Fantasy Snooker: Points update and Players Championship info

An interesting weekend of action last time out in Gibraltar has not changed too much in the fantasy snooker standings. Only one player in the entire league picked eventual winner Ryan Day. Only one other had hand picked runner-up Cao Yupeng for the event, though a couple of others have benefited from having him as a season pick. Nobody in the league hand picked either of the surprise semi-finalists Lee Walker and Scott Donaldson, though one player again had Donaldson as a season pick... and that ironically was the same player that picked Day for the tournament.

Now, there are only three sets of selections left to make as we head into the Players Championship, with just the China Open and World Championships to follow. This means players you have selected once who are not in Llandudno or Beijing have been removed from the players previously selected list, as you can no longer pick them more than three times. Don't forget, captain picks cannot be used in the World Championship as it is already a double points event, so make sure to get them in play in the next two events or lose out.

Here are the current standings:

Couge: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 1160  

PPS: Williams x3, Ding x3, Murphy x3, Higgins x3, Bingham x3, Trump x3, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x2, Robertson, Maguire, Allen, K. Wilson (1 Captain pick used)

Protoursnooker: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Cao Yupeng    Points: 1066  

PPS: Ding x2, Allen, Maguire, Murphy x3, Selby x2, Robertson x2, Higgins, Hawkins x2, O’Sullivan x3, Williams, Trump x3, Wilson, Bingtao, Brecel, Bingham x2, (1 Captain Pick used)

Daniela Reich: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 1064   

PPS: Ding x2, Murphy x3, Allen x2, Williams x2, K. Wilson, Trump x2, Bingham x2, McGill, O’Sullivan x2, Selby x2, Wenbo x2, Maguire x2, Robertson x2, Brecel

Kellie Barker: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 1040   

PPS: Allen x3, Murphy x2, Higgins x2, Hawkins x2, Ding, Trump x2, Brecel x2, Bingtao, Selby x2, Williams, Robertson x2, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, Bingham x2 (2 Captains picks used)

FAM147: SEASON: Zhao Xintong and Xiao Guodong   Points: 987  

PPS: Bingham x2, Allen x2, Lisowski x2, Selby, Murphy, Trump x2, Robertson x3, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, McGill x2, Bingtao

Alex Abrahams: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley    Points: 951   

PPS: Carter x2, Murphy x3, Higgins x2, K. Wilson x2, Trump x3, Williams x2, Bingham x2, Ding, O’Sullivan x3, Selby x2, Robertson x2, Maguire, McGill (2 Captains pick used)

Phil Mudd: SEASON: Jimmy Robertson and Sam Craigie   Points: 925  

PPS: Ding x2, Allen x3, Robertson x2, Williams x3, Brecel, Higgins x2, O’Sullivan x3, Selby x2, Gould x2, Bingtao x2, Murphy, K. Wilson (2 Captains picks used)

Isitan Bakar: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson   Points: 923  

PPS: Robertson x2, Murphy x2, Bingham x3, Ding x2, Higgins, Wilson, Allen, Trump x3, O’Sullivan x3, Hawkins x2, Williams (2 Captains pick used)

Colin Delaney: SEASON: Ken Doherty and Yan Bingtao   Points: 914   

PPS: Higgins x2, Maguire x2, McGill, Allen x2, Hawkins x2, Ding x2, Trump x3, Brecel, Selby x2, Murphy x2, Gould x2, O’Sullivan, Lisowski x2, Perry x2, Robertson x2, Maguire (2 Captain Picks used)

Munraj: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Michael Georgiou   Points: 904   

PPS: Ding x3, Trump x2, Allen x2, Hawkins x2, Selby x2, Robertson x2, McGill x2, O’Sullivan x2, Wilson, Murphy, Maguire, Williams, Brecel (1 Captain pick used)

TungstenDarts: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 902  

PPS: Fu x3, Hawkins x2, McGill x3, Allen x3, Selby x2, Williams, Gould x2, Trump x2, Ding x2, Robertson, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, Murphy, Brecel, K. Wilson (2 Captain picks used)

TY: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Zhang Anda   Points: 898  

PPS: Ding x2, Robertson x3, Higgins x3, Allen x3, Ding, Bingham x3, Selby x3, Trump x2, Murphy x3, Brecel, O’Sullivan, Williams (1 Captain Pick used)

Andy Brooker: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 864  

PPS: Maguire, Bingham x2, Higgins x3, Williams x2, Trump x2, O’Sullivan x2, Ding, Allen x2, Robertson x2, Selby x2, Murphy x2, McGill (1 Captain pick used)

Cluster of Reds: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley   Points: 861

PPS: Ding, Allen x3, Trump x2, Brecel x2, Robertson, Williams, Gould x3, Murphy x3, O’Sullivan x3, Selby, Higgins, Wilson, McGill (2 Captains pick used)

Rob Francis: SEASON: Mark Davis and Cao Yupeng   Points: 850  

PPS: Ding x3, Robertson x2, Murphy x3, Allen, Higgins x3, Wilson x2, Trump x3, Williams, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x3, Maguire, Brecel x2 (3 Captains pick used)

John McBride: SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Sam Craigie   Points: 840 

PPS:  Liang x2, Murphy x2, Trump x2, Allen x3, Selby x3, Williams x3, Robertson x3, Higgins, Wilson, Bingtao

Ben Summers: SEASON: Noppon Saengkham and Sam Craigie    Points: 823   

PPS: McGill x2, Dott, Ding x2, Selby x2, Trump x3, Allen x3, O’Sullivan x2, Williams x3, Higgins, Maguire, Robertson

Igor Snooker: SEASON: Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty   Points: 773  

PPS: Ding, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire, Murphy x3, Selby x3, Robertson x3, McGill x2, Wilson, Williams x2, Allen x2, Bingtao, O’Sullivan, Brecel (2 captains pick used)

GaryOnCue: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie   Points: 741   

PPS: Hawkins x2, Robertson x2, Maguire x3, Murphy x3, Ding x2, Selby x2, Higgins x2, Wilson, Allen x2, O’Sullivan x3, Williams, Gould x2 (1 Captain pick used)

Anthony: SEASON: Xiao Guodong and Michael Georgiou   Points: 716 

PPS: Higgins x3, Day x2, Maguire x2, Murphy, Ding, Trump x2, Williams x2, O’Sullivan x2, McGill x2, Selby x2, Allen x2, Wilson, Bingtao

LTD: SEASON: Robert Milkins and Ken Doherty    Points: 691  

PPS: Carter x2, Higgins x3, Hawkins x2, Maguire, Perry x3, Wilson x2, Selby x3, O’Sullivan, Robertson x2, Walden x2, Bingham x2, Williams (2 Captains picks used)

Kjetil: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and John Astley   Points: 654

PPS: Carter x2, Dott, Allen x2, Gould x3, O’Sullivan, Ding, Higgins x2, Maguire, Robertson, Williams, K. Wilson (1 Captain Pick used)

D. Muckian: SEASON: Tian Pengfei and Zhang Anda    Points: 645 

PPS: Ding x2, Maguire x2, Allen X3, Williams x2, Lisowski x2, O’Sullivan x2, Wilson x2, Selby x2, Higgins, McGill (1 Captain pick used)

Mark Taylor: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie    Points: 634   

PPS: Allen x2, Robertson, Maguire, Perry x2, Higgins x2, Wilson, Selby x3, O’Sullivan x2, Murphy, Brecel, Bingtao, Williams (2 Captain Picks used)

Matthew Lowson: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 624  

PPS: Ding x3, Maguire, Hawkins x2, Brecel, Wilson x2, Selby x2, Higgins x2, Murphy x2, Trump, Williams x2, Bingtao, O’Sullivan x3, Allen x3, McGill (2 Captains picks used)

Beat the Boss (Me): SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Robin Hull   Points: 564   

PPS: Maguire x2, Allen x2, Williams, Robertson x2, Brecel x2, Murphy, Hawkins x2, Ding, Gould x2, Selby, Bingtao, O’Sullivan, Higgins (1 Captain pick used)

My 'Beat the boss' selections for the Players Championship are John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan with a captains pick on O'Sullivan. The deadline for all picks is before the first matches begin on Monday 19th March at 7pm.

All the very best to all players for their picks this week.

Players Championship Preview

This week, the 16 best players of the season so far head to Llandudno for the Players Championship with £125,000 up for grabs for the winner.

The players that have qualified via the one season money list have certainly earned their places. Every single player in the field has reached at least one ranking event final this season, nine of them have been ranking event winners this season, while Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen take the tally of tournament winners in the field to 11 if you include the two biggest invitational events.

Having won the UK Championship, World Grand Prix, English Open and the Shanghai Masters this season Ronnie O'Sullivan is the top seed, while German Masters and Northern Ireland Open winner Mark Williams is the second seed.

One thing is for sure, having qualified for this tournament, every single player in the field can be considered a contender for this big title, while it is an important event for guys like Stephen Maguire, Ryan Day and Allen in the 'Race to the Crucible'.

Quarter 1

First round draw: (Picks in bold) 

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Graeme Dott

Ding Junhui Vs Mark Allen

Top seed Ronnie O'Sullivan has been the dominant player of the season by a long way, and there are not many players that can say they have beaten him this year or even given him a good game. The only players to beat O'Sullivan this season are John Higgins (twice - Scottish Open and Welsh Open), Mark Allen (Masters), Elliot Slessor (Northern Ireland Open), Shaun Murphy (Champion of Champions), Yan Bingtao (International Championship) and Luca Brecel (China Championship). On four of those seven occasions he was beaten by the eventual winner of that tournament. 

His first round opponent here Graeme Dott is not one of those players that has given O'Sullivan a good game this season. Dott has played the Rocket twice this season, firstly in the China Championship where he lost 5-0 and then in Cardiff recently where O'Sullivan was again victorious without dropping a frame. The Scotsman is here after a good couple of weeks in which he reached the German Masters and Snooker Shoot-Out finals. He is slightly fortunate to be here, after Cao Yupeng lost in the Gibraltar Open final, in a match that Cao needed to win to make it to Llandudno ahead of Dott. He has been playing much better this season than in previous years and he would have a good chance against most of the guys in this field playing how he has been. However, you feel like he would need a dip in the performance of O'Sullivan to make it through here. 

The corresponding match in this quarter sees Masters champion and International Championship runner-up Mark Allen take on World Open champion and recent Grand Prix runner-up Ding Junhui. These two have only met once in the last four and a half years amazingly, with Ding beating Allen 5-2 in the 2016 Shanghai Masters, a tournament he would go on to win. Between Ding's win at the World Open and his final a few weeks ago in Preston there was not much to shout about, though this was largely due to an eye problem. 

Allen meanwhile has not got going again since winning the Masters in January. He lost in the last 32 of the German Masters, Welsh Open and the World Grand Prix (a 32 man event), as well as losing in the first round of the Romanian Masters this week. The Northern Irishman is of course under huge pressure as well in the 'Race to the Crucible'. This match with Ding in itself is a massive one for the man provisionally 16th and on the bubble. A victory would put him ahead of Stuart Bingham (who is not here this week) at the very least, going into the China Open. Meanwhile, a defeat to Ding would leave the door open for Ryan Day who could overtake him and knock Allen to 17th going into the China Open, if Day were to win his first round match this week. If Ding produces the form that got him to the final of the Grand Prix here, then I think Allen could be in real trouble. 

Quarter choice: Ronnie O'Sullivan 

Quarter 2

First round draw: (Picks in bold)

Luca Brecel Vs Neil Robertson 

Judd Trump Vs Stephen Maguire

The second quarter is where we find China Championship winner Luca Brecel up against Scottish Open winner Neil Robertson. The pair have only ever met once and that was back in the 2015 World Grand Prix with Robertson winning 4-0, so that does not have too much relevance to this match. For Brecel, his recent form has fallen away dramatically in recent months, compared with the first half of the season. This week he was whitewashed in the first round of the Romanian Masters. This came after defeats in the last 128 of the Gibraltar Open, the last 64 in Cardiff, and another 4-0 defeat in the first round of the World Grand Prix. There are a few things this could be attributed to, including a shoulder injury that caused a couple of early exits and a couple of withdrawals towards the end of 2017. Meanwhile, he has also had a lot of cue trouble, though his original cue has since been returned to him and fixed ahead of the Welsh Open. However, the one thing that will have suffered in this time of shoulder and cue trouble is his confidence, to go from flying high to only winning two proper matches in 2018. 

Neil Robertson meanwhile regained his top 16 place after winning the Scottish Open (the week after he fell out of the top 16) but he too has not had much to shout about since. His failure to get going before Glasgow meant he was not in the Masters in January, and the week after winning in Scotland he failed to qualify for the German Masters. His first outing of 2018 outside of the Championship League came in mid-February at the World Grand Prix where he defeated David Gilbert before losing in the last 16 to Mark Selby. Despite barely putting a foot wrong against Ian Burns, he still lost out there in the last 64 of the Welsh Open and then exited in the first round in Romania. Therefore, it is hard to say that either one of these players has much form coming into this match. Brecel's performances are all over the place, while Robertson has lost a number of matches this season in which he has seemed to play pretty well, a trend he needs to fight, 

The corresponding match in this quarter is the one I believe will yield the man who goes on to make the semi-finals. The head to head does not look great for Maguire, who has lost his last four matches against Trump, two of which were this season. Maguire this season though has played very well indeed. Starting the season by making the Riga Masters final was a great building block, and he has since made semi-finals in the UK Championship and World Grand Prix, losing both to eventual winner O'Sullivan. He may have lost in the last 64 of the Welsh Open, but that was to eventual winner John Higgins in what was a very tough draw at that stage of the event. In the Romanian Masters this week he whitewashed Mark King with two centuries, before losing out narrowly in the last eight to Ali Carter. His season should really have filled him with confidence, and despite being just over £25,000 off the pace with only this event and the China Open to go, I still think Maguire is in a great position to qualify for the Crucible automatically. 

As for his opponent, Trump has blown hot and cold ever since losing 10-3 to O'Sullivan in November's Shanghai Masters final. Early exits in Northern Ireland and the UK Championship followed. He then made the semi-finals of the Scottish Open but was on the end of a huge upset as Cao Yupeng won 6-4. Further semi-finals followed in the Masters and German Masters but each of those eventual loses will have hurt massively, losing from well in front against Wilson before being thrashed by Williams in Berlin. In between those semi's was a loss to Jak Jones in China Open qualifying, which means his Players Championship title defence this week will be his last outing before the Crucible and you feel he really needs to lay down a marker after recent weeks. The left-hander fell at the first hurdle in Preston, before a last 64 exit in Cardiff. Even this week in Romania he thrashed Brecel with a couple of centuries, but could then not re-create that form in the quarter-final where he lost again to Wilson. 

All in all, you have to say that Maguire probably has the most form of the players in this section coming to Llandudno and he may not be a bad bet to go all the way this week. 

Quarter choice: Stephen Maguire

Quarter 3

First round draw: (Picks in bold) 

John Higgins Vs Anthony McGill 

Shaun Murphy Vs Kyren Wilson

As we head into the bottom half of the draw, it will feel like groundhog day for Anthony McGill as he once again has drawn John Higgins. The two have already met four times this season and Higgins has won each of those games. This fifth meeting, is the fourth at the first round stage of a 16-man invitational, as the two have previously faced off in this season's Champion of Champions, Masters and this week's Romanian Masters. McGill needs to stay positive and believe that he can beat Higgins on his day, but this must be incredibly difficult for a player who has lost to his upcoming opponent so many times in a short space of time. Otherwise, McGill has had a good season and should have confidence in his game, but he needs to find a way to beat Higgins if he is going to get on a run this week. 

Higgins meanwhile will be full of confidence after winning the Welsh Open a couple of weeks ago. Overall he has a very good season after winning in India earlier this season too and making the semi-finals of the Scottish Open, Masters and the Shanghai Masters, so it is no surprise he is seeded as high as number three. Given his record against McGill and his current form then he is certainly the front runner in this quarter. 

Meanwhile, the corresponding match in this quarter puts two players together who (at the time of writing) have managed seven finals this season between them. Murphy was a runner-up at the Paul Hunter Classic as well as the China and UK Championships while winning the Champion of Champions in November. As for Wilson, he has been a runner-up at the World Open, English Open and of course January's Masters, and he is still in the Romanian Masters, where victory against Ryan Day in today's semi-finals will put him into final number four of the season. 

The concern for Murphy coming into this week is the neck injury that forced him to withdraw from his Gibraltar Open defence last weekend, so it will be interesting to see if he is fully fit, because this is certainly not a tournament where you can ease yourself in. Wilson meanwhile is putting some decent results together in recent weeks. He made the quarters in Gibraltar before suffering a surprise loss to Lee Walker. He impressed me in the last 64 of the Welsh Open when I was in Cardiff, as he ran riot there, though he eventually lost in the last 16. This is potentially the closest looking of all the first round matches and I could see it going the distance, but thing Wilson's recent form may just edge it. 

Quarter choice: John Higgins

Quarter 4

First round draw: (Picks in bold) 

Mark Selby Vs Ryan Day

Mark Williams Vs Yan Bingtao 

The first match in this quarter is a vital one for Ryan Day. The Welshman could build himself a path to the Crucible with victory here against Mark Selby, having recently won the Gibraltar Open to boost his hopes. Having not qualified for the China Open, Day needs to be in the provisional top 16 after this event to have any chance but his victory in Gibraltar will give him a lot of confidence. That has already proved to be the case as he is still fighting for the Romanian Masters title (though that has no impact on his ranking) and at the time of writing he is preparing to face Kyren Wilson in the semi-finals. Prior to this season Day had never won a ranking title, but now has two under his belt as well as making the semi-finals in the UK Championship to record his best ever finish in a triple crown event, so he is certainly on a high right now. 

Mark Selby meanwhile is not having his best campaign ever. Despite winning the International Championship the current runaway world number one is *only* the seventh seed for this event. Aside from the Grand Prix where he made the last four, Selby's season since winning in Daqing at the beginning of November has been littered with early exits. Due to that, his confidence may well be heading in an opposite direction to Day's, as he searches for something positive in the next two events to take into his World title defence. 

The corresponding match in this quarter is a repeat of the Northern Ireland Open final between Yan Bingtao and Mark Williams. Williams was a narrow victor 9-8 on that occasion to deny Yan his first ranking title. It has been another incredible season for the youngster who is still only in his second season tour. Earlier on this year he also made the semi-finals of the International Championship, and was a quarter-finalist in the Welsh Open a couple of weeks ago. 

As for Williams, he bagged a second title of the season by easing to victory in the German Masters in early February to completely confirm that he is back to his very best. He may have lost in round of the Romanian Masters, the last 32 of the Welsh Open and the first round of the World Grand Prix in his last three outings, but I still believe he is in great form and a big contender for this title. It is no coincidence that he, O'Sullivan and Higgins are the top three seeds for this event, as the class of '92 have been the three best players this season by quite a margin. Yan will have to be at his very best to beat Williams in this one, though I think his Welsh world cup partner Day has a much better chance of defeating Williams if he can first defeat Selby. 

Quarter choice: Ryan Day

Tournament winner selection: Ronnie O'Sullivan

The tournament will be covered in full from Monday night to the conclusion next Sunday on ITV4 in the UK, with all matches in the first three rounds being played over the best-of-11 frames before a best-of-19 frame final. 

Gibraltar Open Preview

This weekend, snooker returns to the old European Tour style format with three days of snooker in Gibraltar. 

The amateur qualifying began on Wednesday with some a few former tour players involved including the likes of Barry Pinches, Andy Hicks and James Cahill. Meanwhile, recent European Amateur champion Harvey Chandler is in the amateur qualifying section along with Under 21 champion Simon Lichtenberg both of whom will be on the professional tour from next season, and likely invited to World Championship qualifying in April. 

There are several non entries for this weekend as there always used to be on the European Tour, while defending champion Shaun Murphy has had to withdraw. Ding Junhui is the highest ranked player in the draw and will be hoping to take advantage. Barry Hawkins will be hoping to build on the form that saw him make the Welsh Open final on Sunday, while others like Anthony McGill and Stuart Bingham will be looking to get further clear of 17th spot in the race to the Crucible. 

On top of that, this is the final qualifying event for the Players Championship which takes place in a couple of weeks. Only four players could still leapfrog Graeme Dott, who is the 16th and final qualifier as it stands. Dott is not in the draw this week which has given the opportunity to the likes of Cao Yupeng, Jack Lisowski, Joe Perry and Li Hang who can all still mathematically qualify, but each would need to take home the trophy and winners cheque of £25,000. A runners-up cheque of £12,000 would not be enough for any of the four players while everyone above Dott on the Players Championship ranking list is already confirmed. 

So, here is how the draw shapes up for the professional stages in Gibraltar: 

Quarter 1

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold)

Stuart Bingham Vs Andrew Higginson
Mark King Vs Nigel Bond
Noppon Saengkham Vs Barry Pinches
Eden Sharav Vs James Cahill
Ken Doherty Vs Andreas Ploner
Kurt Maflin W/O Stephen Maguire
Tom Ford Vs Li Yuan
Dominic Dale Vs Chris Totten
Yu DeLu Vs Louis Heathcote
Ding Junhui Vs Thor Chuan Leong
Jamie Cope W/O Shaun Murphy
Rory McLeod Vs Ian Preece
Mike Dunn Vs Matthew Stevens
Cao Yupeng Vs Yuan Sijun
Sam Craigie Vs Joe O'Connor
Barry Hawkins Vs Chris Wakelin

Given that many of the top 16 in the world rankings are not here, the top quarter is packed with stars, such is the nature of the seeding structure for this event. Defending champion Shaun Murphy was meant to be in this quarter but has unfortunately been forced to withdraw because of a recurring neck injury. The same injury hindered Murphy in Yushan at the World Open earlier this year.

Ding Junhui is the big attraction in this section and he would have been due to play Murphy in the last 32 had both made it that far so it has opened that part of the draw up a bit. Ding recently made it to the final of the World Grand Prix which was his best run since winning the World Open, with some eye trouble hindering him in between. An early exit in Cardiff was not as much of a surprise having come straight to that event from the final in Preston.

Stuart Bingham will also be looking to kick into gear this weekend in Gibraltar. So far in his comeback he suffered a last 16 exit in the World Grand Prix to Anthony McGill and his Welsh Open defence was cut at the last 32 stage by Matthew Stevens. Bingham is in the top half of this section and wouldn't have to play either Barry Hawkins or Ding until the last 16 by which time they could both have gone home, but there are still some difficult names in Bingham's section.

Noppon Saengkham will be high on confidence after his run to the Welsh Open semi-finals last week that saw him defeat Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson along the way. There's no reason over the same best-of-7 frames format that he could not get on another big run and get to the latter stages in Gibraltar. Tom Ford is another player in this quarter who my eye is on for a possible big run. Ford was a finalist in last season's Paul Hunter Classic so is no stranger to big runs in these best-of-7 frames tournaments. Despite the big names in this section, upsets can be expected as always and Ford could be the man to take advantage.

My first quarter choice though is Barry Hawkins. Hawkins of course made it to the final of the Welsh Open last weekend and played the best he has done for a long time on the way to the final. He has had a very tough time of things in the first half of the season, but in true Hawkins style he may now end up peaking in time for another big Crucible run. When he gets into form he usually keeps it going, as he showed at a similar time last season winning the World Grand Prix before narrowly missing out in the Welsh Open quarter-finals. The draw this week certainly contains plenty of obstacles, but if he continues playing as he did in Cardiff then the rest of the field are in trouble. 

Best of the rest: Tom Ford
Quarter choice: Barry Hawkins 

Quarter 2

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold)

Allan Taylor Vs Andy Symons
Niu Zhuang Vs Mike Finn
Jak Jones Vs Hamza Akbar
Lee Walker Vs Gerard Greene
Anthony McGill Vs Paul Davison
Ben Woollaston Vs David Grace
Li Hang Vs Matthew Glasby
Oliver Lines Vs Elliott Slessor
Jamie Jones Vs Robbie Williams
Liang Wenbo Vs Alex Borg
Mitchell Mann Vs Patrick Whelan
Matthew Selt W/O Darren Morgan
Jimmy Robertson Vs John Astley
Robert Milkins Vs Andy Hicks
Kyren Wilson Vs Mark Joyce
Daniel Wells Vs Ian Burns

In the second quarter, we have one of the players who needs a big run to try and get himself into the top 16 for the World Championships. That man is Liang Wenbo and you can't help but think that he needs to really make an impact in Gibraltar, given that he will not be in the upcoming Players Championship. It feels like he missed a big opportunity in Cardiff last week. Defeating Mark Selby at the last 64 stage was a huge win for Liang but to then lose out to Yu DeLu in the last 16 was a surprise and a bad defeat given his situation.

Kyren Wilson though is very much safe of his place in the World Championships at the Crucible having had a very good season. However, there are still signs of inconsistency from him that were on display last week at the Welsh. In the last 64 he produced one of the best displays of the week to defeat Rory McLeod 4-0 without ever really giving McLeod much of a chance. Then an evening later in losing 4-0 to Noppon Saengkham he could not produce anything close to that form and that will be a worry for him going forward potentially. In round one he faces Mark Joyce who came from 3-1 down to defeat Wilson 4-3 in the first round of the Grand Prix recently, so it is not a huge shout to say he can defeat Wilson again here. Joyce has been in good form this season and was unlucky to lose to an equally in form Jack Lisowski in round one last week. Whoever does come through that first round tie could well have a big run through the draw this weekend.

Anthony McGill is another top player to look out for in the draw. He played well to reach the World Grand Prix quarter-finals in Preston, but could not back that up in Cardiff losing out to Ben Woollaston 4-3 in the last 64. The first part of the season was a tale of consistency for McGill who reached the latter stages in most of the early season events. However, since losing the English Open semi-final in October, things have not gone as well for the Scotsman with a number of early exits.

With that in mind, Ben Woollaston is my choice for this second quarter. The mini section that Woollaston is in presents a huge chance for someone to reach a quarter-final at the very least. Besides, McGill who Woollaston would face again at the last 64 stage, there are a number of lower ranked players who you would not necessarily pick out for a big tournament run- though that is not to say one of them will not produce the goods. Woollaston has looked good in patches recently, playing well to defeat McGill in the end in Cardiff and somehow losing to Trump in Berlin despite playing close to his very best. Woollaston is a player who I think can take advantage in the best-of-7 frames format as a former PTC winner and a quarter-finalist in this season's Paul Hunter Classic before losing out to the in form Murphy. 

Best of the rest: Mark Joyce

Quarter winner: Ben Woollaston

Quarter 3

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold)

Rod Lawler Vs Matthew Day
Ricky Walden Vs Alfie Burden
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Vs Mei Xiwen
Michael Georgiou Vs Liam Highfield
Sam Baird Vs Jamie Clarke
Jamie Barrett Vs Leo Fernandez
Scott Donaldson Vs Duane Jones
Joe Swail Vs Simon Litchenberg
Aditya Mehta Vs Brian Ochoiski
Kurt Dunham W/O Ali Carter
Tian Pengfei Vs Chen Zhe
Gary Wilson Vs Umut Dikme
Zhang Yong Vs Billy Castle
Sean O'Sullivan W/O Yan Bingtao
Peter Ebdon Vs Craig Steadman
Zhao Xintong Vs Sanderson Lam

With the withdrawal of Ali Carter, not one single player in the third quarter is currently ranked in the world's top 16. Yan Bingtao has also withdrawn from the competition very early and that leaves this quarter wide open in my opinion.

Michael Georgiou is someone people might look towards for a big run after his win at the Shoot Out and the confidence he will have taken from that as well as his performance in the World Grand Prix. However, he faces a very tough draw in the first round against Liam Highfield who I watched quite a bit of in Cardiff and was impressed with. He should have made it to the quarter-finals there and will be looking to put that right in Gibraltar, though he did look in really good form and could easily have a run through the draw this week.

Gary Wilson will be hoping he can build on his run to the semi-finals in Wales, and in that bottom section of the quarter there are very few players that stand out so he is probably one of the better choices to make the quarter-final. He performed well in Wales and was another player I saw quite a bit of. He impressed me against Mark Allen because Allen did not play badly in that match by any means, while his last 16 match with John Astley just seemed to go scrappy and was not something Wilson could have done much about in terms of style. Then in the quarter-finals he produced three centuries and was only defeated in the semi-final by eventual winner John Higgins. For me, Wilson is a solid pick in this quarter.

Maybe it is time for one of the players that promise much to produce the goods. Zhao Xintong has been rather left behind by some of the players like Yan Bingtao, Zhou Yuelong and even Lu Haotian who came through at a similar time to him. There is no doubting his talent but he is yet to kick on and is now at huge risk of having to go back to Qualifying School at the end of the season. If he could find his form this weekend then there is certainly an opportunity in this section. On the tour survival front, Sam Baird is someone who is in desperate need of victories. He looks completely out of sorts at the moment and his frustration boiled over on a couple of occasions when he lost to Gary Wilson in round one of the Welsh Open.

My quarter choice though is Ricky Walden. Walden is the man that stands out in this section and this tournament may provide the big opportunity he needs to get back to form and back up the rankings. The journey has been a tough one for Walden with his back but he could easily get on a run here and take home the trophy on Sunday. His runs in Northern Ireland and Scotland show he can get it done over the best-of-7 frames. His first round draw is still a difficult one against a player in Alfie Burden who has beaten him a few times of late, including during this event last season. If Walden can get past that test then it may give him the confidence to kick on and do the business in Gibraltar. 

Best of the rest: Gary Wilson
Quarter winner: Ricky Walden 

Quarter 4

Last 128 draw: (Picks in bold)

Soheil Vahedi Vs Jackson Page
Zhou Yuelong Vs Zhang Anda
Peter Lines Vs Jamie O'Neill
Jack Lisowski Vs Ross Muir
Mark Davis Vs Stuart Carrington
Fergal O'Brien Vs Michael Wild
Anthony Hamilton Vs Ashley Hugill
Joe Perry Vs Adam Duffy
Ryan Day Vs Xu Si
Michael White Vs Oliver Brown
Luca Brecel Vs Martin O'Donnell
Jimmy White Vs Christopher Keogan
Michael Holt Vs Brandon Sargeant
Josh Boileau Vs Thomas Kevern or Bash Maqsood
Hammad Miah Vs Chen Zifan
Fang Xiongman Vs Lukas Kleckers

Again this is a section of the draw that looks very open to me. In the top half of the quarter there is not one player currently ranked in the top 16, with Joe Perry by far the closest. Then a number of the top players in this quarter appear in the same mini section.

Only one of Ryan Day, Michael White or Luca Brecel can make it through to the last 16 as they would all meet before that stage. Day exited in round one in Wales to Kurt Dunham in what was another big blow in his Crucible hopes. Barring big runs both here and at the Players Championship he is almost certainly going to the qualifiers. White also lost in the first round but he faced Martin Gould who also defeated Walden and Mark Williams last week. Brecel meanwhile fell in the last 64 to Mike Dunn after a first round exit in the World Grand Prix, on the same night that Day fell in Preston. White is probably the most in-form of the three having defeated Judd Trump and Perry on the way to the quarter-finals in Preston.

Waiting for one of those names in the last 16 could well be Michael Holt. Again he is the name that stands out from those bottom four matches there and despite a last 64 exit in Cardiff he looked to be cueing nicely on the whole, but in the end James Wattana was just too solid and good tactically. Meanwhile, Joe Perry has been unfortunate with draws at times this season, meeting Stephen Maguire in round last week in Cardiff, but this week he could really take advantage of some of the absentees. On paper he is probably the favourite in his section to make the quarter-finals but there are still a lot of dangerous players in there. Zhou Yuelong is one of those but he does not have much form behind him at the moment and will be looking for a big confidence boost before two huge events to finish the season.

My quarter choice though and my pick to take home the trophy on Sunday is a man who has been knocking on the door a bit more this season. Jack Lisowski's return to form started arguably about a year ago at this event. He blitzed his way through to the quarter-finals in Gibraltar last year before losing to friend and eventual runner-up Judd Trump, just as he did in the semi-finals of this season's Shanghai Masters, a career best run for Lisowski. In Gibraltar last year he defeated reigning Northern Ireland Open winner Mark King, whitewashed reigning German Masters champion Anthony Hamilton and outplayed Mark Allen to make the quarters and made the highest break of the tournament with a 145 along with three other centuries during the weekend. That shows his promise and this season the left hander has had a bit more consistency, and he is still someone who I look to as someone who will thrive in the best-of-7 frames tournaments. As well as making the quarter-finals in Gibraltar last season, he started this season by making the last 16 in Riga as well as making the quarter-finals at the English Open where he won four matches over the best-of-7 frames beating top players along the way. Lets not forget that Lisowski is also a twice former PTC runner-up, and looking at his current form and the draw this week, this could be the weekend where he gets his first big title. 

Best of the rest: Michael Holt

Quarter winner: Jack Lisowski 

Tournament winner selection: Jack Lisowski 

The professional stages of the event will be covered from Friday to Sunday on Eurosport TV and Eurosport Player. Each round from the last 128 to the final will be played over the best-of-7 frames with the usual European Tour style format, with the top half of the draw playing through three rounds on Friday, the bottom half doing the same on Saturday before it all comes together for the final four rounds on Sunday. 

Fantasy Snooker: Points Update and Gibraltar Open info

It's all change in the Fantasy Snooker league after the completion of the Welsh Open and World Grand Prix, despite not one player in the league picking any of the semi-finalists in Cardiff. Those that have season picks on Noppon Saengkham gained the most from his run to the last four.

A familiar face continues his domination at the top of the table, with a lead of over 100 points going into the final four events. The absence of a number of top players in the first of those, the Gibraltar Open, should get the players thinking outside of the box for their two selections. Don't forget, with the World Championships already being a double points event, you can only use a Captain's pick in the next three events, so now is the time to starting using them or losing them.

Along with that, you can only pick a player three times over the course of the season. It is YOUR responsibility to check this as a couple of participants have already fallen foul of the rule and lost out because of it.

Here is how the league table stands after the Welsh Open, complete with players you have used so far and how many of your three captains picks you have used:

Couge: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 1111  

PPS: Williams x3, Ding x3, Murphy x3, Gilbert, Higgins x3, Bingham x3, Trump x3, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x2, Walden, Robertson, Day, Maguire, Allen (1 Captain pick used)

Daniela Reich: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 1000 

PPS: Ding x2, Fu, Murphy x3, Allen x2, Williams x2, K. Wilson, Trump x2, Day, Bingham x2, McGill, O’Sullivan x2, Selby x2, Wenbo, Maguire x2, Robertson x2, Brecel

Kellie Barker: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 986 

PPS: Allen x3, Fu, Murphy x2, Higgins x2, Hawkins, Ding, Trump x2, Brecel x2, Carter, Bingtao, Selby x2, Wenbo, Williams, Robertson x2, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, Bingham (2 Captains picks used)

Protoursnooker: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Cao Yupeng    Points: 978 

PPS: Ding x2, Allen, Maguire, Murphy x3, Selby x2, Robertson x2, Higgins, Hawkins x2, O’Sullivan x3, Wenbo, Williams, Fu, Trump x3, Wilson, Carter, Bingtao, Brecel, Bingham (1 Captain Pick used)

FAM147: SEASON: Zhao Xintong and Xiao Guodong   Points: 954  

PPS: Carter, Hawkins, Woollaston, Hossein, Bingham x2, Allen x2, Yuelong, Lisowski x2, Selby, Murphy, Trump x2, Akani, Robertson x3, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, Davis, J. Robertson, McGill, Bingtao

Alex Abrahams: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley    Points: 897

PPS: Carter x2, Fu, Murphy x3, Perry, Higgins x2, K. Wilson x2, Trump x3, Williams x2, Bingham, Ding, O’Sullivan x3, Selby x2, Wenbo, Day, Robertson x2, Maguire (2 Captains pick used)

Phil Mudd: SEASON: Jimmy Robertson and Sam Craigie   Points: 855   

PPS: Ding x2, Fu, Woollaston, Allen x3, Robertson x2, Williams x3, Brecel, Higgins x2, O’Sullivan x3, Selby x2, Gould x2, Wenbo, Perry, Bingtao x2, Murphy (2 Captains picks used)

TY: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Zhang Anda   Points: 855

PPS: Ding x2, Robertson x3, Higgins x3, Allen x3, Ding, Bingham x3, Selby x3, Trump x2, Murphy x3, Brecel, O’Sullivan, Williams (1 Captain Pick used)

Colin Delaney: SEASON: Ken Doherty and Yan Bingtao   Points: 842

PPS: Higgins x2, Maguire x2, McGill, Allen x2, Hawkins x2, Ding x2, Trump x3, Brecel, Selby x2, Murphy x2, Gould x2, O’Sullivan, Lisowski, Perry x2, Robertson x2, Maguire (1 Captain Pick used)

Andy Brooker: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 834 

PPS: Carter, Day, Maguire, Bingham x2, Higgins x3, Williams x2, Trump x2, Yuelong, Hawkins, O’Sullivan x2, Ding, Allen x2, Robertson x2, Selby x2, Perry, Murphy x2, Gould, McGill (1 Captain pick used)

Cluster of Reds: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and John Astley   Points: 826 

PPS: Ding, Perry, Allen x3, Ford, Hawkins, Fu, Trump x2, Brecel x2, Robertson, Williams, Gould x3, Murphy x3, O’Sullivan x3, Selby, Wenbo, Higgins, Wilson, Bingham (2 Captains pick used)

Munraj: SEASON: Jack Lisowski and Michael Georgiou   Points: 818  

PPS: Ding x3, Trump x2, Allen x2, Ford, Hawkins x2, Selby x2, Robertson x2, McGill x2, O’Sullivan x2, Wilson, Murphy, Wenbo, Gould, Guodong, Maguire, Carter, Un-Nooh, Williams, Brecel (1 Captain pick used)

Isitan Bakar: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Scott Donaldson   Points: 818 

PPS: Wenbo, Robertson x2, Murphy x2, Bingham x3, Ding x2, M. White, Higgins, Carter, Wilson, Allen, Trump x3, O’Sullivan x3, Hawkins, Williams (2 Captains pick used)

TungstenDarts: SEASON: Yan Bingtao and Sam Craigie   Points: 811  

PPS: Fu x3, Hawkins x2, McGill x2, Allen x3, Selby x2, Williams, Day, Gould x2, Trump x2, Ding x2, Robertson, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire x2, Murphy, Bingham, Brecel (1 Captain pick used)

John McBride: SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Sam Craigie   Points: 794  

PPS:  Holt, Liang x2, Bingham, King, Murphy x2, Trump x2, Allen x3, Selby x3, Hawkins, Williams x3, Lisowski, Robertson x3, Higgins, Gould, Wilson, Bingtao

Ben Summers: SEASON: Noppon Saengkham and Sam Craigie    Points: 788   

PPS: McGill x2, Day, Dott, Ding x2, Selby x2, Trump x3, Holt, Allen x3, O’Sullivan x2, Williams x3, Yuelong, Higgins, Maguire, Un-Nooh, Lisowski, Anda, Robertson

Rob Francis: SEASON: Mark Davis and Cao Yupeng   Points: 767   

PPS: Ding x3, Robertson x2, Murphy x3, Allen, Higgins x3, Wilson, Trump x3, Wilson, Williams, Selby x2, O’Sullivan x3, Maguire, Day, Brecel x2 (2 Captains pick used)

Igor Snooker: SEASON: Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty   Points: 723

PPS: Ding, O’Sullivan x2, Maguire, Murphy x3, Fu x2, Selby x3, Robertson x3, McGill x2, Wilson, Williams x2, Allen x2, Bingtao, Carter, O’Sullivan, Gould, Gilbert, Brecel (2 captains pick used)

GaryOnCue: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie   Points: 694   

PPS: Hawkins, Robertson x2, Maguire x3, Murphy x3, Ding x2, Selby x2, Higgins x2, Wilson, Allen x2, O’Sullivan x3, Williams, Gould x2, Day, Walden, Trump (1 Captain pick used)

Anthony: SEASON: Xiao Guodong and Michael Georgiou   Points: 676  

PPS: Higgins x3, Day x2, Maguire x2, Murphy, Ding, King, Trump x2, Bingham, Williams x2, O’Sullivan x2, McGill, Selby x2, Allen x2, Wilson, Bingtao

Kjetil: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and John Astley   Points: 638  

PPS: Carter x2, Perry, Woollaston, Dott, Fu, Allen x2, Xiwen, Gould x3, Bingham, O’Sullivan, Ding, Higgins x2, Akani, Lisowski, Maguire, Robertson, Williams, Wilson, Georgiou (1 Captain Pick used)

LTD: SEASON: Robert Milkins and Ken Doherty    Points: 612  

PPS: Perry, Carter x2, Holt, Higgins x3, Hawkins x2, Maguire, Perry, Wilson x2, Wenbo, Selby x3, O’Sullivan, Robertson x2, Walden x2, Trump, Bingham, Williams (2 Captains picks used)

Mark Taylor: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Sam Craigie    Points: 603

PPS: Allen x2, Robertson, Maguire, Perry x2, Hawkins, Higgins x2, Wilson, Day, Selby x3, Trump, O’Sullivan x2, Murphy, White, Gilbert, Brecel, Yan, Bingham, Williams (2 Captain Picks used)

Matthew Lowson: SEASON: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Alex Ursenbacher   Points: 594  

PPS: Ding x3, Fu, Maguire, Bingham, Hawkins x2, Brecel, Wilson, Selby x2, Higgins x2, Murphy x2, Trump, Williams x2, Bingtao, O’Sullivan x3, Allen x3, Day, McGill (2 Captains picks used)

D. Muckian: SEASON: Tian Pengfei and Zhang Anda    Points: 568 

PPS: Ding x2, Perry, Maguire x2, Allen X3, Williams x2, Lisowski, O’Sullivan x2, Wilson x2, Zhou, Gould, Selby x2, Higgins, White, Trump, Hawkins, McGill, Wenbo (1 Captain pick used)

Beat the Boss (Me): SEASON: Hossein Vafei and Robin Hull   Points: 535   

PPS: Maguire x2, Holt, Allen x2, Ford, Fu, Williams, Robertson x2, Brecel x2, Murphy, Hawkins, Ding, Gould x2, Wenbo, Selby, Trump, Perry, Bingtao, O’Sullivan, Higgins, Bingham (1 Captain pick used)

My two "Beat the Boss" picks this week are Barry Hawkins and Ricky Walden 

Deadline for all picks is before the first pro matches on Friday morning at 8.30am UK time.

All the very best of luck to everyone taking part.

LIVE BLOG: Kyren Wilson vs Noppon Saengkham, Liam Highfield vs Ian Burns and John Astley Vs Gary Wilson

Barry Hawkins 4-2 Martin Gould - In the end Hawkins got the upper hand clearing to the final red to lead by 30 and then pumping the final red in from distance not so long after and leaving Gould needing two snookers to tie on the colours. He got them both but then left the green on for Hawkins straight away and the left hander slotted home and followed with the brown to make absolutely sure of the win. Best run for a while for Hawkins as he moves into the quarters.

Barry Hawkins looks like he's coming back to form after defeating Martin Gould

All to play for in frame 6 - There's nothing in it in frame six between Hawkins and Gould now. Five reds are left and both have had chances but the reds are close to the side cushion. Hawkins now has a half chance after Gould misses a very tough plant.

Gould stays in the hunt - In a frame that lasts less than nine minutes, Martin Gould has quickly closed the gap back up to just one frame. In first he made a nice break of 60 but did not screw back far enough from a red to middle and had to play safe with 67 remaining. On his next visit to the table a long cut left Hawkins needed snookers and when he failed to escape from the one Gould put him in, the concession came. Still 3-2 though to Hawkins.

Hawkins on the brink of victory at 3-1 - Martin Gould will be disappointed there. He had a good chance to kill that frame off but could not quite keep control of the cue ball and missed a tough one with the rest. What followed was full punishment from Hawkins who mops up nicely with a 55 to lead 3-1 and go one away from the quarters.

Gary Wilson 4-2 John Astley - The sixth and final frame ends up lasting close to 50 minutes but Wilson won't care one bit. Astley missed the green which was very close to the yellow pocket, but he was playing with drag to hold for the brown. That left it over the corner for Wilson with the other remaining colours in the open and he calmly clears to clinch the victory. Well deserved I have to say for Wilson too, he looked the better player for most of the evening.

Gary Wilson during a long final frame that sees him beat John Astley

Gould on the board - A run of 68 from Gould was not quite enough to clinch the frame as he had to play safe on the final red but a Hawkins miss leaves a free ball that is more than enough for Gould to get his first frame. 2-1 now there to Hawkins.

Gould using the rest as he puts his first frame on the board

Astley and Hawkins with decent advantages - Astleys chance went wrong when he missed a red to middle but didn't leave anything and the last three reds are now all safe on the bottom cushion. Astley has the lead in the frame but good safety forcing a miss from Astley is helping to claw back some points. Hawkins was in first in frame three with Gould and made an early 37 contribution before going into the pack and finishing on nothing. Still a nice early lead to have given his match advantage and means Gould needs to force things.

Hawkins doubles his lead - It is indeed now 2-0 to Hawkins with a good cut back on frame ball red clinching it with a break of 75. Nothing in the sixth frame at all between Wilson and Astley with six reds left, though Astley is now in and has enough reds on here to force a decider at this visit.

Hawkins looking to swoop and punish Gould - A miss from Martin Gould is giving Hawkins the upper hand here. He's currently just a couple of pots away from taking a 2-0 lead and it looks like Gould had struggled to bring himself back up from the Williams match earlier.

Hawkins fully punishes the error of Gould to double his lead. 

Burns completes remarkable win - Liam Highfield will want to forget that one in a hurry. On the break of 69 in the sixth he missed an easy enough red that would have kept Ian Burns in his seat. After getting the snooker though it was all Burns and that continued to the deciding frame. All credit to Burns because if I'm completely honest he was not really the better player but always held firm and showed a lot of bottle. Meanwhile, Barry Hawkins has taken the first frame against Martin Gould after Gould misses the pink twice despite not being snookered, and Gary Wilson did indeed take a scrappy fifth to lead Astley 3-2 and the sixth frame is going similarly scrappy with reds split but mostly safe on cushions.

Burns back from the dead - Ian Burns is back from the dead here after needing snookers to stay in the match. It was an excellent shot on the green to get it and then another two to pot green and brown on the way to the clearance. We have a decider on table 5. Gary Wilson meanwhile is looking good to lead 3-2 but is in a scrappy battle with Astley, and Gould and Hawkins are battling on the yellow in their opener which has come on table 4.

Century for Highfield - Excellent work from Liam Highfield there as he makes sure to jump all over the early error from Burns. An excellent break with some top potting throughout and it culminates in a 115 clearance for him to lead 3-2 and go one away from a second quarter final of the season.

Liam Highfield looks strong on the way to a 3-2 lead against Ian Burns

Highfield level, Gary Wilson eyeing the same - Following a bit of a let off with Burns missing a black after an earlier error from Highfield, the left hander does enough to clinch the frame and he's back in again in the fifth looking to really press home and fully punish Burns. Wilson meanwhile has just levelled at 2-2 himself against Astley. Wilson there looking the more likely to score heavy if the chance comes.

Noppon Saengkham 4-0 Kyren Wilson - Wilson can count himself very unlucky in that final frame. He had Noppon in a nasty snooker, which the Thai missed on the first occasion but on the second he completed the swerve and potted the red landing on the yellow and setting up the clearance. He still needed to make a good pink for the win though and deserves to be through. The better player won there.

Noppon was too strong for Kyren Wilson and marches into the quarter-finals.

Kyren still fighting - Despite his deficit Kyren is still fighting on in there but a big bounce kills his frame four break in the forties despite some good long balls beforehand. Astley meanwhile just got the upper hand on the final couple of reds and should move 2-1 ahead. Burns is in again after his frame winning break in the third following a tricky miss from Highfield, who was unfortunate not to land on something easy after a good pack opener.

Astley taking advantage - Astley looks to be gaining a bit of the advantage now against Gary Wilson, while Kyren Wilson has fallen 3-0 behind now after missing a tough final pink and later leaving it from range for Noppon who slots it calmly home. A missed long red for Highfield has left Burns in and he's now in a strong position to move 2-1 in front.

Ian Burns shows more of the form that overcame Neil Robertson as he leads Highfield 2-1

Burns levels, as does Astley - Highfield was a little unlucky there. Burns left the brown over the corner but with no route to get anywhere near the blue that was on the baulk cushion. Highfield leaves the blue at distance but Burns pots it and clears to square it up. Astley in bits and pieces towards the end has left Gary Wilson needing snookers while Noppon and Kyren are in a scrappy third frame.

Noppon doubles his lead, Burns looks to make first chance count - Burns has arrived at the first real chance for him in this match after a Highfield safety left Burns a red over the corner. Highfield's earlier 48 will be tough to surpass given where the yellow and brown are. Noppon though is taking advantage of Kyren not being at the races so far. Nothing vintage on that table really. Astley has his first decent chance on table three as he looks to level and where the balls are he should go a long way to doing so.

Highfield off and running again - Ian Burns missed a half chance at a red earlier in the frame and Highfield has pounced knocking in another good red from distance and he's certainly got his scoring boots on so far. Noppon has also just thundered in a long red and looks to have the upper hand on Kyren at the moment.

Gary Wilson and Noppon also lead - Eventually Noppon did take advantage of Kyrens errors while Gary compiled a very nice 88 to give him the opener against Astley and carry on from the match winning clearance this afternoon.

Highfield leads in style - Great start from Highfield on table 5. He made the break look easy and is clearly confident with his game right now. A run of 80 came to an end with a missed black which annoyed him because he wanted to keep Burns cold. Gary Wilson meanwhile is in first on table 3 with a decent scoring chance and Noppon is looking the more likely on table four after another frustrating miss for Kyren Wilson.

First chances for Highfield and Wilson - There's been some back and forth of opportunities on table 4 so far and just as I typed this head Wilson missed a black and allowed Noppon back to the table. Highfield is in first on table 5 and looking good so far with a stunning long pot to get things going against Burns.

An important night of action tonight and it could be nervy with lots on the line. On table 4 Kyren Wilson who really impressed me last night, takes on Noppon Saengkham who beat Judd Trump yesterday and missed a maximum chance this morning.

On table 3 John Astley faces Gary Wilson. Astley overcame Dominic Dale last night on table 2, and this morning came from 3-0 down to beat Gerard Greene. Wilson of course this afternoon beat Masters champion Mark Allen in a deciding frame.

Then on table 5 there is Liam Highfield who I focused on this morning beating Chris Wakelin 4-1 matching his 4-1 victory over Ding Junhui yesterday. Ian Burns also had a big win yesterday overcoming a near flawless Neil Robertson, before holding off Sunny Akani this afternoon.

Looking forward to bringing updates from all three games tonight in a similar format to last night. Stick with it and I hope you enjoy.

LIVE BLOG: Mark Allen vs Gary Wilson

Gary Wilson 4-3 Mark Allen - An amazing chance it was and Wilson held his nerve as well as he had done throughout the entire match. A fine clearance of 79 is the difference in this match and puts Gary Wilson into the last 16. Mark Allen can reflect on some bad fortune earlier in the decider, that prevented him winning the match in one visit but credit must go to Wilson for the clearance. An excellent match and great entertainment from both players.

Wilson on the way to the match winning clearance. 

It's all gone a bit wrong for Mark Allen here. His break ends on 54 as he goes in the reds from a red and snookers himself on all colours. The second failed escape leaves Wilson on a break and with plenty of reds open this is an amazing chance to steal the frame and match.

Deciding Frame - Allen is straight in in the decider with a good confident long pot, playing around for the black. He now has a few reds open but will need to tackle the bunch again to make this a match winning break.

Frame Wilson - Another quick frame as Wilson makes his best effort of the match. It's been a mixed bag from him today but when he needed to he's knuckled down and forced the decider with a fine run of 74. 

Frame 6 - Wilson has had a couple of early half chances in this frame but wasn't able to fully develop them into full chances adding to his frustrations. He has a third chance now though and given his early lead he should convert here and forced the deciding frame.

Frame Allen - On this occasion one chance is Allen is going to need. A break of 69 in no time at all is much more like the Allen we're used to watching and at a crucial point two. He now only needs one more frame for victory. 3-2 Allen.

Allen looked in decent form in a tough clash with Wilson

Frame 5 - Another Wilson mistake brings about a scoring opportunity for Allen at the start of frame five. He's working hard here and starting to build a decent lead as he aims to go one ahead with two to play.

Frame Wilson - A really important moment there for Wilson as he manages to get back level. A fine pot on the last red opens up a golden chance with all the colours in open play and this time he finally makes it count. 2-2 here now on table 4.

Allen has now potentially missed the boat. A miss when leading by 50 allows Wilson to forget everything that happened earlier. He gets to 43 before missing the blue and is now snookered by Allen on the final red.

Frame 4 - Wilson knows he's missed the boat here, a bad safety shot lets Allen right in in the fourth and Wilson kicks out at his seat area in frustration. Allen meanwhile is moving through the gears and looking to kick his opponent while he's down.

Frame Allen - Wilson will not be happy about the missed opportunities in that frame. He's really let Allen off the hook here and you feel the fourth frame will be vital now. The Northern Irish man has hit the front at 2-1.

Allen races to 56 and looks confident until missing a testing red along the cushion and leaving it for Wilson. Again though he cannot take advantage and Allen is soon back at the table looking to finish the frame off.

Wilson gets a second chance but again cannot make anything notable before missing and this time leaving Allen in. With the pink available and reds spread the chances of Wilson getting a third chance are low.

Frame 3 - A slow start to frame three taking nine minutes before the first red falls. Wilson is the man in and looking to make up for missing the crucial yellow in the last. However a miss on a red by the corner from mid distance ends the break abruptly on 11.

Frame Allen - In the end it is the yellow that proves the crucial ball. Wilson sails to that point but misses an opportunity to bring it away from the cushion. Playing it down the cushion with rest and extension he misses and sticks it for Allen who happily clears to level at 1-1.

Wilson looked good in frame two but the yellow on the right hand side proved the vital ball. 

Allen breaks down on 47 losing position and putting the yellow safe. Two shots later though a missed cut from range for Allen leaves Wilson a chance to counter and the aforementioned yellow may be the only issue for Wilson.

Frame 2 - Allen's first opportunity of the match comes in frame two after a plant gets him in and a good brown to middle follows it. It's the kind of chance that Allen has been making the most of all season so there's no reason why that doesn't continue here.

Frame Wilson - Following the earlier 45, Wilson adds a further 50 and does more than enough to shut Allen out of this first frame. The perfect opener for Wilson as he looks to send another top seed packing.

Wilson breaks down on 45 after losing position on a colour, he has a second opportunity now though after laying a snooker with all reds in the middle of the table and Allen is unable to leave everything safe from his escape. Should be Wilsons frame.

Frame 1 - First chance of the match falls to Gary Wilson who cuts in a red from distance with the cue ball just finishing on the brown. A shot on the pink to middle in turn opens up a number of reds from the bunch and making this an early opportunity to make his mark on the match.

This afternoon it's all about the Masters champion Mark Allen on table four against Gary Wilson who is a former Welsh Open quarter finalist. Allen has started the week with wins against Cao Yupeng and Soheil Vahedi, while for Wilson he's seen off Sam Baird and Daniel Wells to make this stage.

Expect a heavy scoring clash between these two and an entertaining one.

LIVE BLOG: Liam Highfield vs Chris Wakelin

Liam Highfield 4-1 Chris Wakelin - Being so close already, one more chance and pots on red and pink are all Highfield needed to leave Wakelin requiring a snooker with three reds left. That battle did not last long before the handshake though and Highfield is into the last 16 tonight. He looked the most likely winner throughout the morning and was fairly dominant. Fancy his chances again this evening against either Akani or Burns after a good win.

A run of 50 from Highfield comes up just short of a the mark. His position on match ball red was out by an inch and means he has to play safe but in a very strong position as he looks to get over the line without any drama.

Frame 5 - After a bit of a slow start to the frame Highfield is now in with the best opportunity so far. It is by no means a clear cut match winning chance with a few reds in need of development but at the very least he can build a good lead here and pile the pressure on to Wakelin.

Frame Highfield - Wakelin has a good go for the second snooker but cannot put Highfield in enough trouble. Eventually Highfield doubles the red, though I'm not sure it was entirely intentional, but he'll take it. One away from the last 16 now. 3-1 Highfield.

Highfield gets a second chance rolling in a lovely long red and potting a couple more great balls soon after just to show how well he's cueing. By the time the break ends Wakelin needs two snookers, but Highfield is not happy about losing position after being put off by something in the crowd. Wakelin has the first snooker but still needs one more if he's to win this frame.

Frame 4 - First opening in this frame again goes to Highfield and he's looked solid so far. He split the reds perfectly from the green with the break in the twenties, and despite not landing ideal, knocked an excellent plant in to keep things alive. He can't quite keep hold of good position though and plays safe on 40, pushing the blue to the cushion.

Frame Highfield - Not too many more pots were needed to give Highfield the frame. It was a rather comfortable one for him in the end and he certainly looks the better of the two in scoring among the reds this morning. 2-1 Highfield

Highfield misses an easy enough pink just a few pots really from winning the frame. That allows Wakelin in but he cannot take full advantage and now Highfield should be able to move back in front.

Frame 3 - Highfield had the first chance here after a sloppy safety shot from Wakelin. He didn't make much from it but did lay a snooker which yields 22 points before Wakelin finally contacts a red. Highfield then knocks a red into the middle and is back among them again.

Frame Wakelin - Wakelin always had the slight advantage there on the safety but needed a few chances still to kill it off. Eventually though Highfield leaves the final red on and Wakelin is able to do enough to leave Highfield needing snookers. Not a memorable frame but still important. 1-1

Both players have now again had half chances but neither could bring the reds into play. Five remain and it's Wakelin that has a narrow seven point advantage. Highfield gets a second go at it, making contact but the reds just don't want to spread for either player.

Could be a real scrappy frame now. All of the reds have been pushed towards the bottom cushion and there's still eight of them left. Unless one of them opens them up it could be a cagey frame from here.

Frame 2 - An even start so far in the second frame. Both players have had half chances but have failed to convert them into anything substantial. Into a safety battle which is also pretty even at press.

Frame Highfield - Wakelin clears down to the final red and lays a couple of decent snookers on it. Highfield though escapes well on each occasion and then when he's given the first look at potting it, he does and is able to kill the frame off. Good start for Highfield. 1-0

Good stuff there from Highfield. A particularly good shot on the pink on 49 allowed him to keep the break going and despite a missed pink to middle on 63 Wakelin needs snookers.

Frame 1 - Nice start for Highfield as he crunches a long red in and gets straight into the reds from the blue. However, he has had to work hard early in the break to get ideal position but now he has this is a really good opening.

It's snowing heavily in Cardiff but unlike many places, the show goes on here at the Motorpoint Arena. My first live blog of the day sees Liam Highfield taking on Chris Wakelin. I've been wanting to see Highfield all week so looking forward to this. He had a walkover in round one but then yesterday he walked all over former champion Ding Junhui winning 4-1.

Chris Wakelin meanwhile overcame in form Xiao Guodong in round one before beating Andrew Higginson yesterday. With the winner playing Ian Burns or Akani Songsermsawad in the last 16 there's a big chance for someone lower down in the rankings in this section to have a good run.