The dates and venues for the Eleven 30 series 2016 have been announced:
Here they are:
3rd June: Lakeside Country Club
11th June: Belfast Waterfront
20th August: Goffs
3rd September: The Cresset, Peterborough
10th September: Richard Dunns Sports Centre, Bradford
11th September: Preston Guidhall
The tickets will be on sales tomorrow. I will then put all the relevant information in the “Upcoming exhibitions” section.
Worldsnooker has now published the format and schedule for the Welsh Open 2016. Ronnie will play his first match on Monday 15 January, not before 1 pm (UK time).
Mark Selby is happy to see him in the draw and tells worldsnooker why (excerpt of http://www.worldsnooker.com/selby-ready-for-rocket-challenge/ )
World number one Mark Selby says he is pleased to see Ronnie O’Sullivan among the field for next week’s BetVictor Welsh Open in Cardiff as winning the title would mean more.
The world ranking event runs from February 15 to 21 at the Motorpoint Arena with 128 players battling for the trophy. The draw was made yesterday and O’Sullivan will face Barry Pinches in the first round next Monday while Selby will take on Welshman Duane Jones.
It could be the only tournament O’Sullivan will play before the World Championship in April and Leicester’s Selby is looking forward to the challenge.
“It makes it more special to win a tournament when he is in the field,” said Selby, who beat O’Sullivan in the 2008 Welsh Open final. “Even if you don’t end up playing him, you still know at the back of your mind that you’ve won an event when he was in it. He is always the man to beat when he turns up to a tournament in the right frame of mind.
“Any time Ronnie plays in a tournament it helps give it an extra buzz and I’m sure it makes a difference to the TV figures and live crowds. Cardiff is a great venue and I really enjoyed playing there last year.”
O’Sullivan missed the first few months of this season before making a triumphant return to the limelight at the Masters last month, thrashing Barry Hawkins 10-1 in the final.
Selby added: “I wasn’t surprised by how well he played at the Masters because everyone knows how good he is. The frustrating thing was that the best he played all week was against me in the quarter-finals. Perhaps he tries that little bit harder against me.
“Barry Hawkins would have been disappointed by the way he played in the final, he under-performed. The Masters is Ronnie’s home tournament and the crowd there can be intimidating for his opponents. Barry was a bit overawed by the occasion.
“When I beat Ronnie in the World Championship final in Sheffield two years ago, most of the crowd were behind him but they were very respectful. At the Masters when I played him this year there were people shouting things out when I was down on a shot. That wasn’t the difference between me winning and losing, it’s just the way it is in London.”
Worldsnooker has, yesterday, made and published the draw for the Welsh Open 2016, to be played in Cardiff next week. It’s Barry Pinches first for Ronnie.
The format and schedule of play is not known yet, but should be published later today. I will update this post when this information becomes available.
It doesn’t look like a bad draw for Ronnie. Tian Pengfei could be dangerous in the last 64, especially over the short best of 7 format, but he’s rather inconsistent. There is a possible clash with Mark Selby in the QF, but they first need to get that far and it becomes best of 9 at that stage.
Ronnie needs to make at least the final to have a chance to qualify for the World Grand Prix.
WELSH OPEN MAY BE IT FOR ROCKET BEFORE CRUCIBLE
Ronnie O’Sullivan will be playing in this month’s BetVictor Welsh Open – and potentially that could be his only warm-up tour tournament for a tilt at a sixth world title in April.
Having missed so much of the season O’Sullivan will not be at the Players Tour Championship finals in Manchester.
And to make it to the World Grand Prix in March in Llandudno, where he lost in the final to Judd Trump 12 months ago, the 40-year-old may well have to win in Cardiff. A place in the final could be good enough, depending on other results.
O’Sullivan won the Masters last month almost at a canter, claiming a sixth crown with a 10-1 thrashing of Barry Hawkins in the final.
That came despite another eight-month sabbatical– with O’Sullivan opting to focus on exhibitions rather than the grind of the circuit.
The player knows he needs some form of testing practice ahead of the 17-day World Championship marathon, the extended format of which he criticised last week.
But the world No6 is relaxed and putting no pressure on himself to get a second tournament under his belt before the big one in Sheffield.
O’Sullivan said: “I will play the Welsh Open, that is fairly close and fits in with my schedule before the World Championship.
“But I am very happy, I can use the exhibitions as well, I don’t want or need to run around chasing ranking prize money.
“I don’t have to play in all these events. If I did happen to do well at the Welsh, get to the final or win it, I probably would play the Grand Prix.
“In snooker terms it is round the corner in Llandudno , so why not if it didn’t clash with anything else. But I am really not bothered.”
Photograph courtesy of Monique Limbos
Ronnie doesn’t mention the Championship League Snooker Winners Group, but maybe this one just didn’t cross his mind as it’s not really a “regular” event and anyway he’s already qualified for next Champion of Champions by winning the Masters.
Martin Gould won the German Masters 2016 yesterday evening, in the Tempodrom in Berlin in front of a huge and enthusiast crowd, who warmed to both somewhat unexpected finalists. Luca Brecel played his part in the tournament, but the occasion maybe got a bit at him during the final. He’s only 20, he has time and talent on his side. His time will come. Yesterday belonged to Martin.
I leave it to Hector Nunns (inside-snooker) to express what it means for Martin, his family and his team. He writes better than me …
I will just say this “Congratulations Martin, and many more to come”.
GOULD DEDICATES TITLE TO MEMORY OF CHERISHED MUM
Martin Gould dedicated his first ranking title success to the memory of his late mother after winning the German Masters on Sunday night.
The 34-year-old Londoner was made a slight favourite by the bookmakers over Belgium hot-shot Luca Brecel at the Tempodrom, and justified that tag with a solid display and 9-5 win in Berlin.
In front of a packed 2,500 crowd at what must currently be snooker’s greatest stage with the possible exception of the Crucible, Gould did what he had to do for a major breakthrough.
The title, trophy and £60,000 saw him also back in to the elite top 16 and in good shape to reach the Crucible without any need for three gruelling qualifiers.
But on an emotional evening Gould, who lost 9-8 to John Higgins in the Australian Open final this season, his second major showpiece, instantly looked to the heavens with the match won, having lost mum Shirley to cancer 12 years ago.
Gould, in his 10th year as a pro, said: “It was probably off camera but when I won and stood by my chair I kissed my fingers and pointed to the sky for my mum. I am sure she was up there delighted and watching down having a whisky.
“And my dad will have been dancing around the room and my sister, also back home, crying her eyes out. It is great to finally be in that winner’s circle.
“The monkey has certainly gone for a wander now off my back, and I am delighted. I felt the pressure at the start of being the higher-ranked player, but I settled down.
“It was a wonderful feeling to get over the line. The pink in the middle to leave him requiring snookers was dead straight into the middle but my arm was shaking like anything.
“If he had got three snookers after I potted the next red, then it really wouldn’t have been meant to be for me to win.
Brecel was happy with reaching his first final and sampling the occasion, experience and atmosphere, but less pleased with his displays over the week.
He said: “Again in the final I made too many mistakes, Martin was the better player and he deserved it. But there have been positives to take too.”
The number of high-profile casualties from the qualifiers onwards created an opening for someone, and these two took it to reach the final.
As they struggled to find rhythm in a tense start, plenty of the so-called bigger names must have been squirming and regretting a title chance gone begging – but things did spark into life towards the end of the afternoon session.
The bookmakers made Gould a slight favourite at start of play, and he won a vital frame to get level at 1-1 after losing the opener.
Gould had played the better snooker of the week in beating Judd Trump, Graeme Dott, Mark Williams and Ben Woollaston, and he made it three frames in a row to lead 3-1 at the interval, helped by a break of 72.
Brecel, who seems as if he has been around for ages, had breaks of 51 and 59 in getting back to 3-2 and 4-3 down respectively, that last steal triggering a clenching of the teeth and a pumping of the fist. But Gould simply responded with 104, the highest run of the contest, to take a two-frame lead into the evening.
The nerves of the early exchanges seemed to have gone, happily, and there was once again a terrific atmosphere inside the Tempodrom for the evening finale. Gould’s initial 110 showed he meant business and when the gap got to 7-3 it was just too big to close.
Gould’s previous successes had come in the quick-fire Power Snooker and Shootout events, and at a PTC event four years ago. A fine player and a likeable and engaging individual, he has retained a strong self-belief despite career setbacks, and also the strength of character to do his own thing and not necessarily follow the snooker herd at a tournament.
It is also as a side issue another feather in the cap for Steve Feeney’s SightRight team after Stuart Bingham’s world title last year.
Photograph courtesy of World Snooker
The Eurosport pundits did a great job all week, and for those who can’t watch ES UK, here are their bits, thanks to SnookerRoom as always. They mix huge expertise and analysis skills with a relaxed approach with some good humored banter thrown in the mix… Enjoy!
Session 1
Preview
Midesession
Aftersession
Session 2
Preview
MissingClip 2016 German Masters: preview of the Martin Gould – Luca Brecel match (Session2)
Midsession
Aftermatch and Martin’s interview
As usual cuetracker.net provides all the scores and details about the matches.
Martin Gould leads Luca Brecel 5-3 at the end of the first session, an advantage but by no way decisive. All to play for tonight.
Here is the preview of the final, with a presentation/interview with both finalists and an analysis of their game and respective strenghts:
At the MSI the score was 3-1, Martin in the lead. The pundits analyse how they got there and why Luca, despite looking the most free flowing of the two finds himself behind:
The second mini session was shared, so it’s 5-3 to Martin at the end of the first session. The highligts of this mini session were:
a fantastic clearance by Luca to close the gap to 4-3:
and a beautiful 104 from Martin to finish the session and restore a 2 frames advantage:
The pundits sum up the session:
They will be back at 8pm (local time) tonight, bring it on.
As the first mini session of the final is under way, I thought it would be interesting to share this article on inside-snooker by Hector Nunns.
BRECEL V GOULD FOR A FIRST RANKING TITLE
The final of this year’s German Masters will be between Belgium’s Luca Brecel and England’s Martin Gould – and that means there will be a new ranking event winner on Sunday night.
In a tournament that right from the qualifiers saw so many big names take an early bath, it just seemed likely that we might end up here in Berlin.
The pattern of high-profile casualties only continued at the Tempodrom, opportunity knocked, and Brecel and Gould are the players that have taken advantage.
The bookmakers make Gould a marginal favourite at start of play, but in truth they and most others do not have a clue which way this one is going to go.
The 34-year-old Gould, ranked 20th in the world, has played the better snooker this week and can reflect on the scalps of Judd Trump, Graeme Dott, Mark Williams and Ben Woollaston.
Brecel, who is only 20 but seems as if he has been around for ages, had never been past the semi-finals – a stage he reached last season at the Welsh Open before losing to John Higgins.
With all due respect to Gould, who only lost 9-8 in the Australian Open final to Higgins this season, there will be elements within the governing bodies that will be praying for a Brecel title.
With snooker having been so UK-centric in the past, the prospect of a mainland European ranking title winner would be a boon for the game and marketing operation. Brecel, hailed as a child snooker prodigy at 10, has been the big hope for years, Sunday could see that potential start to be fulfilled.
Snooker is attempting to gate-crash the Olympic Games, and the reach of the sport will continue to be scrutinised by those making these decisions. All-English semi-final line-ups at the Masters and World Championship do not speak of a truly global game, despite all Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui’s efforts. A Brecel win would carry huge symbolic power.
Malta’s Tony Drago reached one ranking final 19 years ago, but no Belgian has done so, and no European outside the UK and Ireland has landed a major title.
After his 6-3 win over an exhausted Kyren Wilson, Brecel said: “It is unbelievable, really special – but I wasn’t nervous during the match.
“Of course it is a great honour to be the first Belgian to get to a big final, I hope they support me, and only Tony Drago of Malta got to a final 19 years ago from Europe.
“When you are 16 and 17 and everyone thinks you will win everything, and of course you don’t, it can be frustrating.
“I think I am a big-stage player, but I haven’t actually played that well this week. Clearly it is better to win when you’re not playing your best.”
However none of that will remotely concern Gould, whose only previous successes have come in the quick-fire Power Snooker and Shootout events, and at a PTC event four years ago.
Gould is a fine player and a likeable and interesting individual, who retains a strong self-belief despite some career setbacks, and also the strength of character to do his own thing and not necessarily follow the snooker herd at a tournament.
A win for him would also, as a side note to fulfilling a personal ambition, be another feather in the cap for Steve Feeney’s SightRight team after Stuart Bingham’s world title last year.
Gould, in his 10th year as a professional, said after a 6-2 semi-final win over former world champion Graeme Dott: “It feels great to be into another ranking event final. Since the turn of the year I’ve done a lot of hard work and it’s nice to see that paying off.
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow especially as I can relax tonight. When it went 5-1 inevitably I had flashbacks to the matches I had lost from that position. But I just told myself to keep calm.
“The first ranking title could lead to many more and I feel that I’m good enough. I’ve just to get past that final step and hopefully lift the trophy.
“I won’t think of myself as favourite tomorrow, I have to take my chances and make sure I don’t do anything silly.”
It is going to be a career moment for cherish for one of them, in front of 2,500 fans on one of snooker’s greatest stages.
Photographs courtesy of World Snooker
Ronnie O'Sullivan 