Month: October 2019

Snooker News – 13.10.2019

Monique Snooker

As the players get ready for the first of the Home Nations tournaments, the English Open, the focus is understandably on that event. There are however other snooker news worth a mention.

Malta to Host New World Snooker Federation Championships

12th October 2019

  • Luo Honghao wins trophy

The World Snooker Federation (WSF) and Malta Billiards & Snooker Association (MBSA) are today delighted to jointly announce the staging of the new WSF Championships as major amateur events providing qualification to the professional tour.

Two events will be held from 4-17 January 2020 at the Malta Snooker Academy and the San Antonio Hotel, the World Snooker Federation Junior Open (for players aged 17 and under) and the World Snooker Federation Open (All age groups). Both competitions will be open to players of all nationalities and both men and women equally, with the winner of each tournament to earn a two-year tour card to the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2020/21 season.

Each recognised National Snooker Federation will be given the opportunity to nominate two players to each event for their national champions and top ranked players. This respects the valuable contribution many National and Regional Federations make to the development of talented players. In addition to these nominations, direct entries will then be accepted from players online, making this a truly open event for all players around the world who have aspirations to carve out a career in our sport.

Jason Ferguson, WSF President said: “This groundbreaking new open format for world level amateur events is a significant step forward to ensure we are a sport for all. The WSF are thrilled that this season’s tour qualifying events will be open to all, regardless of nationality, age or gender. Only the best in the world will make it to the World Snooker Tour.

“I am particularly proud that the WSF is developing a focus on junior talent. It is fundamental to the future of our sport that the next generation of talented players are presented with playing opportunities at world level with the unlimited prize of full graduation to the professional sport.

“I would like to extend my thanks to our friends at the MBSA who have once again shown us fantastic support during the planning of this tournament. Our inaugural Championships held in Malta back in 2018 were a real success and it is testament to the quality of the team in Malta that when the opportunity arose to return there for this tournament that we did not hesitate to say yes.”

Frans Bugeja, MBSA President said: “We are delighted to welcome the WSF back to Malta for these prestigious events. We look forward to building upon the success of last year’s great Championships and to see who will follow in the footsteps of 2018 champion Luo Honghao by lifting the open title.”

How to enter

It is anticipated that entry for both events will open during the week commencing 21st October. Confirmation of the entry process will be distributed to all national federations and posted on our website and social media platforms as soon as possible.

Entry for the WSF International Junior Open will be open to players 17 or under up to and including 31 December 2019.

The entry deadline for each event will be 8 December 2019 at midnight.

This is of course good news. When the first WSF event was played in Malta nearly two years ago, it created a lot of hopes and expectations. Unfortunately they didn’t really materialise until now. This time there is no Women nor Seniors event, the focus clearly set on the Juniors. The only concern I have is about the hotel, which is quite a luxury and expensive one. Hopefully the event being played in the winter the prices will be “softer” than what is their usual standard otherwise this might be a real hurdle for some juniors in particular. Of course, setting up a number of snooker tables, in good conditions, requires space and adequate environment, which this type of hotel is usually able to offer.

Worldsnooker has published the resised draw and format for the Yushan World Open

The draw and format for the Zhiyuan Huanbao Yushan World Open following the completion of the qualifiers is now available.

Click here for the draw

Click here for the format

The world ranking event runs from October 28 to November 3 in China

Basically they added the wilcards to the draw. Ronnie will play his held-over match against Dominic Dale on the opening day in the afternoon – morning in Europe. Should he win he will play Fergal O’Brien the next day, in the afternoon again. Hopefully, Ronnie will be able to fly to China a few days ahead as to get over the worst of the jet-lag.

Finally, the Women were playing a competition in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Masters. 

It was Bex Kenna who won it – her first title – beating Bai Yulu, a 16 years old from China, in the Final. The score was 4-1. Bai Yulu has been mentioned a few times on this site by Lewis who is our “China expert”. She plays along the men in the CBSA events. Bex – as she mentions in the above article – came quite late to the snooker and her progress has been truly remarkable. She played in her local league but faced a sexist attitude in some clubs who wouldn’t allow her to play in their premices. She fought – still fights – for herself and all the female players and is a great promoter of the Women’s game. Well done Bex!

The 2019 English Open starts tomorrow…

Monique Snooker

And the fitters have been hard at work at the K2

From what I understood, despite vilifying Ronnie for his comments last year – comments that David Hendon, who was on site , confirmed to be justified to a reasonable extend – Worldsnooker has adressed some of the issues he mentioned, notably by making sure that players don’t have to cross areas where the public are enjoying other activities when on their way to and back from their matches. There also seem to be plenty of practice tables this time.

There will be an interesting  fanzone as well (Worldsnooker)

Fans coming to next week’s 19.com English Open at K2 Crawley will be able to enjoy free coaching, a chance to play our official video game…and much more!

A new FanZone in the lower foyer at the venue will include:

Two mini tables from our official table supplier Star Xing Pai, with free tips and advice from WPBSA Coaching Consultant Chris Lovell. This runs from 9am to 7pm from Monday to Thursday and 11am to 7pm on Friday to Sunday.

An Instagram Wall where fans can have their pictures taken, with the best ones shared on our official account. Open all day.

Two gaming pods where fans can play our fantastic official video game Snooker19 which was launched earlier this year to worldwide acclaim. This runs from 9am to 7pm from Monday to Thursday and 11am to 7pm on Friday to Sunday.

Also don’t miss the chance to buy an official programme and radio earpiece from our vendors in the foyer.

World Snooker’s Event Director Katie Oldfield said: “We are making a range of innovations to the Home Nations Series this season including a new dress code for the players, a new Snooker Radio service, and the FanZone at the venue.

“This is all about improving the fan experience for anyone who comes to the venue and wants to enjoy the whole occasion as well as the snooker itself.

“Fans of any age can come along and find out what our sport is all about, and the free coaching is a great ch

And more ways to follow how the tournament unfolds via the Snooker Radio (Worldsnooker).

Our new Snooker Radio service, to launch next week at the 19.com English Open, will give fans around the world the chance to keep up with the latest news and results.

Snooker Radio will be available via this website for free, and also on a second channel on the commentary earpieces on sale at the venue in Crawley.

Presented by expert analysts Hector Nunns and Michael McMullan, Snooker Radio will include commentary from table two at the 19.com English Open (the first channel on the earpieces provides commentary on table one) as well as information on latest scores and results on the other tables, plus live interviews with players and other guests.

Just visit this website next Monday (October 14) and you’ll find a link to listen to Snooker Radio, from anywhere in the world. We hope fans enjoy this new service!

Listening to last week interviews, I don’t have the feeling that Ronnie is confident. It’s only normal considering that he hasn’t played much at all this season and will lack match sharpness. The short format will not help. He is also bound to play two very hard matches early in the competition: a last 64 against Yuan Sijun or Igor Figueiredo and a last 32 possibly against Hossein Vafaei. But of course he needs to beat Jamie O’Neil first.

Fingers crossed. Good luck Ronnie!

An interesting interview with Ronnie ahead of the 2019 English Open

Monique Interview

Big thanks to Bernd Wütherish who pointed this interview to me! It’s very interesting indeed. I never heard about the total clearance podcasts before but, although my knowledge of the German language is very limited, I intend to try to follow their work.

here is the interview:

So Ronnie seems to be set to play at the UK Championship, which is good news.

I’m a bit surprised about his reluctance regarding the Masters. Usually he seemed to love this one because he had just to pitch and play. But it is true that over the years more and more “celebrities” came along , claiming frienship with him, to try and get (free) access to the tournament and the players room. It’s both a distraction and a burden. It’s sometimes difficult to say no.

He skilfully swerved the question about the World…

He also seems to be prepared to play some qualifiers, if needed, to go to Chinese events. That’s a change of mindset.

His criteria for “greatness” are quite “demanding” … and he names John Higgins amongst the greats although he doesn’t meet those criteria. 😉 But I agree with him, Judd Trump still has everything to prove, and Mark Selby’s dominance lasted four years and he was truly dominant during that period. However Neil Robertson has more ranking tittles than Mark Selby and nobody puts him in that “greatest” bracket. Whatever … it’s a pub debate, and comparing eras is always perilous and generally not meaningful.

And he wasn’t aware of the Home Series dress code… 😁

 

Championship League Snooker 2020 (!) – Groups 1 and 2

Monique Professional snooker tournament

The Championship League Snooker usually starts early January. This season, due to the congested schedule at the start of next year, it started this week. Groups 1 and 2 were played in Leicester from last Monday, till yesterday.

Neil Robertson won Group 1 (Worldsnooker)

Neil Robertson fought back from 2-0 down to defeat Ryan Day 3-2 in the Group One final of BetVictor Championship League Snooker and become the first player to make it through to Winners’ Group.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker is broadcast on a host of betting websites and on zhibo.tv, one of the biggest sports streaming platforms in China.

Day raced to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five final at Morningside Arena in Leicester, making a break of 126 in the second frame. Robertson hit back with a 79 and capitalised in the fourth to draw level after Day had missed opportunities to see out the match. Robertson then made a decisive 56 break to take the fifth frame 80-1.

“It wasn’t going too well for me yesterday and I lost my first two group matches,” said Robertson, who won £6,100 during the group. “From that point on you’re trying to scrape through and maybe take fifth but today I played much better. If I’d lost to Mark Selby yesterday I’d probably have been out but that gave me a chance and I played much better today.

“I am really pleased to get through. Ryan was looking good at 2-0 up and cruising but he missed a tough black and I was able to capitalise.”

Having earned £4,800 during Group 1, Day has now won over £100,000 from Championship League Snooker since its inception in 2008.

Barry Hawkins had topped the group table having won all six of his league phase matches, but lost 3-0 in the semi-finals to Day, who had scraped into the final four having won one frame more than Jack Lisowski. Robertson beat Mark Selby in the deciding frame of their best-of-five semi-final. Selby took the group high break prize of £500 for his 131 against Neil Robertson in the group phase.

Having finished fifth in the round-robin group table, Lisowski will return to compete in Group Two tomorrow, along with Day, Hawkins and Selby. They are joined by three new players; Stuart Bingham, Gary Wilson and Kyren Wilson.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker is a venture between Matchroom Sport and Perform where 25 of the game’s elite players compete for their share of a total prize pot of up to £205,000.

Group Two continues at 11am on Wednesday. For live scores click here and for group fixtures and results go to http://www.championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk

Semi-Finals
Barry Hawkins 0-3 Ryan Day
17-75, 1-68 (Day 68), 25-71

Neil Robertson 3-2 Mark Selby
15-81 (Selby 77), 111-0 (Robertson 111), 88-4 (Robertson 59), 64-75 (Selby 52), 69-9 (Robertson 50)

Group Final
Ryan Day 2–3 Neil Robertson
63-24, 126-8 (Day 126), 49-85 (Robertson 79), 38-50, 1-80 (Robertson 56)

Here are the full GR1 results on snooker.org

Stuart Bingham won Group 2 (Worldsnooker)

Stuart Bingham defeated Mark Selby 3-1 in the Group Two final to join Neil Robertson in the Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker.

The Essex potter came third in the round-robin group phase with four wins from his six matches to set-up a semi-final clash with tournament debutant Gary Wilson, who he then defeated 3-0 with breaks of 96, 108 and 118.

Bingham, who won Championship League in 2015 before going on to win the World Championship later that season, met Selby in the group final after the Leicester man defeated Kyren Wilson 3-1 in his semi-final.

‘Ball-Run’ Bingham took the first frame of the final but was pegged back by Selby. However, the Essex man took the subsequent two frames to secure victory and a place in March’s big-money Winners’ Group.

“Something clicked today,” said Bingham, who now heads to Crawley to defend his 19.com English Open title. “My manager said ‘whatever you had for dinner, put it on the menu and we’ll have it all the time’ because after dinner I hardly missed a ball.

“I got through to the Winners’ Group last year and have won the tournament before, so it’s nice now to be able to look forward to coming back for the final group.

“I feel like I have been playing pretty well recently. There have been a couple of bad results here and there but all-in-all beating the likes of Gary Wilson and Mark in the final shows that my game is there.”

Staged at Morningside Arena, Leicester, BetVictor Championship League Snooker is broadcast on a host of betting websites and on zhibo.tv, one of the biggest sports streaming platforms in China.

Selby, Gary Wilson, Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins, who finished fifth on the group table, will now return for Group Three later this month, where they will be joined by Ali Carter, Graeme Dott and David Gilbert. Having finished sixth and seventh respectively in Group Two, Ryan Day and Jack Lisowski are eliminated from the competition.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker is a venture between Matchroom Sport and Perform where 25 of the game’s elite players compete for their share of a total prize pot of up to £205,000.

Semi-Finals
Mark Selby 3-1 Kyren Wilson
95-0 (94), 133-0 (133), 8-96 (58), 65-56 (Selby 54)

 Stuart Bingham 3-0 Gary Wilson
104-36 (96), 109-19 (108), 126-1 (118)

Final
Stuart Bingham 3-1 Mark Selby
68-28, 1-70 (61), 74-51, 92-0 (92)

Here are the full GR2 results on snooker.org

I have very mixed feelings about this competition. This is a tournament tailor made for the bookies and only shown on bookies websites. It’s also a tournament where players can earn more money by losing cleverly, and playing in successive groups, than by winning. On the other hand, because of the nature of the competition and it’s “elite” field, it often produced very entertaining matches where players really go for their shots and show the full extend of their skills. It also used to have good commentary by the likes od David Hendon and Clive Everton. Unfortunately, this time, I was not able to see a single ball of it.

Are the results an indication of the players form ahead of the English Open next week? I’m not sure. In 2010, Ronnie and Mark Selby played in Group 2, the week before the Masters. They finished at the two last places after the round-robin phase and were relegated. The next week, the two played each other in the Final of the Masters…

Nevertheless, clearly Stuart Bingham and Neil Robertson are in good form. But what do we make of Ryan Day, reaching the final in Group 1 and being relegated in Group 2? Or of Barry Hawkins, not losing a round-robin match in Group 1 and just avoiding relegation in Group 2?

Ronnie supporting World Mental Health Day

Monique Live

Today is World Mental Health day and Ronnie, whose struggles with depression are well documented, posted this on twitter

Getting something off your chest is more important than winning any championship. I’ve always strived to be open about my mental health and in support of #WorldMentalHealthDay

I’m encouraging you to talk as well.

@samaritans

are always there to listen.

https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/real-people-real-stories/

If, like me, you are sometimes fed up reading countless posts on social media every day about depression, anxiety, phobia, disorders of all kind, if like me, you sometimes have a feeling that the mental health topic has gone from being a tabboo – something people had to be ashamed about – to being “in fashion”, today is the day to remember that for many this subject remains difficult, that their pain is real, that it’s important that people who suffer feel safe to talk and to ask for help. And, maybe also, to stress that for those who live with a sufferer, it can be extremely difficult and challenging – I know that first hand – and, they too, may need help, support and professional advice and should be encourage to seek it.

An interview with Luo Honghao about playing Ronnie, getting to the Crucible, untimely bout of allergy and more.

Monique Interview

http://www.worldsnooker.com/luo-playing-osullivan-was-unforgettable/

Chinese ace Luo Honghao is looking forward to returning to Crawley for next week’s 19.com English Open, having reached the quarter-finals last year.

Luo, 19, enjoyed a promising debut season on the pro tour in 2018/19, highlighted by his fine run in Sussex as well as a first appearance at the Crucible.

At K2 Crawley he beat four players including Anthony McGill and Neil Robertson, then pushed Ronnie O’Sullivan hard in the quarter-finals. Luo led the Rocket 3-2 but eventually lost 5-3.

“My dream as a young child came true, to play against O’Sullivan at a venue,” said Luo. “There were so many spectators watching me play. It’s an unforgettable memory and I wish to experience more of the same.

“Ronnie is a nice person. We added each other on WeChat and talked a lot. I sent him clips of myself playing piano. What I need to learn from him is his perseverance and determination. He used to run 10km a day and practise for ten hours without touching his phone. You have to say ‘no’ to socialising and dedicate yourself to the game – I don’t think many players can really do that.”

Luo went on to qualify for the final stages of the World Championship in April. His Crucible experience was one to forget as he lost 10-0 to Shaun Murphy –  becoming only the second player to be whitewashed at the Sheffield venue – though there were mitigating circumstances.

“After the qualifiers finished, Lu Ning treated everyone a big sea food dinner and I had a lot,” Luo explained. “I wasn’t aware that I was allergic to some of the food, so I got a high fever that night. I wasn’t able to pot a ball the next day.

“I was hoping that Shaun Murphy wouldn’t be at his best so I could have some chances, but he made a lot of breaks. To lose 10-0 was a disaster but I can’t say I could have done better. You can’t give up because of one heavy defeat. Even players like Mark Selby have lost bad matches and they are so much better than me.”

Luo has made a strong start to his second pro season, notably reaching the quarter-finals of the Kasperksy Riga Maters, and is determined to improve the areas he perceives as his weaknesses.

“I don’t think there are problems with my technique, the issue is about psychology,” said the world number 69. “I often don’t start matches well. I find the first match in a tournament the most difficult one. And if I win the first frame in a match, I settle down immediately.

“By competing with the top players you learn fast, your technique and strategy will improve. I’d like to think my scoring is as good as most players but I need a stronger tactical game. The champions have a better mindset going into matches because they have experienced everything and there’s not much to prove, so they might be able to enjoy it a bit more. The results don’t bother me too much but I want to perform to my ability.”

An accomplished pianist, Luo is nicknamed The Virtuoso. “I love snooker and I love music too,” he added. “I once considered playing music professionally. If I could enjoy a successful snooker career, winning lots of titles, I might as well juggle it with a bit of music.”

Luo plays Sam Craigie in the first round of the 19.com English Open in Crawley. The event runs from October 14-20 and features kings of the baize including O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Williams, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy. Tickets are still available and start at just £10 – for details click here. 

Lovely really, and once again showing a side of Ronnie that the ones who don’t like him choose to ignore. Very unfortunate for the young man what happened at the Crucible. He will be back, I’m sure.

 

Ronnie makes a 147 in Bucharest (5.10.2019)

Monique Snooker exhibition ,

ROSReanneRomania5.10.2019

Ronnie and Reanne Evans played an exhibition in Circus Globul Bucharest last night.

At the start of the event, Ronnie payed tribute to Marius Ancuta, who sadly passed away in July last year; he was only 52. Marius was the Romanian “Mister Snooker”, Eurosport commentator, MC and passionate about the sport. He was the face of snooker in Romanian media.

Ronnie then played two local amateurs.

After a short break, the match with Reanne started and then this happened!

Thanks to Dana Motruna

Thanks to Jason Francis

Thanks to Ionut Gabriel

And …

O’Sullivan makes a maximum break 147 against Reanne Evans in Bucharest! 5.10.2019

This was probably the first ever 147 made in Romania! Alex Crisan was the man in white gloves.

Ronnie won the match by 4-2. There was no other century. Reanne has a chance to have one but a kick when she was on 79, with two reds left, ruined it.

Two more frames found …

Here are some pictures …