One of the pre-tournament favourites Judd Trump was by far the biggest name to exit in the first round of the World Championship as he was beaten by huge outsider Rory McLeod. In fact Trump was such a favourite to win the match that he was shorter odds before the match started than John Higgins was to beat Martin Gould 'in-play' when Higgins was 7-2 ahead.
Trump justified this when he took an early 4-0 lead, but all of a sudden things started to turn around and McLeod clawed his way back into the match. At 2-4 I began to sense that something was happening whilst watching the match on table one from inside the Crucible. Then when the curtain came up McLeod seemed to get stronger and Trump just became more frustrated. In the ninth frame Trump played a wild cutback on a thin red opening all of the other reds on the table, and leaving McLeod a huge chance to lead 5-4.
Even at this stage many would have thought that this was just a blip for Trump who would come out the next day firing. This could not have been further from the truth as he started to then show signs of an injury (though as he skipped his press conference at the end of the match I guess we will only be able to speculate). After a very slow session they were taken off with McLeod leading 9-7 and just a frame from knocking Trump out. When they came back around seven hours later Trump managed to get a frame back at 8-9 but could not force the decider as McLeod stepped up and finished the job.
As I right this 14 of the first round games have been completed and only four seeds have exited the competition. One of these was Anthony McGill on the opening day, though losing to Stephen Maguire was not a great surprise as Maguire had been a top 16 seed for many years before this. As I and many others seemed to predict Ryan Day the lone Welshman in the draw and the sixteenth seed, was heavily beaten 10-4 by Xiao Guodong. That adds to 10-4 victories over Mark King and Sam Baird that Xiao picked up in qualifying. Elsewhere, Ali Carter was seen off by 2006 world champion Graeme Dott which again can never be classed as a huge surprise given Dott's world championship record.
The two uncompleted first round matches as of Thursday morning are Barry Hawkins and Tom Ford which is 7-2 to Hawkins who at this point is the only seed remaining in the bottom quarter. Meanwhile Neil Robertson also has a big lead, 8-1 ahead of Noppon Saengkham.
On a slight side note an interview that was put up on the Eurosport website yesterday with Robertson has revealed his addiction to video games, and how he has had to go "cold turkey" on certain games as he puts this down to his recent loss in form.
Otherwise the results have been fairly routine, though Shaun Murphy had to battle hard against Yan Bingtao. That is turning into a great match up whenever they play. Yan fought from 5-9 to 8-9 and looked like forcing a deciding frame until a gutsy clearance saw Murphy complete a 10-8 victory. That was a brilliant match to witness, as was the Marco Fu comeback against Luca Brecel as he recovered a 7-2 deficit from the opening session to come through 10-9. It was a shame for Brecel who did not do loads wrong in the second half of the match and played nicely in session one, but at his age plenty more opportunities will come.
First Round Results:
Mark Selby 10-2 Fergal O'Brien
Xiao Guodong 10-4 Ryan Day
Neil Robertson 8-1 Noppon Saengkham *
Marco Fu 10-9 Luca Brecel
Shaun Murphy 10-8 Yan Bingtao
Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-7 Gary Wilson
Liang Wenbo 10-7 Stuart Carrington
Ding Junhui 10-5 Zhou Yuelong
Stuart Bingham 10-5 Peter Ebdon
Kyren Wilson 10-6 David Grace
Mark Allen 10-8 Jimmy Robertson
John Higgins 10-6 Martin Gould
Barry Hawkins 7-2 Tom Ford *
Graeme Dott 10-7 Ali Carter
Stephen Maguire 10-2 Anthony McGill
Rory McLeod 10-8 Judd Trump
*After first session, with second sessions to be played on Thursday.
LAST 16 DRAW:
Mark Selby Vs Xiao Guodong
Marco Fu Vs Neil Robertson or Noppon Saengkham
Shaun Murphy Vs Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ding Junhui Vs Liang Wenbo
Stuart Bingham Vs Kyren Wilson
John Higgins Vs Mark Allen
Barry Hawkins or Tom Ford Vs Graeme Dott
Stephen Maguire Vs Rory McLeod
The place to start in the draw is with the matches kicking off on Thursday. First we have Stuart Bingham and Kyren Wilson. I did not see much of Wilson's round one game but he seemed he had to play well to see off Grace who put on a decent show on debut at the Crucible. Meanwhile Bingham's game with Peter Ebdon could have been a lot closer. Ebdon could and arguably should have won three frames that went the other way in the final session. In the 'Twitter World Championships' those that voted on this second round match felt Wilson would win there is certainly a case for that given how well he played at the Crucible a year ago beating Joe Perry and Mark Allen. Bingham meanwhile has only ever passed the second round twice, one of which was obviously his winning year of 2015.
Then there is the tie of the round starting on Thursday evening with Shaun Murphy playing Ronnie O'Sullivan. Both played tough opponents on the table in round one and had to play very well to come through those respective matches. Away from the baize though there has been plenty of talk. O'Sullivan has caused a stir with comments made about Barry Hearn and World Snooker, and following a statement issued by Hearn himself, O'Sullivan has had to come back with his own statement where he has said he will answer no further questions. Murphy meanwhile was asked about this in his press conference and, where other players have stuck up for O'Sullivan, he was very critical of him which adds some extra spice to this meeting. They met of course over the same length of match back in the 2014 Crucible quarter-finals, when Murphy was thrashed 13-3 from 2-0 in front. A lot has changed since then though and I think Murphy will be fired up more than ever to send O'Sullivan packing, who I'm sure will be able to put the distractions of the past few days behind him and concentrate once more on the job in hand and pleasing his army of fans.
Mark Selby cruised past Fergal O'Brien on the opening day and now faces Xiao Guodong who I think will give him a very good match. Xiao thrashed Ryan Day as well as Mark King and Sam Baird in qualifying which is no easy feat. He looks very close to getting back to the form that saw him make the 2013 Shanghai Masters final when many thought he would kick on, but now he may just do that. Selby is incredibly tough to beat over this long format and he should still come through this and make the quarter-finals. In fact it would be very surprising if he did not get to the magic number of 13 frames in this match, but there is no reason why his Chinese opponent cannot push him close.
The Chinese fans will be licking their lips at that prospect but also a match up between their two highest ranked players as Ding Junhui faces Liang Wenbo in round two. Ding played very well in session one against Zhou Yuelong and is a worthy favourite here against a player in Liang who looked very edgy again in round one against Stuart Carrington who was equally as nervy in the final session of that match. Liang will have to settle down much quicker here against last year's losing finalist.
Stephen Maguire is a pretty heavy favourite to beat Rory McLeod in the second round having romped to victory in round one. It would be a pretty big surprise if McLeod repeated his opening round heroics against Trump, but we all know how easily Maguire can become frustrated in matches and his recent Crucible record is still not the best. If McLeod can play his own game, score reasonably well and get under the Scot's skin early then he has a chance of completing another big upset.
Another Scot John Higgins will be favourite against Mark Allen. Allen had to dig deep against Jimmy Robertson and has not had the best of seasons overall so he will need to find top form against Higgins to get through. Higgins was made to work slightly harder from 5-0 up against Martin Gould eventually coming through 10-6 but his record against Allen is a mixed one. Allen won their last meeting, though that was over the best-of-7 frames, but more significantly he did overcome Higgins in the Masters back in January. Higgins tasted the success against Allen at the UK Championships, as well as recording a 9-3 victory in the China Championship semi-finals which does not bode as well for the Northern Irishman. Overall, Allen just leads the head to head (if you remove the Championship League) including three wins against Higgins in the Masters. It is the Scot who won their only World Championship meeting all the way back in the 2009 semi-finals 17-13, with Allen making that a very tough game for Higgins.
These second round matches looking mouth-watering and it whatever happens it will be a brilliant line-up for the quarter-finals next week.
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Friday, 14 April 2017
THE BIG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW
Qualifying is over, the draw has been made and the worlds best snooker players are set to descend on the sports spiritual home at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield.
There are plenty of special events going on alongside the snooker this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Snooker Championships taking place at the Crucible. Missing the green carpet event for me is the only downside of not arriving on the Friday and being around on the first weekend.
On Saturday morning Mark Selby will raise the curtain on the 2017 world snooker championships and begin the defence of the title he won for a second time twelve months ago. Meanwhile, on table two starting his campaign at the same time as Selby will be the man that ended his last defence two years ago in the shape of Anthony McGill.
Also starting his campaign on Saturday is Ronnie O'Sullivan with the five times world champion playing in the afternoon for his opening session and on Sunday afternoon to a finish. Judd Trump is one of the heavy favourites too and he has until Tuesday to prepare for his opening exchanges in this championship.
Of the qualifiers, only 5 of the 16 players ranked between 17 and 32 have qualified (who would have been seeded through to the final round under the previous structure back in 2014). Of those five three of them are seeded 30, 31 and 32. There are five debutants in the field as Gary Wilson, Noppon Saengkham, Yan Bingtao, Zhou Yuelong and David Grace will appear at the Crucible for the very first time. For Yan Bingtao he has managed it in his very first season as professional.
Of the qualifiers, only 5 of the 16 players ranked between 17 and 32 have qualified (who would have been seeded through to the final round under the previous structure back in 2014). Of those five three of them are seeded 30, 31 and 32. There are five debutants in the field as Gary Wilson, Noppon Saengkham, Yan Bingtao, Zhou Yuelong and David Grace will appear at the Crucible for the very first time. For Yan Bingtao he has managed it in his very first season as professional.
There are plenty of special events going on alongside the snooker this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Snooker Championships taking place at the Crucible. Missing the green carpet event for me is the only downside of not arriving on the Friday and being around on the first weekend.
One of the interesting things in this world championships for me will be the battle in the TV coverage between the BBC and Eurosport. Eurosport have been covering a lot more snooker this year since the start of the new deal that was announced a year ago, and for me they're improving all the time.
It has also come out in the last few days that Alan McManus will be on the Eurosport team which is big news for them. If the BBC continue to stick with the some of the same voices that have been in their commentary box for so long then they risk people (including myself) switching to Eurosport.
Cliff Thorburn and Barry Hearn completed the draw on the World Snooker Facebook Page as they utilised the Facebook Live feature, which is the same way that the final two days of world championship qualifying were broadcast. Let's take a look at how the draw shapes up and who I think will be the ones to watch for this year's world title.
Cliff Thorburn and Barry Hearn completed the draw on the World Snooker Facebook Page as they utilised the Facebook Live feature, which is the same way that the final two days of world championship qualifying were broadcast. Let's take a look at how the draw shapes up and who I think will be the ones to watch for this year's world title.
Quarter 1
Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Selby Vs Fergal O'Brien (Saturday 15th 10am and 7pm)
Ryan Day Vs Xiao Guodong (Wednesday 19th 10am and 7pm)
Neil Robertson Vs Noppon Saengkham (Wednesday 19th 2.30pm and Thursday 20th 1pm)
Marco Fu Vs Luca Brecel (Sunday 16th 7pm and Monday 17th 7pm)
The obvious place to start is with the defending champion Mark Selby. Selby has had a much better season as a two time world champion than he did the season after winning his first. International champion, UK champion and China Open winner are among his triumphs in recent times and form like that is going to make him very difficult to beat. The draw for the first couple of rounds looks one that he should get through easily enough. Fergal O'Brien his first round opponent is the new holder of the longest ever professional snooker frame, having played out a 2 hour and 3 minute decider in the final qualifying round against David Gilbert. That beats the previous record by over 20 minutes and that for me is a sign that laws on slow play need to be tightened up a bit. Unfortunately for O'Brien I can not see him offering enough resistance to make this a late night finish on Saturday.
Ryan Day just sneaked into the top 16, courtesy of Selby beating Mark Williams in the China Open final. He is the only member of the top 16 not to have won a ranking event in the last two years, and in fact he has never won a ranking event at all. His form has been decent this season but he is always quite inconsistent, which never bodes well for a championship campaign. A lot of pressure is on him as the lone Welshman in the draw and he happens to have drawn one of the stronger qualifiers. Xiao Guodong eased through qualifying with very easy victories against Sam Baird (who made the last 16 a year ago) and Mark King, with plenty of power scoring. He has played at the Crucible before and on that occasion he came very close to Ali Carter. This time I fancy him to go one better.
Marco Fu is someone who has been touted most of the year as one to watch for this years world's. Fu made the semi-finals last year before Selby halted his run. Since then he has made the semi-finals at the UK Championship and the Masters scoring very heavily, just as he did to cruise to victory in Scotland just before Christmas. However, Fu's record at the Crucible is far from good. Last year's run to the semi-finals was the first time he had made it past the Last 16 since 2006. Luca Brecel is his round one opponent having qualified for the second time, his first appearance coming in 2012 as a 17 year old. If Brecel can score heavily he is capable of really getting on a run of frames and making life very tough for Fu, but the worry for the Belgian will be the tactical frames.
Ryan Day just sneaked into the top 16, courtesy of Selby beating Mark Williams in the China Open final. He is the only member of the top 16 not to have won a ranking event in the last two years, and in fact he has never won a ranking event at all. His form has been decent this season but he is always quite inconsistent, which never bodes well for a championship campaign. A lot of pressure is on him as the lone Welshman in the draw and he happens to have drawn one of the stronger qualifiers. Xiao Guodong eased through qualifying with very easy victories against Sam Baird (who made the last 16 a year ago) and Mark King, with plenty of power scoring. He has played at the Crucible before and on that occasion he came very close to Ali Carter. This time I fancy him to go one better.
Marco Fu is someone who has been touted most of the year as one to watch for this years world's. Fu made the semi-finals last year before Selby halted his run. Since then he has made the semi-finals at the UK Championship and the Masters scoring very heavily, just as he did to cruise to victory in Scotland just before Christmas. However, Fu's record at the Crucible is far from good. Last year's run to the semi-finals was the first time he had made it past the Last 16 since 2006. Luca Brecel is his round one opponent having qualified for the second time, his first appearance coming in 2012 as a 17 year old. If Brecel can score heavily he is capable of really getting on a run of frames and making life very tough for Fu, but the worry for the Belgian will be the tactical frames.
My opening quarter choice is one of my front runners for the worlds this year Neil Robertson. Robertson may not have had the best of second halves to the season, but for me that means he comes in as a something of a dark horse. He showed good signs at the Masters before losing to O'Sullivan, and then again at the Grand Prix when he beat O'Sullivan before losing to eventual champion Hawkins. If he can bring his form from the start of the season, when he won the Riga Masters, and made the World Open semi's with plenty of high scoring, then he will be very hard to beat in Sheffield as he can win sessions and matches by any margin.
The 2010 champion has had a mixed record since, with first round losses in 2011 (the Crucible Curse), 2013 and last year but all to very tough opponents. In 2012 he lost out to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals who went on to win the title, in 2014 Mark Selby edged him out in the semi-finals when Robertson was flying and probably would have gone on to win a second title. He lost a decider in the 2015 quarter-finals to Barry Hawkins and had he have come through then he may have gone on to win that year as well. Skipping the China Open to me is a signal of intent, and something that Selby did last year before his successful campaign. Deliberately taking a month to prepare is something that will look silly if it backfires. He is one player that for me is able to peak his game for the Triple Crown events as he has showed with a number of good Crucible runs, two UK titles and a Masters title as well as two further Masters finals. That is the sort of evidence of what he can do with thorough preparation and is not surprise to me that he has given extra time to prioritise a run in Sheffield, because he could certainly have had a second world title before now.
The 2010 champion has had a mixed record since, with first round losses in 2011 (the Crucible Curse), 2013 and last year but all to very tough opponents. In 2012 he lost out to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals who went on to win the title, in 2014 Mark Selby edged him out in the semi-finals when Robertson was flying and probably would have gone on to win a second title. He lost a decider in the 2015 quarter-finals to Barry Hawkins and had he have come through then he may have gone on to win that year as well. Skipping the China Open to me is a signal of intent, and something that Selby did last year before his successful campaign. Deliberately taking a month to prepare is something that will look silly if it backfires. He is one player that for me is able to peak his game for the Triple Crown events as he has showed with a number of good Crucible runs, two UK titles and a Masters title as well as two further Masters finals. That is the sort of evidence of what he can do with thorough preparation and is not surprise to me that he has given extra time to prioritise a run in Sheffield, because he could certainly have had a second world title before now.
Quarter Choice: Neil Robertson
Quarter 2
Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Shaun Murphy Vs Yan Bingtao (Sunday 16th 10am and Monday 17th 2.30pm)
Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Gary Wilson (Saturday 15th 2.30pm and Sunday 16th 2.30pm)
Liang Wenbo Vs Stuart Carrington (Tuesday 18th 10am and 7pm)
Ding Junhui Vs Zhou Yuelong (Monday 17th 10am and Tuesday 18th 2.30pm)
Top of the list of things to talk about in the second quarter of the draw is another match between Shaun Murphy and Yan Bingtao. The pair have already met on three occasions, which is quite a few given Yan's age and the amount of time he has been on the scene. First Yan beat Murphy as a 15 year old at the Champion of Champions after Yan was part of the winning World Cup team in 2015. Murphy got his own back at this seasons International Championship with a narrow 6-5 win which went to the wire, will Yan chalked up another win in December in German Masters qualifying. Yan's talents have been displayed throughout the season but this will still be his biggest test such as the atmosphere and environment of playing at the Crucible.
Murphy should be Yan's inspiration as the last player to win the world title as a qualifier all the way back in 2005. 12 years on, Murphy has appeared in two further world finals in 2009 and 2015 and reached the latter stages on further occasions, including varying quarter-finals in 2013 and 2014. The one in 2014 may be most relevant given that it was a 13-3 loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan who he may meet in the last 16 if he can get through. Murphy has shown good form in recent months, winning in Gibraltar as well as scoring heavily at the China Open and finding his great long potting at the World Grand Prix and the tournaments since. He will certainly be well prepared for another assault on the world title and the devilishly tough draw he will have to get through to triumph in Sheffield once more.
We mentioned O'Sullivan briefly there and for once he is not favourite for the title. That may be a result of the fact that he struggled a year ago when he lost in the last 16 and bashed up his dressing room following his round one win. In fact his behaviour in the last couple of years at the Crucible has been odd at times showing quite a short fuse. Despite some of that, he is the Masters champion and made the final of the UK Championships so despite Selby and Trump moving ahead in the betting, O'Sullivan is still going to be tough to beat. The alarming thing is some of the turnarounds in the shorter matches that we've seen as O'Sullivan lost big leads in Berlin and Cardiff before another early exit recently in Beijing. He may not have things all his own way in round one either. Gary Wilson may be a Crucible debutant but he has also made a full ranking final back in 2015 at the China Open. His run through the qualifiers featured a final round thrashing of Michael White as well as eight centuries across the three matches including a maximum 147 break.
Then there is Liang Wenbo, one of four Chinese players featuring in this quarter of the draw. Coming into this tournament he has had very little form with an early exit to McLeod in Beijing, as well as first round exits at the Players Championship and the Gibraltar Open. Aside from the World Grand Prix he has really under performed since Christmas. Liang has not got the best world championship record either. A quarter-final on debut in 2008 is the only time he has passed the first round. Last year was the first time he had qualified since 2012, though now he will play at the Crucible for the first time as one of the seeded players. Stuart Carrington is his round one opponent. Carrington has qualified before two years ago, and shined this year in the qualifiers with a big win against Mark Williams as well as another experienced head in Andrew Higginson. Carrington is a very heavy scorer and seems to improve every time I see him, so it would not surprise me at all here if he were to upset the odds on Liang.
It is the Chinese number one Ding Junhui who is my second quarter choice. Ding showed for me a great level of progress and maturity in his game last year. To respond to dropping out of the top 16 just a couple of years after winning five ranking titles in one season, by winning the three qualifying matches with ease and then going on all the way to his first world final was an unbelievable effort. He has now built up a lot of world championship experience from his 2011 semi-final with Trump to now, and at the age of 30 it feels like he has been around for a very long time. Despite his age and the amount of time he has been around, the fact he is yet to win a world title is no disaster. For a long time he has been one of the lone Chinese hopes and with that comes a lot of pressure. In the last couple of years though players like Liang Wenbo have stepped up, while others like Zhou Yuelong and now Yan Bingtao are coming through and that may divert some of the attention away from Ding a little bit.
Playing Zhou Yuelong in round one is not an easy match on paper, as we all know the talent he has, but in the two meetings they have had, one of which was very recent, Ding has handed out a couple of thrashings. On Crucible debut it will be equally as difficult for Zhou and that is where Ding's experience should tell. Then there is the matter of an out of form Liang or a qualifier in Carrington who, while I rate him very highly as I have mentioned, you would not expect to beat Ding over 25 frames. Any further than that very much depends how he performs on the day because there would be some very evenly matched opposition. Ding has impressed me this season, winning in Shanghai to get back in the winners circle and complete his turnaround in form after coming back into the top 16 after last year's world championship. Then he backed it up by reaching the International final in November before tragedy struck earlier on in 2017 when his mother sadly passed away. That obviously affected his performances for a few tournaments. At the Players Championship he looked to be getting back to his usual self making the semi-finals before losing a tight tussle against Marco Fu, and then in Beijing he made the quarter-finals to back up those thoughts and remind us that he is a contender for this title. All in all, it has been an impressive 12 months from Ponds Forge in 2016 to now with so much overcome in between. Having fought through so much it feels now that it would be fitting for him to go one step further than last year and lift the title. With so many exciting Chinese players involved this year to soak up some of the pressure and attention, now is the time that Ding can get down to business.
Murphy should be Yan's inspiration as the last player to win the world title as a qualifier all the way back in 2005. 12 years on, Murphy has appeared in two further world finals in 2009 and 2015 and reached the latter stages on further occasions, including varying quarter-finals in 2013 and 2014. The one in 2014 may be most relevant given that it was a 13-3 loss to Ronnie O'Sullivan who he may meet in the last 16 if he can get through. Murphy has shown good form in recent months, winning in Gibraltar as well as scoring heavily at the China Open and finding his great long potting at the World Grand Prix and the tournaments since. He will certainly be well prepared for another assault on the world title and the devilishly tough draw he will have to get through to triumph in Sheffield once more.
We mentioned O'Sullivan briefly there and for once he is not favourite for the title. That may be a result of the fact that he struggled a year ago when he lost in the last 16 and bashed up his dressing room following his round one win. In fact his behaviour in the last couple of years at the Crucible has been odd at times showing quite a short fuse. Despite some of that, he is the Masters champion and made the final of the UK Championships so despite Selby and Trump moving ahead in the betting, O'Sullivan is still going to be tough to beat. The alarming thing is some of the turnarounds in the shorter matches that we've seen as O'Sullivan lost big leads in Berlin and Cardiff before another early exit recently in Beijing. He may not have things all his own way in round one either. Gary Wilson may be a Crucible debutant but he has also made a full ranking final back in 2015 at the China Open. His run through the qualifiers featured a final round thrashing of Michael White as well as eight centuries across the three matches including a maximum 147 break.
Then there is Liang Wenbo, one of four Chinese players featuring in this quarter of the draw. Coming into this tournament he has had very little form with an early exit to McLeod in Beijing, as well as first round exits at the Players Championship and the Gibraltar Open. Aside from the World Grand Prix he has really under performed since Christmas. Liang has not got the best world championship record either. A quarter-final on debut in 2008 is the only time he has passed the first round. Last year was the first time he had qualified since 2012, though now he will play at the Crucible for the first time as one of the seeded players. Stuart Carrington is his round one opponent. Carrington has qualified before two years ago, and shined this year in the qualifiers with a big win against Mark Williams as well as another experienced head in Andrew Higginson. Carrington is a very heavy scorer and seems to improve every time I see him, so it would not surprise me at all here if he were to upset the odds on Liang.
It is the Chinese number one Ding Junhui who is my second quarter choice. Ding showed for me a great level of progress and maturity in his game last year. To respond to dropping out of the top 16 just a couple of years after winning five ranking titles in one season, by winning the three qualifying matches with ease and then going on all the way to his first world final was an unbelievable effort. He has now built up a lot of world championship experience from his 2011 semi-final with Trump to now, and at the age of 30 it feels like he has been around for a very long time. Despite his age and the amount of time he has been around, the fact he is yet to win a world title is no disaster. For a long time he has been one of the lone Chinese hopes and with that comes a lot of pressure. In the last couple of years though players like Liang Wenbo have stepped up, while others like Zhou Yuelong and now Yan Bingtao are coming through and that may divert some of the attention away from Ding a little bit.
Playing Zhou Yuelong in round one is not an easy match on paper, as we all know the talent he has, but in the two meetings they have had, one of which was very recent, Ding has handed out a couple of thrashings. On Crucible debut it will be equally as difficult for Zhou and that is where Ding's experience should tell. Then there is the matter of an out of form Liang or a qualifier in Carrington who, while I rate him very highly as I have mentioned, you would not expect to beat Ding over 25 frames. Any further than that very much depends how he performs on the day because there would be some very evenly matched opposition. Ding has impressed me this season, winning in Shanghai to get back in the winners circle and complete his turnaround in form after coming back into the top 16 after last year's world championship. Then he backed it up by reaching the International final in November before tragedy struck earlier on in 2017 when his mother sadly passed away. That obviously affected his performances for a few tournaments. At the Players Championship he looked to be getting back to his usual self making the semi-finals before losing a tight tussle against Marco Fu, and then in Beijing he made the quarter-finals to back up those thoughts and remind us that he is a contender for this title. All in all, it has been an impressive 12 months from Ponds Forge in 2016 to now with so much overcome in between. Having fought through so much it feels now that it would be fitting for him to go one step further than last year and lift the title. With so many exciting Chinese players involved this year to soak up some of the pressure and attention, now is the time that Ding can get down to business.
Quarter Choice: Ding Junhui
Quarter 3
Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Stuart Bingham Vs Peter Ebdon (Sunday 16th 2.30pm and Monday 17th 10am)
Kyren Wilson Vs David Grace (Saturday 15th 2.30pm and Sunday 16th 10am)
Mark Allen Vs Jimmy Robertson (Sunday 16th 7pm and Monday 17th 7pm)
John Higgins Vs Martin Gould (Monday 17th 2.30pm and Tuesday 18th 10am)
The top match in this quarter is the former world champions battle between Stuart Bingham and Peter Ebdon. Ebdon's qualifying route was one filled with drama and tension as he overcame Michael Holt on the black 10-9 in the final round. He had to come through a decider the round before that as well against Jack Lisowski so he is still able to pull matches out in this long format and wear down his opponents in a way very few can. It is fair to say he is not the force he once was, and in tune with that he has not made it through the opening round at the Crucible since 2008, despite winning the China Open in 2009 and 2012. Bingham meanwhile is the much more recent champion having conquered the world in 2015. It was one of the all time great triumphs when you consider that he had never reached the one table set-up prior to that. The Crucible curse got him in 2016 as he lost in the first round to Carter, and he did struggle in his year as world champion with Ebdon overcoming him 6-3 during the 2015 UK Championships at the Last 32 stage. Bingham did hit form in Cardiff back in February as he took the Welsh open title which was a huge win for him and he has played much better this season on the whole now that there is less pressure on his shoulders. Overall, that will make him a tougher prospect for Ebdon than in their 2015 UK clash.
Kyren Wilson showed a lot of bottle last year as he came through the qualifiers and then, on his second appearance at the Crucible, sent Joe Perry and Mark Allen packing before losing to Mark Selby. His form has been patchy at times this season though he did reach the Indian Open final and the semi's of the Irish Open and recently finding his form to reach the last four in Beijing. If he shows his best form in Sheffield then he has the potential to make it out of this quarter and into the one table stage. Round one may not necessarily be an easy ride as takes on David Grace. Grace of course made the semi-finals of the 2015 UK Championships and is now on his Crucible debut and as a proud Yorkshire-man he will have a lot of support in. If Wilson is on his game he should have the edge here, though if he is not quite there Grace is good enough to take his chances as long as he can hold off the debutant nerves.
Martin Gould will have been one of the qualifiers that the seeds wanted to avoid in the draw, but it is John Higgins who was the man to line up next to his number. Higgins had a good spell of form in the first half of the season that saw him win the China Championships and Champion of Champions as well as reaching the final of his tournament and narrowly losing in the UK quarter-finals. Since the turnaround that left him on the wrong side of a 9-4 Scottish Open final loss to Marco Fu, Higgins has not reached the same heights. In the recent China open he squandered a 4-1 lead against Mark Williams, as well as seeing Ding Junhui win all of the five frames required from 4-0 down in the Players Championship. Very unusual results for Higgins. On top of that came first round exits at the Masters, World Grand Prix and the Welsh open. Last year at the Crucible was the first time Higgins had made it passed the second round since winning in 2011, and even then when he lost to McManus he could have gone on further. He is not immune to an upset having exited in round one in 2013 and 2014. For Martin Gould, he has never been outstanding at the Crucible but given his quality there is no reason why. Last year he lost in round one as a seed to Ding Junhui in the worst draw he could have had, while in 2012 he succumbed to the pressure of being a seed for the very first time. Better results have come as a qualifier, beating Marco Fu in 2010 and 2011, though he failed to complete that hat trick in 2014. Gould has enough quality with his heavy scoring and long potting to put Higgins under pressure at a very early stage.
My third quarter choice though is one many may not agree with, Mark Allen. Allen may not be the name that jumps out at you in this section but for me there is not a clear name to go for or an obvious choice. If you share my thought that Higgins will lose in round one then that may clear more of a path for Allen who is certainly as strong as anyone else in this section. It is fair to say that he has not had the greatest season of his career, and he is well aware of that as his social media will suggest, and is working hard to put that right. Even if he ends up playing Higgins in round two, he has had enough results against the Scot to suggest he can pull another out, with this years Masters being a great example of that. His first round opponent Jimmy Robertson is by no means a pushover, but he does play the type of game that suits Allen a lot more getting things open and playing positively. He has scored pretty well through the year making 30 centuries at a strong rate, which may suggest that any reason for an astounding seven last 16 exits with only one quarter-final, lies in other aspects of the game.
Allen has been up for the big events though this season and that is a huge positive in my book. Semi-finals back to back at the China Championship and Champion of Champions included very good wins over Mark Selby in both events. He showed for much of the Irish Open an ability to grind results out when he was desperate to. The UK Championships saw him make a maximum in the early rounds, and a big fightback from 4-0 down against Ryan Day before losing to Higgins. That loss was balanced out at the Masters, showing that he has had enough big results, heavy scoring wins but also plenty of hard fought and gritty victories to demonstrate the all-round game required to go far in Sheffield. The Crucible record of the Northern Irishman offers a lot more promise from 2009-2011 than it has since. In 2009 he beat O'Sullivan on the way to the semi-finals, and he only marginally missed out on the one table stages again a year later, before making the quarters again in 2011. Since then he has suffered first round exits in 2012 and 2013, and last 16 losses in the three years since, running into the century machine Robertson in 2014, losing narrowly to Hawkins in 2015 and then not getting out of the blocks in one of the rare 'nightmare sessions' that you see at the Crucible against Kyren Wilson in 2016. All told, he has shown enough in the past and this season to suggest he can go far in Sheffield and silence those that doubt him, and even win his first major triple crown event.
Kyren Wilson showed a lot of bottle last year as he came through the qualifiers and then, on his second appearance at the Crucible, sent Joe Perry and Mark Allen packing before losing to Mark Selby. His form has been patchy at times this season though he did reach the Indian Open final and the semi's of the Irish Open and recently finding his form to reach the last four in Beijing. If he shows his best form in Sheffield then he has the potential to make it out of this quarter and into the one table stage. Round one may not necessarily be an easy ride as takes on David Grace. Grace of course made the semi-finals of the 2015 UK Championships and is now on his Crucible debut and as a proud Yorkshire-man he will have a lot of support in. If Wilson is on his game he should have the edge here, though if he is not quite there Grace is good enough to take his chances as long as he can hold off the debutant nerves.
Martin Gould will have been one of the qualifiers that the seeds wanted to avoid in the draw, but it is John Higgins who was the man to line up next to his number. Higgins had a good spell of form in the first half of the season that saw him win the China Championships and Champion of Champions as well as reaching the final of his tournament and narrowly losing in the UK quarter-finals. Since the turnaround that left him on the wrong side of a 9-4 Scottish Open final loss to Marco Fu, Higgins has not reached the same heights. In the recent China open he squandered a 4-1 lead against Mark Williams, as well as seeing Ding Junhui win all of the five frames required from 4-0 down in the Players Championship. Very unusual results for Higgins. On top of that came first round exits at the Masters, World Grand Prix and the Welsh open. Last year at the Crucible was the first time Higgins had made it passed the second round since winning in 2011, and even then when he lost to McManus he could have gone on further. He is not immune to an upset having exited in round one in 2013 and 2014. For Martin Gould, he has never been outstanding at the Crucible but given his quality there is no reason why. Last year he lost in round one as a seed to Ding Junhui in the worst draw he could have had, while in 2012 he succumbed to the pressure of being a seed for the very first time. Better results have come as a qualifier, beating Marco Fu in 2010 and 2011, though he failed to complete that hat trick in 2014. Gould has enough quality with his heavy scoring and long potting to put Higgins under pressure at a very early stage.
My third quarter choice though is one many may not agree with, Mark Allen. Allen may not be the name that jumps out at you in this section but for me there is not a clear name to go for or an obvious choice. If you share my thought that Higgins will lose in round one then that may clear more of a path for Allen who is certainly as strong as anyone else in this section. It is fair to say that he has not had the greatest season of his career, and he is well aware of that as his social media will suggest, and is working hard to put that right. Even if he ends up playing Higgins in round two, he has had enough results against the Scot to suggest he can pull another out, with this years Masters being a great example of that. His first round opponent Jimmy Robertson is by no means a pushover, but he does play the type of game that suits Allen a lot more getting things open and playing positively. He has scored pretty well through the year making 30 centuries at a strong rate, which may suggest that any reason for an astounding seven last 16 exits with only one quarter-final, lies in other aspects of the game.
Allen has been up for the big events though this season and that is a huge positive in my book. Semi-finals back to back at the China Championship and Champion of Champions included very good wins over Mark Selby in both events. He showed for much of the Irish Open an ability to grind results out when he was desperate to. The UK Championships saw him make a maximum in the early rounds, and a big fightback from 4-0 down against Ryan Day before losing to Higgins. That loss was balanced out at the Masters, showing that he has had enough big results, heavy scoring wins but also plenty of hard fought and gritty victories to demonstrate the all-round game required to go far in Sheffield. The Crucible record of the Northern Irishman offers a lot more promise from 2009-2011 than it has since. In 2009 he beat O'Sullivan on the way to the semi-finals, and he only marginally missed out on the one table stages again a year later, before making the quarters again in 2011. Since then he has suffered first round exits in 2012 and 2013, and last 16 losses in the three years since, running into the century machine Robertson in 2014, losing narrowly to Hawkins in 2015 and then not getting out of the blocks in one of the rare 'nightmare sessions' that you see at the Crucible against Kyren Wilson in 2016. All told, he has shown enough in the past and this season to suggest he can go far in Sheffield and silence those that doubt him, and even win his first major triple crown event.
Quarter Choice: Mark Allen
Quarter 4
Last 32 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Barry Hawkins Vs Tom Ford (Wednesday 19th 7pm and Thursday 20th 7pm)
Ali Carter Vs Graeme Dott (Tuesday 18th 7pm and Wednesday 19th at 2.30pm)
Anthony McGill Vs Stephen Maguire (Saturday 15th 10am and 7pm)
Judd Trump Vs Rory McLeod (Tuesday 18th 2.30pm and Wednesday 19th 10am)
The bottom quarter has got a couple of huge treats in it. Judd Trump is the favourite to come through it and one of the huge favourites to win the title. It is easy to see why given that he has won the European Masters and the Players Championship as well as making finals of the English Open, Welsh Open and Gibraltar Open amongst a very consistent season of results. On the other hand, in the triple crown events this season Trump fell at the last 64 stage in the UK Championships before losing a thriller to Marco Fu in the first round of the Masters. Since making the final in 2011 Trump has never lost in round one and I do not expect that to change here. Rory McLeod played lower ranked opposition in each of his three qualifying matches, though he did not win overly convincingly with each finishing up 10-7. His slow play should not be enough to unsettle Trump so McLeod will have to play snooker of a quality that he can very rarely obtain if he is to win. I am always weary of going in on the tournament favourite and with Stephen Maguire added to this section as a qualifier this is a very tough quarter indeed and one that he is by no means a certainty to come out of. His increased consistency though means that he is less likely to have sessions like the first session is his 2013 quarter-final against Shaun Murphy or his first round match last year against Liang Wenbo where he came out on Twitter part way through saying what he would do if he actually managed to turn it around.
I mentioned Stephen Maguire there, and it now feels odd to be calling him a qualifier. Having said that, he admitted in the interview after his third qualifying round win that he came to terms with the fact that he would be heading to Ponds Forge very early on in the season. That may have set him apart from other players that fell out of the top 16 and then failed to make the Crucible. There may be less pressure on him to win now that he is a qualifier, but the facts remain that he is still the bookies favourite to overcome Anthony McGill. The other big pointer is that he has not won a match at the Crucible since he beat Stephen Hendry in the 2012 quarter-finals. McGill meanwhile impressed everyone when he beat Maguire 10-9 in the first round in 2015 and then beat Selby in the second round to reach the quarter-finals on debut. He actually impressed me a lot more by coming back the next year after a relatively quiet season and dispatching Shaun Murphy in round one. He was an underdog on those occasions, and given the reaction amongst the bookies and on social media he almost is again here despite now being a ranking event winner and the seeded player. I certainly think this game will go to the wire, but I think the fact that most of the expectation is on Maguire in this match may let McGill come in under the radar and from his last two seasons in Sheffield we all know the damage he can do.
Graeme Dott and Ali Carter are two who have done a lot of damage here down the years. Carter has made two world finals, losing both to O'Sullivan, while Dott has made three finals and getting the ultimate triumph in 2006. This season though the pair have almost been chalk and cheese. Carter has got back into the winners circle by winning the World Open and struck the ball really well on the way to the German Masters final and Players championship semi's. As for Graeme Dott qualifying here is one of his better performances of the season. He seems to come alive at this time of the year and that showed as he fought back from 4-0 down to beat Jamie Jones 10-8 in the final qualifying round. He can certainly push Carter very close here but the Captain has the edge for me and I have been impressed with him for much of the season. How far he goes depends on how well he can continue applying himself. Since the 2012 final Carter has failed to get past the last 16 at the Crucible, losing at that stage in each of the last four years and in five of the last six world championships. I do think he is playing as well as ever, and despite this being a tough section there is no reason, given his all round game and great experience, that he cannot cause a lot of problems.
I mentioned Stephen Maguire there, and it now feels odd to be calling him a qualifier. Having said that, he admitted in the interview after his third qualifying round win that he came to terms with the fact that he would be heading to Ponds Forge very early on in the season. That may have set him apart from other players that fell out of the top 16 and then failed to make the Crucible. There may be less pressure on him to win now that he is a qualifier, but the facts remain that he is still the bookies favourite to overcome Anthony McGill. The other big pointer is that he has not won a match at the Crucible since he beat Stephen Hendry in the 2012 quarter-finals. McGill meanwhile impressed everyone when he beat Maguire 10-9 in the first round in 2015 and then beat Selby in the second round to reach the quarter-finals on debut. He actually impressed me a lot more by coming back the next year after a relatively quiet season and dispatching Shaun Murphy in round one. He was an underdog on those occasions, and given the reaction amongst the bookies and on social media he almost is again here despite now being a ranking event winner and the seeded player. I certainly think this game will go to the wire, but I think the fact that most of the expectation is on Maguire in this match may let McGill come in under the radar and from his last two seasons in Sheffield we all know the damage he can do.
Graeme Dott and Ali Carter are two who have done a lot of damage here down the years. Carter has made two world finals, losing both to O'Sullivan, while Dott has made three finals and getting the ultimate triumph in 2006. This season though the pair have almost been chalk and cheese. Carter has got back into the winners circle by winning the World Open and struck the ball really well on the way to the German Masters final and Players championship semi's. As for Graeme Dott qualifying here is one of his better performances of the season. He seems to come alive at this time of the year and that showed as he fought back from 4-0 down to beat Jamie Jones 10-8 in the final qualifying round. He can certainly push Carter very close here but the Captain has the edge for me and I have been impressed with him for much of the season. How far he goes depends on how well he can continue applying himself. Since the 2012 final Carter has failed to get past the last 16 at the Crucible, losing at that stage in each of the last four years and in five of the last six world championships. I do think he is playing as well as ever, and despite this being a tough section there is no reason, given his all round game and great experience, that he cannot cause a lot of problems.
My fourth and final quarter choice is a man who has performed very well in Sheffield in the last four years and that is Barry Hawkins. It all started for Hawkins in 2013 when he reached the final with wins against Mark Selby and Ding Junhui along the way. That was the first time that he had made it past the second round and he almost achieved what Bingham went further to do in 2015. In 2014 he came back strong though making the semi-finals, and then doing the same in 2015 with a good comeback against Mark Allen and a very good final session performance to beat an in form Neil Robertson. Then last year he may have missed out on the one table set-up but he was able to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16. That now means he has beaten a number of the big guns at one point or another at the Crucible.
This season alone he has looked strong. A semi-finalist at the Masters he lost out very narrowly there having been a way in front against Joe Perry, and similar happened in the Irish open final with Mark King. At the German Masters he fell at the quarter-final stage to the eventual winner Anthony Hamilton, as he did in the Gibraltar open last 16 against Shaun Murphy. At the World Grand Prix he went all the way and won the title with victories against Trump and Robertson on the way. For me he has been one of the most consistent players of the season, but also one of the most consistent players at the world championships in most recent years. That combination of venue form and form in recent months must give him a huge amount of confidence and belief that he can go all the way and lift the title. His draw is by no means easy, but in a very tough section there is not an easy route for any of these players to get through, so it is certainly all to play for.
This season alone he has looked strong. A semi-finalist at the Masters he lost out very narrowly there having been a way in front against Joe Perry, and similar happened in the Irish open final with Mark King. At the German Masters he fell at the quarter-final stage to the eventual winner Anthony Hamilton, as he did in the Gibraltar open last 16 against Shaun Murphy. At the World Grand Prix he went all the way and won the title with victories against Trump and Robertson on the way. For me he has been one of the most consistent players of the season, but also one of the most consistent players at the world championships in most recent years. That combination of venue form and form in recent months must give him a huge amount of confidence and belief that he can go all the way and lift the title. His draw is by no means easy, but in a very tough section there is not an easy route for any of these players to get through, so it is certainly all to play for.
Quarter Choice: Barry Hawkins
Winner Selection: Neil Robertson
This is going to be a fascinating tournament, because the form and the odds certainly believe that it is one of the most open world championships ever with no clear favourite and more contenders than ever.
For me, I will be at the Crucible watching on Monday afternoon and evening and Tuesday afternoon and evening before heading back home on Wednesday for my birthday. Joining me as my brother for our fourth trip, and my friend for his very first trip.
Wherever you are in the world or however you will be watching this great championship, I hope you enjoy it all as much as I hope to.
This is going to be a fascinating tournament, because the form and the odds certainly believe that it is one of the most open world championships ever with no clear favourite and more contenders than ever.
For me, I will be at the Crucible watching on Monday afternoon and evening and Tuesday afternoon and evening before heading back home on Wednesday for my birthday. Joining me as my brother for our fourth trip, and my friend for his very first trip.
Wherever you are in the world or however you will be watching this great championship, I hope you enjoy it all as much as I hope to.
Thursday, 13 April 2017
FANTASY SNOOKER: The Final Furlong
The 2016/2017 season Cue Action Blog Fantasy Snooker League has reached the last stage as the double points world championships arrive. That's right folks, DOUBLE POINTS.
All is very much still to play for given that so many points can be earned from this tournament if you choose the right players. The winner last year rose from third place to take the spoils and if those at the top do not pick wisely then something like that could easily happen again.
Without further padding, here is how the table stands going into the final event, with players listed next to each participant whom the allotted three picks have already been used on and therefore, cannot be chosen here.
All is very much still to play for given that so many points can be earned from this tournament if you choose the right players. The winner last year rose from third place to take the spoils and if those at the top do not pick wisely then something like that could easily happen again.
Without further padding, here is how the table stands going into the final event, with players listed next to each participant whom the allotted three picks have already been used on and therefore, cannot be chosen here.
1st:
Gary: Bingham x3, Murphy x3, Allen x3, Robertson x3, Selby x3 859
2nd: Anthony: O’Sullivan x3, Bingham x3 848
3rd: Isitan Bakar: Bingham
x3, Maguire x3, Allen x3, Trump x3, Higgins
x3, Selby x3, Murphy x3
818
4th: FAM147: Bingham x3, Robertson x3, Allen x3 721
5th: Igor: Murphy x3, Trump x3, Higgins x3, Ding
x3, Robertson x3, Bingham x3 717
6th: Daniela Reich: O’Sullivan x3 713
7th: M. Lowson: Murphy x3, Higgins x3, O’Sullivan
x3, Wenbo x3 699
8th: Andrew Walker: Trump x3, Robertson x3, Selby
x3, Ding x3, Fu x3,
Hawkins x3 624
9th: Ezgi Ulutas: Robertson x3, Wenbo x3, Selby x3 623
9th: Kellie: O’Sullivan x3, Allen x3 623
11th: SnookerFollower: Higgins x3, Trump x3,
Wenbo x3 610
12th: John McBride: Robertson x3, Bingham x3,
Allen x3 604
13th: TungstenDarts: Trump x3, Higgins x3, Wenbo
x3 599
14th: P. Mudd: O’Sullivan x3 592
15th: Couge: Murphy x3, Higgins x3, Trump x3,
Ding x3, Bingham x3 570
16th: Gorkem: O’Sullivan x3, Murphy x3, Robertson
x3, Higgins x3 567
17th: LTD: Hawkins x3, Bingham x3 561
18th: Andrew Brooker: Murphy x3, Allen x3,
Bingham x3, Trump x3 529
19th: Mark Taylor: Selby x3, Murphy x3 528
20th: Kjetil: Bingham x3, Trump x3 523
21st: TYIO: Bingham x3, Higgins x3, Trump x3,
Murphy x3, Allen x3, Robertson x3 476
22nd: Munraj Pal: Ding x3, Murphy x3, Robertson x3
456
Now you know where you stand here is a reminder of the players competing at the Crucible this year:
SEEDS:
Mark Selby
Judd Trump
Stuart Bingham
Ding Junhui
Shaun Murphy
John Higgins
Barry Hawkins
Marco Fu
Neil Robertson
Ali Carter
Mark Allen
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Liang Wenbo
Kyren Wilson
Anthony McGill
Ryan Day
QUALIFIERS:
Fergal O'Brien
Xiao Guodong
Noppon Saengkham
Luca Brecel
Yan Bingtao
Gary Wilson
Stuart Carrington
Zhou Yuelong
Peter Ebdon
David Grace
Jimmy Robertson
Martin Gould
Tom Ford
Graeme Dott
Stephen Maguire
Rory McLeod
Xiao Guodong
Noppon Saengkham
Luca Brecel
Yan Bingtao
Gary Wilson
Stuart Carrington
Zhou Yuelong
Peter Ebdon
David Grace
Jimmy Robertson
Martin Gould
Tom Ford
Graeme Dott
Stephen Maguire
Rory McLeod
The deadline for all picks is when the first matches begin on SATURDAY 15TH APRIL AT 10AM so all the best to each and everyone of the players and their picking for the final leg of this years competition.
Tuesday, 11 April 2017
Joe Perry loses out in World Championship Qualifying
Joe Perry was the major player to exit in the second round of the world championship qualifiers at Ponds Forge over Sunday and Monday. Perry came through round one easily enough but against much tougher opposition in Thailand's Akani Songsermsawad he ended up falling to a deciding frame loss.
Mark Williams has kept his campaign going but only just. He too went all the way to a deciding frame against Liam Highfield who played well on the night and certainly could have seen off the former world champion. The Welshman scraped through 10-9, in an even more tense battle than hiis 10-7 victory over Zhao Xintong where he also had to come from behind.
Meanwhile, 11 times women's world champion Reanne Evans dreams of playing at the Crucible have also ended. She overcame Robin Hull 10-8 in round one but could not find the same form in the first session of her match against Lee Walker. Walker took a 6-1 lead in a scrappy opening session, though the second session was even closer with a number of frames coming down to the colours. Evans fought back to 6-9 but in the end the Welshman ran through a 10-6 winner.
There will also be no Crucible return for German masters champion Anthony Hamilton. In a very tough match with Noppon Saengkham, who is looking to get into the top 64 and save his tour card, though he would get a new tour year card via the one year list otherwise, it went right down to the wire. A late night finish ensued and the Thai ran out a 10-9 winner.
Things were much simpler for Stephen Maguire as he thrashed Nigel Bond 10-3 to make it to the final qualifying round where he will play China's Li Hang. Michael White also had a pretty comfortable victory against Ross Muir, while Martin Gould saw off John Astley to make it into the final qualifying round.
However, Ken Doherty the 1997 world champion has fallen off of the tour. A loss in the second qualifying round against Ben Woollaston means that he finishes the season outside of the top 64 and outside of the top 8 players not already qualified for next season. The same is true for Martin O'Donnell who made a game of it against Hammad Miah from 1-7 down but could not get the much needed victory, as Miah added to his victory against Ricky Walden with a 10-7 triumph. Dechawat Poomjaeng will also have to go to Q School to continue his professional career as 2006 world champion Graeme Dott took care of the Thai in a 10-4 thrashing. Joe Swail fought valiantly with his tour spot on the line, but he too has missed out on survival after losing the final five frames of a 10-8 loss against Luca Brecel.
Last 80 Results:
Mark Williams 10-9 Liam Highfield
Stuart Carrington 10-6 Andrew Higginson
Tom Ford 10-6 Chris Wakelin
Hossein Vafei 10-6 Matt Selt
Lee Walker 10-6 Reanne Evans
Noppon Saengkham 10-9 Anthony Hamilton
Li Hang 10-4 Mike Dunn
Stephen Maguire 10-3 Nigel Bond
Mark King 10-4 Fang Xiongman
Xiao Guodong 10-4 Sam Baird
Ben Woollaston 10-4 Ken Doherty
Zhou Yuelong 10-8 Ian Preece
Jamie Jones 10-8 Alfie Burden
Graeme Dott 10-4 Dechawat Poomjaeng
Fergal O'Brien 10-9 Tian Pengfei
David Gilbert 10-6 Rhys Clark
Akani Songsermsawad 10-9 Joe Perry
David Grace 10-6 Mark Joyce
Luca Brecel 10-8 Joe Swail
Dominic Dale 10-6 Daniel Wells
Gary Wilson 10-7 Peter Lines
Michael White 10-4 Ross Muir
Rory McLeod 10-7 Sydney Wilson
Hammad Miah 10-7 Martin O'Donnell
Michael Holt 10-4 Eden Sharav
Peter Ebdon 10-9 Jack Lisowski
Rod Lawler 10-5 Alan McManus
Jimmy Robertson 10-4 Oliver Lines
Yan Bingtao 10-7 Mark Davis
Alexander Ursenbacher 10-9 Scott Donaldson
Yu De Lu 10-7 Robbie Williams
Martin Gould 10-6 John Astley
Last 48 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Williams Vs Stuart Carrington
Tom Ford Vs Hossein Vafei
Noppon Saengkham Vs Lee Walker
Stephen Maguire Vs Li Hang
Mark King Vs Xiao Guodong
Ben Woollaston Vs Zhou Yuelong
Graeme Dott Vs Jamie Jones
David Gilbert Vs Fergal O'Brien
David Grace Vs Akani Songsermsawad
Luca Brecel Vs Dominic Dale
Michael White Vs Gary Wilson
Rory McLeod Vs Hammad Miah
Michael Holt Vs Peter Ebdon
Jimmy Robertson Vs Rod Lawler
Yan Bingtao Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Martin Gould Vs Yu De Lu
This is a very mixed line-up for the final round. Defeats for Perry and Walden and other top seeds have opened up opportunities for possible debutants. David Grace and Akani Songsermsawad will yield a debutant whatever the result, as will the match between Yan Bingtao and Alexander Ursenbacher. Hossein Vafei has been in great form and will be looking to make his Crucible debut as will Hammad Miah who defeated Ricky Walden at the start of the week. Lee Walker and Noppon Saengkham throws up a match where the Thai Noppon is looking for his Crucible debut after a very nice win over Hamilton. Walker meanwhile is looking to return to the Crucible for the first time since 2004 and has already dug deep to hold off Matthew Stevens and Reanne Evans.
Grace would be a very popular qualifier and he is a player who has grown in confidence massively since the 2015 UK Championship. His opponent Songsermsawad is a talented player but Grace will be desperate to make the Crucible and very determined to make that dream a reality. As for Yan his debut season has been unreal and despite his age many expected him to make the Crucible before a ball was struck at Ponds Forge. Hossein has already beaten Selt and would have taken huge confidence from his run at the China Open, though Ford has had a very good season and played much more solidly. When on top form he scorers with ease.
Zhou Yuelong came close last year but faces an equally tough match with Ben Woollaston if he is to make his debut. Mark Williams needs to up his game after two very close shaves. Carrington is somehow I have had my eye on for a while and been touting for good things. He is a very heavy scorer on his day and has qualified for the final stages previously which is a definite positive coming into this match. Graeme Dott has breezed through so far dropping just seven frames in his two matches and is another former world champion looking to make it through.
Ebdon is also on that list and his match with Michael Holt should be hard fought, Holt has had the much better season of the two but Ebdon can never be discounted over this format. While Williams has struggled and Perry and Walden defeated, not much has been said of Martin Gould which is probably a good sign after two simple victories. While Yu can cause problems, Gould should have the extra gear required to see him through. Despite a couple of closer matches Gary Wilson has scored very heavily and will be a good match for Michael White who is another to have had a straightforward route thus far.
Stephen Maguire takes on Li Hang to make sure he does not miss out on the Crucible. He will be strongly expected to beat Li, but on his day the Chinese player can score very heavily and always looked the likely final round opponent for the Scot. Li was a deciding frame away from qualifying back in 2015 and will want to put that right now. Rod Lawler is grinding away having already dispatched last year's semi-finalist Alan McManus, and if he can stop Jimmy Robertson getting into his heavy scoring stride which saw off Oliver Lines, then he has a good chance.
Luca Brecel has qualified before, all the way back in 2012 when he was just 17. Having not done so since he is long overdue for someone of his talents. Dominic Dale is one of the tougher opponents you could have though. He was very close to making the semi-finals at the Crucible in 2014 and probably has the edge on the Belgian tactically. Brecel will need to get in early on in frames and up his scoring from the match with Swail if he is to see off someone of Dale's class. Mark King and Xiao Guodong looks another tight match. King has obviously been in great form this season, but Xiao too has had a much better year after slipping down the rankings a little in the year or two prior. The Chinese player is a very heavy scorer and perhaps did not handle the pressure that some of his success in the 2013/2014 season brought him, but he seems to be back on track now. Overall that looks to be another of the tighter 'Judgement Day' games.
Mark Williams has kept his campaign going but only just. He too went all the way to a deciding frame against Liam Highfield who played well on the night and certainly could have seen off the former world champion. The Welshman scraped through 10-9, in an even more tense battle than hiis 10-7 victory over Zhao Xintong where he also had to come from behind.
Meanwhile, 11 times women's world champion Reanne Evans dreams of playing at the Crucible have also ended. She overcame Robin Hull 10-8 in round one but could not find the same form in the first session of her match against Lee Walker. Walker took a 6-1 lead in a scrappy opening session, though the second session was even closer with a number of frames coming down to the colours. Evans fought back to 6-9 but in the end the Welshman ran through a 10-6 winner.
There will also be no Crucible return for German masters champion Anthony Hamilton. In a very tough match with Noppon Saengkham, who is looking to get into the top 64 and save his tour card, though he would get a new tour year card via the one year list otherwise, it went right down to the wire. A late night finish ensued and the Thai ran out a 10-9 winner.
Things were much simpler for Stephen Maguire as he thrashed Nigel Bond 10-3 to make it to the final qualifying round where he will play China's Li Hang. Michael White also had a pretty comfortable victory against Ross Muir, while Martin Gould saw off John Astley to make it into the final qualifying round.
However, Ken Doherty the 1997 world champion has fallen off of the tour. A loss in the second qualifying round against Ben Woollaston means that he finishes the season outside of the top 64 and outside of the top 8 players not already qualified for next season. The same is true for Martin O'Donnell who made a game of it against Hammad Miah from 1-7 down but could not get the much needed victory, as Miah added to his victory against Ricky Walden with a 10-7 triumph. Dechawat Poomjaeng will also have to go to Q School to continue his professional career as 2006 world champion Graeme Dott took care of the Thai in a 10-4 thrashing. Joe Swail fought valiantly with his tour spot on the line, but he too has missed out on survival after losing the final five frames of a 10-8 loss against Luca Brecel.
Last 80 Results:
Mark Williams 10-9 Liam Highfield
Stuart Carrington 10-6 Andrew Higginson
Tom Ford 10-6 Chris Wakelin
Hossein Vafei 10-6 Matt Selt
Lee Walker 10-6 Reanne Evans
Noppon Saengkham 10-9 Anthony Hamilton
Li Hang 10-4 Mike Dunn
Stephen Maguire 10-3 Nigel Bond
Mark King 10-4 Fang Xiongman
Xiao Guodong 10-4 Sam Baird
Ben Woollaston 10-4 Ken Doherty
Zhou Yuelong 10-8 Ian Preece
Jamie Jones 10-8 Alfie Burden
Graeme Dott 10-4 Dechawat Poomjaeng
Fergal O'Brien 10-9 Tian Pengfei
David Gilbert 10-6 Rhys Clark
Akani Songsermsawad 10-9 Joe Perry
David Grace 10-6 Mark Joyce
Luca Brecel 10-8 Joe Swail
Dominic Dale 10-6 Daniel Wells
Gary Wilson 10-7 Peter Lines
Michael White 10-4 Ross Muir
Rory McLeod 10-7 Sydney Wilson
Hammad Miah 10-7 Martin O'Donnell
Michael Holt 10-4 Eden Sharav
Peter Ebdon 10-9 Jack Lisowski
Rod Lawler 10-5 Alan McManus
Jimmy Robertson 10-4 Oliver Lines
Yan Bingtao 10-7 Mark Davis
Alexander Ursenbacher 10-9 Scott Donaldson
Yu De Lu 10-7 Robbie Williams
Martin Gould 10-6 John Astley
Last 48 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Williams Vs Stuart Carrington
Tom Ford Vs Hossein Vafei
Noppon Saengkham Vs Lee Walker
Stephen Maguire Vs Li Hang
Mark King Vs Xiao Guodong
Ben Woollaston Vs Zhou Yuelong
Graeme Dott Vs Jamie Jones
David Gilbert Vs Fergal O'Brien
David Grace Vs Akani Songsermsawad
Luca Brecel Vs Dominic Dale
Michael White Vs Gary Wilson
Rory McLeod Vs Hammad Miah
Michael Holt Vs Peter Ebdon
Jimmy Robertson Vs Rod Lawler
Yan Bingtao Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Martin Gould Vs Yu De Lu
This is a very mixed line-up for the final round. Defeats for Perry and Walden and other top seeds have opened up opportunities for possible debutants. David Grace and Akani Songsermsawad will yield a debutant whatever the result, as will the match between Yan Bingtao and Alexander Ursenbacher. Hossein Vafei has been in great form and will be looking to make his Crucible debut as will Hammad Miah who defeated Ricky Walden at the start of the week. Lee Walker and Noppon Saengkham throws up a match where the Thai Noppon is looking for his Crucible debut after a very nice win over Hamilton. Walker meanwhile is looking to return to the Crucible for the first time since 2004 and has already dug deep to hold off Matthew Stevens and Reanne Evans.
Grace would be a very popular qualifier and he is a player who has grown in confidence massively since the 2015 UK Championship. His opponent Songsermsawad is a talented player but Grace will be desperate to make the Crucible and very determined to make that dream a reality. As for Yan his debut season has been unreal and despite his age many expected him to make the Crucible before a ball was struck at Ponds Forge. Hossein has already beaten Selt and would have taken huge confidence from his run at the China Open, though Ford has had a very good season and played much more solidly. When on top form he scorers with ease.
Zhou Yuelong came close last year but faces an equally tough match with Ben Woollaston if he is to make his debut. Mark Williams needs to up his game after two very close shaves. Carrington is somehow I have had my eye on for a while and been touting for good things. He is a very heavy scorer on his day and has qualified for the final stages previously which is a definite positive coming into this match. Graeme Dott has breezed through so far dropping just seven frames in his two matches and is another former world champion looking to make it through.
Ebdon is also on that list and his match with Michael Holt should be hard fought, Holt has had the much better season of the two but Ebdon can never be discounted over this format. While Williams has struggled and Perry and Walden defeated, not much has been said of Martin Gould which is probably a good sign after two simple victories. While Yu can cause problems, Gould should have the extra gear required to see him through. Despite a couple of closer matches Gary Wilson has scored very heavily and will be a good match for Michael White who is another to have had a straightforward route thus far.
Stephen Maguire takes on Li Hang to make sure he does not miss out on the Crucible. He will be strongly expected to beat Li, but on his day the Chinese player can score very heavily and always looked the likely final round opponent for the Scot. Li was a deciding frame away from qualifying back in 2015 and will want to put that right now. Rod Lawler is grinding away having already dispatched last year's semi-finalist Alan McManus, and if he can stop Jimmy Robertson getting into his heavy scoring stride which saw off Oliver Lines, then he has a good chance.
Luca Brecel has qualified before, all the way back in 2012 when he was just 17. Having not done so since he is long overdue for someone of his talents. Dominic Dale is one of the tougher opponents you could have though. He was very close to making the semi-finals at the Crucible in 2014 and probably has the edge on the Belgian tactically. Brecel will need to get in early on in frames and up his scoring from the match with Swail if he is to see off someone of Dale's class. Mark King and Xiao Guodong looks another tight match. King has obviously been in great form this season, but Xiao too has had a much better year after slipping down the rankings a little in the year or two prior. The Chinese player is a very heavy scorer and perhaps did not handle the pressure that some of his success in the 2013/2014 season brought him, but he seems to be back on track now. Overall that looks to be another of the tighter 'Judgement Day' games.
Sunday, 9 April 2017
Reanne Evans stars in round one of World qualifiers
Reanne Evans was the star in the first round of qualifying for the World Championship qualifiers at Ponds Forge, as she overcame Robin Hull 10-8 to move to within two matches of the Crucible.
Evans was certainly not fancied by the bookies going into the match with Finland's Hull being priced as short as 1/100 to win the match initially. Despite a century break and a 91 in the opening session, Hull only took a 5-4 lead into the final session as the multiple women's world champion kept the match close in the early stages. The massive moment of the match came in frame 16, as Hull looked highly likely to win the frame and take a 9-7 lead after Evans left a free ball upon fouling the final red, but a relatively easy miss on the pink left the door open for Evans who came through to level at 8-8. From there, Hull had his chances but the pressure seemed to get too much and Evans ran out a 10-8 winner.
Evans will now play Lee Walker as he ended Matthew Stevens hopes of qualifying for the Crucible. The former world finalist came back well from 2-7 behind to level at 7-7 with Walker, but it was the lower ranked Welshman who held on for a 10-8 victory.
Already a few of the guys between 17 and 32, who would only have to play one game to qualify under the old format, have been sent packing. Ricky Walden was one of these who has dropped outside the top 16 following a run of poor results that may have been the fault of severe back problems he has been suffering. Walden fell 10-7 to Hammad Miah, who came back from 5-0 down by winning 10 of the last 12 frames in the match. Elsewhere, Robert Milkins suffered a 10-6 defeat to Alexander Ursenbacher.
Mark Williams survived a scare as he saw off Zhao Xintong in the end 10-7, having been 5-7 adrift at one stage before winning the final five frames. Stephen Maguire also had to dig in, winning the final two frames in his 10-7 victory, having been 6-1 ahead at one stage in the first session.
In the race for tour survival Jimmy White has dropped off of the tour now following a 10-7 loss to Jack Lisowski, and Jamie Cope will have to go to Q School after losing nine of the last ten frames against Eden Sharav from 4-1 up to lose 10-5. Peter Lines has given himself a good chance of regaining a tour place via the one season list. The world seniors champion beat Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a deciding frame in round one.
There has also been a maximum break at Ponds Forge as Gary Wilson completed a 147 in the first session of what became a tense match against Josh Boileau. Boileau fought back and forced a decider against Wilson who needed to win the match to save his place in the top 64, making a break of 102 in that deciding frame to get over the line.
Ian Burns will now have to go to Q School if he is to stay on tour after a 10-7 loss to Ian Preece threw him into trouble, victories followed for the players around him and have seen him drop to below 64 on the provisional end of season list, with no chance of getting a tour card via the one year list unless one of the eight players currently holding one was to get back into the top 64.
Dechawat Poomjaeng, Joe Swail and Ken Doherty kept their survival hopes alive but they still need to qualify for the Crucible if they are to have any chance of retaining their place on the circuit by either the one or two year list. Martin O'Donnell is in the same boat after a dramatic 10-9 win against promising young Jackson Page.
Last 144 results:
Mark Williams 10-7 Zhao Xintong
Liam Highfield 10-2 Andres Petrov
Stuart Carrington 10-2 Alex Borg
Andrew Higginson 10-8 Michael Goergiou
Tom Ford 10-2 Jamie Bodle
Chris Wakelin 10-5 Elliot Slessor
Matt Selt 10-4 David John
Hossein Vafei 10-1 Hatem Yassen
Reanne Evans 10-8 Robin Hull
Lee Walker 10-8 Matthew Stevens
Noppon Saengkham 10-5 Jak Jones
Anthony Hamilton 10-5 Craig Steadman
Li Hang 10-9 Fraser Patrick
Mike Dunn 10-6 Andy Hicks
Nigel Bond 10-1 Ng On Yee
Stephen Maguire 10-7 Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn
Mark King 10-4 Paul Davison
Fang Xiongman 10-7 Zhang Anda
Xiao Guodong 10-2 Tyler Rees
Sam Baird 10-2 Ross Vallance
Ben Woollaston 10-4 Chris Totten
Ken Doherty 10-4 Jason Weston
Zhou Yuelong 10-5 Christopher Keogan
Ian Preece 10-7 Ian Burns
Alfie Burden 10-6 Adam Duffy
Jamie Jones 10-0 Jamie Barrett
Dechawat Poomjaeng 10-7 Chen Zhe
Graeme Dott 10-3 Allan Taylor
Tian Pengfei 10-4 Zhang Yong
Fergal O'Brien 10-6 Gerard Greene
Rhys Clark 10-1 Wayne Townsend
David Gilbert W/O Patrick Wallace
Joe Perry 10-3 Zack Richardson
Akani Songsermsawad 10-5 Mei Xi Wen
Mark Joyce 10-3 Jordan Brown
David Grace 10-6 Thor Chuan Leong
Luca Brecel 10-4 Sean O'Sullivan
Joe Swail 10-8 Sanderson Lam
Dominic Dale 10-2 Boonyarit Kaettikun
Daniel Wells 10-7 Adam Stefanow
Gary Wilson 10-9 Josh Boileau
Peter Lines 10-9 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ross Muir 10-7 Gareth Allen
Michael White 10-3 Aditya Mehta
Rory McLeod 10-7 Darryl Hill
Sydney Wilson 10-6 Kurt Maflin
Martin O'Donnell 10-9 Jackson Page
Hammad Miah 10-7 Ricky Walden
Michael Holt 10-2 Hamza Akbar
Eden Sharav 10-5 Jamie Cope
Peter Ebdon 10-3 Michael Wild
Jack Lisowski 10-7 Jimmy White
Alan McManus 10-1 Kurt Dunham
Rod Lawler 10-5 Xu Si
Jimmy Robertson 10-8 Cao Yupeng
Oliver Lines 10-6 Duane Jones
Yan Bingtao 10-8 Sam Craigie
Mark Davis 10-3 Mitchell Mann
Scott Donaldson 10-2 Wang Yuchen
Alexander Ursenbacher 10-6 Robert Milkins
Robbie Williams 10-1 James Cahill
Yu De Lu 10-0 Itaro Santos
John Astley 10-7 Igor Figueiredo
Martin Gould 10-2 James Wattana
Last 80 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Williams Vs Liam Highfield
Stuart Carrington Vs Andrew Higginson
Tom Ford Vs Chris Wakelin
Matt Selt Vs Hossein Vafei
Lee Walker Vs Reanne Evans
Anthony Hamilton Vs Noppon Saengkham
Mike Dunn Vs Li Hang
Stephen Maguire Vs Nigel Bond
Mark King Vs Fang Xiongman
Xiao Guodong Vs Sam Baird
Ben Woollaston Vs Ken Doherty
Zhou Yuelong Vs Ian Preece
Jamie Jones Vs Alfie Burden
Graeme Dott Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng
Fergal O'Brien Vs Tian Pengfei
David Gilbert Vs Rhys Clark
Joe Perry Vs Akani Songsermsawad
Mark Joyce Vs David Grace
Luca Brecel Vs Joe Swail
Dominic Dale Vs Daniel Wells
Gary Wilson Vs Peter Lines
Michael White Vs Ross Muir
Rory McLeod Vs Sydney Wilson
Martin O'Donnell Vs Hammad Miah
Michael Holt Vs Eden Sharav
Peter Ebdon Vs Jack Lisowski
Alan McManus Vs Rod Lawler
Jimmy Robertson Vs Oliver Lines
Mark Davis Vs Yan Bingtao
Scott Donaldson Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Yu De Lu Vs Robbie Williams
Martin Gould Vs John Astley
Plenty of action coming up in the next couple of days then from Ponds Forge before we get to the final round on Tuesday and Wednesday which should be very exciting with Crucible places to play for as well as the tour survival battle which will still be in the front of many players minds.
Evans was certainly not fancied by the bookies going into the match with Finland's Hull being priced as short as 1/100 to win the match initially. Despite a century break and a 91 in the opening session, Hull only took a 5-4 lead into the final session as the multiple women's world champion kept the match close in the early stages. The massive moment of the match came in frame 16, as Hull looked highly likely to win the frame and take a 9-7 lead after Evans left a free ball upon fouling the final red, but a relatively easy miss on the pink left the door open for Evans who came through to level at 8-8. From there, Hull had his chances but the pressure seemed to get too much and Evans ran out a 10-8 winner.
Evans will now play Lee Walker as he ended Matthew Stevens hopes of qualifying for the Crucible. The former world finalist came back well from 2-7 behind to level at 7-7 with Walker, but it was the lower ranked Welshman who held on for a 10-8 victory.
Already a few of the guys between 17 and 32, who would only have to play one game to qualify under the old format, have been sent packing. Ricky Walden was one of these who has dropped outside the top 16 following a run of poor results that may have been the fault of severe back problems he has been suffering. Walden fell 10-7 to Hammad Miah, who came back from 5-0 down by winning 10 of the last 12 frames in the match. Elsewhere, Robert Milkins suffered a 10-6 defeat to Alexander Ursenbacher.
Mark Williams survived a scare as he saw off Zhao Xintong in the end 10-7, having been 5-7 adrift at one stage before winning the final five frames. Stephen Maguire also had to dig in, winning the final two frames in his 10-7 victory, having been 6-1 ahead at one stage in the first session.
In the race for tour survival Jimmy White has dropped off of the tour now following a 10-7 loss to Jack Lisowski, and Jamie Cope will have to go to Q School after losing nine of the last ten frames against Eden Sharav from 4-1 up to lose 10-5. Peter Lines has given himself a good chance of regaining a tour place via the one season list. The world seniors champion beat Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh in a deciding frame in round one.
There has also been a maximum break at Ponds Forge as Gary Wilson completed a 147 in the first session of what became a tense match against Josh Boileau. Boileau fought back and forced a decider against Wilson who needed to win the match to save his place in the top 64, making a break of 102 in that deciding frame to get over the line.
Ian Burns will now have to go to Q School if he is to stay on tour after a 10-7 loss to Ian Preece threw him into trouble, victories followed for the players around him and have seen him drop to below 64 on the provisional end of season list, with no chance of getting a tour card via the one year list unless one of the eight players currently holding one was to get back into the top 64.
Dechawat Poomjaeng, Joe Swail and Ken Doherty kept their survival hopes alive but they still need to qualify for the Crucible if they are to have any chance of retaining their place on the circuit by either the one or two year list. Martin O'Donnell is in the same boat after a dramatic 10-9 win against promising young Jackson Page.
Last 144 results:
Mark Williams 10-7 Zhao Xintong
Liam Highfield 10-2 Andres Petrov
Stuart Carrington 10-2 Alex Borg
Andrew Higginson 10-8 Michael Goergiou
Tom Ford 10-2 Jamie Bodle
Chris Wakelin 10-5 Elliot Slessor
Matt Selt 10-4 David John
Hossein Vafei 10-1 Hatem Yassen
Reanne Evans 10-8 Robin Hull
Lee Walker 10-8 Matthew Stevens
Noppon Saengkham 10-5 Jak Jones
Anthony Hamilton 10-5 Craig Steadman
Li Hang 10-9 Fraser Patrick
Mike Dunn 10-6 Andy Hicks
Nigel Bond 10-1 Ng On Yee
Stephen Maguire 10-7 Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn
Mark King 10-4 Paul Davison
Fang Xiongman 10-7 Zhang Anda
Xiao Guodong 10-2 Tyler Rees
Sam Baird 10-2 Ross Vallance
Ben Woollaston 10-4 Chris Totten
Ken Doherty 10-4 Jason Weston
Zhou Yuelong 10-5 Christopher Keogan
Ian Preece 10-7 Ian Burns
Alfie Burden 10-6 Adam Duffy
Jamie Jones 10-0 Jamie Barrett
Dechawat Poomjaeng 10-7 Chen Zhe
Graeme Dott 10-3 Allan Taylor
Tian Pengfei 10-4 Zhang Yong
Fergal O'Brien 10-6 Gerard Greene
Rhys Clark 10-1 Wayne Townsend
David Gilbert W/O Patrick Wallace
Joe Perry 10-3 Zack Richardson
Akani Songsermsawad 10-5 Mei Xi Wen
Mark Joyce 10-3 Jordan Brown
David Grace 10-6 Thor Chuan Leong
Luca Brecel 10-4 Sean O'Sullivan
Joe Swail 10-8 Sanderson Lam
Dominic Dale 10-2 Boonyarit Kaettikun
Daniel Wells 10-7 Adam Stefanow
Gary Wilson 10-9 Josh Boileau
Peter Lines 10-9 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ross Muir 10-7 Gareth Allen
Michael White 10-3 Aditya Mehta
Rory McLeod 10-7 Darryl Hill
Sydney Wilson 10-6 Kurt Maflin
Martin O'Donnell 10-9 Jackson Page
Hammad Miah 10-7 Ricky Walden
Michael Holt 10-2 Hamza Akbar
Eden Sharav 10-5 Jamie Cope
Peter Ebdon 10-3 Michael Wild
Jack Lisowski 10-7 Jimmy White
Alan McManus 10-1 Kurt Dunham
Rod Lawler 10-5 Xu Si
Jimmy Robertson 10-8 Cao Yupeng
Oliver Lines 10-6 Duane Jones
Yan Bingtao 10-8 Sam Craigie
Mark Davis 10-3 Mitchell Mann
Scott Donaldson 10-2 Wang Yuchen
Alexander Ursenbacher 10-6 Robert Milkins
Robbie Williams 10-1 James Cahill
Yu De Lu 10-0 Itaro Santos
John Astley 10-7 Igor Figueiredo
Martin Gould 10-2 James Wattana
Last 80 Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Williams Vs Liam Highfield
Stuart Carrington Vs Andrew Higginson
Tom Ford Vs Chris Wakelin
Matt Selt Vs Hossein Vafei
Lee Walker Vs Reanne Evans
Anthony Hamilton Vs Noppon Saengkham
Mike Dunn Vs Li Hang
Stephen Maguire Vs Nigel Bond
Mark King Vs Fang Xiongman
Xiao Guodong Vs Sam Baird
Ben Woollaston Vs Ken Doherty
Zhou Yuelong Vs Ian Preece
Jamie Jones Vs Alfie Burden
Graeme Dott Vs Dechawat Poomjaeng
Fergal O'Brien Vs Tian Pengfei
David Gilbert Vs Rhys Clark
Joe Perry Vs Akani Songsermsawad
Mark Joyce Vs David Grace
Luca Brecel Vs Joe Swail
Dominic Dale Vs Daniel Wells
Gary Wilson Vs Peter Lines
Michael White Vs Ross Muir
Rory McLeod Vs Sydney Wilson
Martin O'Donnell Vs Hammad Miah
Michael Holt Vs Eden Sharav
Peter Ebdon Vs Jack Lisowski
Alan McManus Vs Rod Lawler
Jimmy Robertson Vs Oliver Lines
Mark Davis Vs Yan Bingtao
Scott Donaldson Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
Yu De Lu Vs Robbie Williams
Martin Gould Vs John Astley
Plenty of action coming up in the next couple of days then from Ponds Forge before we get to the final round on Tuesday and Wednesday which should be very exciting with Crucible places to play for as well as the tour survival battle which will still be in the front of many players minds.
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
World Championship Qualifiers Preview
The major month of April has arrived kicking off with the World Championship qualifiers that begin on Wednesday at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. Interestingly, six players who were in the top 16 and seeded straight through to the Crucible have fallen outside and will face three qualifying matches if they are to return. These players are Martin Gould, Joe Perry, Mark Williams, Stephen Maguire, Michael White and Ricky Walden.
That means that only ten players who came through the three matches to qualify last year will be at Ponds Forge. Former champions Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon are in this group that also features Robbie Williams, David Gilbert, Zhang Anda, Mitchell Mann and Robert Milkins, as well as Sam Baird who reached the Last 16 by beating Michael White at the Crucible, Michael Holt who overcame Neil Robertson and of course Alan McManus who made it all the way to the semi-finals with wins over Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and John Higgins.
McManus joined Ding Junhui as two qualifiers that made up the semi-final line-up in Sheffield, showing that it is possible for players to come through the three match test and then go on strongly at the Crucible.
The battle for tour survival also comes down to these qualifiers, and with £8,000 for winning the first round qualifier, and £0 for a defeat there are a lot of players who could still find themselves in trouble.
Robin Hull is in 65th place right now so he needs to win his match against Reanne Evans to avoid having to start again from £0 in the 2017/2018 season with a fresh two year tour card, that he is all but guaranteed on the one year money list should he finish below 64th.
However all of the players from Gary Wilson in 64th to Ian Burns in 56th are within £8,000 of Hull and could all drop off the tour if they lose in round one. In between Wilson and Burns are guys like Chris Wakelin, Hossein Vafei, Daniel Wells, Li Hang, Alfie Burden and Oliver Lines. Also in that group is Yan Bingtao who is in the first season of a two year tour card, so he will not drop off of the tour but he could prevent someone below from staying on tour. Scott Donaldson is in 66th position, but he is in the same boat as Yan in the first season of a two year tour card. Also within £8,000 of 64th place Gary Wilson is 67th place Ross Muir.
Needing at least two wins to get into the top 64 are the likes of Noppon Saengkham (though he is in he like Hull and Muir is in position for a fresh two year tour card which I will come to in a moment), Dechawat Poomjaeng and Joe Swail. While guys like Rod Lawler, Nigel Bond (also both in position for a fresh two year card), Ken Doherty, Jamie Cope and Martin O'Donnell would all need to qualify to get into the top 64.
Having mentioned it heavily already, the top 8 players on the one year money list who are not already qualified for next season get a fresh two year tour card. Robin Hull leads the way here and is nearly £19,000 clear of the next eligible player outside of the list. Also currently earning one of these spots are Akani Songsermsawad, Rhys Clark, Ross Muir, Nigel Bond, Noppon Saengkham, Allan Taylor and Rod Lawler.
However, each of these players is less than £8,000 clear than the likes of Eden Sharav and Jimmy White who would qualify for a tour card by this method. Meanwhile, Duane Jones, Andy Hicks, Peter Lines, Paul Davison, Jamie Cope, Joe Swail, Fraser Patrick, Sanderson Lam, Martin O'Donnell and Igor Figueredo are all within £8,000 of Lawler and could overtake him and earn a tour spot via this method if results go their way.
That means that only ten players who came through the three matches to qualify last year will be at Ponds Forge. Former champions Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon are in this group that also features Robbie Williams, David Gilbert, Zhang Anda, Mitchell Mann and Robert Milkins, as well as Sam Baird who reached the Last 16 by beating Michael White at the Crucible, Michael Holt who overcame Neil Robertson and of course Alan McManus who made it all the way to the semi-finals with wins over Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and John Higgins.
McManus joined Ding Junhui as two qualifiers that made up the semi-final line-up in Sheffield, showing that it is possible for players to come through the three match test and then go on strongly at the Crucible.
The battle for tour survival also comes down to these qualifiers, and with £8,000 for winning the first round qualifier, and £0 for a defeat there are a lot of players who could still find themselves in trouble.
Robin Hull is in 65th place right now so he needs to win his match against Reanne Evans to avoid having to start again from £0 in the 2017/2018 season with a fresh two year tour card, that he is all but guaranteed on the one year money list should he finish below 64th.
However all of the players from Gary Wilson in 64th to Ian Burns in 56th are within £8,000 of Hull and could all drop off the tour if they lose in round one. In between Wilson and Burns are guys like Chris Wakelin, Hossein Vafei, Daniel Wells, Li Hang, Alfie Burden and Oliver Lines. Also in that group is Yan Bingtao who is in the first season of a two year tour card, so he will not drop off of the tour but he could prevent someone below from staying on tour. Scott Donaldson is in 66th position, but he is in the same boat as Yan in the first season of a two year tour card. Also within £8,000 of 64th place Gary Wilson is 67th place Ross Muir.
Needing at least two wins to get into the top 64 are the likes of Noppon Saengkham (though he is in he like Hull and Muir is in position for a fresh two year tour card which I will come to in a moment), Dechawat Poomjaeng and Joe Swail. While guys like Rod Lawler, Nigel Bond (also both in position for a fresh two year card), Ken Doherty, Jamie Cope and Martin O'Donnell would all need to qualify to get into the top 64.
Having mentioned it heavily already, the top 8 players on the one year money list who are not already qualified for next season get a fresh two year tour card. Robin Hull leads the way here and is nearly £19,000 clear of the next eligible player outside of the list. Also currently earning one of these spots are Akani Songsermsawad, Rhys Clark, Ross Muir, Nigel Bond, Noppon Saengkham, Allan Taylor and Rod Lawler.
However, each of these players is less than £8,000 clear than the likes of Eden Sharav and Jimmy White who would qualify for a tour card by this method. Meanwhile, Duane Jones, Andy Hicks, Peter Lines, Paul Davison, Jamie Cope, Joe Swail, Fraser Patrick, Sanderson Lam, Martin O'Donnell and Igor Figueredo are all within £8,000 of Lawler and could overtake him and earn a tour spot via this method if results go their way.
Qualifying Section 1:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark Williams Vs Zhao Xintong
Liam Highfield Vs Andres Petrov
Stuart Carrington Vs Alex Borg
Andrew Higginson Vs Michael Georgiou
The very first section in the draw is, for me, one of the hardest to call. For starters there are five very impressive players. Mark Williams has to pick himself back up and get over the long haul flight back from China to play in qualifiers and as other players have shown in the past, that is not the easiest thing to do. He could have done with getting one of the easier players in the draw, but instead has got the toughest of the players outside of the top 80 seeds and one everyone would have wanted to avoid. Last year Zhao Xintong was a Q School top up for World Championship qualifying and he made it count beating Rod Lawler, and coming very close to Kurt Maflin who only won that 10-8. With a year of professional tour experience under his belt now and a good victory against John Higgins to boast, as well as coming very close to other top players like O'Sullivan, Carter and Williams himself on two occasions. That is going to be a tough battle indeed for Williams. Liam Highfield is not the easiest second round opponent for Williams if he manages to get through. Highfield got to the last 16 of the UK Championships where he took the Welshman all the way to a deciding frame and probably could have won. Highfield came within a frame of qualifying for the Crucible last year when he lost 10-9 to Sam Baird after beating Luca Brecel 10-8 and I think he certainly has the talent to qualify.
Then you have Stuart Carrington who qualified back in 2015 and has had some good runs this season leading up to this. I really rate Carrington highly and he was one player who I had my on to qualify for the Crucible this season so it is a shame he has landed in this section. Andrew Higginson is also a much stronger player than his ranking would suggest. He made the last 16 at the Crucible in 2012 and probably could have gone on further than that. He has lost out in the final qualifying in 2014 and 2015 much and last week in China he showed very good form to beat Ricky Walden, David Gilbert and come very close to beating eventual champion Mark Selby. If you think Williams will struggle with the short turnaround from China and a tough draw, then Higginson (with the form he has showed in China and his heavy scoring that can come into play much more in this format) could be the man to come through
Then you have Stuart Carrington who qualified back in 2015 and has had some good runs this season leading up to this. I really rate Carrington highly and he was one player who I had my on to qualify for the Crucible this season so it is a shame he has landed in this section. Andrew Higginson is also a much stronger player than his ranking would suggest. He made the last 16 at the Crucible in 2012 and probably could have gone on further than that. He has lost out in the final qualifying in 2014 and 2015 much and last week in China he showed very good form to beat Ricky Walden, David Gilbert and come very close to beating eventual champion Mark Selby. If you think Williams will struggle with the short turnaround from China and a tough draw, then Higginson (with the form he has showed in China and his heavy scoring that can come into play much more in this format) could be the man to come through
Predicted Qualifier: Andrew Higginson
Qualifying Section 2:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Tom Ford Vs Jamie Bodle
Chris Wakelin Vs Elliot Slessor
Matt Selt Vs David John
Hossein Vafei Vs Hatem Yassen
This section is another interesting one with another player who found his form in China. Hossein Vafei made the semi-finals in Beijing with wins over Judd Trump and Joe Perry. Unlike Williams, if he is struggling with the short turnaround and the long haul flight back, he has a nice easy draw against Yassen who has never won a professional match. For me, the Iranian has a genuinely good chance of qualifying for the Crucible when you consider his possible second round draw against an out of form Matthew Selt. Selt's best finish all season was a run to the last 16 of the World Open in the summer. Since then he has not got past the last 32 and only actually reached that stage on three occasions.
Then you have Chris Wakelin and Elliot Slessor, where Slessor has been coming across very confidently on Twitter saying how he has never lost to Wakelin. Wakelin is under pressure for his tour place so that could be a weakness Slessor could pounce on with the confidence he has. His win in Cardiff against Mark Williams impressed me and I would like to see him kick on from that now. I had a similar hope that Wakelin would kick on after making the English Open quarter-finals but that has not quite happened yet, perhaps he will show more of his quality here and go all the way through the qualifiers, as another player that I rate quite highly. However, I am going with the favourite in this section which is Tom Ford. Ford has impressed me this year making the final in Furth and the quarter-finals in Berlin with a maximum included, as well as runs to the last 16 of the English Open and European Masters. His heavy scoring could give him more of an advantage in the long format. 2014 was his most recent Crucible trip and he was very impressive that year, thrashing Luca Brecel and beating Matthew Stevens when he was still in the top 20 before taking eight frames off of Judd Trump at the Crucible.
Then you have Chris Wakelin and Elliot Slessor, where Slessor has been coming across very confidently on Twitter saying how he has never lost to Wakelin. Wakelin is under pressure for his tour place so that could be a weakness Slessor could pounce on with the confidence he has. His win in Cardiff against Mark Williams impressed me and I would like to see him kick on from that now. I had a similar hope that Wakelin would kick on after making the English Open quarter-finals but that has not quite happened yet, perhaps he will show more of his quality here and go all the way through the qualifiers, as another player that I rate quite highly. However, I am going with the favourite in this section which is Tom Ford. Ford has impressed me this year making the final in Furth and the quarter-finals in Berlin with a maximum included, as well as runs to the last 16 of the English Open and European Masters. His heavy scoring could give him more of an advantage in the long format. 2014 was his most recent Crucible trip and he was very impressive that year, thrashing Luca Brecel and beating Matthew Stevens when he was still in the top 20 before taking eight frames off of Judd Trump at the Crucible.
Predicted Qualifier: Tom Ford
Qualifying Section 3:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Robin Hull Vs Reanne Evans
Matthew Stevens Vs Lee Walker
Noppon Saengkham Vs Jak Jones
Anthony Hamilton Vs Craig Steadman
Section three is a brilliant one here. Starting with German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton we have the clear favourite for qualification. Not qualifying for China should help his preparation for this but he is not the only player in this section who falls into that category. Hamilton has played so well this year that it is very tough to go against him, but he has drawn something of a bogey player in round one. Craig Steadman saw off Hamilton at the Welsh Open in February, as well as beating him in two PTC events whilst not even on the tour. The only two times Steadman has lost to Hamilton have been in deciders so he has never been convincingly beaten by him either. As well as that Steadman has had some good results in world qualifying. Qualifying in 2015 with convincing wins against Michael White and Jamie Burnett he showed a lot of class, and lets not forget his win over Steve Davis in 2014 which relegated Davis from the tour. Meanwhile, he took Anthony McGill to a deciding frame in the second qualifying round last year so he is certainly no pushover.
Noppon Saengkham has the talent to qualify, but probably not the same levels of consistency in his player. Whenever I watch him he comes across as a heavy scoring player who is also quite streaky and may also be slightly too aggressive. Meanwhile, we have Matthew Stevens who still very much has the quality to make the Crucible. He did so in 2015 where he beat Mark Williams soundly before losing in the last 16 to O'Sullivan, and last year the ever improving Kyren Wilson saw him off in the final qualifying round. One player that I am a big fan of is Robin Hull and I expect him to go well in qualifying. He has had runs to the last 32 this season including the Scottish Open (where he beat Michael White), the Northern Irish Open, the Welsh Open (where he saw off Ding Junhui), the European Masters (outplaying Mark Williams). This came as well as the German Masters where he made the last 16 beating Luca Brecel and Matthew Stevens. On top of that, in the three seasons that Hull has been fully back on tour and in better health prior to this, he has made the Crucible twice in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 he won four matches that included three comfortable victories to start with and a fourth against Peter Ebdon, when Ebdon was still well inside the top 32. A year later he beat Ben Woollaston quite comfortably and thrashed Igor Figueredo. At his best the difference for me is his power scoring and the amount of big breaks and centuries that he can rattle off. Having not qualified for China he has had a nice amount of preparation time to be ready for this week.
Noppon Saengkham has the talent to qualify, but probably not the same levels of consistency in his player. Whenever I watch him he comes across as a heavy scoring player who is also quite streaky and may also be slightly too aggressive. Meanwhile, we have Matthew Stevens who still very much has the quality to make the Crucible. He did so in 2015 where he beat Mark Williams soundly before losing in the last 16 to O'Sullivan, and last year the ever improving Kyren Wilson saw him off in the final qualifying round. One player that I am a big fan of is Robin Hull and I expect him to go well in qualifying. He has had runs to the last 32 this season including the Scottish Open (where he beat Michael White), the Northern Irish Open, the Welsh Open (where he saw off Ding Junhui), the European Masters (outplaying Mark Williams). This came as well as the German Masters where he made the last 16 beating Luca Brecel and Matthew Stevens. On top of that, in the three seasons that Hull has been fully back on tour and in better health prior to this, he has made the Crucible twice in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 he won four matches that included three comfortable victories to start with and a fourth against Peter Ebdon, when Ebdon was still well inside the top 32. A year later he beat Ben Woollaston quite comfortably and thrashed Igor Figueredo. At his best the difference for me is his power scoring and the amount of big breaks and centuries that he can rattle off. Having not qualified for China he has had a nice amount of preparation time to be ready for this week.
Predicted Qualifier: Robin Hull
Qualifying Section 4:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Li Hang Vs Fraser Patrick
Mike Dunn Vs Andy Hicks
Nigel Bond Vs Ng On Yee
Stephen Maguire Vs Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn
For me this is a pretty simple section. Stephen Maguire should have too much quality over the best-of-19 frames to lose to any of the players in this section. Mike Dunn actually came pretty close to qualifying last year and actually saw off Li Hang 10-9 on the way. Although from 2012-2014 Dunn lost his opening qualifying match and I could see that happening here too against Andy Hicks. Hicks for me is still good enough to be on tour, having taken a little bit of time away when he dropped off a few years ago. Even though Hicks lost to Dunn in China, I could still see it going either way over 19 frames. Nigel Bond's wealth of experience could be the biggest threat to Maguire and Bond did show some improved form in March when he made the Gibraltar Open semi-finals so don't be surprised to see him push Maguire in round two if they both win their openers.
Predicted Qualifier: Stephen Maguire
Qualifying Section 5:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Mark King Vs Paul Davison
Zhang Anda Vs Fang Xiongman
Xiao Guodong Vs Tyler Rees
Sam Baird Vs Ross Vallance
Section five is where we find Northern Irish Open champion Mark King. He should have no problem in beating Paul Davison in round one but from there things get very tough in a quality section of the draw, while King has not actually qualified for the Crucible since 2013, when he only needed to win one match to do so. Xiao Guodong has looked in better form this season after struggles in the last campaign. However, Xiao has only ever qualified for the Crucible once and this was in the same season that he made the Shanghai Masters final, putting him in the top 32 back in the days when seeds 17-32 only had to play one qualifying match. Sam Baird meanwhile qualified last year, and beat Michael White at the Crucible on the way to a tight last 16 defeat against Mark Selby. Baird also qualified in 2013 winning four matches to do so as well. This season has not been as impressive from Baird, especially in the second half with a few first round defeats.
The player I am picking out in this section though is Zhang Anda. Zhang has qualified in back to back years, adding to his appearance at the Crucible in 2010. Three appearances at the Crucible is a very good return for a 25-year-old and he has climbed up the rankings this year on the first year of a fresh tour year tour card. Only Anthony Hamilton (German Masters champion), the amazing Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson (Welsh open semi-finalist) have done better of those that started the season from £0, putting Zhang at 47th on the one year money list. His runs have seen him make the last 16 of the UK Championships this season as well as the World Open. Going back to his qualifiers form, the Chinese player impressively saw off Mark Davis and fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong who would also have been the favourite going into that clash a year ago. His 2015 run also included a victory against Liang Wenbo and a thrashing of Anthony Hamilton. Someone who could take Stephen Hendry to a decider on their Crucible debut aged 18 is going to be on the radar at this time of year.
The player I am picking out in this section though is Zhang Anda. Zhang has qualified in back to back years, adding to his appearance at the Crucible in 2010. Three appearances at the Crucible is a very good return for a 25-year-old and he has climbed up the rankings this year on the first year of a fresh tour year tour card. Only Anthony Hamilton (German Masters champion), the amazing Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson (Welsh open semi-finalist) have done better of those that started the season from £0, putting Zhang at 47th on the one year money list. His runs have seen him make the last 16 of the UK Championships this season as well as the World Open. Going back to his qualifiers form, the Chinese player impressively saw off Mark Davis and fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong who would also have been the favourite going into that clash a year ago. His 2015 run also included a victory against Liang Wenbo and a thrashing of Anthony Hamilton. Someone who could take Stephen Hendry to a decider on their Crucible debut aged 18 is going to be on the radar at this time of year.
Predicted Qualifier: Zhang Anda
Qualifying Section 6:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Ben Woollaston Vs Chris Totten
Ken Doherty Vs Jason Weston
Zhou Yuelong Vs Christopher Keogan
Ian Burns Vs Ian Preece
This section comes with one of the players who I would probably pick out as long as he did not draw one of the top guns. Before we get to him though there are others to mention. You have to feel for Ken Doherty this season. The 1997 world champion has toiled with his form all year and it looks likely now that he will be relegated from the tour. He has an easy enough round one qualifier, but unless his form really turns around and we see some of the old Ken then, he may only be at the Crucible as a pundit. Ben Woollaston has only qualified for the Crucible once back in 2013. Last year he lost in the first qualifying round to Chris Wakelin and he was beaten in round two in 2015 by Robin Hull having been a top 32 in both seasons, as well as in 2014 when he lost to Jamie Burnett. Ian Burns is under pressure to win his first round qualifier just to make sure he will not fall off of teh tour in dramatic fashion with so many players between him and the top 64 line, who could all pass with a first round victory if Burns loses. Last year Burns made the final qualifying round but lost convincingly to Peter Ebdon.
That leaves rising chinese star Zhou Yuelong as my pick to qualify. Last year he was denied in the final qualifying round by Zhang Anda, while Liang Wenbo shot him down in his first World Championships. He has improved greatly with each year on tour, and this season has seen his best ranking performance as he made the quarter-finals at the China Open, along with the last 16 at the UK and International Championships which helped him qualify for the World Grand Prix. For me he is the strongest player in this section.
That leaves rising chinese star Zhou Yuelong as my pick to qualify. Last year he was denied in the final qualifying round by Zhang Anda, while Liang Wenbo shot him down in his first World Championships. He has improved greatly with each year on tour, and this season has seen his best ranking performance as he made the quarter-finals at the China Open, along with the last 16 at the UK and International Championships which helped him qualify for the World Grand Prix. For me he is the strongest player in this section.
Predicted Qualifier: Zhou Yuelong
Qualifying Section 7:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Alfie Burden Vs Adam Duffy
Jamie Jones Vs Jamie Barrett
Dechawat Poomjaeng Vs Chen Zhe
Graeme Dott Vs Allan Taylor
Dechawat Poomjaeng is the first player to come to in section seven. The Thai player who made the last 16 at the Crucible 2013 has failed to win a single match on the tour since the Shanghai Masters qualifiers at the end of August. On that form it is hard to see him qualifying. Alfie Burden and Adam Duffy looks like a tight contest to me. Duffy impressed me in 2015 when, despite not being on the tour at this stage he overcame Martin Gould and Sam Baird and very nearly qualified for the Crucible. If the game does go close I fancy Duffy to get over the line. Graeme Dott has slipped down the rankings in recent times, sitting well outside the top 32 in the one year money list. He still qualified last year though, and over the long format it is hard to rule him out and I would expect him to make it to the final qualifying round.
My choice though is Jamie Jones. Jones made the quarter-finals of the world's back in 2012 beating Shaun Murphy along the way. Jones overcame Ding Junhui in a classy run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship where he probably should have beaten Marco Fu and made it to the last four. Jones may have been comfortably beaten by Hamza Akbar last year but he qualified in 2015 with two comfortable wins before beating Duffy 10-8, and I think Duffy will be one of his victims on the way back to the Crucible again.
My choice though is Jamie Jones. Jones made the quarter-finals of the world's back in 2012 beating Shaun Murphy along the way. Jones overcame Ding Junhui in a classy run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship where he probably should have beaten Marco Fu and made it to the last four. Jones may have been comfortably beaten by Hamza Akbar last year but he qualified in 2015 with two comfortable wins before beating Duffy 10-8, and I think Duffy will be one of his victims on the way back to the Crucible again.
Predicted Qualifier: Jamie Jones
Qualifying Section 8:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Tian Pengfei Vs Zhang Yong
Fergal O'Brien Vs Gerard Greene
Rhys Clark Vs Wayne Townsend
David Gilbert Vs Patrick Wallace
Fergal O'Brien has not qualified for the World Championships since 2010, which for a player of his experience and for the quality of match play he can produce that comes as a big surprise. His five century performance against Barry Hawkins in the UK Championships showed he still has the class to make it back to the Crucible. Despite a run to the last 16 of last weeks China Open, that included wins against Anthony McGill and Martin Gould, Tian Pengfei is 86th on the one season money list which is very low. Based on a season with so few highlights it is hard to see him winning three matches at Ponds Forge. Rhys Clark is the other seeded player in this section, though he is outside of the top 64 on the one and two year ranking lists. He did have a couple of good runs in October making the last 16 of the European Masters and the English Open back to back.
David Gilbert is the hot favourite to qualify from this section. He qualified last year and in 2014 as well as his most impressive run in 2012 when he was much lower in the rankings and not only completed the four wins to qualify (including a 10-4 thrashing of Fergal O'Brien in the final qualifier), but then beat Martin Gould at the venue to make the last 16. His overall quality and very heavy scoring should make the difference. His ride last year was pretty easy to make the Crucible and his heavy scoring showed as he forced O'Sullivan to up his game in the last 32 for a 10-7 victory.
David Gilbert is the hot favourite to qualify from this section. He qualified last year and in 2014 as well as his most impressive run in 2012 when he was much lower in the rankings and not only completed the four wins to qualify (including a 10-4 thrashing of Fergal O'Brien in the final qualifier), but then beat Martin Gould at the venue to make the last 16. His overall quality and very heavy scoring should make the difference. His ride last year was pretty easy to make the Crucible and his heavy scoring showed as he forced O'Sullivan to up his game in the last 32 for a 10-7 victory.
Predicted Qualifier: David Gilbert
Qualifying Section 9:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Joe Perry Vs Zack Richardson
Mei Xi Wen Vs Akani Songsermsawad
Mark Joyce Vs Jordan Brown
David Grace Vs Thor Chuan Leong
There is one huge favourite in this section, but it is worth remembering that Joe Perry would not be in qualifying had he played better over the course of the last year. There are still stumbling blocks in this section. David Grace should get past Thor in round one, but I do not fancy him to qualify having not had the best of seasons. At 72nd on the one season list that tells you what you need to know about his form. Mark Joyce is only 57th on the one season rankings and despite many years of trying he has never made it to the Crucible which does come as a little surprise. His form in China, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan before pushing Ding Junhui close in the last 16, showed that he could cause an upset and qualify but if he meets Perry in the final qualifier I do not see it happening.
Potentially the biggest threat to Perry is the winner of the Mei Xi Wen and Akani Songsermsawad clash. Songsermsawad has some good results to boast from this season, but having seen him close up in Cardiff, Mei Xi Wen looks very impressive. On form he is a heavy scorer and could do well in these qualifiers over the long format.
For me though this section is about Perry. At times he has been vulnerable and exited in the early stages of tournaments, which is the main reason he finds himself at Ponds Forge in the first place. Over 19 frames against weaker opposition though he should not have too many problems, and I do believe that Mei Xi Wen (who has beaten Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Martin Gould this season) is his biggest threat.
Potentially the biggest threat to Perry is the winner of the Mei Xi Wen and Akani Songsermsawad clash. Songsermsawad has some good results to boast from this season, but having seen him close up in Cardiff, Mei Xi Wen looks very impressive. On form he is a heavy scorer and could do well in these qualifiers over the long format.
For me though this section is about Perry. At times he has been vulnerable and exited in the early stages of tournaments, which is the main reason he finds himself at Ponds Forge in the first place. Over 19 frames against weaker opposition though he should not have too many problems, and I do believe that Mei Xi Wen (who has beaten Mark Allen, Mark Williams and Martin Gould this season) is his biggest threat.
Predicted Qualifier: Joe Perry
Qualifying Section 10:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Luca Brecel Vs Sean O'Sullivan
Joe Swail Vs Sanderson Lam
Dominic Dale Vs Boonyarit Kaettikun
Daniel Wells Vs Adam Stefanow
Another tough section to call here in group 10. Luca Brecel is the higher seed but you would not know it based on his efforts this season. A quarter-final appearance at the UK Championships is his best effort by a long way. He sits down in 46th on the one season money list having suffered a number of first round defeats, which gives his opponent Sean O'Sullivan plenty of cause for encouragement. Joe Swail has had a potentially career ending season. Down in 96th on the one season list and 70th on the provisional end of season rankings, he will probably need to qualify for the Crucible to have any chance of being on the tour next year. That makes my two biggest contenders the two Welshman. Dominic Dale came within one frame of making the semi-finals at the Crucible in 2014 so he certainly still has what it takes to compete over this format, being such a smart tactical player and great match player when on form.
My choice though is young Daniel Wells to make his Crucible debut. Wells has really impressed me this season, having climbed to 42 on the one season list which is enough for now to put him in the top 64 going into the qualifiers. He cannot afford to lose in round one if he wants to stay there but he would still get a fresh tour card via that one year list. Two last 16 runs in China are the highlights most recently in Beijing and at the start of the season at the World Open. His heavy scoring is impressive and many people have touted him as someone who can climb up the rankings and he is starting to prove that.
My choice though is young Daniel Wells to make his Crucible debut. Wells has really impressed me this season, having climbed to 42 on the one season list which is enough for now to put him in the top 64 going into the qualifiers. He cannot afford to lose in round one if he wants to stay there but he would still get a fresh tour card via that one year list. Two last 16 runs in China are the highlights most recently in Beijing and at the start of the season at the World Open. His heavy scoring is impressive and many people have touted him as someone who can climb up the rankings and he is starting to prove that.
Predicted Qualifier: Daniel Wells
Qualifying Section 11:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Gary Wilson Vs Josh Boileau
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Peter Lines
Ross Muir Vs Gareth Allen
Michael White Vs Aditya Mehta
Section eleven is one that could go a few different ways. If on form, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh could qualify easily. Although, for much of the season this has not been the case having suffered a number of first round exits which, despite semi-finals at the World Open and the Paul Hunter Classic, have seen him at 51st on the one season list. Peter Lines earned his spot as world seniors champion and I fancy his chances of beating Thepchaiya and potentially having a run at Ponds Forge. The pressure is on Gary Wilson to win in round one against Josh Boileau as the man in 64th on the provisional end of season list. Again like Wells in section ten he is almost guaranteed a fresh two year card via the one year list, should he fall outside of the top 64. Boileau has not showed enough for me to think he will give Wilson too much of a challenge in round one, and the former China open finalists scoring ability should be enough to get him through. Ross Muir is also in the tour survival battle and if he could get past Gareth Allen in round one, his slower style may frustrate Michael White.
I still think White is the clear favourite in this section, and he looked to be in good form last week in Beijing. He beat Ali Carter on the way to the last 16 and made a few centuries in his opening round match. That heavy scoring is enough to get him on a roll in matches and blow some of the lower ranked players away. As a Crucible quarter-finalist in 2013 and someone who still has a bright future it would be a disappointment not to see him qualify.
I still think White is the clear favourite in this section, and he looked to be in good form last week in Beijing. He beat Ali Carter on the way to the last 16 and made a few centuries in his opening round match. That heavy scoring is enough to get him on a roll in matches and blow some of the lower ranked players away. As a Crucible quarter-finalist in 2013 and someone who still has a bright future it would be a disappointment not to see him qualify.
Predicted Qualifier: Michael White
Qualifying Section 12:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Rory McLeod Vs Darryl Hill
Kurt Maflin Vs Sydney Wilson
Martin O'Donnell Vs Jackson Page
Ricky Walden Vs Hammad Miah
This is a potentially fun little section. Walden has been an automatic qualifier every year since 2012, when he lost his qualifier 10-2 to Jamie Jones which may not be the best omen. In 2011 he famously lost at the Crucible 10-6 to Rory McLeod and had a lot to say afterwards and it would be somewhat ironic if they met in the final qualifying round here. McLeod has had an average season at best though and while he should easily make the second round anything beyond that will be a challenge if he is not on top form. Last week at the China Open, beating Liang Wenbo on the way to the last 16, McLeod showed glimpses of what he could do, but there has not been enough sign of that this season. There is the small matter of "Action" Jackson Page and given what we all saw in Cardiff and his exploits in Cyprus at the Under 18, Under 21 and Amateur European Championships, it would be no surprise to see him get a win here against Martin O'Donnell. O'Donnell himself is under pressure to have a good run and stay on tour so that may open up an opportunity for Page who is really under no pressure at all.
Kurt Maflin is a decent shout here for me. His best run came in Cardiff to make the quarter-finals, as well as coming through the tiered qualifiers to make the Shanghai Masters. As well as that are last 16's at the World Open and the Irish Open helping him to 35th on the one year list. Maflin may have only qualified once back in 2015, but he was impressive in taking Selby all the way in round one. He made the final qualifying round last year narrowly losing out to Milkins. If he can get on top of McLeod early with some trademark heavy scoring and not let McLeod grind him down then he should overcome that. My worry for Walden is his alarming dip in form with too many early exits and some of the back and shoulder issues he has had. With back issues he may struggle over the long format and make life difficult for him, and I think that makes Maflin a good alternative in this section.
Kurt Maflin is a decent shout here for me. His best run came in Cardiff to make the quarter-finals, as well as coming through the tiered qualifiers to make the Shanghai Masters. As well as that are last 16's at the World Open and the Irish Open helping him to 35th on the one year list. Maflin may have only qualified once back in 2015, but he was impressive in taking Selby all the way in round one. He made the final qualifying round last year narrowly losing out to Milkins. If he can get on top of McLeod early with some trademark heavy scoring and not let McLeod grind him down then he should overcome that. My worry for Walden is his alarming dip in form with too many early exits and some of the back and shoulder issues he has had. With back issues he may struggle over the long format and make life difficult for him, and I think that makes Maflin a good alternative in this section.
Predicted Qualifier: Kurt Maflin
Qualifying Section 13:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Michael Holt Vs Hamza Akbar
Jamie Cope Vs Eden Sharav
Peter Ebdon Vs Michael Wild
Jack Lisowski Vs Jimmy White
Section 13 is going to be unlucky for a few, in terms of tour survival and qualification prospects. Eden Sharav needs to beat Jamie Cope in round one to give himself a chance of getting a fresh two year tour card via the one year list. Cope himself needs at least win but more likely two or all three to save himself having to go to Q School. Sharav has had a couple of better results in recent weeks though and Cope has struggled all season long so I would marginally favour the Scotsman. Peter Ebdon qualified a year ago, but he is another who has struggled this season sitting in 62nd place on the one season list, and he is not someone I would favour to go all the way in this section. Jack Lisowski and Jimmy White is one of the ties of the round. White needs at least a win here to have any chance of getting a two year tour card via the one year list, and his form at times this season has been a lot better. Reaching the last 32 at the Scottish Open and the German Masters are some of his better runs along with a quarter-final at the Paul Hunter Classic. In fact, sitting in 78th on the one year list Lisowski is only a few places ahead of White. He has been in better form having scored very heavily on the way to the quarter-finals of the Gibraltar Open. Lisowski though has been one of the disappointments of the last couple of years in that he has not yet kicked on and moved up the rankings, and has instead fallen the other way.
Michael Holt is a clear favourite here to qualify. Holt has made it to the Crucible in three of the last four years, and impressively overcame Neil Robertson in the first round at the main venue a year ago. His form has come on a fair way as he has showed by getting into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, International Championship and China Championship this season as well as the Riga Masters final. To continue progressing as he has been in the last year or so he needs to qualify here and have another crack at one of the top players on the biggest stage.
Michael Holt is a clear favourite here to qualify. Holt has made it to the Crucible in three of the last four years, and impressively overcame Neil Robertson in the first round at the main venue a year ago. His form has come on a fair way as he has showed by getting into the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, International Championship and China Championship this season as well as the Riga Masters final. To continue progressing as he has been in the last year or so he needs to qualify here and have another crack at one of the top players on the biggest stage.
Predicted Qualifier: Michael Holt
Qualifying Section 14:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Alan McManus Vs Kurt Dunham
Rod Lawler Vs Xu Si
Jimmy Robertson Vs Cao Yupeng
Oliver Lines Vs Duane Jones
Alan McManus is the man to come to first in section 14. Having made the semi-finals at the Crucible last year you would expect him to go well again this time around. However, since that run he has failed to hit the same heights. At 74th on the one season list he has struggled to find the spark to get his season going. He reached the last 16 at the World Open and the last 32 at the Paul Hunter Classic early in the season, but has failed to get past the last 64 in a single event since. A run like that would not give many players confidence going into the world qualifiers. Then we come to Rod Lawler who is also struggling and has to win against Xu Si to have any chance of staying on tour. He is currently in the final spot for a fresh two year tour card, and is well outside the top 64, more than likely needing to get to the Crucible to get back inside. His opponent Xu Si is someone who has earned his invite as the World Under-21 champion, but he has also impressed as a wildcard in some of the Chinese ranking events. He saw off James Wattana at the World Open, before beating Wang Yuchen and most notably, Mark Williams at the International Championship. The match against Wang also featured a 145 break which was the joint highest break of the TV stages, and shows that he has plenty of talent. Much like Page he is under no pressure and playing against someone who has plenty riding on the game, and that could allow him to relax and take advantage.
Jimmy Robertson has had an average season, playing well early by making the last 16 at the Riga Masters and the last 32 at the World Open. The last 32 at the UK Championships with a victory over Mark Davis was his best thereafter. Robertson qualified in 2015 and played pretty well despite losing to Marco Fu at the Crucible. He also qualified in 2011, and fell at the final hurdle in qualifiers a year ago. This section provides an opportunity for someone with no names jumping off the page so Robertson has to be one of the favourites. I am going to go for more of an outside pick and someone that has beaten Jimmy Robertson 6-0 this season in Oliver Lines. That 6-0 win for Lines came in the UK Championships and followed up a 6-2 win over Judd Trump who has been in great form all season long. He reached the last 16 in India too at the start of the season beating Graeme Dott before losing to Shaun Murphy and even though his form can still be a bit hit and miss he is starting to make progress. With a father who can teach you a lot about the professional circuit, and plenty of matchplay skill the longer format is where you should do best and that could be the case for Lines junior.
Jimmy Robertson has had an average season, playing well early by making the last 16 at the Riga Masters and the last 32 at the World Open. The last 32 at the UK Championships with a victory over Mark Davis was his best thereafter. Robertson qualified in 2015 and played pretty well despite losing to Marco Fu at the Crucible. He also qualified in 2011, and fell at the final hurdle in qualifiers a year ago. This section provides an opportunity for someone with no names jumping off the page so Robertson has to be one of the favourites. I am going to go for more of an outside pick and someone that has beaten Jimmy Robertson 6-0 this season in Oliver Lines. That 6-0 win for Lines came in the UK Championships and followed up a 6-2 win over Judd Trump who has been in great form all season long. He reached the last 16 in India too at the start of the season beating Graeme Dott before losing to Shaun Murphy and even though his form can still be a bit hit and miss he is starting to make progress. With a father who can teach you a lot about the professional circuit, and plenty of matchplay skill the longer format is where you should do best and that could be the case for Lines junior.
Predicted Qualifier: Oliver Lines
Qualifying Section 15:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Yan Bingtao Vs Sam Craigie
Mark Davis Vs Mitchell Mann
Scott Donaldson Vs Wang Yuchen
Robert Milkins Vs Alexander Ursenbacher
The penultimate little group here is arguably one of the toughest to call. Of the four seeded players, Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson are two of the three best players to have started from £0 this season with the best being Anthony Hamilton who won in Berlin. In all Milkins sits 27th on the one year list with Yan 29th, Davis 32nd and Donaldson 34th. Any one of those four could qualify. Not only that but Mitchell Mann won three matches to qualify last season, including victories over Selt and Poomjaeng as well as making the final qualifying round the season before. Sam Craigie (along with Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao) was one of my three players to watch this season and could do damage if he can find his heavy scoring over the long format. Additionally, Alexander Ursenbacher won the European Under-21 title less than a month ago which will earn him a tour card to re-join the pro ranks from next season.
We know all of what Yan has achieved but this over the long format is surely his biggest test. If he makes the Crucible at the first attempt and at such a young age too, he will surely be touted by many as a future world champion. Milkins has qualified in three of the last four years for the Crucible, including the last two years since the flat format for the qualifiers has been bought in. Last year he overcame Scott Donaldson in the second qualifier before another tough match with Kurt Maflin. In 2015 he came through a decider in the final round against Andrew Higginson in a match that was a joy to watch. When he missed out on the Crucible in 2014 it was to Michael Wasley 10-9 on a re-spotted black in the final qualifying round and we know what Wasley went on to do by beating Ding, so it took a good performance to send Milkins home. Mark Davis too has had a solid season with a few quarter-finals but he has failed to push on, and for me he has the marginally tougher draw compared to Milkins. Last year Davis was knocked out by Zhang Anda 10-5, though he did qualify in 2015 against some pretty easy opposition at the time. This will certainly not be an easy ride, so with Milkins form in the qualifiers since the flat format came in and as his only defeat in the last four years of qualifying was a narrow one, he is my choice.
We know all of what Yan has achieved but this over the long format is surely his biggest test. If he makes the Crucible at the first attempt and at such a young age too, he will surely be touted by many as a future world champion. Milkins has qualified in three of the last four years for the Crucible, including the last two years since the flat format for the qualifiers has been bought in. Last year he overcame Scott Donaldson in the second qualifier before another tough match with Kurt Maflin. In 2015 he came through a decider in the final round against Andrew Higginson in a match that was a joy to watch. When he missed out on the Crucible in 2014 it was to Michael Wasley 10-9 on a re-spotted black in the final qualifying round and we know what Wasley went on to do by beating Ding, so it took a good performance to send Milkins home. Mark Davis too has had a solid season with a few quarter-finals but he has failed to push on, and for me he has the marginally tougher draw compared to Milkins. Last year Davis was knocked out by Zhang Anda 10-5, though he did qualify in 2015 against some pretty easy opposition at the time. This will certainly not be an easy ride, so with Milkins form in the qualifiers since the flat format came in and as his only defeat in the last four years of qualifying was a narrow one, he is my choice.
Predicted Qualifier: Robert Milkins
Qualifying Section 16:
First Round Draw: (Picks in Bold)
Robbie Williams Vs James Cahill
Yu De Lu Vs Itaro Santos
John Astley Vs Igor Figueredo
Martin Gould Vs James Wattana
The first person I want to come to in this final qualifying section is Igor Figueredo. The Brazilian has made the last 16 of the Welsh Open and Gibraltar Open this season having only started his season at the Northern Irish Ope final in November. Figueredo made it to the final qualifying round in 2015 with wins over Nigel Bond and Rod Lawler despite only playing a handful of events that season also. While Astley has also had a good season in this match I will give Figueredo a marginal edge. Meanwhile there is Yu De Lu who starts with an easy first round game, though he has never qualified for the Crucible and in all honesty I do not see him starting this year either. His best run of the season saw him make the Scottish Open semi-finals where he was fortunate, winning all of those games in deciding frames. Aside from that he has had an average season and I think he lacks the quality to make it out of this section.
Martin Gould was an automatic qualifier last year and only just missed out this year, though his season has not been the greatest by the high standards set after his 2016 German Masters win. In 2015 Gould lost in the first qualifying round to Adam Duffy though, and his world championship record is neither good or bad.
My choice though is going to be Robbie Williams. Williams has qualified three years in a row and he is a very difficult player to rule out at this time of year. Despite an average season he has still had a couple of last 16 performances, but he has not always had a lot of form coming into the World's in previous years. The sorts of players he has defeated show that he is more than capable of coming through this section, where Gould is probably the only player he would not be a favourite against. This is a very tough section to call given Williams record which is why I have gone for him.
Martin Gould was an automatic qualifier last year and only just missed out this year, though his season has not been the greatest by the high standards set after his 2016 German Masters win. In 2015 Gould lost in the first qualifying round to Adam Duffy though, and his world championship record is neither good or bad.
My choice though is going to be Robbie Williams. Williams has qualified three years in a row and he is a very difficult player to rule out at this time of year. Despite an average season he has still had a couple of last 16 performances, but he has not always had a lot of form coming into the World's in previous years. The sorts of players he has defeated show that he is more than capable of coming through this section, where Gould is probably the only player he would not be a favourite against. This is a very tough section to call given Williams record which is why I have gone for him.
Predicted Qualifier: Robbie Williams
This looks like a fascinating draw for the qualifiers with some really intriguing matches, not just in terms of the first round but for the potential second and third round qualifiers. Picking all 16 qualifiers correctly is tough work, if you think you can manage it tweet me your thoughts @CueActionBlog
I will also aim to update my blog throughout the qualifiers with reports and draw news so keep looking out for that. World Snooker have also revealed news that, once the 16 qualifiers have earned their places at the Crucible, the first round draw will take place on Thursday April 13 at 10am live on the World Snooker Facebook page.
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