Paul Hunter Classic Preview

Friday sees the start of the professional stages of the 4th European Tour event: The Paul Hunter Classic. This is seen as much more of a prestigious event than just another PTC, and many players consider it as good as any ranking event, because of the great atmosphere and fan support, on top of the man that tournament pays tribute too. Every year the event brings back memories of the great Paul Hunter for everyone involved in the game. It's the understatement of the century that Paul Hunter is the biggest loss to the game of snooker, and he would have achieved so much more if it wasn't for the illness that brought about his tragic death.  I could say so much more about him, but nothing I could say would ever do the great man justice.

As for the tournament itself, Mark Selby has won it 2 years in a row, and he really does love playing in Germany, having won the other German PTC on the calendar last season. On his current form however, I would say it is very doubtful that Selby will make it 3 on the trot, but with the current UK and Masters champion you never know what could happen.

So here's who I think are the main contenders from each quarter to win the title this weekend:

Quarter 1

One thing I love about the PTC events are their ability to be so unpredictable however, as many shocks as we see during a PTC weekend it always seems as though the top players rise to the top and reach the latter stages. There are plenty of top players in every section of the draw in a PTC, which is another reason why I like the format of them, and this isn't any truer of the top quarter of the 2013 Paul Hunter Classic.

All battling away for 1 semi-final spot are: Mark Williams, Mark Allen, Stuart Bingham, Mark Davis, Judd Trump, Graeme Dott and Ronnie O'Sullivan. However, there are plenty more players that are capable of upsetting the books and making the semi-finals, but against that lot it will always be hard work.

I fancy that Ronnie O'Sullivan could well make at least the quarter-finals this week, with a slightly easier draw (though nothing is taken for granted in a PTC event) having been working hard on his snooker and fitness and feeling good about his game on the whole.

Mark Allen looked good in Doncaster, and in hopefully better conditions, he could flourish and win the top half of the section, and is well capable of winning the event if he is on good form again.

From the rest Mark Williams is in decent form since his Rotterdam Open win, and reached the quarter-finals of the Bluebell Wood Open. Judd hasn't been in the best form of late, and neither has Graeme Dott so I don't think they will challenge this weekend.

Quarter Winner: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Quarter 2

Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, there are more top players battling away for the second semi-final spot. Some of the guys in this section are: Robert Milkins, Marco Fu, Matthew Stevens, Martin Gould and Mark Selby.

Tom Ford is also in this quarter, and well capable of putting a run together in these PTC events, while Gary Wilson made the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open in July. Looking at the draw there is a chance for one of those guys to cause some upsets and make it through to at least the quarter's maybe.

Marco Fu is on a great run at the moment, having won the Australia Open in July and making it to the final of last week's European Tour 3 event in Doncaster. If he can continue his great run this week I would expect to see him make at least the quarter-finals.

Defending champion Mark Selby isn't in the best of form right now, but that hasn't stopped him in the past. Going for his 3rd Paul Hunter Classic in a row, he wasn't playing great when he won it last year, and if he turns up with his B game and the desire to win he is always a dangerous. He could well make the quarter-finals if he shows a bit better form this time around.

Matthew Stevens and Martin Gould are hardly on top form at the moment so I don't really expect them to go any further than the Last 16. As for Milkins he could make the quarter-finals, but with Fu in his section it will always be tough.

Quarter Winner: Marco Fu

Quarter 3

The third quarter doesn't have as many top players in it, but there are still plenty of guys capable of winning this quarter and going on to win the event. The likes of Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Barry Hawkins and Jack Lisowski will all be battling hard for a spot in the last 4, with plenty other guys capable of a good run to the semi's also.

Shaun Murphy is well overdue a tournament win, and after a good look at himself having lost his Indian Open qualifier, he got to the semi-finals of the ET3 last week. He scored well in the tournament and that will increase his confidence with his new cue in hand. I reckon Murphy could well win the event this weekend.

Elsewhere in the quarter Barry Hawkins is my other pick to make the quarter-finals, he's not been great recently but with a slightly favourable draw to give him some early confidence, I think that he will have a decent run in this event.

Meanwhile Neil Robertson is well capable of winning this event, and someone like Jack Lisowski could gather some momentum with early victories, to push him into the latter stages.

Quarter Winner: Shaun Murphy

Quarter 4

The final quarter is also full of top players and there are plenty of guys in this section who could put a run together and win not only the quarter but the whole event. In this section we have the likes of: Joe Perry, Ding Junhui, Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter, Ricky Walden and John Higgins.

Meanwhile David Gilbert made the semi-finals of the second European Tour event and is capable of causing plenty of upsets, Marcus Campbell and Andrew Higginson are also players with the game to make the latter stages of a PTC, and young guns Luca Brecel and Michael White could make a storming run to final's day on Sunday.

For me though Ding Junhui is my favourite of all of those to make the semi-finals. He played well in making the semi-finals at the Doncaster Dome last weekend, and was scoring well - which is always a sign of when things are going well for the 2013 PTC Grand Finals champion. He may be a little inconsistent, but I am expecting good things from him in this tournament.

Stephen Maguire is another good contender to make the quarter-finals, having made the quarter-finals of both European Tour's 2 and 3, the only completed tournaments he's played in this season. He does have a very tough draw for this event, but there is no reason why he shouldn't come through it make at least the quarter-finals, and maybe go even further.

Quarter Winner: Ding Junhui

Tournament Winner: I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that Shaun Murphy will win this event, he's long overdue and will badly want to win this after a slow start to the season with his new cue. After last week though, I think good things are not too far away for the current World No.4.


Whatever happens this weekend I hope that Germany can host another great snooker event, and that the players can put on a great show in memory of Paul Hunter, as I'm sure they will do. I'm thoroughly look forward to watching this event unfold and I hope to see lot's of gripping snooker in this tournament.

Cue Action Blog Snooker Debate: Do you think that the money ranking system will work?

This week's Cue Action blog twitter snooker debate saw the panel debate the new money ranking list. This saw the panel debate who will benefit from the new money list, who could potentially lose out, whether the money list is better than points list and whether the system will work or not. So, this is what the panel had to say:

Steff Coyle, snooker fan: “Yes, I think it will work, I personally feel that some of the top pros will lose out which will make way for the amateurs. I personally like the system as it gives any player the opportunity to get there foot on the ladder.”

Cue Tracker Ron, run snooker statistics website cuetracker.net: “It will definitely work, but it's too confusing with the different currencies. Also the majority of tournaments have too big a gap between first prize and the rest.”

Johnny May, fan: “Rewards players better, especially the ones who are not used to being in the big time. The ones who have been consistent over a certain period of time will get a taste of what the spotlight is like, instead of playing over a long period to get there. Players who have been inconsistent at the same time will quickly fall down the rankings. Win matches, and you will be rewarded.”

Shaun Murphy, World No.4: “Those that win will benefit. Those that don't will struggle. Isn't that how it's meant to be?”

Chris Vear, snooker fan: “It gives players incentive to work hard for every game in every tournament. Yes, the money will very much help players like the WCH, as he has won a big tournament. “

Paul Rinaldi, snooker coach: “I think it's the best way forward the more you play better the pay and if you can't make money from snooker! Get a job. “

E Jones, fan of snooker: “Yes it will work however I don’t like it one bit. It’s supposed to be a 2 year ranking system Ronnie is top 5 based on a few tournaments, that’s hardly 2 years. Rankings should reward consistency not fluking a win.”

Fin, snooker coach: “At least now they have the opportunity to win money now, which in itself is a massive step up from where they were.”

Vikki, Bulgarian snooker fan: “In my opinion the system would work. Players would be have stimulate to win. I think if they raise the money the players would want to win even more.”

Gary, On Cue Snooker blogger: “I'm not sure the system matters. If you win matches you progress. The only thing that needs looking at is how events compare against each other but that's an issue with both points and pounds. “

Igor, Brazilian snooker fan: “The money list is good, the top players win money if play well, and not all players of the top 16 is playing well.”

 

My opinion on the matter is that the system will work, and will be fairer than the points list. The list will basically benefit anyone that wins lot's of matches and lots of tournaments. However it could see top ranked players that get to lots of Last 16's and Quarter-finals, slip down the rankings if they don't win tournaments on a regular basis.

Most of the other panellists agree that it is the better system, while others think it will be a good system as long as consistency is rewarded, rather than players who win big events, but don't play in small ones still being on top.

Once again it was another top debate, on an important issue regarding snookers future. Looking forward to next week's debate, hopefully it will be even bigger and better.

Cue Action Blog Snooker Debate: What should be done about match fixing in snooker, and players suspected of match fixing?

This weeks Twitter snooker debate saw the panel discuss match fixing in Snooker. Some of the things discussed were, what should be done to those proven guilty of match fixing, internet trolls falsely accusing players of fixing, how World Snooker could be quicker in investigating issues and how match fixing is difficult to police. The panel had some very strong feelings on the matter:

James Kilmartin, armchair snooker fan: “Zero tolerance. It's the only way or it will spread like a virus. Examples made?! No consistency at all. Snowy (Paul Davison) is a friend of mine, and he's practicing his nuts off to try and get into top 64. It makes me mad that there's players slightly higher ranked than him who might be throwing games.

Gary, runs On Cue snooker blog: “Unfortunately match fixing is part and parcel of a sport so reliant on the gambling industry.”

Johnny May:, snooker fan “If you have agreed to do throw the match, from outside involvement away from snooker - you should be thrown out of the game. Every sport should be played with a 110% sportsmanship from everyone involved. Imagine if there's a betting scandal one day, and the next day, the crowd see a low-quality game - what will they all think?”

Ash147Promoter, snooker betting expert: “It would be very difficult to name a sport where there hasn’t been fixing issues, think about it and name a few.”

Chris Vear, fan: “Players who match fix don't deserve to be in the game. I think this is a huge issue which WS need to prioritise above other instances. Very important for the game if it is resolved. People might taint everyone with the same brush. Out-of-form players might be accused even if they've done nothing wrong.”

Ron Florax, runs snooker stats site Cue Tracker.net: “What I don't like about the whole thing is soon a player can't have a bad day without being questioned or accused of match fixing.”

E Jones, snooker fan: “I have no sympathy on this subject in my opinion Players should be suspended immediately pending an enquiry. I wouldn't try to lose playing cards with a child I’d want to beat them so for players to try and lose snooker match is sick, but obviously there could be gambling cartel putting pressure on players. Above everything you need consistency when dealing with this.”

Shaun Murphy, World No.4 player: “Couldn't believe it when that (being accused of match fixing) happened. Being accused was and still is the worst day of my snooker life.”

Vikki, Bulgarian snooker fan: “If they fix their matches they lie to only themselves. It doesn’t make them better player or something only hazard their chances to be on the top. No one needs it, it only makes the sport to look bad and this way the idea of snooker is lost. Match fixing in snooker is like doping in athletics or swimming. Doesn’t make you a better player, or a big winner.”

Stuart Bingham, World No.8: snooker player “They should be chucked out completely. The ones that have been convicted of match fixing, but it’s a hard one to completely convict someone. I got asked about 6 or 7 years ago in Thailand by an old friend to throw a few matches! Singapore underground betting!  Someone who isn't (a friend) anymore.”

Igor, Brazilian snooker fan: “The world snooker isn`t severe about this. Betting is one of the principal causes for this. World Snooker needs to be fast and right.  Players that make this, have to be checked out. Snooker is a sport, no a website about bets.

Mark King, World No.25 player: “After evidence, a big wave and go find another job, not fair to the sport.”

Fin, snooker coach: “The problem is these day’s there is so much snooker being played that it’s hard to watch & police any wrongdoing. Now if a top player misses a straight black, the question is, is he bent?

 

My opinion is that World Snooker should be as quick as they possibly can in sorting these cases of suspected match fixing. This is so that players who are guilty are out of the game as quickly as possible with life bans. Meanwhile, those that are innocent can go back to playing as soon as possible. Collecting evidence is a lengthy process but World Snooker and the other necessary authorities should be as quick as they can in collecting efficient amounts of evidence.

The other panel members agree that guilty players should receive life bans, and that the true fixers need to be made examples of, to stop others turning to match fixing.

Was a very good debate again, getting lot's of people talking about this major issue, which is exactly what I wanted. Looking forward to next week's debate already, should be good fun again.

Cue Action Blog Snooker debate: Technique Vs talent, structured coaching Vs natural ability - what's the recipe for success at snooker?

The third Cue Action Blog twitter snooker debate, saw the panel discuss the ingredients that make up a top snooker player, and how much of everything you need. The things that were discussed were technique, natural talent, practice and coaching, mental strength, confidence and the belief that you can win tournaments. This is what the panel had to say on the matter:

James Kilmartin, armchair fan: “Talent, hard work, attitude, belief, massive conkers. Ingredients in the recipe for success. Appetite is also important.”

Shaun Murphy, World No.4 snooker player: “I don't believe in natural talent. I think certain people work harder than others.”

Steff Coyle, snooker fan: “I feel that you have to have the talent and ability to be able to play the sport before you work on your technique.  I feel that as a player myself if you don't have the natural ability to play the sport. Coaching won't help you to improve. You need the balance of natural ability & coaching to help you progress that's where your technique & structure come into play. You need to have the confidence along with good concentration and discipline to be a great player.”

Paul Rinaldi, snooker coach: “I'm a believer in not over playing 3 to 4 good hours is better than 8 hours of smacking balls around. Discipline is essential. I tell the players I work with. Learn to accept and not expect. It removes pressure and just move on. Be hungry fine credit due but you need balance and discipline and enjoy success some can't.

Johnny May, fan : “You can't be the best, without hard work and dedication, basically. All the top/pro players will probably say the same. If you've got someone in your corner, giving you more insight about the game - all the better. Look for improvement.  You need to have a good frame of mind as well. It's great having the talent, and the technique. But if you're not psychologically "good enough", it'll take you longer to get to the top. “

Chris Vear, fan of snooker: “Without some sort of talent, you won't get anywhere. You *need* practice and training to back that up. You may have physical talent but can you sustain that, as well as the mental side? Snooker players need belief that they can get better. Practice and coaching helps sustain that.

E Jones, snooker fan: “Recipe for success in snooker is hard work and dedication. You can win tournaments with talent alone but you can’t sustain it for a long period. Very few players had the talent of Willie Thorne back in the day but it wasn’t enough to win tournaments.

Stuart Bingham, World No.8 snooker player: “You need both to make a complete player/winner. Most players have both but need to find the right recipe. Yep, hard work, dedication and play in as many tournaments as possible. You've got to win some along the way! Confidence is everything in snooker! Knowing that you can win means more than people think.”

Vikki, fan: “I think players should be naturally gifted but without practice and hard work they won’t be good. They don’t just wake one day and become elite players. There are years of hard work. I think the two words which describe snooker the best are self-discipline and self-control.  Hard work-90% talent10%.”

My opinion is that having natural talent in the first place is great, and essential to get started, but structured coaching and hard work will help you reach an elite level. To win tournaments though, you also have to have mental toughness and belief that you can beat anyone with your best game. The panel, as shown above, seem to agree with that, adding that to be great for a long period in the game you must work hard, be dedicated to the game and have confidence in yourself.

The debate was once again very fun, whilst giving us a wide range of opinions on a key subject. I look forward to the next debate, which will be on another of snooker's really key issues of today. Best bits will be on here from that as soon as, as always. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Cue Action Blog Snooker Debate: Should players give something back to the sport?

The second Cue Action Blog twitter snooker debate, saw the panel discuss whether or not snooker players should give something back to the sport. This bought into account thinks like promoting new tournaments and supporting new events, promoting the game of snooker, interacting more with fans, helping young players develop and even do hospital visits or charity work. This is what the panel had to say:

James Kilmartin, armchair snooker fan: “Certain unique people like The Nugget are genuinely interested in growing the sport they love.  Unfortunately, too many do it cos they're good at the game and it's better than having a proper job.”

Ash 147Promoter, Betting expert:” I don’t think it’s something you can ask of players, at the end of the day during their careers as long as they respect the sport, give interviews, respect sponsors and fans then that’s fine, afterwards we have no divine right to ask them to give something back, many will which is great but NO I don’t think they should be told too.”

Steff Coyle, fan: “Yes I strongly feel that they should people helped them start off in the sport it would be nice to remind some players where there grass roots and help teach new players. Some players think there better than the average person & don't help new players succeed. “

Paul Collier, World Snooker referee: “We should all give something back, not just players.  I do my job because I enjoy it. The money isn’t great but it’s a life that I chose. Some player’s don’t treat the sport as a job.”

Johnny May, snooker fan: “I don't think it's really a must, because at the end of the day - players like O'Sullivan, Hendry and Jimmy. They’ve played the game to a level where, snooker's popularity has increased; more people are watching the game, and more people want to play the game - whether it's just for fun, or to a professional level.”

Stuart Bingham, World No.8 snooker player: “Yes, I'm not sure how but if you look at other sports, they've got their own foundations.  I think it should be in the player’s contract that a World champ has to do his duty. Why should he be able to do what he wants? The fans pay to watch and should have some interaction with players.”

Christopher Vear, fan of snooker: “I think Snooker players often do enough to promote it. You see them walking on a "red carpet" in China. I think they should simply because Barry Hearn needs the full support of *everyone* to help snooker grow further. The World Champion should follow up from his win, and entertain the fans in following ranking events."

Barry Hearn, World Snooker Chairman: “It's a partnership. A wedding rather than a date. “ Barry also said that it was “harsh but partially true” that players couldn’t grasp what was needed to be true professionals, and that giving players media training was “on their agenda”.

Vikki, female snooker fan: “Players play for more than 3-4 hours matches then give interviews and some of them give for charity they do enough. I think the new generation players promote the game with their quick style of play and how they look.”

E Jones, fan: “The legacy of great players should be to give something back for the younger players to run with. Past generations played the sport for peanuts because they loved it. Today there’s too much emphasis on what I can get out of it instead of because they want it to succeed and grow. Where were Judd, Higgins, Maguire, Ronnie when the Aussie open needed them?”

My opinion is that players should give something back to snooker, as the game has helped them out a lot over the years, so they should help promote the game and help snooker become a global sport. They also need to help young players develop, so that future of the game is in safe hands once they have retired. Players need to support new events and small events, to help them become permanent fixtures on the snooker calendar.

Some members feel that they do enough already to promote the game, while others thought that players could do more to help young players and support the new events, especially the big names within the game.

Overall it was a very fun debate, and was good to see everyone's opinions on another important topic. I hope to have just as much fun this week, discussing another interesting issue and will have the best bits from the debate on here a few days after the debate has taken place, so keep your eye out for it.

Cue Action Blog twitter debate: Is there too much snooker?

The first Cue Action Blog twitter debate, saw the snooker debate panel discuss the big issue of whether there is too much snooker on the calendar. The panel includes fans, betting specialists, pro players, referees and even World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn. This is what they all had to say:

James Kilmartin, armchair snooker fan: "If there are events all over the world, week in week out. When do players put some solo prep in? Players grow up and improve on solo practice. Take those hours away, the less natural players will fall by the wayside."

Ron Florax, runs a snooker and statistics website: "There is definitely not too much, a pro sport should run for nearly all of the year. I think it would be better to have all the Asian events in one block to stop the amount of travelling."

Steff Coyle, snooker fan: "There isn't enough snooker being played in the UK which is the home of snooker. It would be nice to see Barry (Hearn) connect with some big sponsors in the UK to help put on more events."

Shaun Murphy, World No.4 snooker player: "Playing your way into form is as good as hours practising. It would defo be better if we could get an Asian swing like the golf. Hopefully one day there will be an event every week somewhere."

Johnny May, fan: "No such thing as too much. The more snooker involved, the better. Only players, who have a family, should look for time off.  I think the players who have families, will be choosing their tournaments more often."

Paul Rinaldi, snooker coach:  "As long as the prize money covers the cost of the travel and expenses I can't see anyone bothering. The more (events)  the merrier. Snooker needs big  prize money about 10 £250,000 ranking events per season. That'll work."

Chris Vear, fan: "No there isn't. Perfect opportunity for the pros just starting out to get going. You might think though for the players and the fans, Snooker would stop becoming a novelty."

Brendan Moore, World Snooker referee: "From my point of view no there isn't. Sure it means a lot of travelling and being away from home, but it's a great job."

E. Jones: "Solo hours don’t win you money or make you better, it makes you think you’re in form when you’re not. Every tournament is important to make a tour great you need big and small events in a sporting tour."

Ash147promoter, betting expert: "No way is there too much, top players can choose whilst it gives younger players and amateurs much more opportunity. Those who oppose that view should look at where the game was before Barry Hearn came back."

Vikki, Bulgarian snooker fan: "Players have to travel too much and this is unhealthy. Well they are humans and they have families and friends. To be far away is hard. Asian tournaments should be in 4-5 following weeks the European too this way player’s would save money and maybe play better."

Barry Hearn, World Snooker chairman: "We are governed by the laws of supply and demand. Demand decrees how much snooker there is. It’s our job to supply the demand."
My Personal view is that there is not too much snooker, and that the amount of snooker is perfect for young players to grow their own games. However, some feel that there is a lot of travelling involved in the game, and a possible "group" of events over a period of a few weeks in places like Asia, like in Golf and Tennis, could perhaps solve this problem.

The main feeling amongst most panellists was that there is not too much snooker, but this produced an interesting debate about the amount of travelling players must do and how much solo practice time they actually get to improve their game and whether this is important.

It was a really fun and enjoyable debate, and the first of many more to come I hope. The best bits of next weeks debate will be posted on here a couple of days after the debate. Should be another good topic, so keep your eye on here for the best bits.
 
  

Marco Magic takes Australian Open title.

Marco Fu produced a fine display to win the Australian Open, beating World No.1 and clear favourite Neil Robertson to win what could be the last Australian Open. Marco thoroughly deserved to win the event, which is his first for 6 years since his only previous ranking title: the 2007 Grand Prix.

Match Review:

Marco Fu 9-6 Neil Robertson - Marco made a decent start to the match with a lovely 98 to give him the opening frame. Neil hit back with 78 and a 92 to put him 2-1 ahead in the final, before an 80 levelled the match at the Mid-session in the opening session. Fu took the next 2 after the break to take an early 2 frame lead at 4-2. Robbo hit back once again with a 57 to beg Marco back to 4-3, before Fu restored his 2 frame lead at 5-3, with a very scrappy frame to end the opening session.

Robertson started the next session brightly with another 57 to reduce the gap again to 1 frame. Fu then restored the 2 frame advantage in the next with a 58, after an earlier Robertson 60, and made the score 7-4 with a 70 in the next frame to put the Hong Kong star 2 away from his first ranking event in too long. The home favourite hadn't given up and took the next couple of frames to make the score line more favourable for the Aussie at 7-6 with only 1 in it. Marco wasn't fazed though taking a scrappier frame to go within a single frame of the Australian Open title. As with all great winners Fu sealed the deal with a fantastic 102 century to take a well earned 9-6, making Marco Fu the Australian Open champion. Fu should enjoy this victory, and one that he has worked hard for in the last few months now that he has an extra mouth to feed. Well done Marco. Unlucky to Neil, he would have wanted this more than anyone, to win his home event would have been as good as any of his ranking titles to date, so it was unfortunate that he couldn't win it on this occasion.


As I mentioned earlier, with the contract for this event running out after this one, and very little support for it, it is doubtful the contract will be renewed. Therefore, i'm going to debate whether or not the tournament should continue.

Reasons for it to continue are obviously because, if the game is to grow as a global sport it needs this event to continue, as the only ranking event in this part of the world. However, it would need the support of the games top players to draw in the fans and make it worthwhile to run. In turn this would need an increase in the total prize fund, to make it worthwhile for some Pro's not already entering, to make the long trip out there, so it's kind of a catch 22 situation.

Maybe certain aspects of the tournament should or could be changed to draw more interest into the event. As Australia is such a huge place, a thought that springs to mind is to not have a fixed venue and take the tournament all over Australia. To make it more worth the travel, the event could do with being surrounded by a couple of smaller events so that the players are not simply travelling over for that event.

It is a very interesting debate and one I could go on all day about, but the talk will continue until an official announcement is made.

Overall the tournament was a pretty good one and in my opinion, it kind of proves that a tournament doesn't need all of the top players to provide good entertainment. It was nice to see Marco back winning again and playing well, and always good to see someone different in the winners enclosure.