Year: 2020

2020 Champion of Champions – Neil Robertson wins Group 1

Monique Snooker

Before it started yesterday came the rather last-minute announcement that 888Sport is the event sponsor.

Also, this amasing little video was shared on social media. It’s a time-lapse of the arena “building” process. It has to be said, the arena looks great.

CofC2020MarshalArena

Here is the report on the action as publised on the event site.

ROBERTSON THUNDERS INTO 888SPORT CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SEMI-FINALS

GROUP 1
Group Semi-Finals
Neil Robertson 4-0 Jimmy White
101-7 (101), 118-9 (115), 81-5 (85), 80-10 (59)

John Higgins 3-4 Ding Junhui
103-0 (69), 111-0 (111), 48-77 (51), 48-87 (67), 108-0 (61), 1-84 (77), 51-64 (51)

Group Final
Neil Robertson 6-4 Ding Junhui
35-94 (93), 139-0 (139), 62-63, 65-57, 120-4 (104), 69-41 (62), 57-79 (56), 32-100 (51), 70-63, 76-34

Defending champion Neil Robertson beat Ding Junhui 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals of the 888sport Champion of Champions at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, live on ITV4.

Robertson had earlier defeated Jimmy White 4-0 in his Group 1 semi-final, before overcoming Ding’s resistance in the group final. The Thunder From Down Under made four centuries during the day and at times looked at his break-building best. However, some uncharacteristic errors allowed Ding to steal on more than one occasion before Robertson eventually prevailed.

The defending champion will now face either Mark Selby, Kyren Wilson, Stephen Maguire or Luca Brecel in the tournament semi-finals on Friday evening.

“I made a couple of centuries in the match and a couple of other breaks and looked good in amongst the balls but just allowed some frames to drag on a little bit,” said Robertson. “I missed a couple of tricky reds to the middle where I would have killed the frames off much earlier and we should probably be talking about winning the game 6-2.

“Ding fought back in a lot of the frames and won some on the colours, so I had to hold my nerve a little bit, especially with that black at 4-4 which I had to play with a lot of pace. I’m really pleased with how I finished it off out there.

“It’s quite early in the season and we aren’t used to playing two matches in one day with the best of seven in the afternoon and a best of 11 in the evening, that’s quite a lot of snooker to play. I think at times I just drifted in and out of concentration.

“I have a great record in this event, won it twice and this will be my fifth semi-final. I love this tournament, all the players do and to be defending champion and get to the semi-finals is a really good defence so far.”

Ding took the opening frame of the match with a 93, but Robertson hit back with his 21st century of the season; a 139 total clearance to level at 1-1.

After that, though, Robertson struggled and missed pots in both the third and fourth frames which handed Ding opportunities. The Chinese star took a 2-1 lead, but a miss of his own on the green brought

Robertson back to the table in the fourth. The Australian then missed the brown, but ran safe and when play opened up, The Thunder From Down Under made three great shots to level; first a long brown, then a perfectly cut pink before a tricky black for the frame.

Robertson gained the lead for the first time in the match after the interval when he made his fourth century of the day, a 104. His lead was then doubled in the next thanks to a frame-winning break of 62.

A missed red to the middle saw Robertson break down on 56 in the seventh, and Ding capitalised to half the deficit. As was before the interval, Robertson was presenting this opponent with chances, and Ding grasped another to pull the match back to 4-4.

The ninth frame proved to be the longest of the match. Both players missed chances before Robertson eventually won it on the black to move within one of the semi-finals, and he completed the job with a frame to spare.

Earlier, Robertson had defeated White 4-0 in under an hour, making breaks of 101, 115, 81 and 59 to beat the World Seniors Champion.

In the second semi-final John Higgins became only the second player in snooker history, after Ronnie O’Sullivan, to make 800 century breaks as he moved 2-0 up on Ding, only to see the Chinese star win four of the last five frames to advance with a 4-3 win.

The 888sport Champion of Champions continues on Tuesday with Group 2, featuring World No.1 Judd Trump against Stuart Bingham and Shaun Murphy facing David Gilbert in the Group 2 semi-finals.

The above report’s focus is on the Group Final. Here is my take on the afternoon matches.

I found the first match on the day painful to watch. Jimmy White had at least a chance in every frame. He wasn’t able to pot more than a few balls in a row. The ITV pundits insisted that he has a right to be there and that everyone on the main tour respects and admires him for what he brought to the sport, and for his genuine love of the game, despite years of disappointments. But, eventually, they had to say it: he’s no more capable of competing at the required level to stand any chance in a tournament like this one.

In contrast, I was very please with Ding’s performance and attitude all day.

In the second afternoon match, John Higgins lead by 2-0 and, in the third frame, was first  in again. At that point he had scored about 250 unanwered points. Often in the past, when facing similar circumstances in a match, Ding had looked like he was giving up. Not this time. He fought back, and eventually prevailed in the match, winning most of the safety battles when the game became scrappy. That, against John Higgins, is no mean feat.

 

 

Another amazing statistic and something to read…

Monique Professional snooker tournament, Snooker ,

The 2020 Champion of Champions starts today, with the defending champion, Neil Robertson in action.

And, as this elite tournament is about to start,  another great Ronnie statistic has emerged:

ROSTop8-16TournamentsStatswithTweet

Ronnie has played 51 “elite” tournaments for the best 8-16 players only in the last  20 seasons since the 2000/01 and he has won 28 (55 %) of them. He also reached 37 (73 %) finals and won 76 % of them. 

Quite extraordinary really.

While you wait for the snooker to start here is something to read: issue 7 of “The Chalk” is out.

Some serious / nice / fun Ronnie stuff

Monique Eurosport, Interview ,

Let’s start with the serious stuff.

Ronnie spoke to Eurosport about Marcus Rashford and his campaign to help disadvantaged children who suffer from hunger in the UK.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN: ‘MARCUS RASHFORD HAS RUN RINGS AROUND GOVERNMENT, THEY’VE GOT IT BADLY WRONG’

By Desmond Kane

Ronnie O’Sullivan has joined the growing chorus of support for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford’s “fantastic” campaign for free school meals. The six-times defending world snooker champion feels it should be used as part of a wider movement to end the scourge of hunger and homelessness in the UK.

The superficial thirst for success in professional sport is left trailing by the very real hunger for social justice. The very real chance to affect meaningful change in society.
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford and world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan are among the favourites for this year’s Sports Personality of the Year award – and both sing from the same hymn sheet in calling for an end to child poverty in the UK.

Scoring goals, potting balls or holing putts for a living means little when you consider what is going on in the wider world at large. Real drama looms far away from playing games.

Marcus Rasford petition tweet

Rashford was awarded an MBE for his campaign to extend free school meals for the most vulnerable during the summer holidays, but has so far been rebuffed in his bid to see the government support his calls for an extension until Easter 2021.
In the year of a global pandemic, O’Sullivan has applauded the England forward’s passion in his campaign for free school meals during school holidays, but can’t understand why hunger and homelessness has not been properly addressed in the UK.

“I think the campaign is fantastic. It is brilliant,” said O’Sullivan. “I’ve been there and know what it is like to have to rely on free school dinners.
“This is very important to families up and down the country. No kid or person should go hungry in this country I believe.

“Homelessness has always been a big bugbear of mine. Why do some people have so much yet some people can’t even get a sandwich or a cup of tea?

“I could never quite fathom that out or how that was allowed to happen.
“Unless people like Marcus Rashford stand up and speak for these families who are struggling then their voice doesn’t get heard.

“I think he’s used his platform, especially for someone so young to come out and speak and be so passionate and proactive in his campaign.”

Rashford has submitted a petition that has attracted almost one million signatures forcing it to be debated in parliament.

O’Sullivan feels the government should “admit defeat”, change their position and make Rashford the focal point of the campaign to eradicate child poverty.

“I think the government have really got this one badly wrong. If I was advising the government, the first thing I’d be telling them is to get Marcus Rashford in to talk to him and be wanting to work with him,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.

“We want him representing us as a government and us as a country. We want the whole world to see what a brilliant job we are doing.

“At the moment, they’ve got it wrong. The best thing they can do is admit defeat and admit we can all be teachable.

“Someone like Marcus Rashford is running rings around them at the moment. If they want the embarrassment to stop then the smartest thing to do is bring him on side.”

O’Sullivan – who returns to action at the Champion of Champions event in Milton Keynes next week – is also dismayed to see investment being spent on railway projects such as HS2 when there are people living below the breadline.
Marcus Rashford tweet - poors have no voice

“I think at the moment, it’s about unity. When you watch what is going on in America, there is so much division,” said the seven-times UK and Masters winner.
“That’s never really a good thing. Hopefully as a country at this time, it’s about uniting and supporting the vulnerable.

“With the free school meals, they can find millions to get help you get from the North of England to the South of England 20 minutes quicker yet you can’t find £20 million for some school dinners and an extra £5m for the people of Liverpool and Manchester at this time.

Tweet coldplay support Marcus Rashford

“You think something is quite not right there and again wonder where are we at? How can you not find that money? Yet you can find £100 million for a train to get you from north to south quicker.
“This is a time to support the vulnerable. A lot of people are going through hardship at the moment, and this is when you want your government and country to support you.”

Ronnie was with Jason Francis at the Fan Cave doing a “social distancing” signing whilst answering fans questions.

This was shared live by Jason on Facebook. The actual footage starts after about 12 minutes.

So, Ronnie will play next at the Champion of Champions, Northern Ireland Open, and the UK Championship.

He also names his Mount Rushmore of snooker. It’s “Joe Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and himself” or, not taking himself into account “Joe Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Steve Davis”

This Mount Rushmore thing isn’t a new idea… here is David Hendon’s take on it nine years ago on the Snooker Scene blog

25.10.11

MADE OF STONE

The Mount Rushmore national memorial was carved into the South Dakotan mountain side 70 years ago to commemorate four legendary US presidents.

What if snooker were to have a similar monument to the players who have best served and represented the sport?

Of course, it isn’t going to happen unless some lunatic is let loose with a chisel on Snowdon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss who should appear on such a memorial.

The rules: there is only room for four players. In fact that’s the only rule.

So here are the main contenders, considered objectively, not based on personal favourites…

Joe Davis was the father of professional snooker. It was he who saw its potential in the age of billiards. It was he who began the World Championship, buying the trophy still presented to this day using half the original entry fees from the inaugural championship in 1927.

Davis won the world title 15 times in succession before retiring from the professional game in 1946. His style of play was the textbook followed by many who took up snooker in his wake.

Ray Reardon was the most successful player of the 1970s as the professional game was revived and started to receive TV attention.

He was six times a world champion, having not had the chance to play professionally at the early age modern players now do.

Alex Higgins was a firebrand and a rebel and these characteristics, coupled with his electrifying style of play, brought a new audience to snooker, attracted television coverage and sponsorship and helped lead to a burgeoning professional circuit.

In the snooker soap opera of the 1980s, he was a much loved villain who put the sport on the front pages and kept up the remarkable levels of interest.

Steve Davis lived a much more placid life and was completely dedicated to being the best, which he was for a decade.

Davis has won more titles than anyone else and is still capable, into his 50s, of producing high quality performances. As an ambassador for snooker, he remains unsurpassed.

Jimmy White’s enduring popularity and cheerful optimism in the face of many knocks means he is still a draw more than 30 years after turning professional.

Never a world champion, he won ten ranking titles, including the UK Championship, plus the Masters and has provided many a fan with the sort of emotional rollercoaster ride which means they remain loyal to him long after his peak.

Stephen Hendry raised playing standards and ushered in a new era of attacking snooker. He has won more of what matters than any other player.

There were 90 ranking events played in the 1990s. Hendry won 27 of them, just under a third of the total. He is still more than 100 centuries ahead of the field.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is a rare natural talent whose brand of entertaining snooker has drawn many new fans to the game during the last 15 years.

Perhaps the best break builder snooker has ever seen, his many controversies have only added to his status as flawed genius but his achievements stand for themselves.

John Higgins has proved himself as the toughest match-player of the current time, with four world titles to his name and an almost innate knowledge of every aspect of the game.

Brilliant under pressure, he remains every bit as difficult to beat as when he first emerged two decades ago.

I realise some will argue for others, such as Fred Davis, John Spencer and Mark Williams, but this is the list from which I will select my four.

The first face who earns a place in our imaginary mountainside is Steve Davis.

It is hard to believe now the attention he had in the 1980s, when snooker bestrode TV sport like a colossus – and Steve did the same on the green baize.

He never went off the rails, never shirked from his professional responsibilities and, despite the odd famous slip-up, just kept on winning.

He could have walked away happy with hit lot but, such is his love of the game, that he carried on and is still delighting fans now, as well as providing inspiration for a whole group of much younger players.

Davis was always the model player to look up to. He is to snooker what Jack Nicklaus is to golf.

The second face the carvers had better set about constructing is that of Hendry, who decided from a frighteningly young age that he was going to be the best.

Sport thrives on the fluff and intrigue that surrounds it, but the true test of greatness is achievement. For this alone Hendry deserves his place, but the quality of snooker he has produced down the years speaks for itself.

My third face will be that of Alex Higgins. He didn’t win as much as Reardon but he had an alchemy that meant he was an absolutely vital figure to snooker’s growth and development.

People admired the Reardons and Spencers but they loved Higgins. Many hated him too, but nobody who watched him play could fail to be excited by his charisma, his shot making and his theatrical style of death-or-glory snooker.

So one face left to be carved and, for me, it should be O’Sullivan.

It was Joe Davis’s misfortune not to be playing in the colour television age. Snooker owes him a huge debt of gratitude but that is not the whole story.

He created the professional game but he also killed it when he retired but continued to play exhibitions. Everyone knew the best player in the world wasn’t in the World Championship and it was eventually discontinued for a decade before being revived, largely due to the efforts of Rex Williams.

In truth, professional snooker had two beginnings. The first was under the auspices of Davis in 1926. The second was in 1969 when the World Championship reverted from challenge system to knock-out and Pot Black began. It was this latter beginning which was more significant to the sport as it is today.

Reardon’s modern day tally of world titles was equalled by Steve Davis and surpassed by Hendry. He may have won more than Alex Higgins but Higgins’s contribution off the table cannot be overlooked.

The only mark against White is that he never won the world title, which has to count him out.

John Higgins is a great player but ultimately O’Sullivan has been responsible for keeping interest levels up in an era in which snooker’s survival as a top level sport has been under threat following the loss of the tobacco millions.

New viewers around the world watching snooker for the first time on TV have been drawn in by O’Sullivan, whose talent and changeable personality have created a heady mix and sustained the game in the media. He is, by any definition, a star.

So my four for snooker’s Mount Rushmore are Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Alex Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Something tells me not everyone will agree with these choices.

I agreed with David at the time. Today I would kick out Alex Higgins and put Joe Davis there instead. Of course it’s all about why, in your opinion, a player should be included in that snooker pantheon. Form me it’s about a combination of their achievements and their contribution to the evolution of the game.

For me, it’s about what they brought to our sport

Joe Davis transformed a game into a sport. He set up the foundations of a professional approach to snooker.

Steve Davis was the first “complete professional” in the current understanding of what a professional sportsperson should be. He was dedicated, a student of his sport, and someone who paid attention to every detail.

Stephen Hendry started a revolution. He forever changed the way the game is played with  his extremely aggressive, attacking approach and the way he delelopped the pack from the blue at the first opportunity.

Ronnie brought Stephen Hendry’s game to a new level, whilst also integrating a very strong tactical side. He was probably the first player to gain true international superstar status strongly contributing to growing the popularity of snooker beyond the British/Irish traditional hotbed.

Kyren Wilson wins the 2020 Autumn Championship League Snooker

Monique Snooker

Kyren Wiulson beat Judd Trump by 3-1 to claim his fourth ranking title yesterday.

Congratulations Kyren Wilson!

KyrenWilsonCLS2020Winner

Here is how the Finals day went (WST report):

Kyren Wilson defeated world number one Judd Trump 3-1 in the final of the BetVictor Championship League to win the fourth ranking title of his career.

It is the first ranking title Wilson has won in the UK, having previously lifted the 2015 Shanghai Masters, 2018 Paul Hunter Classic and 2019 German Masters. For Trump, the defeat brought an end to an incredible run of 10 consecutive ranking final wins.

Earlier in the day, John Higgins, who by that stage couldn’t reach the final, made his 11thcareer 147 in beating Wilson 3-1.

The Kettering man won the opening frame of the best-of-five final, but Trump responded in style with a 118 to level. Wilson regained the lead in the third to move within one of the title and closed it out with an 88, which included a brilliant four-ball plant to set up match ball.

“I am delighted to be the last man standing,” said Wilson, who has accumulated £33,000 in prize money throughout the event.

“Judd always tends to bring the best out in me; you know you always have to play well to beat him. You have to take your chances and make things happen and I think I did that right from the off. I potted a really difficult red to the middle and made a one-visit, and in this format the first frame is crucial.

“Judd is World No.1 and winning everything in sight at the moment, so for me it was a big challenge, especially in a best of five with Judd being such a good starter.

“It is a lovely feeling to have the trophy and I am really pleased I have been able to adapt to the surroundings and the new world of snooker and come out on top in the end. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster day; Ken Doherty rolling back the years and looking like he was going to pip me and top the group, but thankfully for me Joe Perry did me a favour and pulled one out of the bag right at the death and I topped the group.”

“I didn’t play a bad shot in the final, I genuinely mean that,” said Trump. “He potted a couple of brilliant balls to start his breaks, made a good plant and was unplayable in the final. You can’t do anything against that.

“It has been a good start to the season and it is nice to be involved in finals. This tournament I haven’t been at my best but I managed to scrape through and it took a brilliant performance to beat me. As long as I keep forcing the opponent to play their best, I am happy with that.”

Earlier, Trump had topped Group 1 with wins over Zhao Xintong and Zhou Yuelong. Wilson advanced through Group 2 after Ken Doherty failed to whitewash Joe Perry, sending Wilson through by frame difference having beaten Doherty and Perry.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 1

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
Judd Trump 3 2 0 1 6 4 2 6
Zhao Xintong 3 1 1 1 6 5 1 4
Zhou Yuelong 3 1 1 1 5 6 -1 4
Mark Selby 3 1 0 2 4 6 -2 3

 

GROUP 

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
Kyren Wilson 3 2 0 1 7 4 3 6
John Higgins 3 2 0 1 6 4 2 6
Ken Doherty 3 1 1 1 6 5 1 4
Joe Perry 3 0 1 2 2 8 -6 1

Shaun Murphy in commentary was very impressed by Zhou Yuelong who did indeed play very well in the afternoon. Towards the end of the day, his level dropped a bit. If I remember Lewis comments correctly, Zhou tends to suffer from sleeping problems. It’s a very difficult situation. Insomnia is not easy to “cure” and it takes its toll on those who suffer from it. Sleeping pills that leave you drowsy on the next day aren’t the answer.

Mark Selby was the complete opposite. Having lost to both Zhou and Zhao, playing pretty awful, he managed to whitewash Judd Trump, scoring a 134 and two more 50+ breaks in the process. Snooker is a strange game at times.

Whilst Joe Perry was “swept” away, Ken Doherty made a really good fight of it yesterday.

Ryan Day had made the perfect break in the first match of the event, and yesterday John Higgins made another 147, his 11th, It came in the final frame of John 3-1 win over Kyren Wilson. John Higgins is now level with Stephen Hendry on competitive maximums. Ronnie, of course, is on 15.

You can watch it here:

The crowd went delirious…

Because Kyren Wilson had already qualified for the 2020 Champion of Champions, David Gilbert now gets the last spot in next week’s Champion of Champions. He will face Shaun Murphy in the second match of Group 2.

CofC 2020 - Group 2 draw and format

Championship League Snooker 2020 (2) – Groups G and H

Monique Professional snooker tournament

John Higgins and Joe Perry won their groups yesterday to complete the last 8 line-up. The tournament is played to a finish today.

Here is WST report on yesterday’s action:

John Higgins and Joe Perry have completed the line-up for Finals Day at BetVictor Championship League Snooker, which takes place at Stadium MK on Friday, live at Matchroom.Live.

Higgins won his final match 3-0 over Tom Ford to top Group G, after Martin Gould had drawn 2-2 with Jamie Clarke despite being on the brink of a victory which would have seen him through at Higgins’ expense.

The Wizard of Wishaw opened the day’s play with a 3-0 win over Clarke, before Ford had consecutive 2-2 draws, first against Gould and then against Clarke. But when Gould beat Higgins 3-0, the group was blown wide open.

European Masters finalist Gould then drew 2-2 with Clarke, despite looking on the verge of progression at 2-1 up with 48 points on the board in the fourth and final frame.

That left the door open for both Ford and Higgins. Ford would need to win 3-0 with a high break of 70 or better, while any win would suffice for four-time World Champion Higgins, and it was the Scot who got what he needed, winning 3-0 in 45 minutes.

“Martin will be kicking himself,” admitted Higgins. “He was 2-1 in front and on a good break and if he wins that frame he is through, so Jamie did me and Tom a big favour coming back to win that frame.

“I went and played ok, missed a couple, but I am over the moon to get through. Once I lost 3-0 to Martin I was thinking that would be me out, so I am happy to be through.

“Tomorrow will be a tough group but we are through to the final day and any eight of us could win it. It would be lovely to get my third Championship League Snooker title.”

On table two, Mark Davis and Li Hang played out a 2-2 draw in the first match of Group H. Joe Perry then won back-to-back matches, first beating Tian Pengfei 3-1 and then overcoming Li 3-0.

The first match of the evening session saw Davis and Tian share the spoils, meaning Perry was assured of top spot in the group. The group concluded with Perry and Davis drawing 2-2 before Tian and Li had the same result.

“I felt better today and played some decent stuff,” said Perry. “All the groups are tough in this format. It doesn’t really matter who you are playing, it helps if you are playing somebody inexperienced but with Ken Doherty, Kyren Wilson and John Higgins you can’t much more experience that than, so it is going to be tough tomorrow.

“It is hard to be too confident in this short format but I feel that I am playing alright so if I can stay focused and concentrate well then I give myself a chance.”

Finals Day begins at 12:30pm on Friday, with Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Zhou Yuelong and Zhao Xintong in Group 1, and Higgins, Perry, Wilson and Doherty in Group 2. The two group winners will then play a best-of-five final to be crowned BetVictor Championship League Snooker champion.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP G

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
John Higgins 3 2 0 1 6 3 3 6
Martin Gould 3 1 2 0 7 4 3 5
Tom Ford 3 0 2 1 4 7 -3 2
Jamie Clarke 3 0 2 1 4 7 -3 2

GROUP H

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
Joe Perry 3 2 1 0 8 3 5 7
Mark Davis 3 0 3 0 6 6 0 3
Tian Pengfei 3 0 2 1 5 7 -2 2
Li Hang 3 0 2 1 4 7 -3 2

I didn’t see much of the action yesterday as life came in the way of snooker in the form of a sick kitten requiring a dash to the vet…  but what I saw did annoy me a bit. Jamie Clarke has so much ability and so often ruins his own chances by making questionable shot choices. Ken Doherty was in the commentary box and reflecting on what he was seeing. He said that Jamie should watch his own matches, in the aftermath of the event, and listen to the commentary because he could learn from it. This wasn’t a smear at Jamie, but rather the thoughts of a very experienced professional and lover of his sport, in the autumn of his own career, watching a very talented young player not making the most his huge ability.

Today’s action involves a quality line-up. We have four players belonging to the top 8, two very talented youngsters, and two vastly experienced “veterans”, one only just out of the top 16 and the other one, a former World Champion who at 51, and 30+ years a pro, is shrewd as ever. This line-up was produced by an alleged “lottery” format … hum?

News from the Northern Ireland Open 2020 and from Willie Craig

Monique Professional snooker tournament

The wildcards have been announced by WST for the 2020 Northern Ireland Open:

Patrick Wallace and Declan Lavery have been awarded spots in next month’s Northern Ireland Open.

The two amateurs received nominations from the Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association and they will be in the 128-man draw for the world ranking event which runs from November 16 to 22 in Milton Keynes.

Wallace, age 51 from Dungannon, reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship back in 2001. He retired from the pro game in 2011 but remains a regular competitor on the amateur circuit and finished last season as the top player on the national Northern Ireland rankings.

Lavery, age 36 from Antrim, successfully defended the Northern Ireland Championship title this year, beating Robbie McGuigan 10-9 in the final.

The draw will be made after the seeding cut-off, which falls at the end of this week’s BetVictor Championship League.

The Northern Ireland Open will be the second Home Nations event of the season, televised around the world by broadcasters including Eurosport and Matchroom.Live.

I find it a bit strange that WST doesn’t mention that Patrick is also a regular competitor on the World Seniors Snooker tour … Good luck to Patrick and Declan.

And this article about Willie Craig is really fantastic news 

Craig Set For Emotional Refereeing Return

Snooker referee Willie Craig will make his return to the professional circuit at the upcoming Northern Ireland Open, for the first time since suffering brain injuries after a car accident in 2018.

It’s been a long road to recovery for Glaswegian Craig, who feared his refereeing days were over after the incident took place. Since then, he has had to undergo extensive therapy to build back his cognitive functions.

Craig, 52, has two sons named Anthony and Dylan. Both are keen snooker players and Dylan is a former European Under-18 Champion.

Popular official Craig had spent several years on the circuit, working at events such as the Welsh Open and English Open, as well as World Championship qualifying. That culminated in the honour of taking charge of the semi-final between Cao Yupeng and Judd Trump at his home event, the Scottish Open, in 2017.

Craig said: “That was my biggest match and it happened just before my accident. It was the last match that I took charge of before it happened, just a few months later. That was in Glasgow, so it made it a little bit more special. Unfortunately, one of the impacts is on my memory. I don’t remember much about it, which is a shame as it was a special match to be a part of.”

Craig worked as a nurse in an operating theatre in Glasgow away from snooker and was on his way home from a shift when the incident happened. He was hit by a car which disregarded a red light outside the hospital.

Craig explained: “I had just left the building and was crossing the main road when this guy decided to jump the traffic lights while I was halfway across the road. Fortunately for me I don’t remember anything about the impact. Some people have said my head went through the windscreen and some have said it hit the curb when I landed. You can understand the extent of the injuries when you hear that, because my head took the full force of it.

“Initially I came around pretty quickly. I think I was unconscious for about 45 minutes, by which time the doctors had already done all of the scans and come across all of the injuries. I had bleeding in two places in my brain, as well as the shock of the trauma to my brain. Everyone in rehabilitation was in the same boat, but the majority of the others were in comas for months. I was lucky that way, that I came out pretty quickly. When I worked as a nurse I was in the operating theatres. It was often road traffic accidents and things like what I’d been through. I just never thought I would be one of those people on the table.

“The effects after the accident were very frightening. My biggest problem has been understanding why these things were happening. For a good year and a half, the hardest thing was that my head was in what they call a dream like state. I was confused and had some memory loss. They call it brain fog and that was my daily living. It was difficult, but the therapists were really good at explaining things. The brain is basically a very complex computer. If you think of all the nerves like streets on Google Maps, if some become damaged then they find new routes. I would often know what I wanted to say, but not be able to say it. I would do things like replace the word sunny with elephant, because my brain was finding new routes and going past the part where the word elephant was stored.”

It has been a difficult and laborious path back to normality for Craig. However, with the help of therapists from the Community Treatment Centre for Brain Injury in Glasgow, he has worked hard to regain his ability to undertake day-to-day activities and communicate as usual. Early on, they identified Craig’s love of snooker as an important part of the recovery process.

“They worked on all sorts of practical things with me at first. I started with using technology and setting reminders for things on my phone. We also did tasks and mental challenges,” said the Glaswegian. “At the beginning it was very simple things like putting shapes through the correct holes. It was a very frustrating process, but we slowly built it up to the more complex things.

“From the outset the therapists zoomed in on my refereeing as something to focus on. They felt that would explain a lot of what was going on with my head. They would always work with me on snooker things. They’d get me to set up a table with paper cups and put the balls where they should go. In the end I think they all became snooker fanatics. Before that none of them were into it, but I needed to keep explaining stuff to them and the importance of certain things.”

Despite encouragement from the therapists to keep a return to refereeing as a long term goal, Craig admits he had doubted whether it would be possible. He kept in touch with friends on the tour, but looking back concedes that seeing his old workplace was an emotional experience.

Craig with 2019 Crucible final referee and compatriot Leo Scullion.

“Right from the start World Snooker were amazing. I remember them sending me two big hampers and wishing me well after the accident. Every week back in the beginning and even up until now, there would be phone calls or messages from other referees to see how I was getting on. When they came to Glasgow for the Scottish Open, some of them would come and stay overnight before the tournament started. That meant a lot and I was so grateful for it.

“I went down to Sheffield to see Leo Scullion referee the world final in 2019. That was fantastic and I was so pleased for Leo, he really deserved it. I know Sheffield really well from going down to watch and refereeing at the world qualifiers. I did find going back down there very hard. I actually felt while I was watching Leo that it might be the last time I would ever be in Sheffield. It was great seeing everybody, from the security guys to Pat in the office. Just being around about everyone again was nice. However, deep down I did find it really upsetting and feared it was the last time I would see everyone. I was focussing more on the negatives rather than the positives. That was exactly what the brain girls had told me not to do.”

Craig continued to progress with his recovery and as his functions came back, thoughts of getting back to the baize resurfaced as a possibility. Having taken charge of some matches at Scottish amateur events, the opportunity presented itself to be a part of Q School in August. At that point Craig seized his chance and got to work getting himself into the best possible position to fulfil his refereeing duties.

“When I told the brain therapy girls that I was doing Q School, they said to prioritise it and that became the thing I was working on. I was watching YouTube videos and explaining to them what the referee would be thinking. I found that dead easy. I could talk through what the referee should be doing. We went through the sort of problems which could come up and what to do in the event of those problems. Everything to do with getting back to the table was down to them and the amazing support of my family. It was their persistency that kept me going.”

Following a successful run at Q School, Craig is now all set to once again take charge of matches in the professional arena. He says that Q School itself was an amazing experience and he is now counting down the days until the upcoming Northern Ireland Open, which kicks off on 16th November.

“The only way I can describe Q School is that it was wonderful. It was such a huge relief to me to be back working with everyone again and see all of my friends. It was so pleasing to be there. It proved to me that I can still do it and it was a massive turning point. I was managing to stay a step ahead of everything and it all clicked into gear. That was down to the brain nurses drumming it into me.

“When I got up every morning I just couldn’t wait to get to the venue. To be there with them and to be at the table was wonderful. It was something that I thought was gone. I get a tingle thinking about the Northern Ireland Open. It will be wonderful and I can’t wait. To see everyone again and be working alongside them all will be incredible.”

I have known Willie for many years, he’s a gentle warm person. When the accident happened I felt very sorry, not just for him, but also for his close family. I know, through social media contact, how hard it has been for them all. The road to recovery has been long and difficult, for Willie and those around him. I’m  very happy to see him back at the table.

The article also gives a good insight in the work involved when a damaged brain needs to be “rewired” in order to function properly again.

Good luck Willie, and congratulations, to you and yours. This is a fight you have won together. 

Championship League Snooker 2020 (2) – Groups E and F

Monique Professional snooker tournament

Kyren Wilson and Ken Doherty were the winners yesterday.

Here is how it unfolded (report by WST):

Doherty and Wilson Reach Finals Day

Ken Doherty and Kyren Wilson are through to Finals Day of BetVictor Championship League Snooker after topping their Winners’ Week groups on Wednesday, Doherty doing it in dramatic fashion with a break of 139 to advance at Stadium MK, live on Matchroom.Live.

The Darling of Dublin knew he had to beat Jordan Brown in the final match of Group E, or better Thepchaiya Un-Nooh’s high break of 135 in the event of a draw. At 1-1, Doherty made sure the final frame would be redundant as he made a brilliant 139 to ensure top spot, before Brown fought back to see the match end 2-2.

Doherty had earlier drawn with Un-Nooh and beaten Xiao Guodong 3-1 to move to four points on the league standings prior to his decisive match against Brown. Un-Nooh had beaten Brown and drawn with Xiao to end the day on five points.

“It was incredible,” said Doherty. “I knew if I got a 2-2 draw I had to beat the 135 high break, so when I was on the break I was doing the maths. The pink ended up on the brown spot but I wanted it back on its own spot. I got it back on its own spot and managed to hold myself together. It was exciting.

“I joked before the match that the high break wasn’t going to happen; the last time I got a 135 was a bus! But I got the 139 so I was happy.”

Wilson opened the day’s play in Group F on Table 1 with a 3-0 win over Mark King, before Scott Donaldson achieved the same result against David Gilbert. The Tamworth potter responded immediately, beating King 3-1 to remain in contention.

The evening session opened with a 2-2 draw between Wilson and Donaldson, but when the Scottish former Championship League winner lost 3-1 to King, he was out.

That left the final match as a straight shoot-out between Wilson and Gilbert, with World Championship finalist Wilson being the man who would progress in the event of a draw. But Gilbert was struggling where Wilson wasn’t, and the Kettering potter took the first two frames to ensure progression, before completing a 3-0 win.

“I’m really pleased, I think I have been pretty solid throughout,” said Wilson. “I have scored well and taken my chances when they presented themselves. It isn’t easy going into the last game knowing you need to get a result; it puts a bit of pressure on you and I’m pleased with how I dealt with that.

“I have been really consistent so far this season, and I suppose you can call it another quarter-final as there will be eight players on Finals Day.”

Wilson and Doherty will now enter Group 2 on Finals Day, where they will be joined by the winners of tomorrow’s groups. John Higgins, Tom Ford, Martin Gould and Jamie Clarke make up Group G on Table 1, while Table 2 hosts Group H with Joe Perry, Mark Davis, Li Hang and Tian Pengfei.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP E

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
Ken Doherty 3 1 2 0 7 5 2 5
T. Un-Nooh 3 1 2 0 7 5 2 5
Xiao Guodong 3 1 1 1 6 6 0 4
Jordan Brown 3 0 1 2 4 8 -4 1

GROUP F

P W D L FW FL +/- PTS
Kyren Wilson 3 2 1 0 8 2 6 7
Scott Donaldson 3 1 1 1 6 5 1 4
Mark King 3 1 0 2 4 7 -3 3
David Gilbert 3 1 0 2 3 7 -4 3

Ken Doherty once again proved that he can still compete and is shrewd as ever. He played well for what i saw yesterday (I was only able to watch the afternoon session). Thepchaiya Un-nooh was in one of these days … he potted a lot of brilliant balls and missed a lot of seemingly easier ones. Xiao Guodong lookded rusty. Jordan Brown was unable to close frames in one visit, or even two.

I saw nothing from the other table.

At  the end of the afternoon session, the play on table one had ended, and a lot of background noise and conversations were audible on the table two stream. I hope that they weren’t audible to the players, because, if they were it must have been quite upsetting.