Today is the last day of the Q-School Event 1. By the end of this afternoon we will know the names of the four who will earn themselves a two years tour card from this event.
Currently this is the line-up for the last 16:
Nine of those players are under 26 years old, four being teenagers. Of those nine, seven have never been professionals, four are from China. That’s not a bad outcome from this event. It’s a shame that Ross Bulman and Geng Mingqi have to clash at this stage.
They also have published this article about Ronnie, by Phil Yates, including Stephen Hendry’s views.
First came the question, then came the look, withering in the extreme. Jimmy White had been asked whether he would gladly trade his popularity for a world title. “Are you sure, mate?” said the Whirlwind. “Of course I would.”
By Phil Yates
Over the years the snooker gods have bestowed the golden gift of adulation on a select few but it always came at a price. Popularity and sustained success were never compatible. You could have one but not the other.
Until now, that is. The Rocket has broken the mould. As Stephen Hendry, deeply admired and genuinely respected but never loved by a legion of fans, put it: “Ronnie O’Sullivan is the only player in history to be dominant and popular at the same time.”
While Hendry – and Steve Davis before him – ruled the roost for a decade, O’Sullivan has been on top of the game’s popularity charts and regularly lifting trophies for a quarter of a century and counting. Throughout, there has been one constant; his unique ability to melt away the innate instinct of British sports enthusiasts to root for the underdog.
When O’Sullivan is the man in the arena he is guaranteed to receive the overwhelming bulk of support, regardless of opponent. For that session, forget cheering on the nearly man. Ronnie must take precedence.
Hendry often encountered hostile receptions, especially at Wembley Conference Centre where he nevertheless triumphed in six Masters, including five in a row. “The crowd could be tough to deal with at times but I learned to use them and the way they behaved towards me as strong motivation,” said the seven-time world champion.
“Maybe Steve and I weren’t interesting enough. All we did was practise and win. What people would read about us didn’t help in creating a character.
“In the early part of his career, Ronnie was seen as a bad boy like Jimmy and Alex Higgins but he’s always been a different class of player to them. It doesn’t seem to matter how many titles he gets his hands on, nobody wants him to stop winning or entertaining.”
Snooker fans in continental Europe, China and North America might find the premise of this piece difficult to fathom. Why, they might wonder, would being the best serve to dilute acclaim? Why indeed, yet Brits have traditionally been drawn to inspiring the plucky underdog, not pushing the game’s leading force to even greater heights. It is their trait to be intimidated by sporting superstardom.
In common with two of his sporting heroes, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, O’Sullivan’s star has never waned whatever the controversy, although Hendry does contend that can be a negative if things are not going well.
“There’s always a weight of expectation on his shoulders, it does create a pressure of its own,” added the Scot, who was commentating for ITV when O’Sullivan equalled his record of 36 ranking titles at the Tour Championship in March. “When 95% of a crowd want you to win and you suddenly start to miss a few, it can make you feel uncomfortable, as if you are letting folks down.
“But Ronnie will never know what it’s like to have a crowd against him, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing or where it is. It would be interesting to see how he would react if the crowd did ever turn but that’s just hypothetical. It will never happen.”
Of course, Hendry is spot on. O’Sullivan’s army of supporters will never switch allegiance or be silenced. He is a real champion and the People’s Champion – simultaneously.
Personally, I believe that popularity isn’t linked to success – although becoming known of course is. I believe that popularity is mainly linked to how much the “popular person” is someone the audience can relate to emotionally. So the Mr and Mrs Perfect have no chance because we, viewers are not perfect, and we can’t relate to such image. The sportspersons who show little emotion, don’t allow us to embark with them on their sporting journey either. It’s that simple really, and the “Politically Correct” obsession in nowadays sport isn’t helping. I’m not advocating for the sports authorities to tolerate outrageous, violent or disrespectful behaviours. But accepting a modicum of criticism, expressed emotions – even negative – and opinions – even controversia l- without jumping at the players as soon as someone on social media feels “offended” would be a positive move in my eyes. There are people nowadays on social media who are just looking to be offended by about anything.
Finally the “Goat Debate” vas reignite on twitter by Alan McManus, David Hendon and Hector Nunns
It’s extremely difficult to compare completely different eras, and this is about as right as it can be in my opinion. Neil Robertson’s inclusion, despite him being the only one in there with just one World title, is justified both by his overall record and by taking into consideration how much more difficult it has been for him moving from Australia as a penniless teenager.
Inevitably there were people saying that Judd Trump should be there. For me it’s definitely too early to tell whether he belongs to that bracket or not. Why him and not Shaun Murphy, Ken Doherty or Peter Ebdon? Just because his victory in Sheffield is fresh in the memories?
Inevitably as well there were people coming up with Paul Hunter who would “surely” have been a multiple World Champion by now had he lived. Sorry guys, but nobody knows how many World titles Paul would have won, or even if he’d ever been World Champion at all. His showing at the Masters was impressive, but otherwise his performances in long format competitions wasn’t great: at the Crucible, he only got past round 2 once, losing to Ken Doherty in the semi-finals in 2003 from well ahead, and at the UK championship, in eleven participations he only reached the QF or best three times, his best being a SF in 1998. With such record nobody would suggest he’d be World Champion for sure if he was still alive.
Finally the trio asked people who would go out of the above list if it were to include Jimmy White. For all I love Jimmy, I’m not sure that he deserves the inclusion. Why him and not Ding for instance?
The first round concluded with fourteen more players under 23, who have never been professionals, winning their first match, amongst them eight teenagers, including three Asian youngsters and one German. they are: Manasawin Phetmanaikul (20), Chai Ross (18), Jenson Kendrick (18), Yu Kiu Chang (19), Patrick Whelan (21), Ryan Davies (17), Peter Devlin (22), Long Zehuang (22), Ross Bulman (17), Peifan Lei (15), Ben Fortey (22), Geng Mingqi (19), Umut Dikme (19), Ka Wai Cheung (20),
Worth mentioning also Lee Daegyu (23) is from Korea, a country that has produced champions in 3-cushion billiards, but has, until now, shown little interest in snooker.
The second round is under way with some notable results:
The youngest player in the competition, Iulian Boiko – only 13 from Ukraine – has booked his place in the third round, as has the only female player remaining on course, the Women three times and reigning World Champion, Ng On Yee from Hong Kong. Other young teenagers off to round 3 are Kayden Brierley (17), Sia Jiahui (16), Sean Maddockx (17).
Wang ZePeng (22) and Rodion Judin (22) are two more young players who had a bye to round two and won their first match.
The highest break of the competition, a 133, currently belongs to Brian Ochoiski, a 20 years old from France. Ben Mertens, 14 years old from Belgium made a 126, but narrowly lost to Matthew Glasby, an experienced amateur, by 4-3. It has to be confirmed, but this likely makes him the youngest ever player to make a century in a professional competition.
Luke Pinches (17), son of Barry, had to pull out of the tournament because he had to sit an A level exam. It’s a shame and it illustrates one of the problems caused by having the Q-school held at this time of the year. It was the right decision by Luke though. Having an education gives young people a more solid base for their future and more options. Luke hopefuly will get mzany more opportunities in snooker.
As in all good recipes you’ll find a mix of ingredients in this one: some serious conversation, some banter, some laughs, some fun and a drizzle of craziness.
There were 42 matches played in Wigan yesterday, as part of the first round of the Q-school 2019 event 1, yielding 21 winners who will go to the next round (last 128).
I may come as a surprise – it did to me anyway – but 10 of those winners are actually teenagers, none of them having been pro before.
They are: Aaron Hill (17), Riley Parsons (19), Ronan Whyte (19), Kayden Brierley (17), Si JiaHui (16), Harry Farell (19), Iulian Boiko (13), Jack Harris (19), Sean Maddockx (17), Ben Mertens (14). Amongst then, the three youngest ones are not from the UK/Ireland. Si JiaHui is from China, Ben Mertens from Belgium and Iulian Boiko from Ukraine.
Regarding Ben and Iulian, who are still only children, they were made to play very late in the evening. And the fact that they come from abroad – Belgium has a one hour time difference with UK, Ukraine has two – made it even later for them. I feel that it wouldn’t have been too much of an effort for Worldsnooker to make sure that those kids would be scheduled to play during actual day time.
In addition to those 10 teenagers, there were six additional winners in their very early twenties: Wang ZePeng (22), Liu JiaMing (22), Thomas Hillborne (22), Xu Si (21), Louis Heathcote (21), Daniel Holoyda (20). Three of them fare rom China – Wang, Liu and Xi – whilst Daniel Holoyda is from Poland.
It is only the first match, on the first day, but this is a very encouraging sign for the future of the game.
All three women involved in the competition were in action yesterday, with only Ng On Yee managing a win. On Yee’s win is not that surprising considering how close she ran Alan McManus at the World Championship qualifiers last month. Reanne Evans’ form seems to be nowhere near her best. Rebecca Kenna though gave Wayne Townsend, an experienced amateur, a stern test. Wayne was full of praise for Bex on Facebook after the match: her safety in particular was very solid.
CHENNAI: When Aditya Mehta boards a flight from Mumbai to London on Wednesday night to take part in three qualifying school events in Wigan from May 18, it will be understandable if he takes a moment or two to compose himself.
The two-time former national champion (2011 and 2012) has had a tumultuous four years in the sport and there is much riding on this latest comeback — if he does well, he will secure a two-year pro card. If he does get it, the 33-year-old will have something to look forward to in the short-term. Something to cling on to after a couple of years from hell.
For the Gujarati suffers from a condition known as ‘Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease’. In layman’s terms, three of his discs in his neck (C5, C6 and C7) are damaged. Even as he explains his condition, the agony in his voice is clear.
“It doesn’t heal itself, I have to manage on my own by physiotherapy and so on.”
To rest up properly and gain some strength in his shoulders, he sat out from the sport from April 2018 before getting back to the table in January this year.
But there was a time in his life when he ignored the pain and the warning signs. “2014,” he says. “I kept playing when I shouldn’t have.” There was even a point that year when the pain was so brutal that he collapsed in his room in Manchester. But Mehta soldiered on, hopping from one arena to the next in search of challenges.
The initial diagnosis — or the lack thereof — did not help. “I consulted scores of doctors, chiropractors, physios… but nothing worked to be honest.”
When he had contemplated quitting the sport altogether last year, lady luck had finally decided to pay him a visit. A fellow Indian Oil athlete had recommended a sports physio and since then he has learned to control the pain in the neck area. “At the Worlds in 2018, I decided I couldn’t keep going like this any longer.”
Since coming back to the fold in January, he has already risen to No 3 in India apart from scalping Pankaj Advani in the final of the CCI Invitational in March. He knows he is not yet a 100 per cent but doesn’t want to waste time because Q school events take place only once a year. He isn’t expecting a miracle in Wigan but he has gone through an awful lot. For starters, he has had to change his stance to manage his pain properly.
“The cue usually is in contact with the chin when we line up to strike. Me? Not so much. I have been advised to keep a distance of at least four inches between my chin and my cue. It’s not that I don’t have the shots I had previously but it’s now a question of having to adapt.”
Reach the semifinals in one of the three qualifying events and he will get back to the promised land. If he does, he would have answered that question with aplomb.
I wish him the very best.
Infuriatingly, but alas unsurprisingly, Lucky Vatnani’s win over Zhang Yong started speculations about possible foul play – from Zhang – because the Chinese player was favourite with the bookies before being beaten soundly. I can’t help to wonder if such speculations would have been raised if Zhang was English (for instance). Anyway, they were killed in the bud when one Q-school player who was in the venue, and watched the match, firmly stated that it was all about Lucky playing “awesome”.
Finally there were wins for WSS players – who DO dare to dream – Simon Dent, David Lilley, Stuart Watson and Matt Couch.
So the prelude to the 2019/20 season starts today in Wigan
Sixteen players will come out of this eighteen days long process and get a our card for the next two seasons.
I’m not convinced that it’s the best process either.
being held in the UK only, and quite costly, it introduces a bias in favour of UK players from the start, a bias that will only be reinforced throughout the season by a qualifying system also hosted in the UK only. Non UK players face additional costs – travel and accommodations – and possible visa issues.
it’s a very short format. Not much time to settle for those unaccustomed to the conditions, therefore favouring the ex-pros over the newbies. It also means that just one slice of luck might have a decisive impact on the outcome of a match.
there are a lot of byes to the second round, effectively giving a free four points to those who benefit it. This might become critical when it comes to the order of merit. It’s even more critical now that four spots will be allocated via that order or merit. Plus the fact that it’s used to feed the “top-up” system all season long.
What’s the alternative? Lewis will tell us: a “Swiss system”. I agree with him but I doubt that the powers in charge will ever consider that. They – well most of them – probably don’t understand how that works, and, if I’m honest, I believe that most fans wouldn’t either.
Anyway, it’s what it is, and it starts now…
Good luck to all involved.
And … there are players in this draw that were pros this season and have won only two matches over the full last eleven months. They still have a massive advantage over the amateurs because they have been playing in the same conditions for two years. I’m not sure that’s right. I know that this will probably raise outrage, but I would be in favour to put a condition to a minimum of four or five wins during the last season to have a right to be allowed to the Q-school right away. I would rather give them a pass to the challenge tour and a year delay to reflect about whether or not they are really good enough to be professionals.
Ronnie was on the “This morning” ITV show earlier today … cooking a curry.
I found this account in the press (the Mirror) with some pictures.
Ronnie O’Sullivan swapped his cue for a frying pan today during a live cooking segment on This Morning.
The world snooker champion proved he is a dab hand in the kitchen as well as on the green baize.
Ronnie rustled up a chicken curry for presenters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, who admitted it was a “surreal” experience.
The presenter confessed: “This is surreal. I’m loving talking to you. This king of the green baize and there he is standing in the kitchen and we’re talking cooking.”
Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ admitted he struggled with his weight as a child but had lost two stone after meeting a nutritionist and fallen in love with cooking.
Ronnie O’Sullivan turned his hand to cooking in the This Morning kitchen(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Ruth pointed out that he was only using one hand(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Ronnie has released a new cook book, Top Of Your Game, which has Top Of Your Game, 70 recipes to cook for your best self.
Ruth did warn Ronnie to turn down the hob to make sure the food wouldn’t spit.
She also pointed out that he only uses one hand when cooking – and some viewers at home noticed as well.
The presenters tucked into Ronnie’s delicious meal, but Eamonn admitted the three of four person portion looked like two to him.
Ronnie was an ace in the kitchen(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Eamonn and Ruth were big fans(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
The Rocket revealed that he had weight problems in his childhood.
He explained: “I kind of always had a problem with my weight as a kid. I was a bit chubby and overweight and a lot of that had to do with being down the snooker club, a lot of fried food and that sort of stuff.
“Then obviously as I turned professional I realised to try and be the best I could be I tried to eat a bit healthy. I had awareness there was a good and bad side to eating. It just took over.
Then I got into running and that meant I could eat what I liked. I was slim. Then I got lots of injuries and couldn’t run so I piled on the weight. So I always had that fear as a kid I didn’t want to be too overweight.”
Ronnie struggled with his weight as a child(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX)
Well those who have seen him cooking with Rhiannon live on facebook will be able to reassure Ruth: he can and does use both hands when cooking. But then the Mirror wouldn’t be able make a story out of it 😉
Anyway, judge by yourself… here is the show!
MissingClip This Morning on ITV (17.05.2019.): from snooker pro to chef: Ronnie O’Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan 