Fantasy Snooker Update: Gibraltar Open and Players Championship

Four events are left in the 2016/2017 season's Fantasy Snooker and the first of those begins on Friday with the Gibraltar Open. Following that straight up on Monday is the Players Championship before the calendar takes a two week break.

Here is how the table looks ahead of Gibraltar with the players you have already picked this season listed next to you name. Don't forget you can ONLY PICK THE SAME PLAYER THREE TIMES. Players you have picked three times will be in Bold, red colour and capital letters with the number 3 next to their name so it could not be more obvious.

1^st: Anthony: Selby x2, Ding x2, Robertson, Hawkins x2, O’Sullivan x2, Trump x2, Higgins x2, Maguire, Allen x2, Bingham x2, Wenbo x2, M. Williams, Fu x2, Walden, Carter, Perry 818

2^nd: Gary: Ding, Bingham x2, MURPHY x3, Trump x2, ALLEN x3, Robertson x2, Higgins x2, SELBY x3, Fu, O’Sullivan x2, Wenbo, McGill, Hawkins, Perry, Walden 754

3^rd: Isitan Bakar: BINGHAM x3, MAGUIRE x3, ALLEN x3, Trump x2, Higgins x2, Robertson, Selby x2, Perry, O’Sullivan x2, Carter, Murphy x2, Fu x2, Ding, Wenbo 658

4^th: M. Lowson: MURPHY x3, Carter, Robertson, Selby x2, Higgins x2, Ding, McGill, O’Sullivan x3, Allen x2, Bingham, Trump x2, WENBO x3, Perry, K. Wilson, Fu, Hawkins 644

5^th: FAM147: BINGHAM x3, Perry, ROBERTSON x3, ALLEN x3, Higgins, Wilson, Walden x2, Gilbert, Trump, Carter, Maguire, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x2, Hawkins, M. White, Fu, Milkins 643

6^th: Daniela Reich: Ding, Selby, Robertson x2, Trump, O’SULLIVAN x3, Allen x2, Gould, Walden x2, Bingham x2, Murphy, Wenbo x2, Higgins, M. Williams, Fu x2, Maguire, Gilbert, Perry, King 632

7^th: Igor: Murphy x2, Carter, Selby x2, TRUMP x3, HIGGINS x3, DING x3, Robertson x2, Bingham x2, McGill, Maguire, Hawkins, O’Sullivan x2, Fu, Allen x2 630

8^th: Andrew Walker: Allen x2, TRUMP x3, ROBERTSON x3, SELBY x3, Bingham x2, DING x3, O’Sullivan x2, FU x3, Higgins x2, Hawkins, Perry 584

9^th: Kellie: Selby x2, Wilson, Trump x2, O’Sullivan x2, Robertson x2, Bingham x2, McGill, Walden, Murphy, Higgins x2, Wenbo, Gould x2, ALLEN x3, Maguire, Yuelong, Bingtao, Williams 566

10^th: John McBride: Selby x2, Trump x2, ROBERTSON x3, Maguire x2, Murphy, Higgins, Bingham x2, O’Sullivan, ALLEN x3, Hawkins, McGill x2, Fu, Wilson, M. White 520

11^th: Ezgi Ulutas: Wilson, Robertson x2, McGill, Higgins x2, Fu x2, Wenbo x2, Allen x2, Trump x2, O’Sullivan x2, Selby x2, Gould, Hamilton, Walden, Perry 511

12^th: SnookerFollower: Bingham, Ding x2, Carter, Holt, Allen x2, HIGGINS x3, McGill, Maguire x2, Trump x2, O’Sullivan x2, Wenbo x2, Hawkins, Murphy, K. Wilson, Selby x2, Fu 503

13^th: P. Mudd: Ding, Trump x2, Holt x2, McGill, Higgins x2, Gould, Robertson, O’Sullivan x2, Murphy x2, Bingham x2, Allen x2 Perry, K. Wilson, Wenbo, M. Williams, Selby x2, Fu, Hawkins 

488

14^th: Mark Taylor: Robertson x2, Bingham x2, Holt, Carter, O’Sullivan x2, SELBY x3, Maguire x2, Trump x2, Murphy x2, Ding x2, Allen, Higgins x2, Hawkins x2, Fu, Wilson 480

15^th: TungstenDarts: Perry, Bingham x2, Carter, TRUMP x3, Allen, Wilson, HIGGINS x3, WENBO x3, Gould, Maguire, O’Sullivan, Holt x2, Hull, Selby, Hawkins, Ding 477

16^th: Kjetil: Wenbo x2, Bingham x2, Murphy, Bingtao x2, Allen x2, Ding, Hang, Trump x2, O’Sullivan, Maflin, Hawkins x2, M. Williams x2, Selby, Robertson, Gould, Higgins 463

17^th: Gorkem: O’SULLIVAN x3, Selby x2, Hawkins x2, Murphy x2, Ding, M. White, ROBERTSON x3, Allen x2, Trump x2, Selt, Wenbo, K. Wilson, Higgins x2, Williams 445

18^th: LTD: Wilson, Selby x2, HAWKINS x3, Walden, Allen x2, Robertson x2, Murphy x2, BINGHAM x3, Perry x2, O’Sullivan x2, Wenbo, M. White, Holt, Gilbert, Higgins x2 429

19^th: Couge: Carter, Holt, Murphy x2, Selby x2 Robertson x2, HIGGINS x3, Trump x2, Ding x2, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire, Hamilton, Bingham x2 Brecel, Allen, M. Williams, Wenbo x2 423

20^th: TYIO: Gould, BINGHAM x3, Carter x2, Walden, Higgins, TRUMP x3, Maguire, Ding x2, MURPHY x3, ALLEN x3, ROBERTSON x3, Selby, Fu x2 420

21^st: Andrew Brooker: Wilson, Maguire x2, Murphy x2, Carter x2, ALLEN x3, Ding, McGill, Bingham x2, Trump x2, O’Sullivan x2, Perry, Robertson, Walden, Hawkins, Selby, Bingtao, Higgins 394

22^nd: Munraj Pal: Ding x2, Trump x2, Murphy x2, Allen x2, Robertson x2, Wilson, McGill x2, Walden x2, Fu x2, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x2, K. Wilson, Maguire x2, Wenbo, Brecel 334

Get your Gibraltar Open picks in by Friday morning and your Players Championship picks in by teh first game on Monday night. 

Happy 4th Birthday/Happy week in Wales

Here comes more of a personal blog. As many of you who have followed the blog over the years will know, I like to put something up on the anniversary/birthday of the blog every year and today marks four years since I started up this little corner of the internet where I like to give the information, thoughts and opinions that I have on this great sport.

Incorporated within this blog I will reflecting on my time in Cardiff watching the Welsh open from Wednesday to the final on Sunday of last week. It really was a cracking week and great credit has to go to Stuart Bingham for his performance to take the title, but also to Judd Trump - it takes two to make a brilliant final.

FOUR MORE YEARS 

So it has been four years since I set up this page now and I still enjoy writing the features that make up what I do more than ever. The Stat Attack has been back and better than ever in the last six months. That and the tournament top ten are certainly here to stay.

What I am going to end is the tradition of promising new features that don't quite happen. I am fairly happy with the way I go about things at the moment. Maybe during the quiet summer months some new content and features may come in, but while the calendar is busy the preview blogs I do now see a lot of work.

Thanks come again to all of those who read and share the blog on Twitter, to Shaun Murphy for his help with promoting the blog, my Twitter page and for his help when I visit tournaments. I would also like to thank the great Robin Hull, his help sharing the blog on Twitter insured that the Live Blog for the Last 32 in the Welsh Open last week, featuring his match with Stuart Carrington, was the most viewed blog in my history. One retweet insured his fans were aware of my blog and saw this live commentary get more views in Finland than anywhere else in the world.

I have had more chance to do live blogs in the last year and I would like to continue that. It is one of the most enjoyable things about being at the venues live, to give you readers information on the non-TV games. Hopefully there will be even more of that in the next 12 months. As my Twitter followers will already be aware I have an expressed an interest in the provisional calendar and the 10 days of qualifiers that are scheduled for August. With a bit of sponsorship or extra funds I would be able to go and cover all 10 days, but without that I do not have the finances to support 11 nights in a hotel for example.

WELSH OPEN WEEK

I arrived in Cardiff on Wednesday afternoon, and swiftly jinxed Mr Murphy. As usual he was defeated whilst I was at the venue, and this time it was within a matter of hours. To be fair he did have bronchitis and spent the time between his Cardiff exit and the Championship League this week just resting and recovering and still is not at 100%.

It was fun to see Robin Hull up close at a venue, I was not able to see much of him in Cardiff in 2016 and he was out of the English Open before I arrived in Manchester in October. As I have mentioned my live blog which he shared on his Twitter page was the most viewed in my history and I now seem to have a lot of fans in Finland.

Igor Figueiredo had a great week to make the Last 16, I'm not sure anyone saw that coming but he played really well, scored heavily and just reminded everyone of how good he can be when he enters tournaments, which he has not always been able to do with great frequency.

Scott Donaldson's run to the semi-finals was refreshing. It was nice to see young British talent having a good run and many have said before that he has got a bright future. He gave Trump a decent game in the semi-finals as many in the crowd seemed to think it would be a walkover, including the presenter for BBC Wales who we could hear from my seat at the back of the crowd, as they filmed their opening link on the first floor balcony.

Again there were positive runs from Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong, the deadly World Cup winning duo who have been impressive ever since that victory. Yan's win against Selby on the Thursday on the TV table was not one I got to see a great deal of from my position watching tables 6,7 and 8 that afternoon. However, his performance the night before against Thor Chuan Leong was a very impressive one for me, at 3-1 down he did not look anywhere near his best and Thor was playing quite well. A couple of sloppy errors from Thor left Yan able to dig in and punish him and it showed all the signs of a very classy player, being able to win when he was not firing on all cylinders.

I was really pleased to see Stuart Bingham win on Sunday. It was richly deserved for him to win his first title since becoming world champion. He gives a lot of his time up at the venue to sign autographs and do pictures for the fans and was doing so on arrival at the venue before both sessions of the final against Trump. Trump had a lot of great support in and all of his family were in attendance and with this being his closest event to home it was great to see.

Speaking of attendance... the crowds in Wales were fantastic last week and it brings me on to an important point. This is one of only two events in Wales per season and it is no coincidence based on that, that the turnout was brilliant all through the week. The venue is ideally situated in the centre of Cardiff with three of four hotels nearby and easily accessible. This could not be further apart from Event City in Manchester where the English Open was held back in October. It also highlighted that there may just be too many events in England this season, as the poor crowds at the English Open and much more recently the World Grand Prix in Preston displayed. By contrast, all of the European Tour events were well attended as these were the only events in the calendar in many of the selected countries such as Bulgaria and Poland. However, they have kept the Gibraltar Open which comes up next week and will hopefully see a much improved crowd on its first staging. That's the end of that little rant.



All in all I think the message of this blog was thank you for reading and supporting the blog and that hopefully things will continue for a while yet, and i'll be attending some more venues in the future. My experiences in great cities like Cardiff certainly keep up my enjoyment of being at venues and writing about snooker.

Shoot Out Preview - Trends and Fun

The time has arrived. The snooker Shoot-Out is back and this time with even more controversy than there has ever been. The complaints are flooding in from all corners of the snooker Twitter community about the changes that have been made to a tournament that a lot of traditional snooker fans were not fans of before.

For the first time this year the Shoot-Out will count towards the prize money ranking list. The field has been upped from 64 to 128 so that all of the tour are eligible. My only issue with these changes is that it may keep someone on tour who does not necessarily deserve to be based on their other performances, or more likely knock someone off of the tour who would be very unfortunate to receive such a fate come the end of the season. The other being that it could get someone into the top 16 for automatic qualification to the World Championships at the Crucible or knock someone out who again would be very unfortunate to have that happen. 

There is another small point, over the last two years there have been plenty of tournaments for people to make their marks on the various lists whether that be making the top 64 or the top 16 and if they don't do so then the likelihood is they have not performed well enough on a consistent enough basis to achieve their individual goals. 

Besides, with £32,000 on offer for the winner, £16,000 for the runner-up, £8,000 for the semi-finals and £4,000 for quarter-finalists, players would really have to get to the semi's or final to make any kind of significant ranking move. 

Otherwise, the Shoot-Out is good fun if you let the stigma attached to it go and enjoy it as it is designed: - As a fun event and something different from any other tournament. It is also an opportunity for some players who have not had a great deal of Television exposure, to get their names out there and show what they can do. 

The non-entries for this tournament are aplenty which is not surprising given the non-entries of previous years and this being a busy period on the calendar. Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Marco Fu, Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Maguire and Peter Ebdon are the notable absentees and each will have their own reasons for this. 

The question now though is, who will be the man who takes the title on Sunday. Well, I am going to narrow down the list of contenders by looking at some of the trends from the previous tournaments. 

1. No-one has ever won the Shoot-Out whilst being ranked inside the top 16

8 players are lost at this stage: Stuart Bingham, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Joe Perry, Mark Williams, Liang Wenbo, Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins. 

2. No Shoot-Out winner has ever won it before

That rules Michael White, Robin Hull, Dominic Dale, Martin Gould and Nigel Bond as well as Barry Hawkins. 

3. Since the inaugural event in 2011, only 2016 winner Robin Hull had ever won on his debut: 

That rules out a whole host of players, including the likes of Yan Bingtao, Zhao Xintong, Akani Songsermsawad but also players near the top 64 such as Ross Muir, Martin O'Donnell and Daniel Wells. 

4. Aside from Michael White, each of the other Shoot-Out winners have been at least 31 years old when winning the Shoot-Out title. 

Having already narrowed the field down by half we lose plenty more again here. These include Jack Lisowski, Anthony McGill, Oliver Lines, Luca Brecel, Sam Baird, Xiao Guodong, Jamie Jones and Jimmy Robertson. 35 potential contenders remain. 

5. While only Nigel Bond and Dominic Dale out of the six previous Shoot-Out winners had won a ranking event, each winner had made at least the quarter-finals of a full ranking event within the two years prior to victory. No player had ever won a ranking event withing 7 years of their Shoot-Out win. 

So for not reaching a ranking event quarter-final (or making one in the last 2 years at least) we lose: Ian Burns, Craig Steadman, Dechawat Poomjaeng, Jamie Cope, Matthew Stevens, Fergal O'Brien, Joe Swail, Aditya Mehta, Ken Doherty, Rod Lawler and Andrew Higginson amongst others. 

Meanwhile for winning a ranking event within the last 7 years we lose: Anthony Hamilton, Ricky Walden and Mark King. 

6. Each Shoot-Out winner has made at least 100 career centuries (according to CueTracker)

I think this trend just shows on the whole that shoot-out winners are generally heavy scorers. The players we lose here are: Mark Joyce, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, David Grace, Mike Dunn, Rory McLeod, Matthew Selt and Gary Wilson

11 players remain: 

- Alan McManus 

- Kurt Maflin 

- Ryan Day 

- Michael Holt  

- Tom Ford  

- Graeme Dott 

- Jimmy White 

- Robert Milkins 

- Alfie Burden 

- David Gilbert 

- Mark Davis 

Top 5 Contenders:

Out of the above 18 who fit the bill here are five who based on past performances could have a good shout: 

- Kurt Maflin - Maflin reached the quarter-finals of the Shoot-Out in both 2013 and 2014 so he has a decent record by the standards of this tournament. His quick style and high scoring ability also make him a good fit and last week he made the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open. 

- Robert Milkins - Milkins has proved before that he is a good match for this format. In the inaugural shoot out of 2011 he was the losing finalist against Nigel Bond. One of the quickest on tour but also the most fluent amongst the reds so the shot clock is never a problem. Last year he shined again making the quarter-finals and after making the semi's in Wales last week he is striking the ball well, which is another reason he could be a contender. 

- Graeme Dott - Dott was the second ever finalist back in 2012 and as a losing semi finalist in 2014 he has backed up the thought that he could contend for the title. There is a great snooker myth (thanks to some long and slow high profile matches played at the Crucible) that Dott is a slow player. This couldn't be further from the truth though when he is amongst the reds which is really what the Shoot Out is all about. It has not been the best season for Dott but a major run here could give him the confidence needed to turn his fortunes around. 

- Ryan Day - Day is another player with a decent record in this event. Last year he made the quarter-finals and in 2014 he reached the semi's. On two other occasions he has reached the Last 16 and is in good form of late. Reaching the final of the Grand Prix will help his confidence massively and this could be his week to get a title. Another heavy scorer and someone who has no trouble with the Shot Clock he is suited to the format. 

- Tom Ford - Finally we come to Tom Ford. Ford is a very fast player and a heavy scorer with great rhythm amongst the reds. He had had a decent season this year making the quarter-finals recently in Berlin and the Paul Hunter Classic final back in August. A semi finalist in 2012, he is another player who could put everything together under this format and certainly fits the bill of a potential winner. 

Best of the rest: 

Andrew Higginson - For me Higginson is again someone that is well suited this format. In the six stagings of this event he has reached the quarter-finals on three occasions (2013, 2014 and 2016). While his form in recent years has not been as good it is worth remembering that he had won minor ranking events and just a few years ago he was on the verge of the top 16. Another fluent player who has no trouble with the shot clock and scores very heavily he is more than capable of walking off with the title. 

Michael Holt - Holt has been a semi finalist in the Shoot Out before back in 2013 and was a quarter finalist two years ago. The format helps Holts rhythm because he is very fluent amongst the balls when he is on form. Much improved performances in the last couple of years could be the catalyst for him going all the way. Holt was also in the 11 that survived the 6 trends of former shoot out winners displayed above. 

Mark Davis - Last but not least, Mark Davis is another of the 11 survivors of the 6 trends I picked out earlier. He has twice reached the quarter finals of this event in 2012 and 2014. He was in decent form last week in Cardiff and is a former top 16 player showing his quality. 

Dark Horse:

Alfie Burden - Burden reached the quarter final of the Snooker Shoot-out in 2015 and has always looked pretty good in this event. A heavy scorer and fluent amongst the reds under the shot clock there is no reason why, at a big price, Burden cannot be the one who goes all the way this week. 

Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump contest Welsh Open final

Today's big Welsh Open finale will be contested by Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham after they secured comprehensive semi-final victories on Saturday.

First up was Trump who was playing young Scotsman Scott Donaldson who was enjoying his best ever ranking event performance. It was not a great start for him though as Trump came out of the gates like a rocket and was off to a flyer leading 3-0. Donaldson then put a nice break together in the fourth to keep himself in it ahead of the interval. Trump won the next to lead 4-1 but things did not look so comfortable when his opponent took the next two to close to within one frame, and all of a sudden the afternoon did not look so comfortable. There was a little more tension in the arena, and people where shouting for Scott believing that he could complete the comeback and cause an almighty upset. It was not to be though as Trump steadied the ship and the task became too much for Donaldson as he ended up falling to a valiant 6-3 defeat. Nonetheless this has been a great week for him and his provisionally put him into the top 64 on the end of season money list, despite only being in the first year of a new two season tour card.

Then in the evening was World number two Stuart Bingham's turn as he took on Robert Milkins, who was looking to reach his first ranking event final, despite this being his sixth ranking event semi-final. Milkins had received some heavier beatings in some of his previous semi-finals, losing 6-2 in the 2012 World Open to Stephen Lee, 6-2 in the 2013 Wuxi Classic to Neil Robertson and 9-2 in the 2014 International Championships to Ricky Walden. That trend continued here as well with a result that topped the lot, with Bingham whitewashing Milkins 6-0. Bingham was lucky in the opening frame with a fluke on the way to a century, and then he dominated the second frame to double his lead. The third frame may have been the key as Milkins looked set to get a frame on the scoreboard, only for Bingham to steal it and move 3-0 ahead. Chances came and chances went for Milkins thereafter with a few costly misses that, on the whole, were heavily punished by Bingham as you would expect in such an overwhelming victory. It has still been a good week for Milkins as he recovers from a poor start to the season, which was down mainly to a broken collar bone, something that until Rob Walker mentioned it in last nights warm up I was either unaware of or had slipped my mind. Milkins is up on the provisional seedings for the World Championship to 29th, having slipped well outside of the top 32 on this list prior to the run.


Despite plenty of upsets early on in the week, we still have a final that contains two top players who are looking to further their respective trophy cabinets. For Trump, he is looking to win his first Welsh Open and get a his second ranking win of the season which would be a deserved one having reach two finals and a semi-final in the three home nations events he entered (missing Northern Ireland). Meanwhile, Bingham is aiming for his first success since the Crucible triumph of 2015 which seems a lot longer ago now. He lost in the final of the China Championships in November and the final of the World Grand Prix very narrowly last March, so perhaps for the world number two, this will be a much luckier occasion. Bingham has a good big match record against Trump. He has beaten him in a World Championship semi-final, a Champion of Champions quarter-final and a Premier League final. This is as well as winning their most recent meeting at the the 2016 Grand Prix.

In terms of their routes to the final, Bingham's highest seeded opponent was Milkins in the semi-finals who was seeded 32, otherwise he had only played Matthew Stevens who was seeded inside of the top 50 for this weeks event. Across his six matches this week, Bingham has made 15 breaks of 50 or above, with four of those being centuries. Overall he has dropped seven frames and completed a total of three whitewashes.

As for Judd Trump, his highest seeded opponent was obviously Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals as the thirteenth seed, otherwise he has only played Andrew Higginson (seed 49) who was seeded inside the worlds top 75 coming to Cardiff. Overall, Trump has made 19 breaks of 50 or above, with three centuries so there is not much between the two players in their scoring prior to this week. Trump has dropped four more frames than Bingham, losing 11 frames overall and completing one whitewash against amateur Jackson Page in the Last 32.

Based on those stats it could be an even contest, and while Trump may be favourite Bingham has just as good of a chance to walk away with the title and the extra £40,000 that will go with that as well as a place in next seasons Champion of Champions.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy one last day in Cardiff watching the final before heading home. Once home I may put a post up on my experiences this week and with a few photos I have taken during the event.

Judd Trump and Stuart Bingham hang on for semi-final spots in Cardiff

When I arrived in Cardiff on Wednesday we had 64 players left in the Welsh Open but now just four remain as we are down to a one table set-up for the semi-finals.

Judd Trump will play Scott Donaldson in the afternoon semi-final. Donaldson was the first man through as he controlled his match with Zhou Yuelong. His tactic was a strong one and while it did push at least three of the five frames past the half an hour mark, it also did not allow the Chinese youngster to find his rhythm and that was the key to success for the Scot. Whether he will be able to frustrate Trump in the same way today remains to be seen. Trump was a lucky boy against Hawkins in my opinion. Not just in the decider but the frame before that too could have seen Hawkins win 5-3 if one red didn't come across and block the path of another once he had split the reds. Trump's highest break in the match was just 50, and to get 3-1 ahead he was let off on a couple of occasions. You would think against Donaldson that he would get a few chances if the nerves kick in for his first semi-final.

In the evening session we then have the two guys who came through on Friday night in Robert Milkins and Stuart Bingham. Bingham played well against Carrington in the first three or four frames to build a very healthy 4-0 lead in the best-of-9 frames match and it looked for all money that the match would be over quite quickly the way he was playing. All of a sudden though he started to miss a couple and Carrington grew in confidence as he got a frame or two on the board and at 3-4 I wondered if things were going to turn right around and send us the distance. In the end I think it got nervy for both players and you could feel those nerves in the arena too.

While I was able to see bits of that match I was concentrating on Robert Milkins and Kurt Maflin that was going on at the same time. It was quite scrappy at times as I think both players realised the opportunity that could unfold this week, missing a few balls and giving each other quite a few chances. When Milkins did get in and take his chances he looked as good and as fluent as he had for the rest of the week, and in my opinion he has played as well as anyone so far this week. The last time Milkins and Bingham played was in the English Open first round. Milkins did lead 3-1 and had chances to kill the match off but eventually went down 4-3. There is certainly no reason why Milkins cannot put that right tonight, especially with Bingham not quite being at his best at times this week.

You would expect Trump to win and Bingham will be a heavy favourite with many too but for me we have seen so many shocks this week that it is hard to take things for granted. However, just to show the consistency of Trump he has now reached at least the semi-finals in all three home nations events that he has played. Therefore, it is tough to say that he would not deserve to take the title home this weekend.

I am back at the venue again, and will probably be posting some pictures on my Twitter page to make up for the fact that we are down to one table and there will be no more live blogs this week from Cardiff.

Quarter-final LIVE BLOG Kurt Maflin vs Robert Milkins

Here we go. I'm refreshed after a dramatic afternoon session and ready for this match between Kurt Maflin and Robert Milkins. Two great players, either one could win this event and get their first ranking title. An exciting evening in prospect on table two.

ROBERT MILKINS VS KURT MAFLIN -

After a lot of safety play here at the start the first good chance has fallen to Kurt Maflin. Expect him to score heavy as ever here with plenty of loose reds.

Break of 59 leaves Milkins needing a snooker in this opening frame now. 5 reds left on the lead is 68 for Maflin. Milkins goes in off a long red and it will now be 1-0 Maflin

First red in frame two goes to Maflin. He pots a red and goes into the others getting a great split and landing on the pink. A fantastic chance here to double his lead.

He only makes 12 though losing position from the third red which was a thin one and sent balls flying everywhere.

Lovely pot into the top corner for Milkins and he's away here. Bit of table time at the end of the last may help him as he sets about trying to level the match in one visit. 

One visit it is for Milkins with a lovely quick and fluent break of 71. Both players look to be in great form and full flow again tonight. Should be an entertaining night. 1-1

First chance for Kurt in the third. Nice long cut lands him on the yellow interior the bottom. Rolls that in nicely and now in amongst them again.

As I finish typing Maflin misses a tricky one in the middle on 21. Leaves nothing but a safety shot though for Milkins.

Milkins gets a nice rub of the green to get a snooker and Maflin leaves one from the escape. Milkins misses the second blue on 7 though, only for Maflin to miss the pink and let him straight back in amongst the reds. Milkins needs to punish Maflin and can't let him off again.

Milkins does make him pay. 54 to the final red in very quick time makes it two frames in a row for Robert who is looking fluent and confident tonight.

Milkins pots the first red in frame four from range and lands on the green. Unfortunately he leaves himself hampered on his next red to middle and misses to let Kurt in. A good split on the reds soon turns it into a golden opportunity to square this going into the interval.

But the chance goes, missing a red into the middle. Luckily he hasn't left anything for Milkins but the lead of 53 won't be safe if Milkins gets in next.

Maflin has gone in off now and with a red in baulk, gifts a chance to Milkins which could be fatal. One red on the side cushion could be the saving grace.

The red on the side cushion couldn't save Maflin. Milkins brings it off while playing the third red from last. The final green wobbled in, and the pink was trickier than you'd like after finishing straight on the blue but it's no problem. Superb clearance to go into the interval 3-1 Milkins

Milkins first offering in frame five has gone wrong, missing on just four to leave a chance for Maflin. He goes into the pack from a red on 9 leaving a thin black which he gets a kick on and misses. Milkins then can't capitalise and Maflin is back in once more.

Maflin made 40 before missing and had another two chances before leaving Milkins needing a snooker. Not the best from Maflin but it looks like he'll take the frame. 3-2 Milkins

Maflin again had the first chance in the sixth frame but missed the black on 7 and left a red with the rest for Milkins. He potted the red and screwed into the bunch on the way out for the pink. Expect him to make a few from here.

Very unexpected miss from Milkins on 33. Lets Maflin off the hook and he must take advantage and rub salt into the wound. Positional play isn't quite there and he misses a tricky green but leaves the five remaining reds safe.

Milkins won the safety battle and was looking good until missing the penultimate red just a couple of pots from winning the frame. Maflin then potted the same red from range and cleared to the green which was on the black cushion and the chances of potting it and getting on the brown were low. Milkins has the advantage now with the Norwegian in a snooker on the green.

Maflin leaves the green up from his escape and Robert pots it and the brown to leave Maflin needing snookers. In potting the brown though he snookers himself on the blue and fails to hit it. He has since got that snooker back so Maflin still needs two. Now the blue is in for Milkins and he is one away from the semi's 4-2 Milkins

Frame seven has started off scrappy. Misses and in offs from both players. Maflin had a decent chance with reds open but left the black in the jaws to hand Milkins a match winning opening.

Milkins clears some good reds on cushions and makes the double on the penultimate red before missing the black getting on the final red. Maflin pots the final red and rolls behind the black but Milkins escapes. Then a loose safety from the Norwegian leaves a long yellow on which Milkins pots. Snooker needed for Kurt on the green or its game over.

Milkins pots the green to leave Maflin needing multiple snookers. Maflin pots the brown and is then forced to pot the blue after Milkins left hanging on in the middle pocket. Attempts on the pink last a little while until a kick from Maflin leaves it on and he concedes.

RESULT - ROBERT MILKINS 5-2 KURT MAFLIN

Quarter-final time at the Welsh Open

It's quarter-final time here at the Welsh Open and after barrage of seeds have been knocked out we are left with a few names that you would not expect in the last eight of a full ranking event.

Stuart Bingham, Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump are the three top 16 players that remain, and the next highest ranked player left in the draw is Robert Milkins who was ranked 32nd coming into this week. Then there is 42nd seed Zhou Yuelong, 43rd seed Kurt Maflin, 55th seed Stuart Carrington and the lowest ranked player remaining is Scott Donaldson who for this week was seeded 76 and will be climbing a lot higher after his exploits.

Yesterday's live blog was very much a hit. The first match I covered in the Last 32 was Robin Hull and Stuart Carrington, and that blog gained more viewers in Finland than anywhere else in the world. Therefore, I'd like to thank Hull for retweeting the link on his Twitter page and sharing it with his many fans.

Today three of the four quarter-finals are on TV, the one that is not is the 7pm start between Robert Milkins and Kurt Maflin. This match is available on Eurosport Player and the betting sites that usually show snooker. If you are not signed up to any of that I will be live blogging the quarter-final as I am still in Cardiff and really looking forward to this last eight match in particular.

A few things impressed me yesterday. Stuart Carrington was very good in his matches with Hull and Figueiredo scoring fairly well, looking comfortable and not missing too much of great importance. Equally, Scott Donaldson was very impressive scoring pretty well and putting experienced players in Mark Davis and Jimmy Robertson in all sorts of problems, even if neither were at their best. Hossein Vafei Ayouri looked very calm in his Last 32 win over Ali Carter. There are not many players who can finish off matches with consecutive centuries and it is a shame he could not go on a little further against Trump.

On to today, and here is what we have to look forward to:

Quarter-Final Draw and Schedule: 

12pm - TV Table - Zhou Yuelong Vs Scott Donaldson
To Follow - Judd Trump Vs Barry Hawkins

7pm - TV Table - Stuart Bingham Vs Stuart Carrington
7pm - Streamed Table - Robert Milkins Vs Kurt Maflin


Zhou Yuelong and Scott Donaldson are both in their first ever quarter-finals in full ranking events so that could be a nervy affair to start us off. Zhou's scoring was too much for Muir and Walker yesterday and could be again in this match if he can keep it up. It is a tough ask for both players and that could go all the way given the pressure of making a big semi-final.

Then we have the best match of the day, a real highlight between Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins. They met just a week ago in the World Grand Prix Last 16, and as Hawkins went on to win the event we all know what happened there. Hawkins is making the game look so much easier than anyone else in the world right now in my opinion. He is scoring for fun, and is so good to watch when he is at his best with such a smooth cue action. If I am honest, Judd Trump has had a fairly easy draw to reach this point and has not been tested to anywhere near the level that he will face today. Hawkins is in such great form and such a solid player anyway, that Trump will have to be at his very best today if he is to make it through.

Then in the evening the battle of the Stuart's would certainly see Bingham as a big favourite. He is certainly not at the top of the game though, and Carrington is not to be underestimated here. I watched both of his matches yesterday very closely and as mentioned earlier in the post he played very well, looked good when amongst the reds and was playing superbly. Carrington is a player who I thought could break through and this may well be his week if he can hold his nerve here tonight.

The winner of that will play the winner of the other evening match between Milkins and Maflin. Aside from his match last night against Mei Xiwen which went pretty scrappy towards the end, Milkins was very fluent yesterday and has been scoring well in his early round wins. It is easy to underestimate how good he can be just because he has slipped in the rankings, but it is not so long ago that he was a top 16 player. Kurt Maflin has also never realised his full potential. I have not been able to see much of him due to table set-ups and things but it seems that he has been scoring pretty well as you would expect when he is playing well. If they both turn up with their best tonight we are in for a cracker, but they are both so inconsistent that anything could happen.


Whoever wins it should be a good day of snooker, and do not forget to watch out for my live blog of Milkins and Maflin tonight.

LIVE BLOG: Welsh Open Last 16

Here we go then. Three of the top 16 remain in this... the Last 16 of the Welsh Open. Should be a good one tonight.

My feature match this evening will be...

LIVE BLOG MATCH: STUART CARRINGTON VS IGOR FIGUEIREDO -

Figueiredo in first on table 4 with a lovely long red. All told it's a good first chance in this match, until he misses the blue trying to power it in after landing the wrong side of it. Chance now falls to Carrington.

Carrington makes a lovely 54 and looked like making it a frame winner until a miss on a red that I couldn't see with the referee obstructing the view.

After a bit of safety, Igor pots a red but misses the black near the side cushion with the long rest. Carrington then missed a red along the bottom cushion that looked like it would drop, before Igor clears. 1-0 Igor

Even if Carrington has been in full control of it the second frame has been a bit of a slow burner but with a second chance earned it should now be 1-1...and it is. Too many safety errors from Igor in this frame 1-1

Been a scrappy frame three. Carrington did have a nice lead before Igor got his chance and made 30 down to the final red which was safe and the players are battling for now. Igor has left it on and Carrington already ahead should lead now in the match.

Indeed it does go 2-1 Carrington simple colours clearance.

Igor going quite aggressive now. Plenty of long pot attempts but not many going in. Already cost him the first 45 points of the frame and is fortunate not to have left anything on from his latest attempt.

Again Carrington forces another Igor error. And already with a 46 point lead another 50 ensures the frame and a total shut out. 3-1 Carrington

Extraordinary fifth frame in this match. Ten minutes in until we had the first pot from Carrington, who missed on 16 and left Igor a decent chance for the first time in a while. Igor got to 11 before playing a simple enough red into the middle. He either mis-cued or simply didn't hit it hard enough as it fell a reasonable way short of the pocket. Good opening now for Carrington to finish things.

It was a good opening indeed and a well controlled break of 50 gives Carrington victory

RESULT - STUART CARRINGTON 4-1 IGOR FIGUEIREDO

Updates...

I'll also be giving more brief updates on tables 3 and 5 with five of the eight matches starting tonight at 7.

Zhou Yuelong vs Lee Walker -

Zhou Yuelong was aided by a spectacular fluke on the yellow in the first frame but made the most of it to win in one visit 1-0 Zhou

Not the most exciting second frame, both players had chances but it is the Chinese player who is showing the quality at the moment 2-0 Zhou

Lee Walker had a chance in the second half of frame three to come from behind and steal it but it wasn't to be and after losing the battle on the last red it looks like the end for the last home hope. 3-0 Zhou

Wasn't to be tonight for Lee Walker, Zhou Yuelong just having too much scoring power as he rolls on into the quarter-finals

Result - Zhou Yuelong 4-0 Lee Walker

Mark Davis vs Scott Donaldson - 

First frame to Mark Davis on table 5 with a nice fluent break. Seems very confident since his win over Ronnie yesterday. Could it be another quarter final for him tomorrow? 1-0 Davis

A chance missed by Davis to steal a low scoring second frame after a miss from Donaldson, but an unexpected error from Davis lets the Scot back in. Helped by a lovely shot to get on the final red he levels the match. 1-1

Dominant third frame for Davis. Breaks of 32 and 44 doing enough Barring snookers from Donaldson. For all money it's looking like 2-1 Davis.

Dramatic end to frame four. Both players having chances at the blue. Eventually it's Donaldson who pots it and the pink to level at 2-2.

Mark Davis is back out in front again. A quick frame with a one visit 74 does the job for him. 3-2 Davis

DECIDERSVILLE. Davis cutting a frustrated figure in frame six after a few scruffy and loose shots and good play from Donaldson when his chances came mean we're heading the distance for a last eight spot.

First chance to Donaldson in the decider after an escape for Davis leaves one on. He only makes 14 though before losing position and playing safe.

Both players had their fair share of chances in the decider. Donaldson building the early lead only for Davis to get back to within 14. An attempt at the penultimate red went wrong and ultimately cost him. Donaldson potted the red, put Davis in a snooker which after eight points given away he left the red on from. Donaldson then potted the final red with the black and the yellow to leave Davis requiring a snooker that he could not obtain.

RESULT - SCOTT DONALDSON 4-3 MARK DAVIS

Last 16 Draw and Schedule

7pm -
TV Table - Judd Trump vs Hossein Vafei Ayouri
Stream Table - Barry Hawkins vs Craig Steadman
Table 3 - Zhou Yuelong vs Lee Walker
Table 4 - Stuart Carrington vs Igor Figueiredo
Table 5 - Scott Donaldson vs Mark Davis

8pm - 
TV Table - Stuart Bingham vs Robbie Williams

Kurt Maflin vs Yan Bingtao
Robert Milkins vs Mei Xiwen

LIVE BLOG: Welsh Open Last 32

Today I am going to be at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff once again, yesterday I was in and out of the arena which made it tough to put a live blog together, but for the Last 32 this afternoon I will certainly have my game face on. There were a lot of shocks yesterday as Murphy, Robertson and O'Sullivan (who was leading 3-0) exited the competition but we won't dwell on that in this live blog. If anybody has any update requests send them in to my Twitter page @CueActionBlog

SECOND LIVE GAME - ALI CARTER VS HOSSEIN VAFEI AYOURI -

Ali Carter pots the first red from range, doesn't land nicely on the blue and misses it into the corner. Had gotten perfect position though and now Hossein has a chance to show his stuff.

Hossein makes 21 before losing position and we're back to some safety play. A loose shot leaves Hossein his second chance but after going into the pack again he loses position and has to play safe but does so with a healthy lead.

The safety wasn't up to standard though and with the reds in open play Carter could easily clear and steal this opening frame.

Carter clears the remaining reds easily enough but stretching on the yellow he under screws it, leaving the green thin and from that he didn't come back across the table enough for the brown. Shortly after Ali attempted a long brown and left it near the corner for Hossein who then followed it with good cuts on blue and pink into the middle 1-0 Hossein

Another good chance for Hossein in frame two with a few reds to go at. He'll be hoping to at least build a big lead if he can't double his lead in one visit... But hang on. He misses a red I expected him to get and hands the chance over to Carter.

Carter lost position and layed a snooker and then followed it with another shortly after following another pot. Hossein is having all manner of problems getting out of it with the final red being directly behind the pink and the cue ball tight behind the brown. He may not play another shot before Hossein requires snookers himself.

The Iranian manages to get out of the snooker before the irreparable damage is done and then lays a couple of snookers himself, the second of which causes an in off from Carter and as the red travels up to baulk, offers the chance he needs to steal the frame. The green was not easy with the rest nearer the side cushion, but the rest was simple enough and he punishes Carter to double his lead. Is there another upset on the cards? 2-0 Hossein

First real good chance in frame three comes for Ali and with reds well placed it's one he should like the look of certainly. Expect him to win the frame at this visit.

A break of 52 should be enough as he plays safe 73 ahead with just 67 left. Two snookers for Hossein or Carter will have a frame back. 2-1 Hossein

Great chance for Hossein in the fourth after a lovely pot in the middle to get going. Into the pack from the blue on 27 gave him a good split and a key mid range followed on 42 when he finished wrong side of the blue and didn't get back down the table anywhere near as far as he hoped. In prime position now and should make it 3-1.

What a wonderful break that was. 136 for Hossein and with it he moves one away from sending another top player home.

WOW. Carter goes for a hit and hope into the full pack of reds from a snooker behind the black. Not sure why at all but has given Hossein a brilliant match winning opportunity.

Still can't believe the final shot from Carter. Hossein finished well though. Seemingly no nerves and he never lost ideal position. A finish of 123 to go with the 136 of the previous frame and another star goes home.

RESULT - HOSSEIN VAFEI AYOURI 4-1 ALI CARTER

LIVE BLOG GAME - ROBIN HULL VS STUART CARRINGTON - 

- That's right folks, I will be live blogging one of my favourite players to watch and someone I support heavily on twitter in Robin Hull as he takes on the heavy scoring Stuart Carrington. I'm expecting some big breaks in this match and I think it will be a close affair between two players who have played well so far this week.

First frame- Carrington in with the first chance after a good long red and a nice brown to follow from close to the cushion.

CHANCE GONE - Carrington unlucky going into the pack on 27 and landing on nothing. Assume he took on the difficult cut back plant but leaves the red over the corner for Hull.

Hull though is forced to play safe on 7 failing to screw back enough for the black fron a mid range red.

Hull gets the next chance after a good long red, but was not quite perfect on the red a couple after and misses, Carrington was left a tester to the middle and having potted it has a great chance to take the opener.

Just as I send that update though he misses but Hull's cannon on two reds below the pink from a thin blue doesn't work out and he plays safe. Bit of a nervy opening.

1-0 Carrington - After some good safety play Stuart forces the error, Hull glancing off a red on the bottom cushion from a snooker and leaving it on. With the other two reds open a good cannon from the black to hold the white made the rest easy enough to take a hard fought opener.

Good chance now for Hull in the second after reds were opened and pushed towards the baulk end. Hull took a cut on one from range playing for the blue and has taken the break nicely into the thirties so far.

Hull misses the black on 46 but is lucky not to leave anything. Carrington makes a mess of the safety to let Hull straight back in but he doesn't land on a colour nicely from the opening red, takes on a mid range yellow and misses. Stuart pots a nice red into the yellow pocket and has his chance to counter. One red awkward on a side cushion but otherwise a good chance.

Carrington only makes 22, making hard work of a few shots and eventually deciding to try and cannon the red off of the cushion from a red, but he misses the cannon doesn't land on a colour and has to play safe.

2-0 Carrington - Stuart wins the safety battle potting the last two reds up near the baulk cushion and clearing the colours with a testing black to finish to double his lead and win a big frame.

Not the start Hull needed in frame three, after potting the first red he goes into the pack but misses the black and leaves Carrington in for a great scoring chance.

3-0 Carrington - I said it was a good chance and despite a couple of positional shots that nearly landed him in trouble, Carrington looked good and is flying now with a break of 101 to move one away from the Last 16.

First chance again goes to Carrington after a cutback red. Black is safe but the reds are nicely placed. After the ton in the last he'll be looking to win the match.

Carrington certainly took his chance again winning the final frame in one visit and only just missing out again on back to back centuries missing a red along the cushion with the rest. Looked very comfortable and will be a good match between him and Igor tonight.

RESULT- STUART CARRINGTON 4-0 ROBIN HULL

UPDATES: 

Robert Milkins vs Josh Boileau - 

Milkins wins the first with a fluent 74 straight from a missed red near the cushion from his opponent. 1-0 Milkins

Boileau had three or four chances that I saw after Milkins missed an easy green on 52 but still couldn't punish him. 2-0 Milkins

When Milkins is around 2-0 can turn into 4-0 very quickly. So it proved today as he played well and Boileau was never really in the match. With form like this and top guns tumbling it could be a very profitable week for Milkins. 4-0 MILKINS

Mark Allen vs Mei Xiwen -

Didn't see much of the first but Mei looked good when I did see him. No reason he couldn't cause an upset here after how well I saw him play last night against Ebdon. 1-0 Mei

Currently 1-1 here as I pick up extended updates. Scrappy second went to Allen after a few misses from both. Now Mei has missed with a lead of 56 and just three balls from winning the frame. Hasn't left anything though but with all the balls in open play Allen could counter if he gets in.

Mei goes for a long red and pots it along with the one next to it into the pocket next door. However he misses frame ball pink and leaves Allen a chance. He needs blacks with all the remaining reds and after two red-black combos, loses position trying to bring the red from the bottom cushion.

Allen gets another chance at a red with the rest but made tough by having to hold for the black. He misses and leaves it over the corner and Mei Xiwen plays the other red on to it before Allen concedes the frame. 2-1 Mei

Mei Xiwen builds a classic break at the start of frame four, simply picking off the loose reds. However, when he decides to go into the pack on 49 he misses the black and hands Allen a chance he really must take.

He does take it, pulling off a good mid range pot on the third last red, and a tricky pot on the final red. Mei will be kicking himself as Allen levels the match. 2-2

Mei Xiwen in first again in frame five. Picking off the loose reds very skillfully again. But this time he misses the red before he'd have needed to go into the remaining pack of seven - leading by 55.

Mei pots two long reds but in neither circumstance did he land on a colour. Then after an Allen in off he is able to make a third and land on a colour before doing more than enough to secure the frame. 3-2 Mei

An unfortunate finish for Allen here as he attempts a long red, misses and goes in off only for the Red he played to finish in baulk. With reds open Mei Xiwen did the rest. RESULT MEI XIWEN 4-2 MARK ALLEN

Jimmy Robertson Vs Scott Donaldson - Whilst Hull and Carrington takes place on Table 8 I will be able to get a few glances on this game and will put the updates in this section.

Seemed like Jimmy Robertson missed a good chance to take the opener and Donaldson fully punished it. 1-0 Donaldson

2-0 Donaldson Donaldson was all over Jimmy Robertson but on 37 in the third misses the black going into the reds and has offered his opponent a lifeline.

RESULT - Scott Donaldson 4-0 Jimmy Robertson - Donaldson offered Robertson a lifeline in the but his opponent missed far too many in the end. A lovely 84 finishes the job and Scott is into the Last 16.

Zhou Yuelong Vs Ross Muir - The same applies to Muir and Zhou. I should be able to see bits of this game, and it should be a good one with the talented Zhou taking on a player in Muir who thrashed Fu 4-0 yesterday. Updates on this game will be in here. 

1-0 Zhou - after Muir missed chances in the opener Zhou took that one and has a nice chance to take the second comfortably.

Couldn't see as much of this as I hoped but it too was one sided Zhou Yuelong too strong on the day winning 4-1.

Last 32 Draw and Schedule: 

12pm UK Time:

TV Table - Barry Hawkins Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Stream Table - Graeme Dott Vs Lee Walker
Table 3 - Dominic Dale Vs Igor Figueiredo
Table 4 - Mark Davis Vs Fergal O'Brien
Table 5 - Anthony Hamilton Vs Craig Steadman
Table 6 - Zhou Yuelong Vs Ross Muir
Table 7 - Jimmy Robertson Vs Scott Donaldson
Table 8 - Stuart Carrington Vs Robin Hull

1pm UK Time:

TV Table - Judd Trump Vs Jackson Page
Stream Table - Stuart Bingham Vs Ian Burns

Michael White Vs Robbie Williams
Mark Allen Vs Mei Xiwen
Ali Carter Vs Hossein Vafei Ayouri
Robert Milkins Vs Josh Boileau

2,30pm UK Time:

TV Table - Mark Selby Vs Yan Bingtao
Stream Table - Kurt Maflin Vs Mitchell Mann

Welsh Open: Full Preview

Cardiff is the venue for all 128 players on the tour this week as the Welsh Open brings the curtain down on the home nations series for the 2016/2017 season. This is by far one of the most popular events on the calendar, which can be signified by a full attendance from the top players, some of whom missed the Northern Irish and Scottish Open's.

The TV coverage for this week is an interesting one. Eurosport will be covering the event in the UK and across the continent. Along with that BBC Wales will be covering the event, though after the early nights they were taking in the early part of the week, they will need to up their coverage to compete with Eurosport. The coverage will also be on the BBC Red Button across the UK on selected days and times. 

Ronnie O'Sullivan is the defending champion after his victory against Neil Robertson a year ago. O'Sullivan was also the cause of much talk and controversy through the week after he turned down the opportunity to make a 147, instead making "that 146" in his first round game. 

After visiting the tournament for the first three days last year I could tell just how much the Welsh fans love their snooker, no matter who it is that is playing. The venue is a good one at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and it's also a venue that is conveniently situated, unlike certain others that have hosted events so far this season. I had such fun in Wales last year that I will be returning and this time rather than watching the early rounds and going off home, I arrive on Wednesday afternoon to watch what remains of the Last 64, and this time staying until the last ball is potted on Sunday night. 

On the Thursday for the Last 32 and Last 16 games I will aim to be doing another live blog, similar to the one I did here in October at the English Open, and I may also live blog the non-TV quarter-final on Friday night and parts of the Last 64 depending on what time I arrive on Wednesday. 

Onto the draw now and with all of the top players in attendance this week, it is going to be another tough one to call.

Quarter 1

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Tom Ford 

Mark Davis Vs Li Hang

Fergal O'Brien Vs Cao Yupeng

Chris Wakelin Vs Akani Songsermsawad

Mark Williams Vs Elliot Slessor

Jimmy Robertson Vs Aditya Mehta

Mark King Vs David John

Jack Lisowski Vs Scott Donaldson 

Zhou Yuelong Vs Noppon Saengkham

Joe Swail Vs Paul Davison 

Mark Joyce Vs Ross Muir

Marco Fu Vs Martin Gould 

Ricky Walden Vs Graeme Dott

Michael Wild Vs Adam Stefanow

Rhys Clark Vs Lee Walker 

Neil Robertson Vs Jimmy White 

Obviously the headline act in this quarter is the defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the last couple of tournaments O'Sullivan has suffered earlier exits, losing in the Last 32 of the German Masters and Last 16 of the Grand Prix but as we know he could turn it on at any time and get back in to his groove. There is no way you can rule out a man who has won the tournament in two of the last three seasons, since the format changed to a flat 128 draw. Mark Williams is still the highest ranked home hope for this week, though there are 15 Welsh representatives this week in the draw, including Williams. Last 32 exits in the German Masters and World Grand Prix will not exactly fill him with confidence, but he will still be fired up this week for his home event and would still take pride in out performing all of his fellow Welshmen. Marco Fu will have been disappointed to lose the way he did in the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix last week. Fu had left Day needing snookers in frame eight, else Fu would have been 5-3 ahead. However, he went on to lose that frame and the next two for a 6-4 defeat. He will want to respond quickly here, and given his first round draw against Martin Gould he will need to be at the top of his game, scoring heavily once again. Gould has returned to form in the last couple of weeks, making the semi-finals in his German Masters defence and then beating world champion Mark Selby in the first round of the World Grand Prix so this will be a tough match for Fu indeed. Graeme Dott probably cursed his luck when he saw his draw against Ricky Walden in the first round here, having drawn Liang Wenbo in the first round of the English Open and Michael White in the first round in Belfast, losing both of those matches. He is still capable of beating Walden but he would not usually be playing players this tough until round three under a strict seeding structure. For Walden, he needs to step up his efforts this week if he is to make a run at qualifying for the World Championships automatically, by earning back his top 16 ranking.

After all of that though, my opening quarter choice is Neil Robertson. Robertson impressed me with his performance last week in the World Grand Prix before losing to Barry Hawkins who was on fire in that match. He was the runner-up in Cardiff in 2016 playing some great snooker and he will be hoping to repeat that again in the next week. His draw is a little dodgy but at his best he should come through comfortably. While his form has not been the best in recent months, there were signs in parts of the Masters in January and last week in the Grand Prix that he is not a mile away from putting it all together and going on a big run. Two years ago Robertson was the winner of the Gdynia Open so he has hit form in February in the last couple of years, and now would definitely be a good time to show some form ahead of the World Championships. As he is not in the China Open, there is only this event, the Gibraltar Open and the Players Championship for him to get his confidence up before heading to the Crucible. 

Quarter Choice: Neil Robertson 

Quarter 2

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Judd Trump Vs Andrew Higginson 

Alex Borg Vs Hatem Yassin 

Jason Weston Vs Jackson Page

John Astley Vs Ian Preece

Ali Carter Vs Zhao Xintong

Dechawat Poomjaeng Vs Darryl Hill

Hossein Vafei Ayouri Vs Sanderson Lam

Alan McManus Vs Christopher Keogan 

Ben Woollaston Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 

David Gilbert Vs Ryan Day 

Tian Pengfei Vs Chen Zhe

Barry Hawkins Vs Fraser Patrick

Jamie Cope Vs Nigel Bond

Luca Brecel Vs Anthony Hamilton 

Jak Jones Vs Craig Steadman 

John Higgins Vs Sam Baird

In this quarter we have more great performers who could have great runs this week. John Higgins was the winner in Cardiff two years ago, and will be hoping to hit back after first round exits at the Masters and World Grand Prix. After his great pre-Christmas form though it is no surprise to see him having a small dip at the start of the new year. Ali Carter was the runner-up a week in Berlin and lost a very tight Last 16 match in the Grand Prix, so he will want to strike again while he is striking the cue ball as well as he is. Barry Hawkins is into the World Grand Prix final at the time of writing, and with such a short turnaround to start in Cardiff you have to wonder if he can keep his magnificent form going for another week or whether there will be a minor blip. Ryan Day is the other World Grand Prix finalist and he faces a tough first round tie with David Gilbert. That one could go either way and will surely depend on the outcome of Day's final and whether the schedule is changed in Cardiff (Day is due to play on Monday afternoon after a Sunday evening final conclusion). Recent German Masters winner Anthony Hamilton will be full of confidence coming to Cardiff but he faces a tough match here with 2015 Welsh Open semi-finalist Luca Brecel. Brecel showed that he liked this venue again last season when he made the Last 16 with a good win over Shaun Murphy. It is worth remembering Ben Woollaston. If there is one event where he has good memories it is here, being the 2015 runner-up (his first and only ranking final to date) and following that up in 2016 by making the last eight. Woollaston is involved in another brilliant first round draw against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh who has had a dip in form in the last few months.

Looking at his draw though, I have found it hard to tip against Judd Trump as my second quarter choice. This pick is purely based upon the fact that, despite a tougher opening round fixture against Andrew Higginson who he does have a good record against, it is hard to not see Trump making it through to the Last 16 with ease. From there he could face Carter, but Carter does have a tougher route to that stage. Elsewhere in this quarter he could face Hawkins, but he may have a quieter week after the Grand Prix, while Higgins has had a couple of early exits since the Scottish Open. Results at the Masters and the Grand Prix may have been early but were not bad performances as he played very well in losing 6-5 to Fu in London, while Hawkins was on fire in Preston. In a recent interview Trump said he felt as though he had been the most consistent player this season so far, and after the first half of the season I think he had a point but he needs to continue showing that. I think this week is a good opportunity for him to have another big run and remind us that he is one of the favourites for Sheffield. 

Quarter Choice: Judd Trump 

Quarter 3

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Stuart Bingham Vs Matthew Stevens 

Gary Wilson Vs Rory McLeod 

Stephen Maguire Vs Zhang Yong

Ian Burns Vs James Cahill 

Liang Wenbo Vs Rod Lawler

Michael White Vs Duane Jones

Martin O'Donnell Vs Andy Hicks

David Grace Vs Robbie Williams 

Jamie Jones Vs Tyler Rees

Dominic Dale Vs Zhang Anda

Alfie Burden Vs Igor Figueredo 

Joe Perry Vs Anthony McGill

Stuart Carrington Vs Sam Craigie

Wang Yuchen Vs Gareth Allen 

Michael Georgiou Vs Allan Taylor

Ding Junhui Vs Robin Hull

Entering the bottom half of the draw is Stuart Bingham who was far from his best in the semi-final defeat to Anthony Hamilton in the German Masters and the Grand Prix first round loss to Ryan Day, and will be looking to turn that around in Cardiff. However, the crowd will be heavily against him as he takes on home favourite Matthew Stevens who has had a better season, only just missing out on the World Grand Prix. Stephen Maguire has a good record in this tournament, winning it in 2013 and making the 2011 final, but his form in the last year or so has not been up to scratch and seem him fall right down the rankings, being 27th in the world rankings following the World Grand Prix. Ding Junhui is another man with a good record in the Welsh Open, as a former winner a finalist in 2014. Last year he reached the quarter-finals and made a maximum break. He should be applauded for even turning up to this event and the World Grand Prix after the death of his mother, and he performed well under the circumstances in Preston, and he could have a good run this week. Michael White is another one of the main Welsh hopes, and he will want to show more of the form that beat John Higgins in round one of the Grand Prix. Liang Wenbo also deserves a mention after he made the semi-finals this week in Preston, and having won his first ranking title in the opening home nations and making the quarters in Scotland, he certainly likes this format.

Quarter choice number three for me though is Joe Perry. Perry was unlucky last week at the World Grand Prix where he lost out in a quarter-final decider, when I tipped him as a quarter winner. There is no reason in my mind for me to not go for Perry again this week, given some of the form he has shown so far in 2017. Making the Masters final was massive for him after a quieter second half to 2016, and he played very good stuff in the Masters with some convincing early round wins before really putting a good fight to O'Sullivan. His starts to matches last week in Preston were a worry, as he went 2-0 down against Mark Williams and Martin Gould in the best-of-7 frames matches. With a tough first round match against Anthony McGill he cannot afford to be doing that again. If he beats McGill though there is no reason why he cannot go on another big run given that he had a good run here a year ago making the semi-finals and doing the same in 2014. We know the story with Ding, and Bingham is not in the best form so there may be an opportunity here. This may not be an easy section but with a good Welsh Open record and recent form behind him, Perry is the man I feel most confident in amongst those in this section. 

Quarter Choice: Joe Perry

Quarter 4

Last 128 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Shaun Murphy Vs Jamie Barrett 

Hammad Miah Vs Josh Boileau

Robert Milkins Vs Yu De Lu

Oliver Lines Vs Eden Sharav

Mark Allen Vs Sydney Wilson 

Ken Doherty Vs Boonyarit Kaettikun 

Peter Ebdon Vs Hamza Akbar

Matt Selt Vs Mei Xiwen 

Kurt Maflin Vs Fang Xiongman 

Xiao Guodong Vs James Wattana

Michael Holt Vs Mitchell Mann 

Kyren Wilson Vs Sean O'Sullivan 

Adam Duffy Vs Thor Chuan Leong

Daniel Wells Vs Yan Bingtao

Mike Dunn Vs Kurt Dunham 

Mark Selby Vs Liam Highfield

World champion Mark Selby is obviously the headliner in our final quarter, but he takes on someone in round that he has lost his last two matches against. Equally his form has dipped a little in the new year after a brilliant few months prior to Christmas, so this is understandable. Mark Allen has lost a lot of matches in the Last 16 stages this season, doing so in six ranking events which is an odd trend. This comes after another Last 16 loss in the Grand Prix, losing 4-3 to Liang Wenbo. It seems like there is another gear in Allen that if he finds he is not far from winning a big ranking title this season. Kyren Wilson lost in the first round of the Grand Prix and the Masters and his draw looks tough with a potential Last 64 meeting with Michael Holt. Given all of the first time ranking winners we have seen this season there is no reason why Holt would not be buoyed by this. His form has improved a lot in the last year or so and there is no reason why he cannot get his name on a big trophy soon. Another potential Last 64 clash between Kurt Maflin and Xiao Guodong is a potential second round tie, and there is no reason why two such heavy scorers could not go on far this week so if that match up takes place on Wednesday keep an eye on it.

My fourth and final quarter choice this week is Shaun Murphy. Murphy looked very good in the World Grand Prix, with a great show of long potting particularly against Ding Junhui in the Last 16. Usually when Murphy's long potting is in fine form he is on fire. As I have said many weeks on this blog Murphy has been playing decent stuff but losing to players who have played brilliantly. This week it was Ryan Day who was at the top of his game in Preston, and early on there was little Murphy could do. He seems comfortable enough with the minor alterations he made to his cue after the Masters, and they may have made the difference to his long potting which was the target. With and without his contact lenses he played well, from what he has said I don't think they are the strongest, but again could offer the small percentage that is needed on the tougher shots in terms of clear sighting. His draw is certainly not as hard as some top players have received, and if Selby's early exits from the last two tournaments continue that does take out a major threat in this section. Murphy can certainly pick up from Preston and have a good run in Cardiff. 

Quarter Choice: Shaun Murphy

Tournament Winner Selection: Joe Perry 

That is all from my preview this week, but do look out for the possibility of some live blogs this week and keep a check on my Twitter page @CueActionBlog from Wednesday for updates, pictures and possibly some other fun. 

Don't forget for all of the facts and figures you need this week, check out my Stat Attack and Tournament Top Ten blog here: http://cueactionsnookerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/welsh-open-stat-attack-and-tournament.html

Welsh Open: Stat Attack and Tournament Top Ten

Monday will see the start of the Welsh Open at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and whether you are betting on the event or just watching on TV or at the venue a good stat can always come in handy and I will have plenty in this blog for you. From the usual player performance indicators to some head to heads and statistics specific to the Welsh Open this blog will have everything you need. At the bottom of the post you will also find this weeks Tournament Top Ten.

Aside from the Performance indicators which I carry myself, many of the remaining stats will have been found using the wonderful cuetracker website.

PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT TRENDS: 

- The last seven Welsh Open finals have had at least one of John Higgins, Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O'Sullivan or Ding Junhui involved in them.

- In only two of the last five Welsh Opens has a Welsh player made it into the quarter-finals of his home event.

- Shaun Murphy has failed to go beyond the Last 32 of the Welsh Open since 2012.

- On the all-time list for most matches won in the Welsh Open, Ronnie O'Sullivan is top, with John Higgins just three wins behind him. Mark Williams is third, Mark Selby fifth, while Anthony Hamilton is seventh and Joe Perry eighth.

- Fergal O'Brien has won the most deciders in Welsh Open history with 13 from 20 played, while Matthew Stevens has 13 from 21.

- Kurt Maflin meanwhile has a 100% hit rate in Welsh Open deciding frames with five wins from five played. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh has three wins from three deciders in this tournament, as does Luca Brecel. Alex Borg is 6 wins from 7 in Welsh Open deciders while Michael Holt is 5 wins from 6.

- David Grace does not fair so well if it comes down to a final frame in this particular tournament, losing on all of the four occasions that he has been taken to a decider in the Welsh Open. Ricky Walden also has an unbelievably poor record with deciders in this competition having only won 2 from 11 played.

- Despite his record in deciders, Alex Borg has also been whitewashed in four matches in the Welsh Open. Tian Pengfei meanwhile has been whitewashed three times in Wales. Mark Davis and Jamie Cope have also been whitewashed four times in the Welsh Open but have also managed to whitewash an opponent.

Season Stats: 

- Paul Davison has been whitewashed six times this season, without recording a whitewash victory of his own. Kurt Dunham, Fang Xiongman and Allan Taylor meanwhile have each been whitewashed five times in ranking competition. Noppon Saengkham has also been whitewashed five times but has managed to whitewash an opponent also.

- Yu De Lu has won the most deciders out of anyone to have a 100% success rate in deciders this season, being six from six. The same was true for Zhou Yuelong until he lost in a decider in the first round of this weeks World Grand Prix to Ali Carter.

HEAD TO HEADS (First Round Only)

- Both competitive ranking matches that Ronnie O'Sullivan has played against Tom Ford came in 2007, and were both won by O'Sullivan in deciding frames.

- Mark Davis has won all three of his competitive matches against Li Hang.

- Fergal O'Brien has won both of his previous matches against Cao Yupeng, both of which were best-of-7 frame affairs and saw Cao only win one frame between the two games.

- Joe Swail will meet Paul Davison in consecutive matches after playing Davison in China Open qualifiers. Davison won 5-3 for his first win over Swail in their fourth ranking match.

- In ranking competition, Marco Fu and Martin Gould have played six competitive matches prior to their first round meeting in Cardiff. They have each won three matches of those six, with three of those meetings being in the first round of the World Championships. Gould winning two of those.

- Lee Walker and Rhys Clark will meet for the third time in this years home nations series when they play in Cardiff. Clark came out on top against Walker in the Last 64 of the English Open 4-2, before Walker beat Clark in the Last 128 in the Northern Irish Open by the same scoreline.

- In ten meetings between Andrew Higginson and Judd Trump, Trump has won eight of them and all of the last seven a run the stretches back to 2011.

- Ali Carter will meet Zhao Xintong just a week and a half after their brilliant German Masters match which went all the way to a deciding frame.

- Barry Hawkins has played Fraser Patrick twice in ranking competition, winning both games 4-0 at the 2014 Welsh Open and this seasons Northern Irish Open.

- When Zhang Anda met Dominic Dale earlier in the season at the World Open, Zhang was the winner 5-1.

- Mitchell Mann has beaten Michael Holt in both of their previous meetings at the 2015 Ruhr Open and the qualifiers for this seasons Indian Open.

- When Liam Highfield plays Mark Selby in round one in Cardiff he will go in with the knowledge that he already has two wins against Selby, both 4-3 in the 2015 Gdynia Open and this seasons English Open.


PLAYER PERFORMANCE - KEY INDICATORS: 

All of the statistics in this section are up to date as of the end of the German Masters, with the World Grand Prix still going on in Preston I felt it pointless to include that this week, but have now had time to add stats from the event in Berlin. This is after these were not included after the short turnaround coming into the World Grand Prix. Stats from the China Open qualifiers will not be added to player totals until the Pre-China Open blog in March.

Average frame aggregate: 
This week's Top 10:

- Mark Selby = 20.41
- Barry Hawkins = 20.7
- Ronnie O'Sullivan = 17.5
- Judd Trump = 17.45
- Neil Robertson = 15.69
- Stephen Maguire = 15.54
- John Higgins = 14.96
- Marco Fu = 14.29
- David Gilbert = 14.22
- Shaun Murphy = 13.2


This week's Bottom 10:

- Darryl Hill = -34.94
- David John = -30.87
- Sydney Wilson = -28.41
- Jason Weston = -28.21
- Christopher Keogan = -28.17
- Paul Davison = -27.81
- Kurt Dunham = -27
- Boonyarit Kaettikun = -26.25
- Cao Yupeng = -22.24
- Michael Wild = -21.31


Average frames per 50+ break: 
This week's Top 10:

- Ronnie O'Sullivan = 2.16
- Neil Robertson = 2.28
- Marco Fu = 2.31
- Mark Selby = 2.37
- Judd Trump = 2.41
- Ding Junhui = 2.47
- Shaun Murphy = 2.54
- John Higgins = 2.56
- Barry Hawkins = 2.6
- Liang Wenbo = 2.72


This week's Bottom 10:

- Darryl Hill = 33
- Sydney Wilson = 19.75
- Jason Weston = 18
- David John = 14
- Alex Borg = 13.43
- Kurt Dunham = 11.71
- Elliot Slessor = 11.22
- Ken Doherty = 10.4
- Christopher Keogan = 10.11
- Ross Muir = 9.38


Average break when above 50: 
This week's Top 10*:

- Marco Fu = 83.31
- Jak Jones = 82.88
- Judd Trump = 81.31
- Ronnie O'Sullivan = 80.96
- Michael White = 80.86
- Stuart Bingham = 80.34
- Mark Allen = 80.12
- Stephen Maguire = 80.05
- John Higgins = 80.05
- Thepchaiya Un-Nooh = 80

*Must have made over 10 50+ breaks

This week's Bottom 10*

- Dechawat Poomjaeng = 59.65
- Cao Yupeng = 60.64
- Gareth Allen = 62.38
- Zhang Yong = 62.76
- Oliver Lines = 62.93
- James Cahill = 63.26
- Nigel Bond = 63.69
- Adam Duffy = 63.92
- Paul Davison = 64.47
- Yu De Lu = 64.52

*Must have made over 10 50+ breaks

Close Frames Win Percentage: 
This week's Top 10:

- Michael Georgiou = 78.26
- Yan Bingtao = 75.76
- John Astley = 74.07
- Thepchaiya Un-Nooh = 70.59
- Marco Fu = 69.44
- Liang Wenbo = 67.57
- Mark Selby = 66.07
- Peter Ebdon = 65
- Christopher Keogan = 64.71
- Kurt Maflin = 64.71


This week's Bottom 10:

- Fang Xiongman = 15.38
- Thor Chuan Leong = 18.75
- Robbie Williams = 20
- Alex Borg = 21.05
- Jamie Cope = 23,08
- Hossein Vafei Ayouri = 27.78
- Cao Yupeng = 29.41
- Tian Pengfei = 30
- Elliot Slessor = 30.77
- Jamie Barrett = 30.77


TOURNAMENT TOP TEN: 

This weeks Top Ten has been built using results from the last four editions of the Welsh Open, the three home nations events that have already been played this season along with the German Masters that concluded just a week ago. Along with this, the performance indicator statistics mentioned above also have their small say in things. With all of those components in mind, these are who the numbers say should be the top contenders in Cardiff:

10 - Neil Robertson - Only just sneaking on to this week's list is last years runner-up Neil Robertson. Robertson may have made it to the final last year at the Welsh Open, but earlier exits in the three years previous stop him from moving any further up the list. He also exited in the first round at the venue in Berlin and in the Last 32 stages of the English Open, while a Last 16 in Scotland helps him a small amount. Statistically, Robertson is fifth for average aggregate and second on the frames per 50+ list which allow him to get on to this list ahead of the likes of Mark King who only just missed out.

9 - Mark Selby - Again Mark Selby is lower this week than we would usually expect to see him. The home nations has not seen much of Selby given that he did not enter Scotland or Northern Ireland and in Manchester he lost in just the second round. In the last four years of the Welsh Open he has not managed better than a couple of quarter-finals which, while being decent, will not get him any higher on the list than ninth. Statistically, he is top for average frame aggregate and fourth for frames per 50+ break amongst the full 128 field for this week in Cardiff.

8 - Liang Wenbo - Liang Wenbo was the first home nations event champion of the season as he took the title at the English Open in Manchester, and that is the main reason that he makes it into the top ten for this week. Aside from that, he made the last eight at the Scottish Open, and would have been much higher up on the list had he have gotten past the Last 32 of the Welsh Open on more than just the one occasion in the last four stagings. On the performance indicator lists, Liang failed to break the top five on any of them, not furthering his position in this list.

7 - Anthony Hamilton - Seventh on the list is another first time ranking winner from this season, in German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton. Hamilton has also had some good runs in the home nations series, making the quarter-finals of the English Open and the semi-finals of the Northern Irish Open. His recent record in the Welsh Open matches the fact that, until this season, Hamilton had been sliding down the rankings.

6 - Stuart Bingham - Sixth on the list is a runner-up from the 2013 Welsh Open as Stuart Bingham joins the list. Bingham made the semi-finals in Manchester, as well as the recent German Masters. Bingham has reached a couple of Last 16's in Wales since that final in 2013 but that is only enough to give him a small nudge up the list, as is the fact that Bingham is second on the tour for quarter-finals or better since the start of the 2014/2015 season.

5 - Barry Hawkins - Into the top half of the list, and that is where we find form man Barry Hawkins. Hawkins is in the World Grand Prix which takes place on the day of publication and is not included in this list. However, he has had a final this season, finishing runner-up in Belfast, whilst also making the semi-finals in Manchester and the Last 16 in Glasgow. In the recent German Masters, Hawkins made the quarter-finals and this consistent run of results is certainly enough to put him in the top five this week. Showing his consistency, Hawkins is second on the tour for average frame aggregate this season.

4 - Marco Fu - Just ahead of Hawkins in fourth place is Scottish Open winner Marco Fu. Fu made the semi-finals in the recent World Grand Prix though this does not count towards this weeks list, else he would be a spot or two higher. In recent Welsh Open's he has a couple of quarter-finals in 2014 and 2015 but has not been able to go on any further in the last four stagings. Statistically, Fu is top of the shop for average break when above 50, third for average frames per 50+ as well as being fifth on the list of close frames win percentage which is quite an effort.

3 - Judd Trump - Trump makes it into the top three on this weeks list mainly thanks to his performances in the home nations series this season. He may have pulled out of Northern Ireland, but a semi-finalist in Scotland and runner-up in the English really boosts his standing. In the last four years of the Welsh Open, Judd Trump has lost in the Last 16 in each of the last three after reaching the semi-finals in 2013. The numbers really help to pick Trump up though additionally. The left hander tops the shop for quarter-finals since the start of the 2014/2015 season, lies third on the list of average break when above 50, fourth for average frame aggregate and fifth for average frames per 50+ break.

2 - John Higgins - Coming close to the top of this weeks Top Ten but not close enough is 2015 Welsh Open champion John Higgins. This was one of the most influential factors in is standing, along with making the final of December's Scottish Open. He was a quarter-finalist in Wales in 2014, and in this season's English Open which also help to forward his case on this weeks list, despite poorer form at the start of 2017. On the performance indicators, the only top five that the Scotsman can boast is a joint second place standing in the quarter-finals or better list.

1 - Ronnie O'Sullivan - Naturally, it is Ronnie O'Sullivan who is once again top of the Tournament Top Ten this week. O'Sullivan is the defending champion in Wales, but he also won the title in it's last Newport staging in 2014. In this season's home nations his best has been a quarter-final at the Scottish Open. However, it is the performance indicator stats where the Rocket also stands out. He is number one for average frames per 50+ break, third for average frame aggregate and fourth for average break when above 50. Given his two recent Welsh Open triumphs, something no-one else could bring to the table, it is no wonder that O'Sullivan leads the top ten for the Welsh Open.


That is all from this weeks Statistics blog, but my full preview with my tournament thoughts and opinions, plus some other bits of information you need will be up very soon.

World Grand Prix: Preview

The preview this week is a one that has been rushed in all honesty given the circumstances of the tournament. From the finish of the quarter-finals in Berlin at the German Masters on Friday night we have known the 32 players that will compete in Preston this week, but who will play who is not something we knew until the final balls were potted on Sunday.

This is the third time this tournament has been staged in it's current set-up and format, with the top 32 on a one year money list from the start of the season to the conclusion of the German Masters making it into the draw. However, this year the tournament has moved to a month earlier to accommodate the fact that the top 16 on a one year money list following the Gibraltar Open at the start of March, will then play in the Players Championship. World Snooker would obviously want a gap between the two events to allow for players from 17-32 to have a good go at pushing their way into the 16.

The venue for the event has also changed, in the last two seasons we have been heading to Llandudno for the Grand Prix, but in 2017 the Players Championships will be staged there instead and this event moves to the Preston Guildhall. Once again the event will be covered on ITV4 which marks the first of three events they will cover in the next month. Good news for terrestrial TV viewers.

At very short notice then, here is the draw for this week:

Quarter 1 

Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Mark Selby Vs Martin Gould

Joe Perry Vs Mark Williams
Anthony Hamilton Vs Mark Allen

Liang Wenbo Vs Dominic Dale

Mark Selby is the number one seed for the Grand Prix this week, having under over £200,000 more than anyone else during the qualification period. However, it would not surprise me if he had a little bit of quiet period in the season now having played excellent stuff in the first half of the season. It would be very tough for him to keep that going all the way up to his World Championship defence. His first round opponent Martin Gould seemed to find some form in making the semi-finals of the German Masters, and after winning that event this time last year, and after playing well in the Grand Prix and Players Championship two years ago it may be a trend that he plays well at this time of year. Of course Anthony Hamilton deserves his congratulations for winning the German Masters last week. The players he beat to win that tournament show that it was a thoroughly deserved achievement. You would forgive him if he did not reach the same heights this week, so soon after such a massive moment in his career. Mark Allen will be looking to come back strong from a first round exit in Berlin and he could certainly have a good run this week. As for Liang Wenbo this will be the first time we have seen him since he missed match ball against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round of the Masters. His response to that will be an interesting one to watch, he could have a brilliant run this week or lose early on in what is a pretty tough section.

My first quarter choice though is the Masters runner-up Joe Perry. Perry had not been in the best of form in the few weeks leading up to Christmas, and said he had not expectations coming into the Masters but ended up making the final and gave it a much better go than many have done before him against O'Sullivan. Not qualifying for the German Masters has at least given him a couple of weeks to move on from that and carry on working hard ahead of a heavy stretch of tournaments on the baize. A year ago he narrowly missed out on making the Grand Prix final, and was a winner at the Players Championship in 2015 so this is a period of the year when he seems to have been playing well. It does seem that a few players seem to have certain times in the year when they play better than others. A few great examples of that are with guys like Neil Robertson at the start of the season in recent years, or Marco Fu in the couple of weeks before Christmas. Given his poorer form he is due a good couple of runs, and after having one at the Masters there is no reason why that cannot continue here. 

Quarter Choice: Joe Perry

Quarter 2

Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Neil Robertson Vs Ricky Walden

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Yan Bingtao

Barry Hawkins Vs Kyren Wilson

Judd Trump Vs Tom Ford 

This is probably the best looking quarter of the draw on paper. The exciting young Yan Bingtao taking on Ronnie O'Sullivan in round one is a match not to miss. Given the results we have seen out of Yan in his debut season it would be no surprise if he sent the Rocket packing. As for O'Sullivan he will not have felt good at all after his loss from 4-1 up in the first round of the German Masters. He appeared to have total control but missed some under pressure in the last couple of frames and ultimately got what he deserved. If he sees off Yan the draw in this quarter sees three players whom he generally raises his game for. Neil Robertson is certainly one of those three and he will not have been happy after a first round loss to Ben Woollaston in Berlin, as his poor form continued. The fact that Robertson won in Riga at the very start of the season and then went to the semi-finals of the World Open straight after, makes it a huge surprise that he comes into this at twelfth on the one year list. Ricky Walden has not been in good form at all this season and is scraping to win matches that he would win easily at anywhere near his best level. The bottom two matches in this section are very close affairs for me. Kyren Wilson is one of the players who has not played a great deal since Christmas, failing to qualify for Berlin and falling in the first round of his debut Masters. As for Judd Trump against Tom Ford, Ford was a recent quarter-finalist in the German Masters. This featured a win over Trump 5-1 in the final qualifying round, and a 147 break at the venue as he beat Peter Ebdon. Ford has produced much more in terms of his results this season, and it would not surprise me if he beat Trump here, especially having done so as recently as he has. Trump meanwhile is a player we have not seen since he played that incredible Masters first round match with Marco Fu, and I do expect him to respond here in Preston. 

Having said all of that, my pick from this second quarter is Barry Hawkins. Hawkins has been in decent form this season, without yet getting a tournament win under his belt. He was very close to doing that in Belfast at the Northern Irish Open, while he should have made the Masters final, losing out in the semi's to Joe Perry. I was worried about how he would respond to that in the coming tournaments but a quarter-final run at the German Masters, that was ended by eventual winner Anthony Hamilton in another deciding frame, is a decent comeback. Hawkins has been playing well for a while and lost a lot of deciders in the last few months. His defeats in his last five events at venues have all come in deciding frames (Irish Open, Scottish Open, UK Championships, Masters and German Masters) so it is perhaps time he had a little bit of luck as well to go with some of his good form. In a tough draw I very much like Hawkins chances as he is a player that can just fly under the radar, as he seems to do every single year at the World Championships and look at his record at the Crucible in the last four years. For me Hawkins is certainly one to watch this week. 

Quarter Choice: Barry Hawkins

Quarter 3

Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

Ali Carter Vs Zhou Yuelong

Mark King Vs Stephen Maguire

Anthony McGill Vs David Gilbert

Marco Fu Vs Jamie Jones

Entering the bottom half of the draw, this third quarter was the hardest one to pick a winner from. Stephen Maguire lost comfortably to Ali Carter in the first round of the German Masters and has not really showed very much since the Shanghai Masters. Mark King could easily beat Maguire in round one, especially after the way he played to beat O'Sullivan in Berlin. Anthony McGill started off like a train in the early season but has gone a little quiet since then and is due a decent run, and this could be a draw where if he plays well he could make it through to the latter stages. Marco Fu's inconsistency is still an issue, following up his brilliant Masters and Scottish Open performances with a China Open qualifier defeat and a first round exit at the venue in Berlin. The man that beat him there was David Gilbert who then came very close to beating Stuart Bingham in the Last 16 and going a lot further in the competition. I am still very much waiting for the next big ranking event performance from Gilbert after what he showed us in the 2015 International Championship. Despite the odd glimpse of this he has not quite delivered again yet.

I was a bit reluctant to choose him so soon after the disappointment in Berlin, but my third quarter choice is Ali Carter. This was a hard quarter to pick a winner from as there is not really a stand out favourite. I think Carter has a lot of positives to take from Berlin despite defeat in the final. He struck the cue ball really well all week and played superbly until the final session of the final when Hamilton got on top. His experience and tactical superiority should play a part in round one against Zhou Yuelong, and then he has a possible repeat of his first round match from Berlin against Maguire. When he is striking the ball well, his tactical game and percentage play combined with that make him a formidable opponent. My only fear here would be this event coming so close to Berlin, making it a very heavy schedule for the Captain. With the inconsistencies of so many other players in this section though I have to make Carter my pick for success. 

Quarter Choice: Ali Carter 

Quarter 4

Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold) 

John Higgins Vs Michael White

Stuart Bingham Vs Ryan Day

Shaun Murphy Vs Michael Holt

Ding Junhui Vs Yu De Lu 

In the final quarter we have the defending champion, as well as three of the players he beat on the way to winning the title. Michael White is one of those after he was thumped by Murphy in round one last year and this year he has an assignment that is just as tough against John Higgins. Nothing but White's best will do if Higgins is anywhere close to his. After a first round loss at the Masters, Higgins will still be looking to respond. Despite his back to back wins in November it must have been a sour end to the year by coming so close to winning his home tournament, but just falling at the final hurdle. Ryan Day had another decent week making the quarter-finals in Berlin, but once again he failed to kick on and go as far as we all know he can. That is not to say he could not get a couple of wins under his belt this week. His first round opponent is last years losing finalist Stuart Bingham. Bingham was always scrapping for form in the German Masters, and recently becoming a Dad again will perhaps affect his form for a month or two. We have seen similar in the last year or two with guys like Selby, Walden and Murphy and it seems to be quite a common theme. It is at this point that I would like to join the rest of the snooker community in sending my best wishes to Ding Junhui. Sad news came out last week that Ding's mother has passed away and at what must be such a difficult time it is impossible to say how he will perform on a snooker table, because quite simply it is not significant when you lose a loved one. Michael Holt could prove a dangerous customer once more as he takes on Murphy in round one. At an event where he got the first of three wins he has had over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last year, he will be feeling confident and hoping to put some more good performances together.

My final quarter winner choice is Shaun Murphy. Murphy has had a few weeks off after his first round exit from the Masters and not qualifying for the German Masters. This season has seen more early exits than he has had for a long time but a lot of players have played incredibly well against him. He is still the fifteenth seed this week, which is only one spot lower than when he won this tournament last year so the signs are not all bad. He has recently had adjustments made to his cue that he hopes will give him that extra percentage for the rest of the season. I like to think that the recent break and chance to get his cue so he is happy and comfortable playing with it will make it a difference. He has also put a lot of hours in on the practice table to get used to these changes, meaning he is fully prepared for this week. He faces Holt in round one which is a tough match but if he plays well and gets through that game it should give him a lot of confidence and freedom. Performances in the UK Championships, China Championships and International Championships were all fairly positive and close to achieving a lot more so he has brought his best to the bigger events more often than not and I think he will do so this week too. 

Quarter Choice: Shaun Murphy

Tournament Winner Selection: Barry Hawkins

That is all for my very fast paced preview, with the short turnaround from Berlin.

There is a thinned down Stat Attack and Tournament Top Ten for this week too which can all be found here: http://cueactionsnookerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/world-grand-prix-stat-attack-and.html