2018/2019 Fantasy Snooker Launch

With the first event of the season over and a little indicator given as to who may be the form players in the early stages, it is time to launch the 2018/2019 Fantasy Snooker competition.

There is one week to go to get picks in for the season's first point scoring event, the World Open in China starting on Monday August 6.

This year there are no new rules, while in one change the unpopular Captains picks have been scrapped.

RULES: 

- All participants must pick two "season picks" prior to the first points scoring events. One of these players must be ranked between 33 and 64 as of July 30th, while the other should be ranked outside of the current top 64. These two selections will earn points in every point scoring event, but will not earn points for qualifying matches or in events that are not listed as points scoring events. These picks cannot be changed at any point during the season.

- Each participant will then additionally pick two players prior to each event to score points for that event only. Participants cannot pick any player more than three times over the course of the season, so use your picks wisely.

TOURNAMENTS TO BE INCLUDED: 

- World Open
- Paul Hunter Classic
- Indian Open
- China Championship
- European Masters
- English Open
- International Championship
- Champion of Champions
- Northern Ireland Open
- UK Championship (DOUBLE POINTS) 
- Scottish Open
- Masters (DOUBLE POINTS)
- German Masters
- World Grand Prix
- Welsh Open
- Players Championship
- Gibraltar Open
- Tour Championship
- China Open
- World Championship (DOUBLE POINTS)

20 events in all will count towards the final points total so there are plenty of opportunities to make a move up the leaderboard throughout the season.

POINTS SCORING: 

-   Match Win: 5 points

-   Match Win by 3 frames or better (5-2, 4-1, etc): 2 bonus points

-   Player Century: 2 points

-   147 break by player: 10 bonus points

-   Losing Semi-Finalist: 2 points 

-   Runner-Up 5 points

-   Tournament Winner: 10 points 

To send through both your season picks and the individual picks for the World Open, contact me on Twitter @CueActionBlog with the deadline for these picks being Monday August 6 before the first matches in Yushan. Feel free to tweet or message me with any further questions you may have about how the leagues, and remember that it's FREE to enter. 

Riga Masters Preview

The Riga Masters gets underway on Friday in Latvia, marking the first full tournament of the 2018/2019 season, nearly three months after Mark Williams picked up his third world title.

The defending champion this week is another Welshman, Ryan Day, after he overcame Stephen Maguire in last year's final to claim his first ever full ranking title, something he would add to earlier this year in Gibraltar.

There are many big names in the field all playing to get their name alongside Day's on the Riga roll of honour, and a large group of contenders have made it through the last 128 round that was played earlier in July.

Those contenders include another former winner in Neil Robertson, along with the 7th, 8th and 9th ranked players in the world with Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy and Kyren Wilson. Further top 16 players in the field include Mark Allen, Luca Brecel and Anthony McGill who will all be looking to add to their tally of ranking titles.

However, another big topic at the start of any new snooker season is who the breakthrough players could be and it is well worth bringing back up after Day's triumph 12 months previously. Fellow Welshman Jamie Jones ended last season on a high with an appearance in the last 16 of the World Championships and the twice ranking semi-finalist is one of the top names on my list to make a big move up the rankings this year. Michael Holt is another hoping to take that step up and go one better than his performance in this tournament two years ago.

Jack Lisowski is another at the front of the 'best players without a ranking title' discussion, having teased the snooker world last year with a number of impressive results. The proof is in the pudding though, and it may well be that world champion Williams keeps his exceptional form going to keep the Riga Masters trophy in Wales for another year.

Quarter 1 

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

Jamie Jones Vs Rod Lawler 

Chris Wakelin Vs Sam Craigie 

Robbie Williams Vs Lukas Kleckers

Mark King Vs Xu Si 

Joe Swail Vs Mei Xiwen

Fergal O'Brien Vs Stuart Carrington 

Shaun Murphy Vs David Lilley 

Nigel Bond Vs Zhao Xintong

Shaun Murphy is the only top 16 player in this top section of the draw, so is the obvious favourite to come through the draw. His first round opponent David Lilley will not give him an easy ride though having already won two qualifying matches in Preston against full time pros. Murphy knows all about the dangers Lilley poses after ending Lilley's run in the 2016 Indian Open where he made the quarter-finals. From the two qualifiers the world number 8 played earlier in July, he lost out to Mei Xiwen and was just able to beat Sanderson Lam who could easily have won that one. Murphy also lost in the first round at the venue in his last two tournaments of last season so his opponents may see a bit of vulnerability this week, especially over this short format. Having said that, the Magician has gone well on numerous occasions in these short weekend events, having won the Gibraltar Open and finishing runner-up in last season's Paul Hunter Classic since the European Tour was disbanded. If he brings his best to Latvia then he could rip through the draw and be a big title contender. 

Zhao Xintong is someone who many snooker pundits have spoken about as one of the young Chinese players who has so much potential. Having dropped off tour last season, he showed the determination and character needed to fight his way back and has started the season with qualifying victories against Jimmy Robertson and Graeme Dott. When on form his scoring can blow away any opposition, but questions still have to be asked about his ability to grind out results, though there are certainly signs of improvement there too. When you look at the other names in this section, Murphy's is probably the only one that he might fear, so there's reason to believe he could have a good weekend as well. 

My opening quarter pick of the new season is Jamie Jones. After his performances in the World Championships to whitewash Liang Wenbo in qualifying and then come back to beat Murphy, he is a player that should now be looking to kick on and fulfil his potential. Last year he made the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic before falling to Murphy, though he has had plenty of victories over him in the past to believe he could beat him again if they faced off in the last eight this week. If you go back a little further, Jones has had a semi-final in the Australian Open where he fell away after surging ahead early on against John Higgins. Those previous runs should give him the belief that he can keep putting himself in position to win ranking events. He should take inspiration from the play of fellow Welsh players Ryan Day and Mark Williams last season, while his close friend Michael White bagged another ranking title last season, which is the sort of success you can feed off of. Given my thoughts on his break through being close, and then seeing the draw in this quarter, there is enough to make me think Jones could have a special weekend in Riga.  

Best of the rest: Zhao Xintong

Quarter choice: Jamie Jones

Quarter 2 

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Scott Donaldson Vs Robin Hull

Zhou Yuelong Vs Craig Steadman

Liang Wenbo Vs Kurt Maflin

Neil Robertson Vs Li Yuan 

Barry Hawkins Vs Li Hang 

Ricky Walden Vs Jimmy White or Rodion Judin

Mark Allen Vs Peter Lines

Ali Carter Vs Ryan Day or Jamie Cope

While the top quarter may not have had a cluster of top names, the second quarter is the complete opposite courtesy of the unseeded nature of the draw. Liang Wenbo and Kurt Maflin is a fascinating match up given how well Maflin played in qualifying for this event where he beat Lu Haotian. It's a very tough match to call given that both players seem to lack real consistency, but Liang had a very average season last time out and that should give Maflin cause to think that he can win this one. 

Then at the opposing end of this quarter we find the defending champion Ryan Day who has a holdover match against Jamie Cope, where a win would see him face a top 16 player in Ali Carter. Carter had a poor season last year on the whole, with the main highlight proving to be his victory against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Championships. A string of early exits in the middle of the season saw him fail to qualify for the Players Championship, while Day was having his best ever season, picking up a trio of titles, starting here in Latvia. He certainly will not want to give this title up easily, and having to play a holdover match could be a nice warm-up for playing Carter, should he beat Cope as expected. 

Ricky Walden is someone who will be looking to build on a positive end to last season and force his way back into the top 16. This time last year, Walden had just been whitewashed in his opening two qualifying matches and was struggling badly with a back injury, but a run to the last 16 of the World Championships should give him confidence. That was joined by plenty more uplifting runs and there will be very little attention on him in the early rounds given some of the other top names in this section, that people will be keeping a close eye on. 

Barry Hawkins would be Walden's likely last 32 opponent early on Saturday should both come through early tests, and it will be interesting to see how the left-hander gets on. Hawkins is not always the quickest out of the blocks at the start of a new season, and usually seems to peak between February and April in recent years, usually culminating in an appearance in the World Championship semi-finals. He qualified easily for the opening two tournaments of the season and will now be looking to buck that early season trend with a run through a tough section of the draw to the latter stages, having won this title back in 2015 on the European Tour. 

Mark Allen is another quality left-hander who has started the season with two qualifying wins and will be looking to move up the rankings after only just qualifying for the World Championships last season in 16th place. Allen is a former runner-up in Riga having lost out in the 2014 final when this event was part of the European Tour. Like everyone else in that mini section though, Allen is going to have to be on his game from a very early stage in this event. 

Neil Robertson is my second quarter choice though as someone that is at the opposite end of this quarter to the likes of Allen, Hawkins, Day, Carter and Walden. Instead the Australian has a much easier looking draw, if he comes to Riga with something close to his best. He may have lost early here last year to Lukas Kleckers, but the year before that he was the champion with a win in the final against Michael Holt. Robertson is a player that I expect to see winning more this season after a difficult couple of years since he took home this title. Having changed cues he should have been putting a lot of work in, and sometimes these changes in equipment have more influence on a player's mindset than anything else. No one can doubt his capabilities as a top player based on his past achievements, and avoiding many of the top names in this section could be the kind of break that he needs to help ease him into this tournament. As someone who has won this title before, he is a certain contender this week. 

Best of the rest: Ricky Walden

Quarter choice: Neil Robertson 

Quarter 3

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold) 

David Gilbert Vs Michael White 

Joe Perry Vs Robert Milkins 

Stephen Maguire Vs Gerard Greene 

Lee Walker Vs Joe O'Connor

Kyren Wilson Vs Luke Simmonds

Niu Zhuang Vs Simon Bedford

Anthony Hamilton W/O Yan Bingtao 

Michael Holt Vs Liam Highfield 

The third section of the draw has both runners-up from the last two years of competition here, as well as a number of other quality players. David Gilbert and Michael White are two of those players, with both sitting in the top 32, though the draw has not been kind to see the pair face off in round one, in what is a very tough game to call. 

Joe Perry is a former top 16 player who will be looking to build on his victory against Mark Selby in last season's World Championship, to help force his way back to where he was after winning his maiden ranking title in 2015. He is yet another player with a difficult draw to negotiate, facing Robert Milkins in round one with the winner to face the victor between White and Gilbert. Trying to pick a winner out of those four is not easy work at such an early point in the season with little form to go on. 

Michael Holt is one of the two former finalists in this quarter of the draw, after he lost out 5-2 to Neil Robertson in 2016. Holt looked impressive in defeating Matthew Stevens to qualify for this event, and the tricky matches keep on coming with the ever-improving Liam Highfield his first opposition in Latvia. Last season was a difficult one for Holt, but go back a further year to the season where Holt was runner-up here and he went on to have one of the best season's of his career, showing what a big run could do this week for any player in the field but also what Holt is still very much capable of. An all-Notts showdown would follow in the last 32 if Holt beats Highfield, courtesy of Anthony Hamilton's walkover following the early withdrawal of Yan Bingtao. 

Stephen Maguire is last year's losing finalist in what would have been his first ranking title since the 2013 Welsh Open. The wait for Maguire has now been five and a half years, which is a very long time between drinks, and he sounded downbeat on his chances of a top 16 revival after losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan in April's World Championship opening round. It all comes down to how much he wants it, and therefore whether he is ready to put the hard work in to fight his way back to the top. His results last season were some of his best for a while and all the was lacking was that elusive title, showing that the ability has gone nowhere. Looking at the draw I would expect him to make the last 16 as a minimum but if he wants it, he could be a title challenger this week. 

Kyren Wilson is my third quarter choice for this event. The youngster had a great season last year, all that was missing is his second ranking title. A finalist at the World Open and the English Open in the Autumn, he also excelled in the triple crown events making the Masters final and World Championship semi's. It is hard to believe given his sharp rise and his performances in the last year or two that his only ranking win is still his breakthrough win from the 2015 Shanghai Masters, nearly three years ago. It would be more surprising if he does not add to his trophy collection this season, given his performances and the belief he should have in his game. Taking the title this week in Latvia would lay down a big marker for what he could achieve in the rest of the season, which is why I think he will be in the latter stages this week. 

Best of the rest: Stephen Maguire

Quarter choice: Kyren Wilson

Quarter 4 

Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold) 

Graeme Dott or Maris Volajs Vs Tian Pengfei 

Anthony McGill Vs Ashley Carty

Marco Fu Vs Xiao Guodong 

Luca Brecel Vs Mark Davis 

Rory McLeod Vs Zhang Yong

Mark Williams or Rhys Clark Vs Ben Woollaston 

Oliver Lines Vs Alfie Burden

Jack Lisowski Vs Ian Burns 

Mark Williams will be making his first appearance in tournament since winning the World Championship in May, and he will be doing so in a tournament where he has come close in the last two seasons. In 2016 he lost out in the semi-finals 5-4 to Michael Holt, and then last year he fell in the same round in another close contest with Ryan Day. He faces a heldover last 128 match which he should come through comfortably, before what should be a tougher match against Ben Woollaston. There are plenty of big names that could threaten the World Champion in Riga this week, and become the first player to beat him since he won the title, though many of them are in the opposing half of this section. 

A pair of top Scots in Anthony McGill and Graeme Dott could meet in the last 32. Dott has a heldover match against a Latvian wildcard before facing Tian Pengfei in the last 64, while McGill will tackle tour rookie Ashley Carty after beating another rookie in Kishan Hirani in order to qualify. Both players suffered disappointing defeats in World Open qualifying though, and when you look at some of the names in this section, nothing but the best will get the job done. 

Marco Fu, Luca Brecel and Xiao Guodong are three more players that are all more than capable of winning this quarter or even walking away with the title on Sunday night, though only one of them can possibly make it to the last 16. Fu will be feeling invigorated after victories in both his opening qualifiers, his first two wins since the Scottish Open in December 2017, following his eye surgery. Xiao Guodong was the man that ended Fu's title defence that week in Glasgow, in one of his many good runs last season that indicated he is back to the sort of form that saw him make the Shanghai Masters final in 2013. Luca Brecel meanwhile had a pretty miserable end to the 2017/2018 season, but he has qualified for both of the first two tournaments and will now be looking to start his season in a similar style to last year. He was a semi-finalist in the World Open which comes up in a few weeks time, following his victory in the China Championship which has been pushed back a few weeks in the calendar. 

My fourth and final quarter pick for the week though is young Jack Lisowski. For a few years after he made the quarter-finals of the China Open in 2013 it looked like he would never fully make his big breakthrough. That was until last season where he matched that quarter-final at the English Open, and then bettered it by making the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, before coming close to another semi-final in the China Open. He scored heavily on a consistent basis throughout the season and, while remaining aggressive, was a little bit more measured with some of the risks he took on, having looked to improve his safety game. The next step for Lisowski is to make a maiden ranking final like Holt did here in 2016, or go one better by winning his first major title, matching Day's performance last year. This event seems to allow players to make a breakthrough, whether that is because it is early in the season with the top players yet to hit their stride, or because a few other big names have not entered and the draw is unseeded. That is why I have picked Lisowski out in this quarter and Jones in the top quarter because their draws do not look ridiculously tough, and they are two of the players I am looking at to make a big move up the rankings.  

Best of the rest: Xiao Guodong

Quarter choice: Jack Lisowski 

Tournament winner selection: Kyren Wilson

All matches in the early stages of the tournament are best-of-7 frames with the semi-finals and final being contested over the best-of-9 frames which certainly makes for even more of a lottery in the season's first full event. For those looking to watching the three days of play, Eurosport TV and Eurosport Player will be covering the big names throughout the tournament. The last 64 will take place in it's entirety on Friday, along with the four heldover ties. Saturday will see the last 32 and last 16 matches, before the action concludes on Sunday with the final three rounds and the crowning of the first champion in the 2018/2019 professional season. 

The ups and downs of the Preston season opener

Ten days of snooker in Preston to open up the new main tour season concluded on Wednesday, with the conclusion of the second Challenge Tour event. 

For the players involved there as well as in the Riga Masters and World Open qualifiers there have been ups and downs, highs and lows as they got the ball rolling on their 2018/2019 campaigns. There was success for some of the rookie players who picked up valuable, confidence-boosting wins to start in style, while other players in need of early wins to boost their ranking got off to a perfect start. 

Some of the top players meanwhile struggled in this early part of the season, to show that these qualifying matches are not easy - whatever your world ranking is. 

To summarise the opening exchanges of the season I'll be listing some of the players who had a good time of it, and those that did not have as much success at the Preston Guildhall. 

Good Week

David Lilley - Lilley is not currently the holder of a professional tour card, but his near misses at Q School will earn him an invite into most of this season's ranking events via the Q School order of merit top-up system. His play in the opening two qualifiers however, was impressive and having won both games you wonder if he will get enough opportunities this season to try and earn a tour card, via the top eight on the one-season money list not already qualified for the 2019/2020 once this campaign is done. In Riga qualifying he produced one of the better performances I saw while I was in Preston for the first three days. Two centuries and a further break of 90+ saw him take care of Hammad Miah 4-2, before then coming from 4-2 behind to defeat China's Li Hang 5-4 to put his name in the main draw for the World Open. On top of that the £5,500 he's banked for those wins is a nice boost for a non-tour player. 

Zhao Xintong - The snooker world has known for a long time that Zhao has as much potential as some of his more successful Chinese counterparts, but after dropping off the tour at the end of last season questions have been asked whether he would fulfil it. Impressively he has fought his way back on through Q School and is another of the 30 players who won qualifiers for both of the first two events. Breaks of 73, 86 and 88 helped him dismantle Jimmy Robertson 4-0 in Riga qualifying, before he defeated a high ranked opponent in Graeme Dott 5-3 to make it to Yushan for the World Open. Those results should be a big boost to Zhao's confidence, so do not be surprised to see him continue producing wins like this in the coming months. 

Robbie Williams - If I said that things were comfortable for Williams in his two qualifiers it would certainly be a lie. His first match against Alan McManus went to a deciding frame where Williams needed snookers, before he fought back to win the frame and match on the final black. Then against Oliver Lines he faced another deciding frame and once again it would come down to the final colours, but Williams was again victorious 5-4. During that match he also had the high break of World Open qualifying by some margin, firing in a 140. His nerves may have taken a battering but for a player ranked in the low 50's, this is a much needed positive start to the campaign. 

Rod Lawler - Another player who needed to start strongly was Lawler, after a very poor 2017/2018 season. The £5,500 he has picked up for back-to-back victories at the Guildhall is only £100 short of his earnings for the entire of the last campaign so it must be a relief to collect a couple of cheques. He started very strongly with a 4-0 win against Martin O'Donnell to book his place in Latvia, featuring breaks of 65, 73 and 107. Then he was never behind against Mark King in World Open qualifying as he eventually came through a 5-4 winner in a very tight contest. Lawler will need a monumental campaign in order to get into the top 64 at the end of it, though he has done all he could to get the wheels moving forward this week. 

David Grace and Mitchell Mann - Mann and Grace were both on the pro tour last season, but were relegated in April and failed to get back on tour at Q School in May. The pair both made the semi-finals of the first Challenge Tour event at the start of June and have now gone better at the Guildhall this week. Grace and Mann contested the final of the second CT event where former UK semi-finalist Grace would come out on top a 3-0 winner. Grace also overcame fellow former tour players in Jamie O'Neill, Simon Bedford, James Cahill and Steven Hallworth on the way to the final, while Mann took out the winner of event one Brandon Sargeant in the semi-finals. Despite his narrow 3-2 loss in that semi-final, Sargeant is still top of the CT order of merit, in a tie with Grace after two events. 

Disappointing week 

Alan McManus - Having touched on Robbie Williams victory over McManus already in the Riga qualifying, where Williams came from snookers required in the final frame to clinch victory, that gives you one part of a disappointing start to the season for the Scotsman. The second part came as he was beaten more comprehensively in World Open qualifying, 5-2 by Paul Davison. With McManus' ranking as low as it has become in the last year, these early season defeats are not good news and something he will have to bounce back from quickly in August. 

Sam Baird - After a poor 2017/2018 season, Baird dropped off the circuit and had to earn his tour card back at Q School, along with the likes of Zhao Xintong. Unlike Zhao, Baird has not made such a positive return to the tour. He only managed to win one frame from his two qualifying matches, losing 4-0 to Ben Woollaston and 5-1 to Mark Davis. That will do nothing to help his belief and confidence which looked to be suffering on a couple of occasions when I watched him up close in the middle of last season. Baird may have two years now to climb back into the top 64, but he could already do with picking up a win or two from the three qualifiers that will be played in the middle of August. 

Ross Muir - It's a big season for Scotland's Ross Muir as he looks to find a way of staying on the professional circuit. Things have not started well for him though in his search for every ranking point he can get his hands on, following a 2017/2018 season that saw him accumulate only £10,000. Muir fell 4-1 to a fellow player from outside the top 64 in Zhang Yong. He then fought hard to force a decider in his World Open qualifier, coming from 3-0 and 4-2 down to make it 4-4 with Ryan Day. Unfortunately for the Scot, he was unable to take advantage having put Day on the rocks, and the Welshman escaped with a 5-4 win. 

Notable Others 

Stuart Bingham - Bingham was another player who suffered two defeats to start off his season in what was really one of the big surprises of these qualifiers. In Riga qualifying he fell 4-0 to Niu Zhuang before a 5-4 loss to another Chinese player in Zhang Anda. Bingham will now have to wait until the August qualifying matches to get back in action. 

Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby - It was a struggle for another two of the top players. Murphy entered both events, defeating Sanderson Lam to make it to Riga despite being 2-0 adrift and surviving frame ball to fall 3-0 behind. He was not to be so fortunate later in the week though as he fell 5-4 to Mei Xiwen. As for the world number one, he only entered World Open qualifying and got off to a slow start. He fell 3-1 behind against non-tour player Luke Simmonds before winning four on the spin to secure a 5-3 win. 

Joe O'Connor, Ashley Carty, Simon Lichtenberg, Harvey Chandler and Andy Lee - There was success for some of the players that had earned a two-year tour card. Lee had been on tour previously but is looking to make a bigger impact now, especially after securing a decent start after winning his World Open qualifier 5-2 against Daniel Wells. As for some of the rookies, Joe O'Connor defeated returning Jordan Brown to secure his first tour win at the first attempt. Ashley Carty had a holdover for the World Open but played fellow rookie Harvey Chandler in Riga qualifying, winning comfortably in the end at 4-1. Chandler would put that disappointment behind him though and secure an impressive 5-4 triumph over Michael White a few days later. Germany's Simon Lichtenberg gained his first win in the qualifiers for Yushan with a 5-2 defeat of 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty. That was not the only German success in qualifying as Lukas Kleckers gained his first win in a year by beating Alexander Ursenbacher to book a return trip to Riga. 

Ali Carter, Kyren Wilson, Luca Brecel, Marco Fu, Barry Hawkins and Mark Allen - For six of the top players involved this week there was to be no trouble, qualifying for both of the season's first two ranking events. Ali Carter won his two matches without dropping a frame, while Hawkins only dropped two in defeating Andy Lee and Alfie Burden. Kyren Wilson had to battle a little harder, coming through a final frame decider with Dominic Dale, and then defeating Nigel Bond 5-3. After a poor end to last season, Luca Brecel made no mistake in his games with Allan Taylor and Ian Burns. Masters winner Mark Allen secured 4-2 and 5-2 victories against Daniel Wells and Peter Lines but most impressive was Marco Fu. Fu only dropped one frame in defeating Elliot Slessor and Chris Totten for not only his first wins of the season, but his first victories since December 2017, prior to his eye surgery. 

For all of the results from the last week, follow the links below: 

Riga Masters qualifiers

World Open qualifiers

Challenge Tour event 2 

The next action from the tour will see the first main tour trophy of the season awarded as the players compete in the final stages of the Riga Masters starting on Friday July 27. That will coincide with the third Challenge Tour event, from Latvia on Saturday July 28 and Sunday July 29 - which are also the final two days of action in the Riga Masters.  

LIVE BLOG: Joe Swail vs Dechawat Poomjaeng

Joe Swail 4-1 Dechawat Poomjaeng - Swail needed plenty of chances today but was able to keep Poomjaeng at bay and you could see how disappointed the Thai was as he left the arena. He just didn't keep it tight enough or make enough of the difficult balls that Swail was able to, but coming as close as he did to a tour return you have to think he can still do it. Despite some of the unnecessary stress he caused himself at times, Swail should be happy enough with that and put that down as a good start to the season having got the opening match out of the way. In the end he was a deserved 4-1 winner.

Just when he needed it his cue ball control has let Swail down. After wobbling a couple in there was to be no third escape and he misses with the rest after just adding 20 to his lead. There's nothing left for Poomjaeng but he is still right in this.

Poomjaeng's opportunity doesn't amount to enough for him to take the lead. Shortly after he misses a red along the bottom cushion that looked like it should drop. That's allowed Swail in with reds open and a real match clinching chance.

Frame 5 - It's been a slow start again to this frame but it's Swail who has the early advantage as he eyes up the frame he needs for victory. Poomjaeng has just caught the bump of the middle with his safety, letting out a cue bang but Swail fails to take advantage.

Frame Poomjaeng - Poomjaeng developed the reds well but was still not over the winning line when his break of 53 came to an end, following a miss on a thin red. Swail was 66 behind with just five reds left so needed blacks with each red, but missed the first black. He carried on for snookers for a long period but eventually Poomjaeng doubled the final red to make sure he got a frame on the board. 3-1 to Swail now.

After a long safety battle Poomjaeng is now back in but a lot of reds have been pushed to the cushion during the safety, so it's tough to call this a really good opportunity.

Frame 4 - Poomjaeng is in first after a great long pot in the fourth and it would be nice to see him get a frame, but he just has not been comfortable out there today from the start.

Frame Swail - The pressure was off towards the end of the break, but Swail clears the remaining reds and only an in-off on the green going around the table to get on the brown prevented his contribution being higher than the 61 he ends up with. He won't mind though as he's surged into a 3-0 lead.

Swail sets about building a big lead both in this frame and the match.

An excellent long pot and cannon to hold for a choice of black or pink has Swail back in again and into a commanding position now, just a few pots from a 3-0 lead despite his lack of scoring power so far.

Frame 3 - A very nice red into the middle gives Swail the first chance of frame three and thus far he has been able to keep the cue ball under reasonable control. This is the point in the match now where he should be looking to kill his opponent off. The cue ball gets out of control on 32 though, missing a thin red as a result but it has not cost him.

Frame Swail - After that let off, Poomjaeng returns the favour by clipping the blue thinking he could get through to the yellow. That foul left him needing a snooker but Swail soon plays an excellent long yellow followed by green and brown to make sure of doubling his lead. 2-0 Swail and there is not much hope for the Thai if he fails to improve.

Further chances have come and gone for Swail including one on the last red which would have been frame ball, only to pot it and go in-off, keeping Poomjaeng alive in this second frame.

Swail loses control of the cue ball, but pulls out a good recovery pot only to lose the cue ball from that shot. Poomjaeng then gets back in shortly after but breaks down early and really has not settled yet. Swail is in now with another good opening but his positional play needs to improve.

After a bit of safety Swail gets himself in now with plenty of reds available. The black is not on it's spot but the pink is currently on the black spot which is helpful to Swail and he should build a good lead here.

Poomjaeng would only make 16 from this great opening.

Frame 2 - A poor containing safety from Swail leaves Poomjaeng right in amongst the reds and with quite a few open after an aggressive safety from the Thai a shot previously. Poor positional play costs him though as he can only make 16 before playing safe.

Frame Swail - At the fourth time of asking Swail appears to settle down and despite a missed black with four reds left, his lead of 65 is enough to force a concession from Poomjaeng. A decent start for Swail. 1-0.

Another chance now for Swail after Poomjaeng's attacking safety leaves a red over the corner. Plenty of reds are open here but Swail misses a pretty easy one. Poomjaeng then misses to the middle and allows Swail straight back in.

Frame 1 - Early days it may be but the early signs are that Poomjaeng is going for everything. Swail on his second opening of the frame now but does not look to have settled yet, missing but leaving everything safe

This is more than likely my last live blog offering of the week and it's sure to be a good one between Joe Swail and Dechawat Poomjaeng.

Swail is into the second year of his two year card and will need to play well this season to avoid another trip to Q School. Perhaps a good omen for him is the fact that fellow Northern Irishman Gerard Greene won at the same time, on the same table yesterday. Given that his opponent is no longer on tour you would have to make Swail favourite, but you never know what to expect from Poomjaeng.

The Thai was so close to getting back on tour this year, making the final round of both the first two Q School events only to lose out to Sam Craigie and Zhao Xintong. Then he was beaten in round four of the third event as he seemed to run out of steam after a long stretch of snooker. This will be the second season since Poomjaeng dropped off though, and even as a Q School top up, it will be good to see this maverick back in action.

LIVE BLOG: Harvey Chandler vs Ashley Carty

Ashley Carty 4-1 Harvey Chandler - After Carty left the last red over the corner, Chandler was able to get in and clear down to a difficult pink which he missed. That left Carty a half chance at a cut which he rattled and left in the jaws for his opponent. Chandler potted it but ran too far for the black playing safe, but still inviting a cut which Carty missed. Chandler then took a risky long attempt on, leaving it safe though but a few shots later Carty landed the cross double for victory. A good first outing for Carty then and a learning experience for both players, with positives for Chandler to take into his World Open qualifier against Michael White. Carty though will be delighted to get off to a winning start in what felt like a nervy match.

A safety error from Carty has left Chandler in with a chance to reduce his deficit in this frame. The last two reds on the bottom cushion could prove troublesome and Chandler plays safe.

Helped by a small fluke Carty adds another 9 to his lead before laying a snooker, from which he gets a third chance in this frame straight away. Only another 8 points is added though and he'll need a fourth opportunity in order to close this out.

Carty breaks down initially on 30 but a nice long pot rolled in for black ball position has him back at the table, but again there are not many loose reds to go at.

Frame 5 - After a quiet start to this frame the first real chance has fallen to Carty. There are not many loose reds at this stage but he'll certainly be able to edge closer to victory here.

Frame Chandler - It may have taken four chances there in the end to leave Carty needing snookers, but Chandler should not care. He has a frame on the board and may settle a little more now and make a fightback, as he did look more solid in parts of that frame.

It would not be the most settling first experience as a pro to lose 4-0 and Chandler now has a second chance in this frame to make sure he avoids that. It is not clear cut but he should build a commanding lead. Having said that he's over hit a positional shot on a red to middle and snookered himself behind the blue so has to play safe.

Frame 4 - Chandler is on the brink now and has not been able to yet in this match. He gets the first opportunity in the fourth but breaks down after losing position for a speedy 27.

Frame Carty - After Chandler's missed blue, Carty was able to open things up a bit, clearing the remaining reds and left Chandler needing a snooker on the blue. The European Champion failed to make any inroads on this occasion and Carty is just one away from taking out the match. 3-0 Carty.

Carty pots the green at the back end of the third frame.

Well that's a first. Carty manages to pot three reds in one shot after knocking a plant in and now has a nice little opportunity to turn around his slight deficit in the frame, before missing the pink off the spot. That allows Chandler back but with the colours scrappy it was not the best chance, and he's missed the blue to allow Carty back. There's still a long way to go in this frame.

Frame 3 - It's getting towards make or break time in the match for Chandler now. This is what makes the best of 7s so tough. He's in now though but is not able to construct much from the early opening.

Frame Carty - He did not get the frame won at the visit I initially thought he would but it was not long before another red went down to leave Chandler needing snookers. The attempts did not mount to much and while it was not a flashy frame, Carty won't care at all. 2-0 Carty.

Carty's break ended on 30 after a mis-judged positional shot. Now though he has Chandler snookered and from the escape he has earned another chance and should clinch this frame.

Carty broke down early but is in again now. The table had gone a bit scrappy but Carty can soon change that and make this into a really good opening, if he plays his cards right.

Frame 2 - It's been a bit of a slow start to frame two here, both players have potted reds but not been able to get on colours, with the black tied up for now. What is a good sign is seeing both players knock in reds from range and get close to almost all long attempts, as there must be some nerves. The first decent look has now fallen to Carty after Chandler gets close to a long red but leaves it over the corner.

Frame Carty - Carty takes advantage adding another 31 after a good red with the rest and extension to leave Chandler needing snookers. Chandler played on and despite a bit of success Carty held firm and clinches his first frame as a pro. 1-0

Chandler does indeed force the mistake from Carty but a missed black means he will not take full advantage. Carty is in now from Chandler's error and is not far from taking the frame.

Carty's first break would end after this pot on the blue. 

Carty's break comes to an end on 36 after losing position and he gets a good safety in. Chandler meanwhile has had the perfect pace on almost every safety shot he's played so far, finding the baulk cushion each time and Carty is now in a spot of bother.

Frame 1 - Chandler has an early chance and from his very first shot he had the pace of the table, before smashing a long red in with his second. A tricky miss though has left Carty in now though for his first opportunity but he'll need to get into the pack soon.

The second live blog today is an all-rookie clash between Ashley Carty and Harvey Chandler.

Readers of the blog should have seen my interview last week with Chandler, where he spoke about how he'd gotten to this point in his career, winning the European Championship, but also how he had pretty much given the game up at one point. He also mentioned that himself and Carty know each other from their junior days which adds a nice dynamic to this contest. Expect some nerves from both guys in what is their first outing on the tour but hopefully it will still produce some high quality.

Carty has come close to being on tour a few times before winning his tour card in May. He's reached the last 32 in a couple of events as an amateur and is a good scorer so he will hope to show all that again now that he is a pro, while continuing to progress. In my season preview Carty is selected as one of three rookies to watch, so my expectations for him are high.

This is definitely a tough match to call and it may be who settles the quickest, and handles those first pro game nerves the best that comes out on top.

LIVE BLOG: Liam Highfield vs Sean O'Sullivan

Liam Highfield 4-0 Sean O'Sullivan - Very clinical stuff there from Highfield. An additional 42 gets the job done nicely and shuts O'Sullivan out. Apart from the second frame it's hard to say that he had many clear cut chances and that is testament to how well Highfield played. His long potting and positional play were good, his safety was pretty good and that will stand him in good stead against plenty of players if he carries that on. For O'Sullivan it's just a case of trying to keep his head up, because despite his visible disappointment, he did not do a load wrong.

Still lots of safety going on at the moment and it's largely been good from both players, but as in most aspects today Highfield just has the edge and now has O'Sullivan in real trouble. He's snookered behind the yellow with plenty of reds open, and he's left an opportunity now with Highfield already ahead by 32.

Frame 4 - It's been a scrappy start to this frame but crucially it is Highfield that has the upper hand again as he looks to prevent any chance of a fightback from his opponent.

Frame Highfield - That was sublime stuff from Highfield there. The left hander made easy work of the loose reds and then potted a great red with the rest down the side cushion to help clinch the frame. The rest of the reds on the bottom cushion were easy work as well and just a tough miss on the blue prevented a century. A magnificent 93 puts him one away now at 3-0.

Highfield on the way to his excellent 93 break in the third. 

Another long red leads to another opening for Highfield and despite a few reds being on cushions from the scrappy start to this frame, this is a nice chance to build a lead.

Frame 3 - The best chance of this third frame so far has been earned by Highfield after a good mid-range when he was stretching over the colours. He quickly gets the black back on its spot from the position in baulk but fails to find position on the next red.

Frame Highfield - It was O'Sullivan that potted the final red after Highfield left it over the corner, but he missed the following pink. That left Highfield needing yellow to blue for the frame, but he came up a bit short on the brown. After a long deliberation he decided to cut it in the middle, executing it perfectly and landing perfect on the blue to double his lead. 2-0 and O'Sullivan may have missed the boat.

O'Sullivan played a little cannon to the two reds in the middle of the table, leaving one down the cushion which he wobbled, and you could see a lot of frustration come out afterwards. That let Highfield back in but he's failed to move the last red from the side cushion and plays safe leading by 9 points but has O'Sullivan snookered too.

Highfield looks to pounce on O'Sullivan's error in frame two. 

After saying it was a good chance Highfield went into the pack again from the black with much more force, landed on a red but needed a cannon to stay on the black. It didn't quite come off and he clicked his fingers with disappointment as he snookered himself on it. O'Sullivan is in now after a nice red in the middle and this is his chance to get a foothold in the match.

Frame 2 - With a beautiful long red Highfield is straight back amongst them in the second. A soft cannon into the pack from the blue has opened things up pretty well and this is now an excellent scoring chance.

Frame Highfield - A really sharp start there from Highfield. Other than the early miss on the black he looks in good form, confident and his positional play has been sharp too. With a run of 56 he's taken the opening frame. 1-0

O'Sullivan's chance falls away after leaving a thin yellow in the jaws of the pocket, allowing Highfield back to the table. With some good shots to keep the break ticking over he now looks in good shape to clinch the opener.

Highfield earns another chance after dropping a red in the middle and coming down perfectly for the black, only to then miss the black a couple of shots later and leave a chance for O'Sullivan.

Frame 1 - First chance of the match has fallen to Highfield and he shows good touch on the opening red, rolling it in from mid-range to hold for the black. Early signs are that he is in good touch, though his pack split from the black leaves the cue ball in baulk and he has to play a containing safety.

Today is the penultimate day of Riga Masters qualifying and my final day in Preston for this week. The opening session has a couple of good ties but the focus will be on Liam Highfield against Sean O'Sullivan.

I watched Liam Highfield quite a bit when I was in Cardiff earlier this year, as he reached the last 16. He should have gone even further having had Ian Burns needing snookers at 3-2 to Highfield, for what would have been his second quarter final of the season. His first last 8 appearance came in India and there are enough signs to make you think plenty more big runs could be on the cards. Highfield ended last season well by qualifying for his Crucible debut at which point a lot of people started to sit up and take notice, so it is certainly worth following his progress closely here.

As for Sean O'Sullivan he had quite a quiet year last season, with his best finish being the last 32 in India, so he needs to get out of the blocks quickly in this campaign to stay on tour. This game will not be easy for him though and he will have to hope that Highfield is not on top scoring form.

LIVE BLOG: Gerard Greene Vs Chen Feilong

Gerard Greene 4-1 Chen Feilong - Some of his positional play towards the end was a little around the houses and scruffy but Gerard Greene is comfortably over the line 4-1. He did what he had to there and took his chance well at the end with Chen half-threatening a fight back. There were small signs from Chen Feilong but his nerves seemed to hamper him badly today and that will need to improve for his World Open qualifier next up. Overall, a comfortable afternoon for the Northern Irishman and a learning experience for the Chinese rookie.

Greene makes 32 before having to play safe, though it is not a good one as Chen knocks a long red in. He misses the next brown though to let Greene off and leave him right in with a match clinching chance.

Frame 5 - I don't know whether this is through nerves as well but Chen is not the quickest player, though his AST might say differently when I look later. He has the first chance in frame five and is starting to play a couple of nice shots. He's still only able to build a lead of 19 before playing safe and it would be the mother of all comebacks if he won from here, given how he started. A thick safety has now let Greene in with a decent look.

Frame Chen - Chen has actually managed to get the upper hand in this frame, but whether he can convert is an entirely different question. His lead is 6 as he plays safe on the yellow, unlucky really not to land on it, but he is soon able to pot it from distance. The green, brown and blue follow and remarkably after how he lost the last, Chen has a frame on the board. 3-1 Greene now.

Opportunity knocks once more for Chen and this is probably the best he's had so far, at least in the middle of a frame that is. He should have closed the gap a lot more than he has before missing a thin red with the rest, and Greene is still in charge.

Frame 4 - It's not getting any better for Chen out here at the start of the fourth. Greene is now on his third chance and with reds nicely open and the pink and blue open he should at least build a lead that his opponent would struggle to come back from. That is until being unlucky with a cannon, and his break ends with just a 33 point lead.

Frame Greene - Chen has had nothing short of an absolute nightmare in this third frame. Greene potted the final red but missed a thin green to leave the yellow on. Chen misses a tricky yellow but Greene then misses the brown and double kisses it to leave it on. Chen potted that but then missed the blue trying to power it in and Greene was out of his chair before the blue went in for the fluke. He wobbled the pink in the middle and then had another chance but over powered it. Greene potted pink but missed the black, leaving it safe, only for Chen to go in off and lose the frame. Somehow Greene has a 3-0 lead and must be laughing on the inside at how good a result he's had in that frame.

Chen would pot this red but miss the one he was stretching over soon afterwards in a dramatic third frame.

Chen has managed to get ahead in the frame but misses the final red, trying to power it in with the rest down the side cushion. His lead is a slender 9 points, making it vital that he wins the safety on this final red, with all the colours in the open.

Greene's run comes to an end on 37 after a poorly judged positional shot for the blue leaves him a tough green with the rest which he misses, but he is still well in charge. Safety battle ongoing now where a missed long attempt by Greene has left Chen another opportunity.

Chen's break comes to an early end on 26 and a poor safety shortly after leaves Greene a chance. He plays a good red near the cushion with a nice cannon to hold for the black and is now nicely in and hoping to take any remaining danger out of this contest.

Frame 3 - A good long pot from Chen gets him the first chance in the third and one he has to take advantage of. Given the fact he's beaten good players before, you have to put the start down to nerves. They can quickly be erased though if he can focus and take this frame.

Frame Greene - Despite a couple of misses from the left hander in that frame, Chen has missed much more and may have missed the boat too. In the end a failed pot to the middle leaves a much simpler one for his opponent who, with the black over the corner pocket, is quickly able to stretch his lead. 2-0.

Now Greene has made a second error in the balls and allowed Chen another chance to get his hand on the table. After potting the black which was on the yellow spot he leaves his next red from distance, powers it in but also puts the black safe to run out of position. He still goes for it along the cushion in risky fashion, missing but leaving nothing more than an unlikely double for Greene. Chen though still trails by 34 with just two reds left. 

Greene on the way to his break of 52 in the second frame.

Greene does build a nice lead with a break of 52, but by that point he looked set to take frame in one visit and now the door has opened for Chen. He makes a nice plant but then misses a mid-range green to let his opponent off the hook.

Frame 2 - After a miss from long range this time by Chen, Greene has the first opening in the second frame. If he can build a good lead here then Chen will be right up against it and Greene should be able to sense that.

Frame Greene - From the chance Chen left Greene clears the remaining reds comfortably and does more than enough to take this opening frame. The Northern Irishman looks pretty sharp, but Chen needs to get the next frame and settle his nerves otherwise he'll be giving his opponent an easy afternoon.

Greene breaks down after a failed pack split and with just a 5 point lead. Chen soon plays an excellent long red, stunning round for the black but then misses his next red and letting Greene back in from close range. A nervy start for Chen. 

The split on the reds from this blue would not work out for Greene. 

Greene soon knocks in a thundering long red only to be able to roll up to the black and try to cover the two reds over the opposite corner. He falls short though, giving away 7 points and more importantly a golden opportunity to Chen, but he misses an easy brown early in the break. Looks like some first game nerves for him.

Frame 1 - The first meaningful chance here has come to Chen after a thunderous long red and an equally good brown cueing down on the white, close to the side cushion. He's now got the reds open nicely and I thought he was on one, but he clearly was not after playing safe.

My final live blog before tonight's football (And I'll be cutting this one short if it isn't over by 6.30pm) sees Northern Ireland's Gerard Greene against new Chinese pro Chen Feilong.

When you think of new Chinese pro's you think of a young player who is in his late teens but Chen is now the oldest on the pro tour, by two days of Mei Xiwen. He does have some big name scalps in the past including John Higgins and Martin Gould, both in the same event on the Asian Tour, as well as wins against Zhang Anda and Fergal O'Brien, so he can clearly play.

Gerard Greene meanwhile is in the second year of his tour card so will be eyeing a fast start to the season, targeting a top 64 place. We know Greene is capable of big results having been a former finalist at the PTC Grand finals as well as the Paul Hunter Classic. The last time I was at an event, Greene took down Shaun Murphy 4-0 and should have gone further than the eventual last 32 exit he suffered that week in Cardiff.

All in all Greene's added experience could prove a big factor here unless Chen gets off to a fast start.

LIVE BLOG: Kurt Maflin vs Lu Haotian

Kurt Maflin 4-2 Lu Haotian - From the start that was a superb performance from Kurt Maflin and easily one of the best of the week so far. He needed a bit of fortune in the final frame, after potting one red onto another, the one that ran free cannoned the black, but still left it pottable into the opposite corner than the one Maflin had played for. Otherwise it was an imperious run to the line with yet another big break, 88 this time, booking his place in the final stages of the Riga Masters. When you watch Maflin play like that you have to think the former ranking semi-finalist is still well capable of picking up a ranking title. As for Lu, there was little he could do. When his chances came he too made a couple of good breaks and has some positives to take into his World Open qualifier.

Frame 6 - Maflin has been dominant in the last half hour here and now he's in first in the sixth to try and complete this match. A brutal pack split from the blue opens everything up after pin point positional play helped him get the black back on it's spot a couple of shots previously. This could well be his run to the line now

Frame Maflin - Yet again it's a quick kill for the Norwegian with a flawless initial break of 72 leaving Lu requiring a snooker. That battle only lasted one shot before Maflin had his opportunity to absolutely clinch the frame, doing so with ease and moving ahead again. 3-2 Maflin.

Frame 5 - It's crunch time now in this match and Lu's early chance only amounts to 19 after an unlucky pack split. A later miss from the Chinese youngster leaves Maflin right in and after his smooth break in the last, there could be plenty to come here as well.

Frame Maflin - All that was missing from this match was a century and now that has been delivered. An excellent total clearance of 133 from Maflin where once more he looked in full control and in confident mood. After four frames it's all square again at 2-2.

Frame 4 - After a superb long red the first chance in this fourth has fallen at Maflin's door and he needs to take advantage and steady the ship. A nice mid range pot takes him to 21 and keeps things moving into a nice position for him.

Frame Lu - Maflin's counter chance didn't last long after a cannon on the blue left him in a tricky spot on either that or the pink. Upon missing the blue he was left needing snookers, and despite being able to tie at one stage Lu would ultimately claim the frame and move in front. 2-1 Lu.

Lu also looks in good form as he takes a commanding frame three lead.

Maflin is still alive in this frame but only just. Lu makes a nice contribution of 61 but leaves himself a tough frame ball, so when it fails to drop Maflin is 56 behind with 59 left. After a good safety shot his counter chance has arrived.

Frame 3 - After a couple of early misses from both players Lu now has his hand on the table with a decent opening. Once more the reds are open though the black is off it's spot, but he soon has that taken care of. Expect another heavy break here.

Frame Lu - That was just the response Lu needed there to let Maflin know he's not going to have an easy afternoon. One mistake from the Norwegian receives full punishment and with a break of 70 we're all square. 1-1

This is a really great chance now for Lu. After potting the initial red he finished low on the black, and in potting it, scattered the reds everywhere and has been pin point positionally ever since. This match should soon be level.

Frame 2 - There was an early chance in this frame for Lu but he only made 6 and now another good long pot from the Norwegian has him eyeing another big break. Work to do with the pack but this is still a good opportunity. That is until he misses the blue going for a soft cannon on the bunch.

Frame Maflin - When Maflin plays like this it's a joy to watch. He has the stature and the confidence around the table that tells you he is the boss when he is in among the reds. A nice recovery shot on 48 after running a little closer to the cushion, saw him punch the red in and run through the other four to open them up further. The result is a break of 94 that certainly tells you what to expect from him this afternoon.

Maflin on the way to his opening frame run of 94. 

Frame 1 - The first chance has fallen the way of Maflin early on here. With reds nicely placed it'll be a good early indicator for how he's playing and scoring in the first match of this new season.

This one should be a cracking game, a heavy scoring clash and certainly will not be slow.

Norway's Kurt Maflin is always a good watch and usually has two or three good runs a season to the last 16 or a quarter final, and this is an event that presents an opportunity for one. This however is a very tough draw.

For China's Lu Haotian he has the job of kicking on after a good first season of his tour return. Highlighted by making the last 16 of the World Championships and the semi's in Northern Ireland, he is into the top 64 in the rankings after just one year. That just shows the quality that he produced consistently last campaign and if he keeps that up he could soon join the likes of Yan Bingtao, Xiao Guodong and Zhou Yuelong in the top 32 of the rankings.

This is one of the ties of the week and definitely worth following.

LIVE BLOG: Robin Hull Vs James Cahill

Robin Hull 4-1 James Cahill - Hull does indeed make enough from that second chance to clinch the match. It may not have been Hull at his high scoring best but he was solid and did not make too many errors all in all, and the ones he did make went unpunished by Cahill. For the youngster the black ball third frame was the was really the killer blow. Despite looking good in the fourth he did not get enough chances to score fluently. Next up for Hull is a tough test against Fergal O'Brien in World Open qualifying, while Cahill will presumably be in the Challenge Tour event here in a week's time.

Hull on the way to a break of 56 in the fifth frame

Hull makes a break of 56 but after a good red and mid distance blue he runs out of position. Cahill then is still alive, and now has a half chance to counter, but chooses to play a testing red left handed and Hull is back in to win. All in all a good day's work for the Finnish number one.

Frame 5 - Cahill again has the first chance of the frame, but following a good pack split from the blue he fails to get the next red to drop in the middle. Hull gets one to wobble into the same pocket and this is a match winning chance.

Frame Cahill - After a poor positional shot on 67 needing just one more ball for the frame, Cahill breaks down and plays an awful shot to leave Hull a chance to tie. The Finn misses his first black though and a relieved Cahill will be more than happy to take his concession and see a frame added to his lead. 3-1 Hull now.

Cahill's golden chance in the fourth frame as he gets one on the board

What a shot from Cahill. Leaving an awkward red he's forced to take one in the pack with the rest, and in getting pots two reds and splits the rest wide open. He should get one on the board now.

Frame 4 - An early frame four miss from Hull has left Cahill the first chance again here and we are now at the point where these need to go in one visit to put any pressure on the Finn.

The difficult black Cahill faced to try and win frame three

Frame Hull - Another mammoth frame this time goes right to the wire. The black for Cahill initially was along the baulk cushion which he missed but left safe. A few shots later Hull had a go at a straight one from distance but rattled it twice and left it near the middle but too thin for Cahill. A few more plays pass before Hull is left the black on a plate over the corner pocket to move within one of the win. 3-0.

Good safety from the Englishman on the yellow gives him a chance at the colour clearance. After potting yellow, green and brown he misses a tricky blue near the the side cushion, made tougher by needing pink ball position. He has another chance now but the safe black could save Hull.

This shot on the final red looked like being a frame winner for Hull. 

After another pot from range on the penultimate red and a good shot on the final red from Hull, he looked set to move 3-0 ahead but misses the yellow. He's 14 ahead so would only need the first three colours but Cahill is causing problems with the safety and has a shot now at the yellow.

Hull wins the safety battle and is now right in amongst them here with a great opportunity. There are a couple of safe reds that could prevent him winning the frame at one visit... But a bad miss on the blue has ended things prematurely. Cahill back in now and still ahead, but he misses the black after his first red. Hull now knocks in a delicate red down the cushion and will look to punish Cahill for that let off.

Cahill will be frustrated only to make 37 from that opening, it really was a better chance than that. A poor positional shot left a tricky pink followed by a red from distance which was where the downfall came. An important safety battle ongoing now for Cahill.

Frame 3 - A missed red from range for Hull leaves Cahill his best chance of the match so far. There are reds open and more importantly the black is available to both corners. He should be looking to build a good break from here and get back in this match.

Frame Hull - That was a superb finish to the frame from Finland's finest. He gets in with a good pot but the resulting yellow to come round the table and develop the final few reds is the best I've seen this week. From there he knuckles down and makes sure that he takes advantage. Doing more than enough to double his lead. 2-0.

The next good chances falls Hull's way after a long red followed by an excellent split of reds from the yellow, leaves the first real frame winning opening.

After a miss red from Hull leaves Cahill a chance with a few more reds opened up, he's able to put 19 together and move ahead in the frame. It should've been more though and a quick pink with the rest has cost him that, but left nothing as the pair engage in more safety play.

Cahill gets a chance, but with a number of reds lying safe.

Hull makes 19 before missing from range, leaving Cahill a half chance but with so many safe reds his failed cannon from the first cannon spells the end of his contribution. At an early stage in the match the rest of this frame could be very cagey.

Frame 2 - This could be a scrappy frame coming up. The black is on the side cushion with a number of reds being pushed in it's direction. 6 so far, making it tough for guys to take early chances though Hull has one now after another aggressive long red, followed by an equally tricky pink with the rest.

Frame Hull - Hull always looked to have the advantage with the safety, eventually forcing Cahill into a risky long red, which he misses and leaves for his opponent. From there Hull is able to do enough with some good positional play to keep Cahill in his seat and shut him out of this opening frame.

The Finnish favourite has not quite got the cue ball under control yet. After running out of position having added another 19 to his score he lays a snooker and gets another chance from that. However, he cannot find easy blue ball position so pots it into the green pocket and leaves his next red as a long cut. That is missed and the pair are now in the middle of a safety battle with Hull 42 points up.

Hull's initial break ends on 17 but he's back in now after an excellent long red and should be able to add plenty to his lead here.

Frame 1 - Hull has been a bit fortunate here early on, catching one of his safety shots fairly poorly but leaving Cahill hampered over the yellow. From there Cahill has left Hull a chance and we will see if he has his best scoring game early on here.

One for my large Finnish following this morning as Robin Hull is in action against James Cahill.

Last season was a quiet one for Hull after he missed some events through illness and had a few first round exits. His best run was to the last 32 in this event a year ago and that was matched in Northern Ireland, where he was unfortunate not to go on further. We all know what Hull is capable of on his day though and if he brings his best he'll be tough to beat.

As for James Cahill he is here as a Q School top up. Cahill reached the penultimate round in each of the three Q School events in May without kicking on. He also returns to the Preston Guildhall just over a year on from the 2017 Q School, where he reached the final round of event two and took a 2-0 lead before losing 4-2 to Paul Davison. As we all know, Cahill has been on tour before and is well capable of getting good results having beaten Ding Junhui in the past to make the last 16 of the UK Championship.

I'm a big fan of both players, so this match jumped out of the draw at me straight away and I'm looking to watching it all unfold.

LIVE BLOG: Lukas Kleckers vs Alexander Ursenbacher

Lukas Kleckers 4-1 Alexander Ursenbacher - A solid finish to what was a solid match from Kleckers today. He took full advantage of his opponents errors and did not take too many unnecessary risks or play overly aggressive. Ursenbacher is almost the opposite playing a very open game which when everything clicks can see him go on runs like he did in the English Open. When it does not though, more often than not this will be the outcome for him, and if he is to stay on tour at the end of the season he may need to tighten up just a little. The fourth frame was a small sign that he can do that.

Kleckers now slowly but surely is building up that lead and has all the reds he'd need to kill off the match out in the open. It's just a case of holding himself together for a rare win.

Kleckers has got an early lead but it's only 27 points and with all the reds in nice positions as it stands, the current safety exchange is vital. A miss from mid-range leaves Ursenbacher a golden chance as he aims to continue this revival. He leaves an awkward pink from the first red and that's a huge let off for the German.

Frame 5 - Kleckers is in here with the first opening of the frame. Not easy but he can certainly build a lead here as he looks to close the door on this match and get an important win.

Frame Ursenbacher - No whitewash here and that's a start for Ursenbacher. He takes his chance with three reds and played an excellent positional shot from the yellow, down to the penultimate red. From there he made the rest look easy. Kleckers played on for a snooker on the blue but never looked likely. 3-1 Kleckers.

Ursenbacher gets another half chance and closes the gap in the frame before missing a tough red into the green pocket. A key safety battle now with four reds remaining that are largely glued to the bottom rail.

Kleckers break comes to an end with him leading by 25, prior to Ursenbacher's best shot of the match to open the reds and get a snooker behind the brown. Kleckers escapes but still leaves a red for his opponent, though he can't get on a colour from his opener and plays safe. He just cannot get a foothold whatsoever.

Kleckers nicely placed in the fourth frame

Frame 4 - After a bit of a slow start to this frame, Ursenbacher had what looked like the first good chance in the frame only to miss a green with the rest after the opening red. That's left Kleckers in again with plenty of reds open and both pink and blue to play for as he looks to build a decent lead.

Frame Kleckers - A run of 54 for Kleckers puts the frame beyond all doubt and Ursenbacher hasn't got started at all. Kleckers looking really relaxed now in that break, perhaps being on the brink will free Ursenbacher up a little. Otherwise it will be a short lived season opener for him. 3-0.

Kleckers plays safe with a 25 point lead but is quickly back in after an extremely aggressive safety from his opponent opens up all the reds and Kleckers plays a nice shot to get in and hold for the black. This now should be heading for 3-0.

Frame 3 - Both players again have had early chances but made little from them. Kleckers though now has a second chance benefiting from the aggressive play of his Swiss opponent. At this point in the match Kleckers can all but extinguish the chances of his opponent with a good break here.

Frame Kleckers - Kleckers has played the percentages well so far today. A good safety having fallen slightly out of position, having built a 44 point lead with three reds left is valuable and his safety eventually gives him the chance to pot frame ball red. Ursenbacher does not play on long for snookers so the German doubles his lead. 2-0.

Kleckers with an excellent chance in the second frame

The next really good opening has fallen to Kleckers after Ursenbacher misses into the middle. If he can settle he should really make a good contribution here with reds open, though the pink and black are tied up.

Frame 2 - Both players have already had chances in the early stages of this second frame but, possibly for reasons I've already mentioned, this match has a really edgy feel in these early stages.

Frame Kleckers - Despite losing position on frame ball green when his fourth chance of the frame arrives, Kleckers safety in that frame was stronger than Ursenbacher's and he eventually takes the frame. 1-0 Kleckers

Kleckers clears down to the final red, despite leaving himself some awkward shots. The red was on the cushion but certainly pottable if he'd have committed to the shot before and played behind it. With a 16 point lead though he's played the right shot having got in from Ursenbacher's escape. The German should now take this opener.

Ursenbacher could not keep tight cue ball control but should have made things a lot easier for himself after a delicate cannon opened the pink up. That wasn't the case though as he inexplicably missed the next red which was simple enough by their standards. Kleckers now has to pounce on this.

Considering the two players did not collect many victories in second half of last season a cagey start here had to be expected, and so far those expectations have been met. Best chance so far though has fallen to Ursenbacher. Plenty of reds open and the black in open play is a green light for him.

Frame 1 - First chance for Kleckers here after a loose safety from Ursenbacher saw him hit the blue fall in the face. He can only make 12 from it though and he'll need to make a lot more from his early chances later in this match, though he is now straight back in.

Afternoon all. We've got an all-European affair coming up with Germany's Lukas Kleckers and Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher as both look to kick off the season with a win.

It was a testing first season for Lukas Kleckers who had his best run in this event beating defending champion Neil Robertson at the venue in Riga. It was a tough time after that so he'll be looking to grow in confidence again now.

As for Ursenbacher he had a superb run to the semi's of the English Open in October last year, but he too was a little quiet after that, and could do with a few wins himself. A good opportunity for both players then in this encounter.