As the last 16 round gets underway, we are down to two tables in the York Barbican and here are a few pictures, posted by Worldsnooker on twitter, showing how nice a setup this is.

Ronnie was first in action against Matthew Stevens, and he won by 6-2, but it was a much closer match than the score suggests. Ronnie won a couple of frames he should have lost, with the sort of hard match play he’s capable of but not always willing to play. Frame 3 was probably key to the outcome of the match.

Here is the official report on Worldsnooker (excerpt):

Wednesday 30 Nov 2016 05:26PM

….

O’Sullivan saw off Matthew Stevens and has now lost just three frames in his four matches so far. The Rocket is chasing his sixth UK title and first piece of silverware since the Welsh Open last February, and in current form looks hard to stop.

He opened today with a break of 101, his sixth century of the tournament. Stevens levelled with a run of 74, and had chances in frame three but O’Sullivan took it by clearing from green to black. World number eight O’Sullivan then pulled away to lead 5-1 with top runs of 51 and 54. He had a chance to close out the match in frame seven but missed the final green when leading 42-37, allowing Welshman Stevens to pull one back. But it mattered little as O’Sullivan sealed the result in the next in three scoring visits.

“Matthew made it tough for me today,” said O’Sullivan. “He’s got that pedigree and that presence where at any minute he could click into gear and dominate the table. The match was closer than the scoreline suggested.”

And a few more pictures posted on social media by Worldsnooker and the BBC:

Of course, there was also some more to come after the match, in the BBC studio, as Ronnie gave his views about what he thinks the tour should be in order to attract more high profile sponsor and a better image. It’s been reported in the news by various media and here you can read the account by The National Scotland

Snooker: Top players need more classy events, says Ronnie O’Sullivan

RONNIE O’Sullivan claims the current format of 128-player tournaments is “anarchy” and preventing investment from China.

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn rebuked the five-time world champion for recent comments in comparing the sport to a car boot sale and also suggesting it had lost respect in the public eye.

On Wednesday, O’Sullivan saw off Matthew Stevens 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Betway UK Championship in York.

Afterwards the 40-year-old used his post-match interview in the BBC Sport studio to offer further insight into ways he felt snooker could move forwards and embrace lucrative overseas sponsorship deals.

“China is where it is at. The money is there, they are ready to pump it in to snooker, they just don’t want 128 players,” O’Sullivan told the BBC.

“It is anarchy when you go over there (to compete in a 128-player tournament), you watch it and it is just too many players, too many people. They want the cream of the cream – and that is the top 32.”

O’Sullivan feels a trimmed-down version of the tour focusing on the elite players is the way forward.

“I always believe in more quality over quantity. That has always been my philosophy in everything I do,” he said.

“I think we have a lot of quantity, but very few quality events, so maybe skim them down a bit and just make them all real proper set-ups.

“That is where I think snooker could be improved, with probably more prestigious events like the Masters, the one they have just had in Guangzhou (China Championship), a little bit like the tennis with the ATP (World Tour Finals), where you just have your top eight. My argument is there should be more for the top players.

“I am a top player, I am not going to be a top player forever, but I always believed the top players should be rewarded and have more classy events to play in and should be treated differently.

I’m not sure those comments will go down well with “The Boss”, but they certainly attracted a lot of positive feedback on social media!

Ronnie also spoke with Rob Walker after the match:

The match preview on ES and BBC:

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: preview of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens match (Eurosport)

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: preview of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens match (BBC)

The match itself:

2016 UK Champs: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens

The after-match analysis by the ES and BBC pundits:

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens match (Eurosport)

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens match (BBC)

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: short review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Matthew Stevens match (Eurosport)

Yesterday saw the conclusion of the last 32 round and there were a few more unexpected results and drama aplenty. The biggest name to go out yesterday  was Ding Junhui who was outplayed by Jamie Jones.

Read here the official reports by Worldsnooker:

Monday afternoon

Monday 28 Nov 2016 06:02PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby both scored emphatic 6-1 wins at the Betway UK Championship on Monday to reach the last 16.

O’Sullivan conceded a frame for the first time in the tournament, having won his first two matches 6-0, but then reeled off six in a row to beat world number 99 Michael Georgiou.

Breaks of 82, 84, 67 and 69 helped five-time UK Champion O’Sullivan book a fourth round meeting with Joe Perry or Matthew Stevens. Georgiou described his opponent’s ability as “not human” after being blown off the table.

“That’s a big compliment from a fellow professional,” admitted 40-year-old O’Sullivan. “There’s a lot of hard work and discipline behind being able to play well. When people talk about it being natural and effortless, I find that insulting because I work as hard as anyone. Someone once asked Muhammad Ali about his natural talent and he said it only looks that way because he gets up at 6am and spends the whole day running and training.”

Selby saw off Robert Milkins with top runs of 77, 120 and 64. He now faces Mitchell Man or Zhang Anda.

David Gilbert made a brilliant clearance in the deciding frame to beat Ali Carter 6-5. Gilbert came from 3-0 down to lead 5-3 with top breaks of 126 and 108. Carter recovered to 5-5 with 95 and 116 and looked favourite when he led 52-4 in the last frame. But Tamworth’s Gilbert dished up with 55 to set up a match with Ding Junhui or Jamie Jones.

“It’s the best clearance I’ve ever made,” said Gilbert, who could earn a place in the top 16 and the Masters if he reaches the final. “It means a lot because this is a massive tournament and I want to get in front of the TV cameras and show what I can do.”

Peter Lines’ dream of meeting son Oliver in the semi-finals ended as he lost 6-2 to Liam Highfield, whose top break was 110.

Monday evening

Monday 28 Nov 2016 11:05PM

John Higgins stepped up his bid for a third title within a month as he beat Ben Woollaston 6-2 to reach the last 16 of the Betway UK Championship.

Higgins had Dominic Dale to thank for the result as his cue tip was damaged during his previous match Noppon Saengkham, and Dale happily met his request to put on a new tip. Three-time UK Champion Higgins looked comfortable among the balls tonight as breaks of 94, 52 and 89 helped him to a comfortable victory.

“I’m really happy with how things are going, it couldn’t be better to be honest,” said Higgins, who has already won the China Championship and Champion of Champions this month and earned well over £300,000. “I know Ben missed a couple of shots, but I played pretty well to go to 3-0. He got back to 3-2 and then the sixth frame was a massive turning point as Ben had a couple of good chances and he’ll be really disappointed he didn’t capitalise on those to make it 3-3. That really changed the game because I was in front and won the last two frames pretty easily.

“Dominic put a new tip on for me and told me to just go out and play with it. Hopefully he’ll give it another shape for me before the next round. He says I owe him a meal!”

Zhou Yuelong edged out Yan Bingtao 6-5 in a battle of two of snooker’s hottest young prospects.  Yan led 4-1 before Zhou won five of the last six frames with top runs of 96, 71, 53 and 84. In another Asian derby, Marco Fu beat Mei Xiwen 6-4 with a top break of 128.

Luca Brecel impressed in a 6-1 win over Yu Delu, his top break 80.

It’s a real shame that the match between the two young Chinse wasn’t on television, it would have been far more interesting than the John Higgins drubbing of an out-of-sorts Ben Wollaston. Those guys are the future of snooker and it went to the wire.

Yesterday afternoon

Tuesday 29 Nov 2016 04:47PM

Oliver Lines kept his superb run going at the Betway UK Championship with a 6-0 thrashing of Jimmy Robertson

Talented 21-year-old Lines beat Judd Trump 6-2 in the previous round and kept his momentum going with another excellent display against Robertson, knocking in breaks of 90, 51, 67 and 72.

The world number 61 from Leeds is through to the last 16 of a ranking event for the second time in his career and now meets Marco Fu on Wednesday evening.

“If I had lost today after beating Judd the other night then it wouldn’t have meant much,” said Lines, who won the Rookie of the Year award after his debut season in 2014/15. “Judd actually messaged me before the match today and said I better not lose.

“I played really well and handled the occasion. I have been working on my scoring and I made good breaks at the right times today.

“Hopefully this is the start of something good. I remember when David Grace got to the semi-finals here last year, and I said to my dad ‘that will be me next year.’ It will be tough against Marco Fu though because he is world class.”

Oliver’s dad Peter lost to Liam Highfield last night, ending their dream of a semi-final meeting, but it has still been a lucrative week for the family, with £25,000 in prize money already banked. “I keep getting texts off my sisters saying what they want for Christmas,” joked Lines Jnr. “I’m really proud of what me and my dad have done here.”

Shaun Murphy came through a dramatic tussle with Dominic Dale, winning 6-5 to earn a match with Zhou Yuelong. Murphy, the 2008 UK Champion, built a 5-2 lead with top breaks of 63, 89, 65 and 103. Dale battled back to 5-5 and looked favourite in the decider until he missed a red to a top corner leading 34-15. Murphy seized his chance with a 34 clearance.

“I missed chances to win at 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, and it really didn’t look like I deserved to win the game in the end as I was making mistake after mistake,” said Murphy. “I wasn’t able to get to the line and think clearly. I made a mistake at 5-2 and punished myself throughout the next few frames. I wasn’t able to put one foot in front of the other.

“It’s a horrible feeling, thinking you’ve messed it up, and it’s very hard to play through. Dominic commented on the number of chances we both had at the end there. We made that look very difficult out there – snooker can do funny things to you. Maybe the trick is not to care and got out and play with a bit of freedom, but my problem is that I do care.”

 “I’m just pleased to still be here and have the problem of wondering where to go to dinner in York this evening. That’s a nice problem to have, rather than to have to drive home down the A1 after another disappointing, devastating loss. I’m 34 now and I’ve been doing it a long time, but every defeat still hurts, and that disease-ridden feeling of loss started to circle then.”

Mark Williams also came out on the right side of a 6-5 scoreline, beating Ricky Walden. Chester’s Walden led 5-3 with a top break of 86 but he missed chances in the next two frames and two-time UK Champion Williams eventually won the tie with a run of 91 in the decider. The result means that Walden will miss the Masters for the first time since 2012, having dropped out of the world’s top 16. Williams now meets :Liam Highfield.

Matthew Stevens set up a match with Ronnie O’Sullivan by beating Joe Perry 6-2. Welshman Stevens, the 2003 UK Champion, compiled beaks of 64, 57, 93 and 61.

Ricky Walden looked absolutely devastated at the end of the match. Shaun Murphy here above explains very well how a player feels when a match is slipping out of their hands, for Ricky there was the additional factor of dropping out of the top 16 and missing the Masters.

Matthew Stevens seems to be playing well again, but how well exactly is hard to assess as he’s not been on a television table yet and Joe Perry, to his own admission, has been struggling badly in this tournament. We’ll soon find out though, as he will be Ronnie’s opponent this afternoon on the main table.

Yesterday evening

Tuesday 29 Nov 2016 10:34PM

Jamie Jones scored one of the best wins of his career with a 6-2 defeat of two-time UK Champion Ding Junhui in the last 32 of the Betway UK Championship.

World number five Ding became the latest top star to crash out of the tournament in York, following the likes of Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham out of the exit door.

And he was soundly beaten by an excellent display from Welsh 28-year-old Jones, who is through to the last 16 of this tournament for the first time.

Jones won the opening frame with a break of 61 and the second with a 46 clearance. Ding recovered to 2-2 but then Jones dominated after the interval, winning four frames in a row with top runs of 55 and 51.

“It ranks high among my best ever wins,” said world number 39 Jones, who now meets David Gilbert. “I felt calm throughout and I put Ding under pressure. If you do that against anyone they will miss, and then you’ve got to punish them when you get chances.

“My philosophy this week has been to just treat every match the same and not think about how far I am in the draw or the prize money.”

Mark Allen made a tremendous comeback from 4-0 down to beat Ryan Day 6-5.  Allen made a 136 to launch his fightback and eventually won a tense 41-minute decider on the colours.

“I felt at 4-0 down that if I could get a couple of frames back I’d have a chance,” said Allen, who now meets John Higgins. “When it got to 4-3 I noticed Ryan was shaking all over the place and I knew I could win. I’m chuffed with the result but I need to improve.”

Stephen Maguire came from 5-3 down to edge out Fergal O’Brien 6-5 while China’s Zhang Anda saw off Mitchell Mann 6-3.

Ryan Day, who is a tremendous player and very good to watch when relaxed, often looks vulnerable when the pressure is on, and he was again yesterday.

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: Ronnie’s snooker future comments (Eurosport)

Ronnie lost the first frame of his last 32 match against Michael Georgiou, the first in this tournament, but played amazingly well after that. When I saw him come back to the table, at the end of frame one, well after it was lost, to get his arm going and a good feel of the table, I knew he was up for it. Ronnie’s performance was duly praised by a very sporting Michael, who claimed that the experience had been amazing despite the defeat and that Ronnie “is not human” …

Here are the scores, Ronnie first (source Cuetracker):

Scores: 49-83(52); 82(82)-4; 84(84)-0; 70-19; 88(67)-20; 66-31; 73(69)-1

Here is the official report on Worldsnooker (excerpt):

Monday 28 Nov 2016 06:02PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby both scored emphatic 6-1 wins at the Betway UK Championship on Monday to reach the last 16.

O’Sullivan conceded a frame for the first time in the tournament, having won his first two matches 6-0, but then reeled off six in a row to beat world number 99 Michael Georgiou.

Breaks of 82, 84, 67 and 69 helped five-time UK Champion O’Sullivan book a fourth round meeting with Joe Perry or Matthew Stevens. Georgiou described his opponent’s ability as “not human” after being blown off the table.

“That’s a big compliment from a fellow professional,” admitted 40-year-old O’Sullivan. “There’s a lot of hard work and discipline behind being able to play well. When people talk about it being natural and effortless, I find that insulting because I work as hard as anyone. Someone once asked Muhammad Ali about his natural talent and he said it only looks that way because he gets up at 6am and spends the whole day running and training.”

And a few pictures posted on twitter by BBC and Worldsnooker

The match previews by the ES pundits and the BBC:

MissingClips

The full match:

2016 UK Champs: Ronnie O’Sullivan – Michael Georgiou

The ES review:

MissingClip 2016 UK Champs: review of the Ronnie O’Sullivan – Michael Georgiou match (Eurosport) including Ronnie’s and Mark Selby’s interviews after their matches.

Ronnie’s postmatch with Rob Walker, saying he feels his firepower is coming back and a tournament win could be around the corner for him:

Ronnie also had a right rant at BBC’s SPOTY (Sports Personality Of The Year) for once again snubbing snooker, but I’ll do a separate topic on that.

And as it’s always nice to start the day with a laugh, here is something the Ronnie shared on his facebook page.

It was an eventful day in York yesterday, as the last 64 round was completed. There were a few more surprising results, the biggest surprise being the severe defeat of Judd Trump at the hands of Oliver Lines. Judd had withdrawn from Belfast to prepare for this and was supposed to be fresh. Obviously every player has days off and, they are only human, sometimes they are not feeling too well and won’t necessarily tell. But I certainly didn’t expect that result. Other players who fell at this stage are Liang Wenbo, beaten by young Yan Bingtao who is certainly become some kind of “menace” in the game, Martin Gould losing to the relatively unknown Mi Xiwen and Mark Davis dispatched by Jimmy Robertson, who of course is a heavy scorer on his day.

Then of course, Mark Allen made a 147 in the process of beating Rod Lawler in a match that was surprisingly fast considering Rod’s involvement.

Here are Worldsnooker official reports:

Afternoon Session

Sunday 27 Nov 2016 05:46PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan scored his second consecutive 6-0 victory at the Betway UK Championship, beating Rhys Clark to reach the last 32

The Rocket needed 56 minutes to win his opening round tie with Boonyarit Keattikun last week and this time he needed 17 minutes more to finish off his victim. Breaks of 112, 79, 82, 81 and 131 helped five-time UK champion O’Sullivan sail into round three, where he will face Michael Georgiou.

“Rhys is a good player and he looked nervous today, but it’s nerve racking for everybody,” said O’Sullivan, who hasn’t won a title since the Welsh Open last February. “If you think that I’m going out there totally relaxed then you’re mistaken. You need to have nerves out there, it’s who handles it best. That’s what you do as a professional, block everything out and concentrate on the job at hand.”

Magic Moment of the day came from Mark Allen as he made the first 147 of his career. The Pistol went on to beat Rod Lawler 6-4. “It’s good to get that monkey off my back, I was very nervous the whole way through the break,” said Allen. “I saw the 147 when I was on 16, the balls were sitting so nice. It puts you under it because you know they’re all sitting there and you’re expected to make it. If you miss you look like a bit of a tube.

“It’s big for me because I was one of the few top players who hadn’t made a 147. If you did a checklist when you turn pro it would be to win events, make your first century on TV, make a 147 and obviously go on to win a world title or be world number one. I’m sort of halfway through that checklist already.”

Ding Junhui came from 2-1 down to beat Ross Muir 6-2. “I had the feeling I controlled the match and also I had very good luck,” said Ding.

China’s Mei Xiwen saw off Martin Gould 6-3 while up-and-coming Yan Bingtao won a Chinese derby against Liang Wenbo by a 6-4 scoreline

Evening Session

Sunday 27 Nov 2016 10:35PM

Oliver Lines scored the best result of his career so far with a 6-2 victory over Judd Trump to reach the last 32 of the Betway UK Championship.

It has been a remarkable tournament so far for the Lines family as dad Peter knocked out Neil Robertson on his way to the third round and and now rising star Oliver, age 21, has taken a huge scalp himself. They have already earned £20,000 between them and that figure could rise dramatically if they can keep their runs going, with a semi-final meeting in prospect if they can each score three more wins.

Lines Jnr was voted Rookie of the Year after his debut season in 2014/15 and has perhaps not made as much progress as he had hoped since then, but tonight’s performance showed the true extent of the world number 61’s potential.

The Leeds cueman built a 3-0 lead with a top break of 62, then world number three Trump took the next two frames with runs of 72 and 60. Lines made an excellent 61 to go 4-2 up, then won frame seven on the colours before sealing victory in the next in three scoring visits.

“I had never really performed on TV before,” said Lines. “I have been practising very hard and I think my results will start coming in a roll. Me and dad will think about the semi-finals on the way home – it would be a dream if we could both get that far.”

Lines now meets Jimmy Robertson, who beat Mark Davis 6-2 in a Sussex derby.

Shaun Murphy fired breaks of 115 and 119 in a 6-3 win over Robin Hull while Marco Fu made a 125 in a 6-0 thrashing of Rory McLeod.

All detailed results are on Cuetracker as usual.

My report on Ronnie’s last 64 match is here.