Ronnie beat Kyren Wilson by 10-9 in the final to become Champion of Champions for the third time. I’m not quite sure how, to be honest, but all the same …

Congratulations Ronnie!

Here is the report on Worldsnooker

Sunday 11 Nov 2018 10:46PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan won the ManBetX Champion of Champions for the third time by beating Kyren Wilson 10-9 in a dramatic final in Coventry.

Wilson came from 8-5 down to lead 9-8 and was just two pots away from victory in the 18th frame, but couldn’t get over the finish line, and O’Sullivan fought back to win with a trademark century in the decider.

World number three O’Sullivan previously won this title in 2013 and 2014 and has reached the final every time he has contested the event, having been runner-up in 2016 and 2017.

The 42-year-old collected the top prize of £100,000 as he won his second title of the season, following his victory in September’s Shanghai Masters. He has won 13 of the 14 matches he has played in the three tournaments he has contested so far this season, his only defeat coming against Mark Davis in the semi-finals of the English Open.

After losing the opening frame of today’s final, Chigwell’s O’Sullivan took five in a row with top breaks of 61, 94, 107 and 86. World number nine Wilson pulled two back with clearances of 42 and 86 then O’Sullivan made a 131 in the last frame of the opening session to lead 6-3.

Kettering’s Wilson took the first two of the evening session to close to 6-5, before O’Sullivan made a 94 in frame 12 and dominated the next to lead 8-5 at the interval.

Wilson, chasing his third title of the season having won the Paul Hunter Classic and Six Red World Championship, then played his best snooker of the match as runs of 56, 56, 104 and 65 gave him four frames in a row.

At 9-8, a break of 61 had him on the brink of glory when he overcut a tricky red to a top corner. O’Sullivan replied with 36 before running out of position and attempting an extremely risky cross-double on the last red. He missed his target but was fortunate to snooker his opponent, and from the chance that followed he cleared for 9-9.

Both players passed up chances early in the decider, and when an attempted double on a red went wrong for Wilson it proved his last shot, as O’Sullivan made a superb 110, his 11th century of the tournament.

In the evening session, Ronnie seemed to be really struggling, both with his concentration and with his emotions. Maybe having Laila and her daughter Ines in the audience added to the pressure a bit. We got to see a glimpse of the “pre-Peters” Ronnie in frame 18 when he attempted a totally reckless cross double on the last red, with the extended cue and rest. It was totally the wrong shot and Ronnie was very lucky not to leave it, having missed it by a long way. He could – and probably should – have lost the match there and then. But, a reprieved man, he regained his focus after that, pinched that frame, and managed to win the decider in style. Yes, he was lucky, but he still had to finish the job and he did.

Thanks to Tai Chengzhe for those great pictures! 

The action

Afternoon session preview:

Afternoon session:

Afternoon session MSI:

Afternoon session short review:

Evening session preview:

Evening session:

Decider and trophy ceremony:

MissingClip evening session MSI

Thanks to the team that made the Champion of Champions 2018 the great event it was!

Kyren Wilson beat Mark Allen in a deciding frame yesterday, to book his p)lace in the Final. He will play Ronnie over a best of 19 today in Coventry.

Here is Worldsnooker’s report on the match:

Saturday 10 Nov 2018 10:38PM

Kyren Wilson ended Mark Allen’s hopes of winning back-to-back titles, taking an exciting match 6-5 to reach the final of the ManBetX Champion of Champions.

Allen won last week’s International Championship in China but his streak was ended in a high quality contest which featured two centuries and nine more breaks over 50. Wilson goes through to face Ronnie O’Sullivan in Coventry on Sunday, with first to ten frames to take the £100,000 top prize.

World number nine Wilson will be seeking his third title of the season having won the Paul Hunter Classic and Six Red World Championship.

The first six frames tonight were shared, Allen making breaks of 99, 99 and 109 while Wilson fired in 63, 57 and 98. Kettering’s 26-year-old Wilson then enjoyed runs of 66 and 125 as he pulled 5-3 ahead, only for Allen to take the next two with 53 and 72.

In the decider, Wilson had first chance and made 30 before running out of position, then laid a tough snooker behind the yellow, and from the chance that followed he made a match-winning 86.

Mark Allen was made favourite by all the pundits (and myself) based on the way he played in Daqing and in the group stage in Coventry. Yesterday, however, he made more mistakes and his long potting wasn’t as reliable as he needed to be. It’s hard to know why this happened; maybe nothing at all as players are just human and every day is different. But maybe – only maybe – he put too much pressure on himself, as he has done sometimes in the past. Indeed during his prematch interview, he admitted that he was already thinking about the final and felt strong enough to beat Ronnie, whilst Kyren refused to go that route and simply said he would focus on the semi-final match.

Ronnie likes Kyren and is appreciative of his work ethic. This should be a good match today.

Ronnie beat Shaun Murphy by 6-3 in a rematch of last year’s final … to book his place in this year’s final. It’s the fifth time that Ronnie reaches the final, in five participations to the tournament.

Ronnie wasn’t at his best and, in his press conference, admitted that he had felt edgy all day. There were signs of frustration but he managed to regain his discipline pretty quickly. After the match, not for the first time, he said that this is the kind of match he would have lost before his work with Steve Peters.

One might wonder why, with these stats, I say that Ronnie wasn’t at his best, especially knowing that he finished the match with 95% pot success. The thing is that Shaun was in first with a chance in almost every frame. Ronnie capitalised well on his opponent’s mistakes but wasn’t creating his own chances. That said, his safety game was quite decent, but his long potting was a bit iffy.

Thanks to Tai Chengzhe some great pictures!

Here is the report on Worldsnooker:

Saturday 10 Nov 2018 06:52AM

Ronnie O’Sullivan maintained his bid to win the ManBetX Champion of Champions for the third time as he beat Shaun Murphy 6-3 in the semi-finals on Friday evening.

O’Sullivan is into the final of the event at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry for the fifth time, and will face Mark Allen or Kyren Wilson on Sunday.

Breaks of 64 and 83 helped O’Sullivan build a 3-1 interval advantage, and though he missed chances in the fifth frame, he then fired runs of 129 and 127 to lead 5-2. Murphy made a 102, his second century of the match, to take frame eight, but O’Sullivan dominated the next to seal victory.

”I feel relieved to get over the line because I didn’t have the cue ball under complete control,” said world number three O’Sullivan. “That caused some nerves in my game, but my competitive instinct kicked in.”

The preview:

The match:

The MSI analysis:

The review:

and the interview with the sponsor

Tomorrow Ronnie will face either Kyren Wilson or Mark Allen over a best of 19 final. The way Mark Allen played in the group stage, he has to be favourite to win today, although Kyren’s methodical style might disrupt Mark’s rhythm. Whoever goes through it should be a great final.

Yesterday the last group was played and we now have our semi-finals line up.

It’s Ronnie v Shaun Murphy today, in a rematch of last year’s final, then Mark Allen v Kyren Wilson tomorrow.

Here Worldsnooker reports on Group 2 action

Thursday 8 Nov 2018 09:43PM

Mark Allen remained on course for back to back titles as he beat Barry Hawkins and Neil Robertson at the ManBetX Champion of Champions to reach the semi-finals.

Playing some of the best snooker of his career, Allen won the International Championship in China last week and looks hard to stop in current form. He’ll face Kyren Wilson in Coventry on Saturday night for a place in the final.

World number seven Allen beat Hawkins 4-2 in his opening match. A superb break of 140 from Allen set the tone for a high scoring contest, before Hawkins replied with 87 and 94 to lead 2-1. Northern Irishman Allen then fired 102, 86 and 76 to take the last three frames.

Robertson edged out world number one Mark Selby 4-3 despite a 147 from Selby in the second frame.

The group final, a repeat of the last Sunday’s International Championship final, was a one-sided affair as Allen thrashed Robertson 6-1. A 42 clearance gave Allen the opening frame and a 119 made it 2-0. Robertson pulled one back with a 69 but he scored just 11 points in the last four frames as Allen rattled in runs of 102, 123, 98 and 75.

“The first frame was scrappy, but after that I didn’t really put a foot wrong,” said Allen. “I scored well, as I have been doing for a while now. I limited Neil to a few half chances. I had more confidence than Neil going into the match having won the final last Sunday, but he has more than enough experience to know how to deal with that. To beat a player of Neil’s class twice in a row, and the way I have done in, stands me in good stead.

“I’m not getting carried away as I’ve still got two very tough matches to get through if I’m going to win this tournament. But I quietly fancy my chances. I always have good matches with Kyren.”

Selby’s 147 report:

Thursday 8 Nov 2018 02:26PM

Mark Selby made a sublime 147 maximum break during his first round clash with Neil Robertson at the ManBetX Champion of Champions in Coventry.

The break came in the second frame of the best of seven tie and is the third 147 of Selby’s career. He went on to suffer a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Australia’s Robertson.

It had been five years since Selby last constructed snooker’s perfect break in tournament play. The last time he achieved the feat was at the 2013 UK Championship, where he fired in the 100th ever official maximum break during his semi-final win over Ricky Walden.

This effort is the 144th ratified competitive maximum and leaves the total just three short of the magic 147 mark.

And the 147 itself …

The Group 2 preview included an interesting interview with Barry Hearn:

There is no denying that BH has revived a dying tour and that the various subplots that the current calendar creates add interest to the season, although, as Hector Nunns explains in the last Snooker Scene issue this has not resulted in added interest from the media.

But however Hearn wants to present the situation, it’s a fact that the current system doesn’t seem to help young players to develop. Kyren Wilson and Jack Lisowski are 26 and 27 and those are the only two non-Asian seen as stars of the future. At that age Ronnie, Williams and Higgins all were World, UK and Masters champions. Part of the issue is that snooker is declining at a grassroots level, partly because of cultural factors, partly because the pro-am circuit has shrunk to a misery. There are many reasons for the latter, including the fact that the PTC tour has, in its time, attracted most of the interest of the amateur… and money, and the fact that a busy professional tour means that the pros don’t have time for many pro-ams anymore. The flat draw has his advantages, notably, it gives lower-ranked players the opportunity to play the top guys, and some television exposure. But it’s also a very brutal system, especially with no money for first-round losers. It can be dispiriting – many players have been open about anxiety and depression in the last years – and, in my opinion, it does not favour players development which is a real issue as the young ones coming through the amateur ranks are not properly prepared for the pro tour because of the decline of the grassroots circuit. I would be strongly in favour of a return to a tiered system, maybe in a slightly different form (*), in at least half of the main tour events.

Oh, and Mark Selby had a right moan on twitter about no prize money for the 147, although with a touch of humour. Apparently, Barry Hawkins had to pay for the Indian restaurant – losers banquet? – because poor Mark is skint! (**)

(*) more on that in a future post.

(**) well done Mark! 

Kyren Wilson was yesterday the third man to reach the semi-finals in Coventry, after convincing wins over Mark Williams and Judd Trump.

Here is the report on Worldsnooker:

Wednesday 7 Nov 2018 09:49PM

Kyren Wilson scored a stunning 6-1 win over Judd Trump in the Group Three final on Wednesday night to reach the semi-finals of the ManBetX Champion of Champions.

Wilson fired two centuries and four more breaks over 50 in an impressive display as he booked his place in the last four in Coventry, with his next match on Saturday night against one of Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Barry Hawkins and Mark Allen.

World number nine Wilson has already won the Paul Hunter Classic and Six Red World Championship this season, and the player nicknamed the Warrior looks in the mood for more silverware.

In his opening match he beat World Champion Mark Williams 4-1 with a top break of 71. Trump saw off Luca Brecel 4-1 with a top run of 93.

Breaks of 73 and 61 helped Kettering’s Wilson take a 2-0 lead over Trump. World number five Trump pulled one back with a 73, but scored just 12 points in the next three frames as Wilson rattled in 96, 125 and 131 to go 5-1 up. And the 26-year-old sealed victory in the next with a run of 51.

“I was solid in my first match against Mark Williams, I played good match snooker,” said Wilson. “I felt I needed to up it tonight because Judd is a very heavy scorer. I’m very pleased with my performance. I’ve had a good start to the season and had a run where I didn’t lose a match for a long time. That relaxes you for the rest of the season and that’s why I’m producing my best form now. I feel as if I’m in with a shout of winning this.”

Kyren was very solid all day and there is not much to add to this report regarding his performance. About the rest however …

Where to start? Well maybe by having a look and a listen to this

It’s very clear that the pundits made Judd Trump favourite to win the group, and that they see him as a top player, whilst in their eyes Kyren is only just getting there.

Now I’m baffled. Ok Judd has won eight ranking titles, for only two to Kyren, and Judd has won a triple crown event, the UK Championship and been in the final of the World Championship. But that dates back to 2011, and Judd’s last event win is more than a year old, so is he a top player in current form? I’m not sure.

I also wonder if those pundit have actually watched the games Judd Trump lost over the last year, because if they did, I don’t understand where they come from. It has become a pattern that Judd absolutely destroys lower ranked opponents, scores heavily, looks unstoppable, only to collapse like a cheap tent once really challenged when he reaches the QF/SF stages. The impression he’s giving me at the table is one of being arrogant and disrespectful to his opponents skills, by taking outlandish shots, and when punished, to go sulking and throwing the match. Yesterday was no different. It’s all the more disturbing because, off the table, Judd isn’t that person, and his interview in the group 3 preview – which unfortunately I did not find online – was a good one. He stated that he was working harder than ever, and that he wanted to be a winner again. But he blamed his defeats on the fact that his opponents were playing exceptionally well against him, and didn’t question his own approach. I think it’s time he does just that, and, maybe, get some help by a sports psychologist.  Regarding that aspect, one particular blogger once again blamed Judd’s management for the players shortcomings and even suggested that Django Fung would not allow Judd to see a sport psychologist. That’s preposterous: first because my understanding is that the said manager gets a % of his players prize money so it is in his own interest that they succeed, next because clearly other players in the team are doing well – Jack Lisowski is having his better season ever, and Neil Robertson is back on form –  and, finally because he is the one who introduced Steve Peters to Ronnie, so why would he not help Judd in similar ways? In my opinion, Judd is going through a deep crisis because he’s nearing 30, and hasn’t won as much and as big as was expected from him. He was a wonder child, and was bigged up by his entourage from a very young age; his family was guilty of that in the first place. It is true that Django played along that line, and the playboy image, around 2011/12 when Judd looked like being the next big star. But that was years ago, and there is nothing of the like since a long time.

Mark Williams looked right out of sorts and it’s no wonder as he has basically been celebrating – with beers and kebabs and a “no practice diet” – since Sheffield last May. Back to work Willo? hum … going by his twitter feed, his reaction to yesterday’s defeat was to go on the lash in Cardiff.

As for Luca Brecel … he’s a maddening waste of talent at the moment.

Ronnie won two excellent matches to win Group 4 yesterday in Coventry and he will play Shaun Murphy in the first semi-final on Friday. 

Ronnie has reached the final on all four occasions he played in the tournament, he won two of them and lost to John Higgins and Shaun Murphy respectively in 2016 and 2017. He’s now beaten Higgins in this one, can he beat Shaun as well? If he plays like he did yesterday, I think he will.

Here are the scores:

And the report on Worldsnooker

Tuesday 6 Nov 2018 10:12PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan made four centuries as he beat John Higgins 6-3 in a clash of snooker titans at the ManBetX Champion of Champions to reach the semi-finals.

O’Sullivan won this event in 2013 and 2014 and has been runner-up in each of the last two years. In 2017 he lost to Shaun Murphy in the final, and the pair will meet again in the semis in Coventry on Friday evening.

World number three O’Sullivan beat Stuart Bingham 4-2 in his first match today, knocking in breaks of 109, 116, 68 and 60. Higgins edged out Ryan Day 4-3 with top runs of 106, 100 and 66.

A tremendous group final saw O’Sullivan go 2-0 up with 57 and 109 before Higgins replied with 91 then made a 70 clearance for 2-2. And the Scot took the lead with an 83 in frame five. O’Sullivan took just 47 minutes to win the last four frames, firing runs of 101, 137 and 114.

“I won a lot of frames in one visit,” said 42-year-old O’Sullivan, who has already won the Shanghai Masters this season. “If you can keep clearing up it’s a much smoother match. I’m not playing as much, enjoying the tournaments that I do play in and pacing myself. When I do play I give it my best.

“John Higgins and Stephen Hendry are the two greatest players I have played so I know I have to play brilliant snooker against John. You can sit in your chair for five or six frames and not get a shot, you’re always aware that could happen.”

A big thanks to Tai Chengzhe for those great images of the Group 4 final

Ronnie 4-2 Stuart Bingham

The preview: 

The match: 

The review: 

 Ronnie 6-3 John Higgins

The preview: 

The match:

The MSI analysis: 

The review: 

Ronnie had a pot success over 95% in the Group final. He looked quite vulnerable for a frame and a half at the start of his first match, but then I suppose that, because he’s not been playing that much competitively, he was a bit anxious and unsure about his own form. After that he was impressive. His only relatively weaker point remains his break-off of which he often leaves a red to his opponent, albeit not necessarily an easy one. He “only” made six centuries on the day!

He also confirmed his intention to manage his playing schedule to suit his own needs rather than to fight for his ranking. That said, if he plays at the standard he produced yesterday, the rankings will sort themselves out.

Just a short word about the Higgins v Day match, which Higgins won by 4-3, but that, really, he should have lost. John Higgins didn’t play well at all for most of it, but Ryan Day somehow collapsed, as he has done so often in the past. Ryan has tremendous ability, and he’s a joy to watch when flowing but he remains very vulnerable mentally.

Yesterday was the first day of the Champion of Champions at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

Here is the tournament preview by Neal Foulds, Alan McManus, Stephen Hendry, and Jill Douglas:

Shaun Murphy, the defending Champion, won the group rather easily.

Here is the report on Worldsnooker:

Monday 5 Nov 2018 10:48PM

Shaun Murphy made a strong start to the defence of his ManBetX Champion of Champions title as he won two matches on Monday to reach the semi-finals.

Murphy won the title for the first time a year ago, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. And victories over Jimmy Robertson (4-2) and Ding Junhui (6-3) have put him into the last four, with his next match to come on Friday.

Breaks of 96, 68 and 76 helped world number 10 Murphy beat Robertson in the opening game of the day, before China’s Ding saw off Michael Georgiou 4-2 with top runs of 139 and 85.

Englishman Murphy eased into a 2-0 lead in the group final with breaks of 79 and 80, before Ding hit back to take three fragmented frames to lead 3-2. Murphy then stepped up a gear with 118, 88 and 110 to lead 5-3.

Ding looked set to pull one back until he missed the green off its spot on 58 in frame nine. Murphy’s attempted clearance faltered on 65 when he overcut a tricky final black to a top corner, but he soon got another chance and rolled the black into a centre pocket to seal the result.

“It’s always a tough match against Ding because he’s one of the best players in the game,” said 36-year-old Murphy. “I knew I’d need to up my game compared to how I played in my first match.

“I started well tonight then missed a few and went 3-2 down. It has been a rough start to the season for me so I was desperate for a victory. I was pleased with how I finished it off. I played some good safety which forced a few mistakes out of Ding, and when I got chances I was quite clinical.

“There are only winners in this event and every player deserves his place in it. I’ve done my bit now and got to the semis, I’m looking forward to watching everyone else sweat it out.”

I didn’t see much of the action yesterday, only the first match and the end of the last, having traveled from Brussels to Athens in between.

For what I’ve seen through Shaun Murphy is starting to play well again but Jimmy Robertson, maybe a bit overwhelmed by the circumstances, didn’t play as well as he did in Lommel. He had a really good chance to force a decider and if he had … who knows?

Ding made uncharacteristic mistakes against Shaun and looked every bit as miserable and unhappy as he had in Daqing. Maybe he should step back and assess what he really wants to do with his life, but then maybe, he’s not given much choice.

After the last match, the pundits gave this preview on today’s action:

Interesting that they unanimously suggested that John Higgins should pick and choose more, with Alan and Stephen basically stating the same thing Ronnie had put on twitter: playing in everything, including uninspiring qualifiers, and being on the road all the time is doing nothing for John’s form or motivation.

Finally, the Rasson table, which had got loads of stick on Twitter, by people who never played on one, seems actually to play very well. Its aesthetic is maybe questionable, but that’s unimportant to the players.