judd punishing the former UK Champions simple errors. The opening frame was no different as Trump missed an easy frame ball on 60, and Bingham made a clearance of 63 to win it on the black. That affected Trump and after he missed a thin red in the next, Bingham made a break of 111 to move 2-0 ahead. Stuart continued his domination in the next with a break of 78 putting him 3-0 up and in complete control of the contest. Trump needed a couple of chances in the next to get the frame before the interval that he desperately needed, a break of 41 helping him along the way to closing the deficit to 3-1. Things got a little bit nervy, when Trump won the next with a run of 56 after Bingham missed when he looked like going 4-1 ahead. The next frame started off fairly tensely before Bingham could get in and take control, a run of 65 killing the frame of for a 4-2 Bingham advantage. The former Premier League champion needed a couple of chances in the next frame but a break of 47 helped him eventually go 3 up with 4 to play, at 5-2. The next frame was relatively nervy, with both players getting plenty of chances. However, it was Bingham that finally took his with a tense colour clearance, culminating in a cutback black, winning him the frame and the match, putting him into Saturday's semi-final.

Another good day of snooker then in Coventry, and I'm really enjoying the ITV4 coverage of the whole thing. I'll be back tomorrow to review the action from group 4 with Robertson, Allen, carter and Gould all in action.

Selby wins Group 2 in Coventry

Mark Selby won group 2 of the new Champion of Champions event in Coventry with wins against Shaun Murphy and then Stephen Maguire, after Maguire beat John Higgins in his group semi-final. The format looked good, as did ITV's commentary team of Everton, Foulds and McManus.

All good on day 1 then, so let's have a look back on what happened:

Mark Selby 4-2 Shaun Murphy - Mark Selby completed a fine victory in the first group semi-final against wildcard Shaun Murphy. Murphy didn't do a lot wrong in the match, and the signs are fairly good for him ahead of the UK Championship, but Selby was always going to outplay him on the safety front, and managed to carve out enough opportunity's to win the key frames. Shaun took the opening frame and looked good, making a break of 69 that didn't really look on when he came to the table. Selby worked Murphy down in the next frame with some superb safety play, making himself 2 good chances to eventually take the frame a square the match. He needed a couple of chances in the next frame as well, but his excellent safety play presented them and a break of 55 put Selby 2-1 ahead. Mark then made a break of 58 in the next frame to put himself 1 frame from the group final at 3-1. As I said, Murphy hadn't done a lot wrong until this point, and he managed to take advantage of the chances he was given in the next frame, and with the help of a break of 47, he managed to reduce his deficit to 3-2. 1 poor positional shot, followed by a poor safety shot from Shaun in the sixth frame was all it took to let Selby in, and after a good positional shot to get onto the black, Selby made a nice break of 66 to seal the 4-2 win.

Stephen Maguire 4-3 John Higgins - This was a good match between 2 players that both played very well and kept up a decent standard through most of the match, but Stephen Maguire just played the slightly better snooker of the 2 and did enough for victory. Higgins was the man that made the good start, taking the first frame with a break of 59. Maguire hit back in the next with the first century of the tournament, making a 125 to level the match. Higgins needed a couple of chances in the third frame but he managed to do enough to put himself 2-1 in front. Maguire levelled again though with a nice break of 92, before a nice clearance of 99 from Higgins put the former World Champion 3-2 ahead and 1 frame from the group final. However, both players missed some easy balls in the sixth frame, and it was Higgins that made the last mistake as Maguire capitalised with a break of 52 to force the decider. Higgins didn't really get a chance in the decider as Maguire managed to get in and leave Higgins needing snookers with a break of 66, which was eventually enough to give Stephen the match and a place against Mark Selby in the group final.

Mark Selby 6-3 Stephen Maguire - The group final began only 90 minutes after Maguire won his group semi-final which was never going to be ideal, while Selby had had time to go home between matches, living only 20 minutes from the venue. However, this didn't really show in the standard, as it was a very scrappy start to the match, but it was Maguire that did enough to win it and take an early lead. Selby squared the match immediately, taking the second of his chances to pretty much seal the frame. Mark started to look a lot better in the third frame with a lovely break of 113 putting him in front for the first time. Selby was in control of the next as well, and looked for a time like he would go 3-1 up at the interval, before a clearance of 52 from Maguire levelled the match at 2-2, and gave Maguire a much needed boost. This boost showed after the break as well, as he went ahead again at 3-2 with a nice break of 77 winning him the frame in one visit. This 1 visit snooker continued from Selby this time, as the "Jester" equalised again with his second century, a 103, making it 3-3 and looking like the match could go the distance. However, Selby began to control proceedings going 4-3 in front with a break of 77, before Stephen missed a simple red early in frame eight, gifting a chance to Selby, which the world No.2 made into a 117, and his 3rd century break, to go 1 from victory at 5-3. That frame ended up being the next, as Selby was able to grind Maguire down, needing and getting 2 or 3 chances to take the match out, but he did in the end, booking his semi-final spot with a 6-3 win.

It's over to group 3 on Day 2 of the Champion of Champions cup, with the likes of Trump, Fu, Bingham and Walden playing for a place in Saturday's semi-finals. Here's a link to my preview of this and all of the other groups:

cueactionsnookerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/champion-of-champions-preview.html 

A very entertaining start to this event then, matched with some good coverage by ITV4, bodes well for the rest of the week, which should be just as entertaining, as long as the rest of the guys can keep up the standard set by Selby and co. on the opening day. I'll be back tomorrow to review the second days play.

Champion of Champions Preview

Tomorrow starts the inaugural Champion of Champions tournament at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The event is the replacement for the Premier League, which being played on a weekly basis would never have managed to fit in on the calendar. The event is made up of four groups of four players, with one group being played over 1 day. For example the first group being played on Tuesday has the groups semi-finals (Shaun Murphy Vs Mark Selby and John Higgins Vs Stephen Maguire) over the best of 7 frames in the afternoon before the group final, over the best of 11, is played in the evening. However, that does mean that the winner of that group won't have to play again until Saturday, which is a long enough break for them to go home and come back again if they wanted to.

Another big boost for the tournament and the fans is that it is being televised on Terrestrial TV in the UK on ITV4, who did a fantastic job with their coverage of the Haikou World Open in February, and if they can do as a good job on coverage of this tournament it will be a cracker. The reported commentary line-up is the "voice of snooker" Clive Everton and the equally brilliant Neal Foulds (who were both on the line-up for February's World Open) and Alan McManus who will be another good addition to the box from what I've heard of him on commentary previously for Eurosport.

So let's have a look at how the event should pan out:

Group 1

Draw:
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Mark Davis ( Friday 22nd November 2.30pm UK Time)
Ding Junhui Vs Barry Hawkins (Friday 22nd November 1pm UK Time)
Group Final (Friday 22nd November 7pm UK Time)

This group sees the World Champion and recent Antwerp Open finalist Ronnie O'Sullivan take on wildcard entry Mark Davis (who was the second highest ranked player not already qualified), while recent Shanghai Masters, Indian Open and International Champion Ding Junhui takes on World Championship runner-up Barry Hawkins. For me though this group is all about Ding and Ronnie, because looking at the form of Hawkins and Davis it would be hard for me to say that they could beat Ding and Ronnie on any day, never mind the form that they are in at the moment. So the best of 11 group final for me will be between Ding and Ronnie and it should be a great match the way that both players are playing at the moment, and it is a really close match to call. For me though Ding Junhui is one of the only players on tour right now who can beat O'Sullivan, and I think that Ding might just be able sneak a tight win, but with the form Ronnie showed at the PTC in Antwerp this weekend Ding will need a near flawless performance to have any chance of victory.

Group Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Group 2

Draw:
Shaun Murphy Vs Mark Selby (Tuesday 19th November 1pm UK Time)
John Higgins Vs Stephen Maguire (Tuesday 19th November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Tuesday 19th November 7pm UK Time)

This is one of the tightest groups in the overall draw, where realistically any of the four players could win the group. However, out of the four only one of them is really in any kind of form at the moment and that is UK, Masters and most recently Antwerp Open champion Mark Selby. Selby played superbly all weekend in Belgium and was particularly impressive in the final coming from 3-1 down to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-3. However he will still have a tough match against Shaun Murphy who, despite his poor form, has a point to prove in this event. This is mainly because as a wildcard inclusion (as the highest ranked player not already qualified) who hasn't actually won a ranking event for 2 and a half years, he has no formal right to be here as a "champion of champions". Therefore, Shaun will want to justify his place in the tournament, and the only way he can do this is by beating Mark Selby and going on to win the group. Meanwhile it is very hard to split the Scottish duo of Welsh Open champion Stephen Maguire and former World Champion John Higgins, with neither player being in great form. Stephen pulled out of the Antwerp Open at the weekend, while Higgins was knocked out in the Last 64, despite a very good performance in the Last 128. However, both players will be up for this all Scottish battle, and I think that if Higgins can reproduce some of the form he showed in the first round in Belgium he should come through. Although, I don't think either player would be able to progress any further than that.

Group Winner: Mark Selby

Group 3

Draw:
Judd Trump Vs Marco Fu (Wednesday 20th November 1pm UK Time)
Stuart Bingham Vs Ricky Walden (Wednesday 20th November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Wednesday 20th November 7pm UK Time)

This is another tight group where all of the players are capable of winning the group, with former International and UK Champion Judd Trump, Australian Open Champion Marco Fu, Former Australian Open Champion Stuart Bingham and last seasons World semi-finalist Ricky Walden making up the group. Judd is probably in the best form at the moment making the final of the European Tour event 6 in Gloucester and making his first professional maximum break in the ET7 Antwerp Open event. Despite that it has been over a year since Judd last won an event, and Marco Fu has been one of the most consistent players on tour this season, winning the Australian Open, as well as making the final of both the International Championship and the 3rd European Tour event. That makes that particular match a very tight one to call, particularly over the best of 7 frames. The last time the 2 met was in the World Championship with Trump running out the victor, and I think he'll do the same on Wednesday. Meanwhile the other group semi-final between Stuart Bingham and Ricky Walden will be another tough one to call, with both players being quite inconsistent in the early stages of this season. I think Bingham has the best form out of the 2 though, and he should just edge out Walden, in a match that could well need all 7 frames. However, the winner of that match will probably be beaten over the best-of-11 frames by Fu or Trump in the group final.

Group Winner: Judd Trump

Group 4

Draw:
Neil Robertson Vs Martin Gould (Thursday 21st November 1pm UK Time)
Mark Allen Vs Ali Carter (Thursday 21st November 2.30pm UK Time)
Group Final (Thursday 21st November 7pm UK Time)

This group boasts the World Number 1 Neil Robertson, Mark Allen who was winner of the recent ET5 and ET6 events as well as last seasons Haikou World Open, German Masters champion Ali Carter and champion of the short formats (Snooker Shoot-out, Power Snooker and Championship League) Martin Gould. Gould is one of only 2 players in this event outside of the top 16 in the rankings (the other being O'Sullivan who missed most of last season). However that doesn't mean that Gould doesn't pose a threat to Robertson, but I still think that Robertson should come through this one comfortably, especially after he took the Antwerp Open event off. As for the Allen/Carter encounter, I think that Allen is in really good form at the moment, and despite a little blip at the weekend, he should still beat Carter who's form has not been helped by his well documented health problems at the start of the season. One thing that Carter is though is a fighter, and there is certainly no ruling him out of this one. However I think that the best of 11 frames Group final should be between Allen and Robertson. This should be a really good contest and I would expect to be high scoring but also very close. Robertson (despite losing to Allen in the recent ET6 event) has a very good record against Mark, and I think that he will be fresh and raring to go after having a week off, which should be enough for him to see the Northern-Irishman off.

Group Winner: Neil Robertson

Tournament Runner-Up: Mark Selby
Tournament Winner: Neil Robertson

Whatever happens it should be a brilliant event, with lot's of high quality, entertaining snooker to fulfil are snooker needs ahead of the UK Championships. I'll be back for daily updates throughout the week, and I hope you all enjoy the tournament.

2nd Q&A with Shaun Murphy

It's time then for my 2nd Q&A with World No.7 Shaun Murphy, where Shaun has kindly agreed to talk about all sorts of things such as: the state of the amateur game, when Shaun decided that snooker would be his career, his favourite all time matches, a possible career as a snooker commentator and what he thinks about being called Mrs Doubtfire.

Here's what Shaun had to say then:

How is your game feeling ahead of the busy month ahead?

Well all our months are pretty busy now so we're all getting used to it. I'm really enjoying all the travelling and everything that goes with it and working hard on my game. I haven't really had the results that match the amount of practise I’ve been doing but I know that good things are coming, i just don't know when.

You used your new cue for the first time in Australia, how did it feel?

My new cue is performing well. I’m really happy with it and now feel completely used to it. As I’ve said before, I only changed because my old one broke practising for the World Championship but i think it was for the best.

While you were in Australia you did a bit of commentary. So, in the future do you want to be a commentator for the BBC or any other TV channel?

I had a great time commentating in Oz and had some really nice feedback too. I'd definitely like to go into that later on in my career, hopefully that won’t be too soon!

The Paul Hunter Classic was played back in August and is considered the best European Tour event, how much do you enjoy playing in Germany and do you and the other player’s see this as the stand out PTC, in memory of Paul Hunter?

Yeah the Paul Hunter Classic is definitely played in a different spirit to other events. It’s such a good event, that all the players get behind and support together with great crowds every year and so it’s always a good event to go back to. We all remember Paul differently, but my everlasting memory of him is that he never once complained about the bad cards life had dealt him. He just got on with things and carried on trying. He was a great lad and profoundly missed.

How difficult are the PTC’s, when you have a lot of matches on one day with a short turnaround?

I think now, we're all used to the PTC formats, playing multiple games in one day has become the norm. It’s now a bit odd when we go to a bigger event and only have to play once a day. It’s a luxury we never knew about until the PTC's started.

What do you think of the new dress code of polo shirts for PTC Events?

I’m a fan of the new dress code for the European Tour events, and would even support the change filtering down into other events. I still think that we need to dress suits at the World Championship like they have Whites at Wimbledon, but I think the Polo shirts make snooker more appealing to a younger audience.

How tense do you get when you’re involved in close matches, because you have been involved in many over the past season or so?

That pressured scenario when it comes down to a close finish is what snooker's all about. Those are the matches we all live and practice for, amateurs and professionals alike.

What is your favourite match of all time?

Tough question this, as i've been in a lot of good matches over the years but actually i've got to say i've got two, and neither are mine. In no order, I will never forget going to the Crucible in 1992 as a nine year old to watch Peter Ebdon make his debut against my idol Steve Davis. That was an amazing day that I’ll always treasure ruined only by Peter, who hadn't read the script and beat Steve! My other one would be the Hunter V O’Brien Masters final when B&H sponsored it at the Wembley Conference centre. The atmosphere was electric and was the first time I remember thinking I wanted to be out there doing it. I’ve not won the Masters, but it’s that memory that keeps driving me on.

You have become renowned for big comebacks, so what is your thought process when you find yourself in these positions?

To be honest, I don't really know. I was always taught that it’s never over till the fat lady sings, and although i've sometimes heard her warming up backstage i've never ever given up until i’ve shook hands. I'm just not wired that way.

Do you prefer the longer format to the shorter format, and is this any different for when you’re playing lower ranked players?

I think in general you see fewer upsets in the longer format matches as things like luck, whatever that is,  haha,  tend to even themselves out the longer the game is but we play that many different formats now, you've just got to get on with it. Like I predicted three years ago, the standard of play, in my opinion across the tour is now the best it’s ever been. Rankings have become irrelevant and it truly now does come down to how you play on any day.

Are there any big rivalries on the snooker tour at present?

Not that i'm aware of, everyone gets on well.

Here’s a comedy question from one of my twitter followers: What do you think about being called Mrs Doubtfire?

Well i've definitely been called worse so it’s not that bad I guess. It was a good film too so at least it made people laugh.

This has brought me on to an interesting thought though: Are there any secret nicknames that guys have for you on tour, which fans don’t know about, and do you have any secret nicknames for any other players?

I can’t name names, but one players manager used to call him boomerang. I asked him why and he said that because every time he goes away he comes straight back!

You’ve always come across a quite a funny guy, so are you much of a fan of comedy and if so, who are your favourite stand-up comedians?

Yeah I love people like Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre and Lee Mack. I think it takes massive bottle to get up on stage and make people laugh so these guys have my 100% respect.

When you’re away in the middle of a tournament, what do you do between matches, and how do you switch off? Music, Television etc.?

I find a good box set or a book to be the answer these days. I’m currently working my way through Homeland. I’ve tried a few times to get into 24 but just can’t get into it for some reason.

How do you think the amateur game is now, compared to when you started out?

I think in general the health of snooker is very good top to bottom. Certainly from a family point of view, two of my nephews are really into it, with the eldest, Joshua Cooper entering the PTC at Gloucester.

 At what stage did you realise that snooker was going to be your full time career, was it always your dream to become a professional snooker player and who was your inspiration growing up?

I took up snooker at 8, and really decided that it was what i wanted to do at about 11. At 13 i left school, to play full time snooker and so it was all go from then. Looking back it was a good thing it paid off because I had nothing to fall back on if it didn't.

Having won the World and UK Championships, how desperate are you to complete the Triple Crown with a win in The Masters this season? Is that your major goal for the season?

Together with winning another World Title, winning the Masters is right at the top of my list of events to win. I keep asking the Jester from Leicester if he wants lend me one of his 3 but apparently not.

Finally, what are your plans for the next couple of months, with a busy period of snooker coming up?

We're in full swing now so for me it’s competing and then preparing for the next event. I tend to have a fixed practise routine together with working on things from my recent games. YouTube is great for that as not every game in recordable but most of them are posted on there so i can watch them back with my coach Chris, and this gives us an idea of what to work on going forward.

 

 

Some really interesting stuff there again from Shaun, and I'd like to thank him once again for taking part in the Q&A (and being a good sport as well), and I hope you enjoyed reading his views. I'm looking forward to more features like this coming your way on the blog in the near future.

European Tour 7: Antwerp Open Preview

This coming weekend sees the seventh and penultimate European Tour event in Antwerp, Belgium. It is an incredibly important tournament for players at both ends of the snooker spectrum. At the top, you would say that the top 16 on the Order of Merit should all be through to the PTC Finals (with the top 24 qualifying overall), whilst nearer the bottom of the rankings, the top 8 player not already qualified for the 2014/2015 season, will gain promotions to the tour. So this tournament is huge for a lot of people involved.

So let's take a look at how it should pan out:

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw:

Mark Williams Vs Amateur qualifier
Anthony McGill Vs Barry Pinches
Tom Ford Vs Paul Davison
David Grace Vs Amateur Qualifier
Alan McManus Vs Amateur qualifier
Alfie Burden Vs Amateur Qualifier
Peter Lines Vs Amateur Qualifier
Aditya Mehta Vs Michael Leslie
Andrew Norman Vs Jack Lisowski
Martin O'Donnell Vs Fraser Patrick
Fergal O'Brien Vs Vinnie Calabrese
David Morris Vs Alex Borg
Robbie Williams Vs Amateur Qualifier
Ryan Day Vs Sean O'Sullivan
Scott Donaldson Vs Adam Duffy
Dominic Dale Vs Amateur Qualifier

As you can see from the draw, this quarter is hardly littered with top stars, the stand-out player by far being Mark Williams, who is safe at 2nd on the OoM. Anything can happen in these PTC events, so anyone could win this quarter really, but Williams has to be the strong favourite, with Lisowski, Day and even Mehta and Morris for good company based on recent form. The likes of Barry Pinches, David Grace, Michael Leslie and Martin O'Donnell could all do with runs, Grace and O'Donnell looking to consolidate their positions in the top 8 not already qualified for next season, while Pinches would like a couple of wins to boost his hopes of breaking into that bracket. However, guys like Adam Duffy and Paul Davison need a really good run to have any chance of making it in to that top 8 not already qualified bracket. Of all of these players, Grace has the nicest draw, by the virtue of playing an amateur qualifier, and should be able to help his position in the order of merit. In terms of the quarter itself, I can't really see past Mark Williams, while Day or Morris could provide a good match in the quarter's I don't think either will do enough to beat him.

Quarter Winner: Mark Williams

Quarter 2

Last 128 Draw:

Tony Drago Vs Amateur qualifier
Martin Gould Vs Tian Pengfei
Ian Burns Vs Noppon Saengkham
Mike Dunn Vs Andrew Pagett
Joe Swail Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Judd Trump Vs Cao Xin Long
Mark Selby Vs Robin Hull
Anthony Hamilton Vs Amateur Qualifier
Mark Joyce Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng
Ding Junhui Vs Amateur Qualifier
Ali Carter Vs Elliot Slessor
Luca Brecel W/O Li Yan
Rod Lawler Vs Jimmy White
Marco Fu Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Ricky Walden Vs Patrick Einslie
Jamie Jones Vs Amateur Qualifier

This quarter is practically the opposite, and will probably receive most of the TV attention on Friday in Antwerp. The likes of Trump (finalist in ET6), Ding Junhui (finalist in ET5), Mark Selby (finalist in ET2), Marco Fu (finalist in ET3), Ricky Walden (Winner of ET3), whilst Ali Carter, Jamie Jones and Luca Brecel have also showed that they are well capable of runs that could win the quarter. There are also some very important matches for the likes of Jimmy White, Tony Drago, Mike Dunn and Ian Burns could all do with good runs, hovering there or there about on the prize money list, or in the top 8 not already list on the Order of Merit. Drago, Dunn and Burns have decent first round draws to try and get up the OoM some more, but Drago needs to go much further and I can't see it happening, with a possible Last 64 match with Martin Gould.

In terms of the quarter, I think it will be a quarter-final showdown between Judd Trump and Ding Junhui, with the likes of Walden, Selby and Carter still offering some stiff opposition, but all are in indifferent form at the moment. Marco Fu is certainly one never to rule out meanwhile. I do think that after last week, Trump will go on another good run this weekend, and isn't far away from another tournament win and a complete return to form.

Quarter Winner: Judd Trump for me, and one of my favourites for the title this week.

Quarter 3

Last 128 Draw:

John Higgins Vs Chen Zhe
Sam Baird Vs James Cahill
Matt Selt Vs Rory McLeod
Pankaj Advani Vs Amateur Qualifier
Matthew Stevens Vs Amateur Qualifier
David Gilbert Vs Amateur Qualifier
Michael Holt Vs Ryan Clark
Ben Woollaston Vs Jamie O'Neill
Stuart Carrington Vs Andrew Higginson
Mark King Vs Lee Page
Joel Walker Vs Alex Davies
Chris Wakelin Vs Jamie Cope
Kyren Wilson Vs Amateur Qualifier
Kurt Maflin Vs Li Hang
Mark Davis Vs Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon
Nigel Bond Vs Ratchayothin Yotharuck

Once more this quarter isn't filled with top players, but there are still plenty of decent players in this section of the draw, as well as a couple of players that could certainly do with runs to help boost their chances of staying on the tour for next season. Such players include Joel Walker, who is currently in the top 8 not already qualified on the OoM, and could do with a couple of wins this weekend to boost his standing. Meanwhile, the likes of Jamie O'Neill and Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon could do with a decent run, just to boost their overall ranking on the prize money list, as they really would need to do something special to make the top 8 not already qualified on the European Order of Merit. Thanawat and Jamie don't have the best draws though, and could be struggling once more this week, but Joel Walker plays Alex Davies who he's already beaten this season in the Wuxi Classic, so he'll be hoping for more of the same this weekend.

As for winning the quarter, John Higgins and Mark Davis have to be the stand-out names, while Michael Holt, Matthew Stevens, Ben Woollaston and David Gilbert are also capable of a good run, and Mark King and Andrew Higginson could never be ruled out. Higgins isn't in the best form at the moment, and could do with a run here to give him some confidence for the UK Championships. Stevens has never really shone that much in these PTC events over the last year or so, and is quite inconsistent over the best-of-7 format. So, my favourites for the quarter are Mark Davis, who certainly has the ability to go and be a serious contender for the event. However, I wouldn't rule Holt and Gilbert out of runs that could see them take the quarter either, and Holt especially has the capabilities to win the quarter and the event, and based on his recent form, I wouldn't be surprised if he did so this weekend.

Quarter Winner: Mark Davis

Quarter 4

Last 128 Draw:

Robert Milkins Vs Joe Perry
Hammad Miah Vs Amateur Qualifier
Gerard Greene Vs Liam Highfield
Gary Wilson Vs Liang Wenbo
John Astley Vs Craig Steadman
Marcus Campbell Vs Yu DeLu
Shaun Murphy Vs Amateur Qualifier
Mark Allen Vs Allan Taylor
Daniel Wells Vs Graeme Dott
Barry Hawkins Vs Chris Norbury
Stuart Bingham Vs Dave Harold
Ken Doherty Vs James Wattana
Michael Wasley Vs Zhang Anda
Michael White W/O Ahmed Saif
Ross Muir W/O Stephen Maguire
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Jak Jones

The bottom quarter of the draw is filled with top players, and plenty of contenders for the title in Antwerp. For starters Mark Allen has won the last 2 European tour events, and you wouldn't rule him out for a third in a row in this event. However, he could face Shaun Murphy in the Last 64 of this one, and even though Shaun is struggling at the moment, he was a semi-finalist in the third European tour event and is well capable of beating Allen. The likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan (winner of ET4), Barry Hawkins, Stuart Bingham, Graeme Dott (semi-finalist in ET6), Robert Milkins and Joe Perry are all capable of winning this event and even the likes of Liang Wenbo (AT3 winner) and Gerard Greene (ET4 runner-up) are capable of good runs in this event. This event does have a big importance for those searching for form ahead of the UK Championships, with the likes of Murphy, Bingham and Hawkins struggling a little at the moment. In fact I would honestly say that one of those will probably win the quarter, but with Allen and O'Sullivan here too, it would be a very tough call to make to pick 1 of those 4 to win the quarter.

As for the race for tour survival, the likes of Daniel Wells and James Wattana are 2 guys that could both do with runs to climb up the OoM or the provisional prize money list, but both have tough draws to try and do this, making it quite unlikely. Meanwhile the likes of Craig Steadman and Michael Wasley also need some wins in this tournament, though Wasley is significantly closer to safety than Steadman, and both have decent first round draws, though being drawn in this quarter will obviously make progression very difficult. However, the most important first round match could be between Liam Highfield and Gerard Greene. Though Greene is safe either way, this could be an important tournament for us to see on what list he will survive (with the OoM to fall back on if he dropped out of the 64), while Highfield could do with a run to try and boost his standing on both lists, with a good run desperately needed at some stage to try and get him up the Prize money list.

However, as I have mentioned, this is not where the main running will happen in this quarter, and it is impossible to try and tell who will win the quarter, with so many top stars involved in this section this weekend.

Quarter Winner: Really an impossible call, with about 9 players capable of winning this section. However, if I was going on form it would have to be Mark Allen. Although I think there will be a lot more to it than that.

Tournament Winner: Judd Trump to win the event for me, which would give him a required, but also a massive, boost ahead of the UK Championships in York.


Whatever the outcome this weekend, it should be another cracking PTC and 3 days of great snooker, with the eventual winner on Sunday night worthy of every penny of the 25,000 Euro's, and I'm really looking forward to watching the tournament unfold, and seeing who that eventual winner will be.

Ding is International Champion

Ding Junhui won the International Championship in Chengdu, beating Marco Fu 10-9 in what was a superb final, that had absolutely everything including centuries, long safety battles, tension and even a 147 attempt.

So let's have a look back on another great contest this week:

Ding Junhui 10 - 9 Marco Fu - The match started off relatively scrappy, with both players having chances in the opener, before Fu won it on the colours. However, both players soon settled into the match and played a very high standard of snooker. Fu soon doubled his lead with a break of 128, before Ding made a century of his own (a 108) to make the score 2-1. Fu took the last frame before the first mid-session interval, needing a couple of chances, but he did enough to go 3-1 ahead. After the mid-session break, Ding found another extra couple of gears, and produced some of the best snooker of the week when it mattered. He closed the gap to 1 frame with a run of 92, before squaring the match with a magnificent break of 138. Before too long Ding was in front, and Marco could really do nothing about this barrage from the Chinaman, who made yet another century, this time a 127, to go 4-3 in front. All of a sudden, Ding had made 3 centuries in a row with a another great 126, to go 5-3 up and guarantee a lead going into the 2nd session. The question now was, could Fu stop Ding, and stay with him by winning the final frame of the session. The frame was very much a tense one, and Fu needed more than 1 chance to see it off, good breaks under pressure of 36 and 39 were enough to seal the frame though and ensure that Ding only had a 1 frame advantage going into the 2nd session, 5-4 ahead.

The standard of the final session was just as good as the first session, and this showed in the very first frame, as Ding made another century break, a magnificent 108, to open up a 2 frame advantage at 6-4. The eleventh frame, was another tense and scrappy battle, but it was the man from Hong Kong that did enough to take it and close the gap to 6-5. The drama continued in the next as Fu got in, and with only blacks and baulk colours to play for, Fu took the first 13 reds with blacks, and was sat on a possible maximum. After potting the 14th red successfully, he had to try and open up the last from the pot, and played it perfectly... except he missed the black. However, a break of 105 was enough to level the game. The last frame before mid-session was another all important frame, but Marco Fu just continued from where he left off in the last, with a run of 71 putting him 7-6 ahead at the break. Ding knew he needed to keep up the good standard he produced in the opening session, and after the interval, a run of 65 was enough for him to level up once more. However, the game continued to swing this way and that, with Fu edging ahead once more at 8-7 thanks to a break of 81. 2 breaks of 30 from Ding, managed to help him make it 8-8, turning the match into a best of 3 for the title. Both players knew how important frame 17 was, with the winner going 1 away from the title, and a very long and tense frame followed. Both players had their chances, but it was a break of 37 from Fu that seemed to be the driving force that put him one up with 2 to play at 9-8. But as I  have said on countless occasions this week, Ding continued to produce his best snooker under pressure, and in this high pressure of situations, with the next mistake possibly being his last, he made a break of 58 that had to be admired, to force the decider. The old phrase goes that "all you want in the decider is a chance". This particularly true in the decider of ranking event final, and unfortunately Marco Fu did not get his. Ding Junhui had the one last burst of brilliance that he needed to seal the title with an absolutely superb break of 91 giving him the deciding frame, and his 3rd ranking event in succession.


A truly brilliant final then, completing a truly magnificent week of top class snooker, and all credit must go to Marco Fu as well Ding Junhui who both played top class snooker, worthy of any stage in snooker. Ding has achieved something that most snooker players will never get close to by winning 3 ranking events in a row, and he now moves into the UK Championships at the end of the month as a hot favourite, and it will really take something special to stop him right now. I'm looking forward to it already.

Ding sets up another all Asian final at the International championships

Ding Junhui set-up yet another all Asian final at an Asian ranking event so far this season, after he won a great match against Graeme Dott 9-7. Ding, going for his third ranking event of the season, plays Marco Fu who won yesterday's semi-final and will certainly provide Ding with another test.

So here's my summary of a classic semi-final:

Ding Junhui 9-7 Graeme Dott - Ding Junhui was just about able to see off the plucky Graeme Dott to move into the final. Despite being behind several times during the match, Dott as always just would not give up. Graeme in fact, deserves a lot of credit for his performances today, and throughout the week, he always fights hard, and has shown some return to form this week. I hope his great form continues, because even his B game never lets players get off with an easy win. On to the match, and it started with Dott taking the opener courtesy of a 57. Ding hit back though taking the next 2 with breaks of 66 and 71 to move into a 2-1 lead. The lead didn't last long though, as Dott made a nice little 69 to level proceedings as they headed into the mid-session break of the opening session. An early 53 was eventually enough to give the Chinaman a 3-2 lead. That lead was soon doubled as Ding took what was a very tight and scrappy frame by a single point, with a clearance of 33. Graeme responded well though by taking the penultimate frame of the session, helped by a break of 48, to make the score 4-3. In a similar fashion to yesterdays semi-final, the final frame of the first session was quite a scrappy one, with both players knowing it's importance. However, it was Ding that took it, to put himself 5-3 in front going into the final session.

The second session began with Ding taking a 3 frame lead, needing a few chances after Dott made an earlier 51, but he took it in the end to go 6-3 ahead. Breaks of 40 and 50 in the next soon put Ding 2 frames from victory, dominating the encounter with a commanding 7-3 lead. This is where Dott's fighting qualities began to show. A break of 74 reduced the deficit to 3 frames, and Graeme followed this up with a classy 75 to go into the mid-session interval only 2 frames behind at 7-5. The gritty Scot started from where he left off before the interval with another good break of 83 to close to within a single frame at 7-6, putting Ding under pressure once again. But, as he seems to do every time he is put under pressure these days, the Shanghai Masters and Indian Open champion responded with a great break of 121 to put him 2 clear again and 1 frame from victory at 8-6. Dott didn't give up though, and clung on once more, with a run of 57 pulling the score back to 8-7. Dotty looked good to force a decider at one stage in the sixteenth, but he let Ding back in, and the Chinaman pulled off several pressure pots throughout the break, and made a quite brilliant pressure break of 63 to win the frame on the black and take the match 9-7. All credit to Dott though he was brilliant, and is one of my favourite players simply because of how he continues to battle, no matter how bad the situation may seem.

Final Preview:

Ding Junhui Vs Marco Fu - Can anyone stop Ding winning 3 ranking titles in a row on his current form? Probably only a few players on top form could to be honest. Is Marco Fu one of those? If he can keep up the standard of snooker he has played so far this week, then yes is the answer. Either way, I expect that this match will be closely fought from start to finish, with some tense frames, countered by some heavy scoring from both players. Both guys, as I mentioned, are playing and scoring brilliantly. But another thing that both players have done really well, particularly in their semi-finals, is respond to pressure. Fu was under immense pressure at 5-2 down, in the opening session against Perry, knowing 1 slip up in the final frame of the session could be the end of him really. As it was, he won that final frame of the session, and the first 3 of the next session to go 6-5 ahead, and again responded well in the decider. Meanwhile, Ding was constantly being put under pressure by Graeme Dott, especially when he came from 7-3 down to make it 7-6. However, Ding's response was to make it 8-6 with a century, showing that he could handle those tricky little situations. Both players are so evenly matched, but I just feel that Ding has an a small edge overall, and I think that could be enough to get him his third ranking event in a row. Whatever happens, it should be a really cracking final over the best of 19 frames, with some really entertaining snooker to be expected by these 2.

Prediction: A tight 10-8 victory for Ding Junhui.

Fu first man through to final in Chengdu

Marco Fu was the first man through to Sunday's International Championship final, with a nerve-shredding 9-8 victory over Joe Perry. Fu will now play either Ding Junhui or Graeme Dott, in this weeks finale, with Ding and Dott battling it out in tomorrow's second semi-final.

So let's have a quick look back on how Marco made it through:

Marco Fu 9-8 Joe Perry - As the score line suggests, this was no walkover for Fu, and Perry really gave him a tough game indeed. In fact looking back at how the match went, you kind of get the feeling that Perry may have blew his chance, after letting an early 5-2 lead slip, by losing the next 4 in a row, when he could've possibly looked to dominate. The first couple of frames were quite scrappy, but Perry dominated and took them both to lead 2-0. Fu managed to get himself into the game with a break of 60, before a break of 48 was enough to give Perry a 3-1 lead into the interval in the first session. A break of 83 gave Perry a commanding 3 frame advantage, before a break of 68 from Fu pulled it back to 4-2. An early break of 53 wasn't enough to give Fu the seventh frame and a brilliant 72 from Perry made it 5-2, guaranteeing Perry had some sort of lead at the end of the session, with 1 frame to play. The final frame of the session was very scrappy, as both guys knew it's importance, Fu did enough to take it, and keep himself in it at 5-3.

The final session started in a similar manner, but Fu dominated it and moved within 1 frame of Perry at 5-4. An early break of 48 wasn't enough to put Joe further in front, and breaks of 40 and 28 allowed the Australian Open champion to level the game at 5-5. This was huge for Fu, and it showed as he began to gain some confidence and made a break of 88 to lead for the first time at 6-5. Perry's fighting qualities started to show at this stage, having lost 4 frames on the bounce, as he made a brilliant 103 to level the game again at 6-6, at the final mid-session interval. Again another scrappy, and lengthy frame followed, which Perry eventually managed to win on the colours to go 7-6 ahead. An early break of 70 in the fourteenth allowed Fu to equalise once more, before several fouls followed up by a break of 47 put Marco 8-7 in front and 1 frame from the match. The sixteenth frame, once again saw chances for both players in what was another tense affair. However it was Joe that took it to force the final frame shoot-out. The decider was another lengthy affair, with both players having plenty of chances, but it was eventually Fu that took the frame and match on the colours, booking his place in the final, and the way he is playing he has a great chance of taking the title.

Second semi-final Preview:

Ding Junhui Vs Graeme Dott - This should be a great contest between 2 very good players. I think that Ding is a hot favourite, not only for this match, but for the tournament also, and I think really it is his tournament to lose, the way he has played in the last month. Ding has been superb this week as well, and showed yesterday that has also matured so much in the last year or more. Meanwhile, this is the first decent run that Graeme Dott has had in a ranking event for a while, and maybe he has turned a corner after a spell of poor form. From what I've seen he's played well this week, and he has every chance of beating Ding tomorrow. However, I just think that Ding is playing well at the moment, that it would take a snooker storm to stop him, and i'm not sure that Dotty is the man to provide it.

Prediction: 9-6 victory for Ding