Yesterday in Preston we had the last of the quarter-finals and the first of the semi-finals.

Ronnie beat John Higgins by 6-4 in the last quarter-finals and you can read all about that match here.

Neil Robertson beat Judd Trump by 6-4 in the first semi-final and he will be waiting for the winner of the second semi-final – Mark Allen v Ronnie – that is played tonight.

This is the report by Worldsnooker:

Friday 8 Mar 2019 10:55PM

Neil Robertson came from 3-1 down to beat Judd Trump 6-4 and reach the final of the Coral Players Championship, ending Trump’s chances of a potential £500,000 jackpot.

Robertson will face Ronnie O’Sullivan or Mark Allen over 19 frames in Preston on Sunday, with the winner to take the £125,000 top prize. Australia’s 37-year-old Robertson has already won the Riga Masters and Welsh Open this season and is aiming to win three ranking titles in a single campaign for the first time in his career.

Trump captured the Coral World Grand Prix crown last month and had been targeting the Coral Slam. Victory this week and at the Coral Tour Championship would have seen his total prize money for the series rounded up to £500,000. Bristol’s Trump has been arguably the player of the season so far, but tonight he let his grasp slip on the match after a strong start.

Breaks of 62 and 100 gave him the first two frames. Robertson pulled one back with a run of 71 but Trump dominated frame four with 47 and 48 to lead 3-1 at the interval.

Robertson’s fight back started with a superb 140 total clearance, the new front-runner for the £5,000 high break prize. In frame six, Trump had a chance to clear from 54-0 down, but after fluking the final yellow and potting the green, he missed the brown with the rest on 44.  Robertson took advantage to make it 3-3 , then won the seventh on the colours and made a 68 in the next to lead 5-3.

Trump pulled one back but his hopes were quashed in frame ten when Robertson potted a thumping long red to initiate a match-winning run of 59.

“At 3-1 down I had to keep my composure and keep cool under pressure,” said world number eight Robertson. “Judd looked in great touch and not much was going right for me. I had to keep believing in myself and show him I was up for the fight. He started to miss a few balls which he hadn’t done before the interval. Snooker is all about taking advantage of your opportunities.

“I won’t watch the other semi-final tomorrow, when I get a day off I prefer to chill out and forget about snooker. I’ll relax, do a bit of practice and get ready for the final.

“This will be my fourth ranking event final of the season so it has been a fantastic season whatever happens. It’s just so nice to have my game back so I can compete for all the big events and players are having to play really well to beat me which has not been the case in the last couple of years. I am really proud of the way I have turned things around.”

Tonight’s result means that eight of the 13 matches so far this week have finished with a 6-4 scoreline.

This match was again an illustration of the reasons why I’m not overawed by Judd Trump like so many seem to be. Is he THE player of the season? I don’t think so. He is one of the players of the season, along with Mark Allen who tops the one year list, Neil Robertson who like Judd has won two rankers this season, plus another final, and Ronnie who despite playing a “reduced calendar” has already won three titles, including the UK championship, and made it to two other finals. When he is in full flow, Judd looks unstoppable, but, as this match has shown once again, put him under pressure and doubts start to creep in, accuracy suffers, and he’s there for the taking. If Jack Lisowski had a better temperament, Judd wouldn’t even have been in this semi-final at all.

Here is Neal Foulds preview of the second semi final:

Ronnie beat John Higgins by 6-4 to book his place in the semi finals of the Players Championship 2019. It was a match in two parts. For the first three frames neither player looked able to control the cue ball and there wasn’t a single break over 50. Ronnie’s long potting had gone missing and he was leaving a tempter for John from each break-off. John’s long potting was better but he was missing unexpectedly in the balls. From what Ronnie said in his press conference the conditions were really difficult – the cushions being “pingy” – and they needed time to adapt.

In the last before the MSI John made a 96 and the match changed. After the MSI, Ronnie’s long potting was still poor, but he was focused, his safety was very good and he was very reliable in the balls. That made the difference. Ronnie had a 92 and two centuries. The last frame was very, very tense. Overall it was an enjoyable match for the neutral, it had a bit of everything.

Here are a few images, thanks to Tai Chengzhe. 

and the report by Worldsnooker:

Friday 8 Mar 2019 04:51PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan got the better of a battle of two of snooker’s all-time greats at the Coral Players Championship, beating John Higgins 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

The Rocket will face Mark Allen in the last four at the Preston Guild Hall in Saturday at 7pm, with the winner going through to Sunday’s final to compete for the £125,000 top prize (limited number of tickets still available, for details click here).

Just as he did after the opening round on Monday, O’Sullivan put on a comical Australian accent for his post match interviews. But on the table there are no distractions from the serious business as he seeks to defend this title and chases a fourth trophy of the season. The 43-year-old is also just three centuries away from a milestone achievement of 1,000 career tons.

Today’s meeting between O’Sullivan and Higgins was their 62nd since turning pro in 1992, with O’Sullivan now leading the head-to-head record 34-28.

It was a cagey start, the first three frames taking 52 minutes, without a break over 50. O’Sullivan took two of those, then Higgins got going with a run of 96 for 2-2.

After the interval, O’Sullivan stepped up a gear with 101 and 92 to go 4-2 up. Higgins responded with 65 and 61 to take the seventh frame, then O’Sullivan’s 116, his 997th career century, made it 5-3.

A scrappy ninth frame went to Wizard of Wishaw Higgins and he had a clear chance in the tenth but missed the pink to a top corner on 16. O’Sullivan replied with 53, and though he under-cut a frame-ball pot on the penultimate red to a centre pocket, he got another chance and potted the last red to seal the contest.

“It’s always a tough game with John, he’s a great player,” said five-time World Champion O’Sullivan. “I’m pleased to be in the next round. Mark Allen has had a very good season, winning two tournaments. I’ll have to play well.”

Today’s result means that Higgins cannot qualify for the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno later this month, as he had to win the title this week to earn a spot in North Wales. The top six players on the one-year ranking list (Mark Allen, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, O’Sullivan and Mark Williams) are sure of their places. Next week’s Gibraltar Open will see Stuart Bingham, Kyren Wilson and David Gilbert battle for the other two spots.

There is another aspect too: should Ronnie win this tournament, he would return to World n°1 in the provisional seeding that will count for the Crucible … maybe not for long as there are a lot of points for the grabs in Llandudno and he’s not going to China, but still.

Coverage:

Once again, I missed the action yesterday, completely this time!

So here are the reports by Worldsnooker:

Afternoon session:

Thursday 7 Mar 2019 05:54PM

Neil Robertson scored a 6-4 win over Mark Williams at the Coral Players Championship – then revealed he is on red alert as his partner could go into labour with their new baby at any moment.

Robertson and his fiancé Mille are due to have their second child on March 20th. And the Aussie hopes the baby will not come early while he is battling for the title this week in Preston. He faces Judd Trump in the semi-finals at the Guild Hall on Friday evening, needing just two more wins to take the £125,000 top prize (limited number of tickets still available, for details click here).

“If the baby comes early then I will have to dash off home, maybe Judd is hoping that happens!” said the 37-year-old. “It is strange, it could happen at any point and I have to prepare myself for that. The fortunate thing is that I’m in the UK and only a few hours drive away. Hopefully the baby will come when it is due in a couple of weeks.”

Robertson, who has been in fine form this season having won the Riga Masters and Welsh Open, lost the first two frames today against World Champion Williams, but then stormed back to take five in a row with top breaks of  63, 62, 95 and 75.

Welshman Williams made a 56 to take the next then got the better of a scrappy ninth frame to close to 5-4. And he had chances in the tenth but couldn’t take advantage. Robertson came to the table 17 points behind with the black, pink and baulk colours all safe on cushions. But he fashioned an excellent break of 54 by potting eight reds with blues, and that proved enough for victory.

“At 2-0 down it wasn’t looking good,” said 15-time ranking event winner Robertson. “I battled my way back to 2-2 then after the interval I managed to find some kind of rhythm. I was delighted to get through in the end.

“My game is really good. Myself and Judd are two form players. He is going for the big  jackpot (£500,000 prize money available for winning all three Coral Series events) but this tournament is big enough as it is so he won’t be thinking about that. It’s a chance to get to a final. He got me in the semi-finals of the Masters in a close one so hopefully I can return the favour.”

Evening session:

Thursday 7 Mar 2019 11:19PM

Mark Allen recovered a 3-0 deficit to beat Stuart Bingham 6-4 and reach the semi-finals of the Coral Players Championship in Preston.

Allen topped this season’s money list with £364,000 coming into this week and he is now guaranteed at least another £30,000 having made it to the last four at the Guild Hall. He will face either Ronnie O’Sullivan or John Higgins on Saturday evening  (limited number of tickets still available, for details click here).

Last month at the Coral World Grand Prix, Allen rashly conceded his match against Ali Carter when he was 3-1 down with 11 reds still on the table in the fifth frame. He admitted he had lost his appetite for snooker, but he has since regained his enthusiasm and tonight he showed determination in abundance as he fought back after a slow start.

Bingham raced into a 3-0 lead with top breaks of 71 and 76, before Allen hit back to take four frames in a row with top runs of 72, 108 and 54. Frame eight also looked like going Allen’s way until he ran out of position on 51 with two reds left, and Bingham later cleared for 4-4. Northern Ireland’s Allen regained the lead by taking frame nine with breaks of 35 and 29, then clinched victory in the next with a 75.

“I made a good break in the fourth frame which settled me down,” said 33-year-old Allen. “Stuart was on top before that, then after the interval it turned. Once I got back to 3-2 it was game on. I felt as if I played better than I have done in the last couple of tournaments, though there is still much improve on. I’m happy to win because Stuart is a very tough competitor.

“I have been fighting myself over the last few months. With a lot of chat on the phone to Terry (Griffiths) in the last week or two, I am in a better place now. I am giving it my all. I feel I am slowly coming into form and if I can keep improving match by match then I will be excited about my chances next month in Sheffield.

“No matter whether it’s Ronnie or John next, I know I am going to have to perform. They are two of the best three of all time in my opinion, along with Stephen Hendry. It will be a classic between those two tomorrow.”

It isn’t the first time in his career that Mark Allen has to battle depression and lack of motivation. Clearly Terry Griffiths is doing a great job in supporting him with the mental side of the sport.

For Stuart Bingham this defeat means that he will need to perform in Gibraltar and that his spot in the Tour Championship also depends on Kyren Wilson and David Gilbert results there. Kyren is only 500 points behind him. He would only need to go one round further than Stuart in Gibraltar  overcome him. David is 6000 points behind Stuart, which means that whatever happens David will need at least a semi final to catch up with him or Kyren, but in a rather depleted field it’s certainly not impossible.

And the there is John Higgins. He needs the title to get past any of the three above, but if he does he will get ahead of all three, meaning only one of them can still qualify for Llandudno. John faces Ronnie this afternoon, he seems to get back to form and Ronnie always finds it difficult against John. Should John win he would face Mark Allen next, and then possibly Judd Trump or Neal Robertson.

Day 2 in Preston saw wins from Mark Willams, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski. Mark Williams is returning to form as was to be expected with the Crucible starting next month. There were still a few unexpected misses here and there – and Ali didn’t punish him – but overall he was very good. Judd Trump did play some incredible balls in a total demolition of Jimmy Robertson. The truth however is that Jimmy Robertson didn’t give him any sort of opposition. In frame 3, Judd missed a red in the top right pocket and looked shell-shocked for a split second. All reds were in the open, no ball was safe and there was more than enough on the table. At that level you would expect your opponent to clear, but Jimmy didn’t and Judd made it 3-0. That must have given him all the confidence he needed that his opponent wasn’t going to punish him. Again in frame 5, Judd needed four visits to win it, Jimmy had chances, didn’t take any. Personally, I’m not so sure how the match would have gone, had Jimmy taken frame 3, as he should have, and maybe planted seeds of doubt in Judd’s mind. Jack Lisowki beat Kyern Wilson quite convincingly: Kyren continues to struggle.

Here are the reports by Worldsnooker:

Afternoon session:

Tuesday 5 Mar 2019 05:32PM

Neil Robertson and Mark Williams will go head to head in the quarter-finals of the Coral Players Championship, as they both came through their first round matches on Tuesday.

Robertson, in action for the first time since he won the Welsh Open in February, scored a 6-3 win over Joe Perry in Preston. The Melbourne native was content with his own performance, but less impressed by the Australian accent used by Ronnie O’Sullivan in his post-match interview on Monday night.

“Ronnie’s Aussie accent was way off, I don’t know what it was,” said Robertson. “You have to go deep into the bushes to find something like that back home. He could do with watching a bit more Chopper Read or some Aussie films to improve his accent.”

World number eight Robertson took a 5-2 lead over Perry with top breaks of 80, 107 and 101. Perry pulled one back and had chances in frame nine, crucially missing the final yellow when he looked set to make it 5-4. A relieved Robertson took advantage to seal victory.

“There were a couple of tactical frames but in the others I had some good breaks,” said Robertson. “Joe struggled a bit early on so I knew I had to get a good lead. It looked like going 5-4 in the end so I was pleased to finish it off.

“After the Welsh Open I had four or five days off to recharge the batteries. It’s a big part of the season coming up with massive tournaments, all at really good venues which is exciting, that’s what we play the game for.

“This event is the top 16 on the one year list so it’s the players in form, even more so than the Masters. A lot of the players in the field have won titles this season. It will be really tough to win. It’s fantastic to have best of 11 matches from the first round.”

On Thursday afternoon he’ll be up against Williams, who scored a 6-2 victory over Ali Carter. World Champion Williams has struggled to find his best form in recent months, admitting his dedication to practice has wavered. But breaks of 118, 131, 51, 70 and 79 today suggested he has regained his appetite, with the defence of his Crucible crown just a few weeks away.

Williams is close to guaranteeing a place at the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno later this month which is only for the top eight players on the one-year ranking list – for more on that raceclick here.

“That’s probably the best I have played all season,” said the Welshman. “I felt good out there, I have been practising hard for the last few weeks and it showed. My break building was good, my safety was good and I enjoyed it.

“My main aim this season was to qualify for the Tour Championship, I am on the border of doing that now. I won a tournament at the start of the season (the Yushan World Open) which almost put me into Llandudno and that was my downfall because I haven’t played much since.”

Evening session:

Tuesday 5 Mar 2019 10:42PM

Judd Trump crushed Jimmy Robertson 6-0 at the Coral Players Championship and is now just six wins away from a possible £500,000 pay-day.

Trump is through to the quarter-finals in Preston for a Wednesday evening showdown with close friend Jack Lisowski, who beat Kyren Wilson 6-4.

Bristol’s 29-year-old Trump won the Coral World Grand Prix last month, one of three events in the 2019 Coral Snooker Series, along with this week’s tournament and the new Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno later in March. If he captures all three trophies to complete the Coral Slam, he’ll have his prize money for those events rounded up from £375,000 to a massive £500,000.

And the world number five looked at the peak of his powers tonight as he whitewashed Robertson in just 81 minutes. Breaks of 105, 71, 50, 104 and 115 helped him to an emphatic victory.

“I started off well, scored heavily and my long potting was good,” said Trump, who has also won the Masters and Northern Ireland Open this season. “When you are winning tournaments, playing well and practising hard, you can relax from the start of matches, rather than worrying about how you are going to play as I have done in the past.

“This is an enjoyable period of the season with a lot of big tournaments and a lot of prize money. I really enjoy playing when there are one or two tables and longer matches, the atmosphere is a bit more special and there is prestige attached to these events.

“Jack has been consistent this season and when he wins his first title he will shoot up the rankings and you’ll see another level to his game.”

Asked about the possible £500,000 jackpot, he added: “Six matches is less than you would need to win a home nations event so it is reasonably close. But to do it I’ve got to beat six top players so it will be tough. If I can keep playing consistently the same way I will have a chance, or at least it will take someone playing unbelievably well to beat me.”

Lisowski reached the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the sixth time this season with an impressive display against Wilson.

From 1-0 down, world number 15 Lisowski took five of the next six frames with top runs of 50, 65, 121 and 59 to lead 5-2.  Wilson won a scrappy eighth frame then made an 83 for 5-4. But a superb pot on a red to a centre pocket early in frame ten set Lisowski up for a match-winning 110.

“I felt pretty calm,” said 27-year-old Lisowski. “I have been working on a few things to calm me down in the big arena. I managed to keep my concentration in front of the cameras. I’ve got great people around me and I’m listening to them to try to get better.

“I let Kyren off the hook a bit at 5-2 and it nearly cost me because he’s a great competitor and he wasn’t fazed by being behind. So in the end it was nice to pot a good red, get a bit of luck and make a century. My season has gone a bit quiet for the last few months so I’m not too high on confidence but I’m happy to be in another quarter-final.”

He and Trump are set to meet for the fourth time this season. Lisowski has only won one of the previous three, though that was also a best-of-11 meeting, at the International Championship when he scored a 6-2 success.

“He’s pretty much the best player in the world at the moment so it doesn’t get any harder than” said Lisowski, before heading with Trump to a late night pancake house in Preston. “If he has an off day and I can score then anything is possible. I’m looking forward to it.

“We’re so used to playing each other, we know it’s tough but we’re mates anyway. We’ll get some pancakes now then I’ll ignore him all day tomorrow.”

Today Mark Selby takes on John Higgins and it’s a hard one to predict: neither Selby nor Higgins have played their best snooker recently, and Higgins did go deep in India last week and might still be tired. Also Stuart Bingham and David Gilbert will meet in a match that may well decide who of the two will be in Llandudno. Stuart looked the stronger recently.

Later, in the evening, we will have the first quarter-final. Judd Trump will play Jack Lisowski and Jack has a good record against Judd.

Yesterday evening saw the start of the Players Championship in Preston. The number one seed, Mark Allen and the Defending Champion, Ronnie, were in action and both came out the winners.

Here is the report by Worldsnooker:

Monday 4 Mar 2019 10:55PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan battled to a 6-4 win over Barry Hawkins in the first round of the Coral Players Championship in Preston.

Defending champion O’Sullivan is through to the quarter-finals at the Guild Hall and will face Mark Selby or John Higgins on Friday afternoon (tickets still available – click here for details).

O’Sullivan may have been on top on the table, but he went Down Under for a post match interview, putting on his best Australian accent. “It was a very tough match and he made me work hard for it,” he said. “I’m just so pleased to get through in the end. It was a tough match against a tough opponent.”

World number three O’Sullivan started superbly with a break of 106, the 995th century of his career. Runs of 80 and 51 put him 3-0 ahead before Hawkins pulled one back with a 104.

After the interval, O’Sullivan made a 74 to go 4-1 up then shared the next two to lead 5-2. Hawkins battled back strongly with 65 and 110 to close to 5-4. But O’Sullivan, chasing his fourth title of the season, closed out victory in frame ten with a run of 64.

Mark Allen, the number one seed for this tournament as he tops the one-year rankings, eased into the quarter-finals with a 6-2 win over Stephen Maguire.

Breaks of 67 and 61 helped put Allen 5-0 ahead. Maguire pulled two back with 63 and 77 before Northern Irishman Allen settled the result with a 66 in frame eight.

“Playing Stephen is not very nice because he’s one of my best mates,” said Allen, winner of two ranking titles this season. “It’s good to get the win and move on. I was patchy, I made breaks at crucial times. There are plenty of positives to take though Stephen wasn’t at his best.

“I’m not quite where I want to be with my game. I didn’t play in India or the Shoot Out and I’m not going to play in Gibraltar so I’ve got time to prepare for the big tournaments. Something I have struggled with in recent years is finding the balance in terms of which tournaments to play in. Last year I was struggling to stay in the top 16 so I had to play in everything. Now I can pick and choose more but that brings its own pressure because you’re missing tournaments that others are playing in.”

Allen now meets Stuart Bingham or David Gilbert on Thursday evening. He added: “They are two of the in form players who have got to finals this season. They are both probably playing snooker than I am but I have belief in my ability.”

Here is the coverage of Ronnie’s match:

And Ronnie’s Ozzie interview with the sponsor … who, going by their reaction on twitter found it hilarious! The vowed that Ronnie would never change!

It wasn’t an easy match for Ronnie who got a bit frustrated as splits wouldn’t work and balls ran awkwardly. There was also a lengthy replacement of the balls after he failed to escape from a snooker. The referee was Terry Camilleri and it’s not the first time that Ronnie isn’t happy with Terry’s relative slow going when replacing balls.

Overall it was a good match though. There were nine breaks over 50 in the ten frames they played. Ronnie had one century, Barry had two and still lost. Ronnie isn’t really match sharp just yet, but he’s through and with the opportunity to improve and go further.

I can’t comment on the other match as I didn’t see anything about it.

This is what we have today

Judd Trump has possibly the easiest first-round match of the whole lot. I expect him to win easily. Neil Robertson should go through as well. Mark Williams v Ali Carter is harder to call. Willo hasn’t played great and Ali will be motivated as he needs the points if he wants to avoid having to qualify for the Crucible. Kyren Wilson seems to have a dip in form and Jack Lisowski is unpredictable. So no predictions from me on that one!