Ronnie won his first game of the season yesterday, when he beat Brian Ochoiski, the 21 years old amateur from France, in the last 128 round of the 2020 English Open.
Here are the scores:
Ronnie looked very rusty and nervous at the start of the match, whilst Brian started brilliantly. He took full advantage in the first frame when Ronnie missed a long pink to the yellow pocket. He won the second frame with a wonderful century, and he was first in again in the third frame. The shot that turned the match around was a missed long pink in the yellow pocket by Brian, ironically, the exact same shot that Ronnie had missed in the first frame. Ronnie didn’t win the frame from there, but he made a good 51 and that settled him. From then on, it was pretty much one way traffic although Ronnie will need to improve if he is to go deep in the tournament.
Ronnie said something interesting in his post-match interview: he changed his shot selection and approach to the match because Brian wasn’t responding to his “normal ” shot selection the way he expected. Ronnie then allegedly decided to “go for eveything”, just a Brian did. I’m not sure about that though, because Ronnie actually did play quite a number of excellent safeties. His weakness, as always when not match-sharp, was his long potting.
Brian’s excellent performance overall shouldn’t surprise anybody. In the European Masters, last month, he had taken Jack Lisowski to a decider. In the Championship League Snooker, he had managed a draw with Joe O’Connor, taken a frame from John Higgins, and finished third of his group, earning his first “professional” prize money. Yesterday, he scored his first century in the professional game. He’s still learning. He comes from a country where snooker is’nt big. He’s still raw, but his talent is evident. He’s definitely one to watch, this season and beyond, and we will see plenty of him because he came second on the 2020 Q-school Order of Merit, so he is likely to be invited in most tournaments this season.
Ronnie O’Sullivan ended up pretty in pink as he came from 2-0 down to beat Frenchman Brian Ochoiski 4-2 in the first round of the Matchroom.Live English Open.
World Champion O’Sullivan, wearing pink varnish on his fingernails to help raise awareness for breast cancer charity Future Dreams, was in danger of an early exit in Milton Keynes but clicked into gear after losing the first two frames.
Talented 21-year-old amateur Ochoiski took a tight opening frame then showed his potential with a superb break of 105. He had two early chances in frame three, but a missed pink on 9 proved a turning point. O’Sullivan made 51 in taking the frame then compiled runs of 113, 55 and 52 in winning the next three.
World number two O’Sullivan, who won this event in 2017, will face Ryan Day or Mark Lloyd in round two on Wednesday.
“Sometimes you have to find the right style of play for a certain opponent,” said O’Sullivan. “Tonight there was no point in me playing the right shot, because then he didn’t play the shots I thought he would play. So I thought I’d play the same game as him and go for everything.”
As for the nail varnish, O’Sullivan added: “A friend asked if I would wear it and I thought ‘why not’? I actually really like it. Anything to help the needy and the vulnerable out. It’s good to get behind great causes and great charities. It’s something I have never been involved with before, but I thought it was a great idea. If it helps create awareness for breast cancer that can only be a positive thing.”
This is Ronnie’s tweet about his fingernails painting ahead of his match
Ronnie was interviewed by Eurosport… it made for spooky viewing at times 👻
Ronnie O’Sullivan is happy to miss snooker’s biggest events (Picture: PA)
Ronnie O’Sullivan would not be disappointed if he never played in the Masters again and suggests he could miss future World Championships when crowds return to the Crucible.
The Rocket withdrew from the Masters this year, saying he simply didn’t want to deal with the media commitments and requests for tickets that come with the London event.
His fans hoped that it was just a year off from the tournament, but the 44-year-old may never return to the event he has won seven times in the past.
Having won his sixth world title in Sheffield this year, with either no crowd or a very limited number of spectators at the Crucible, O’Sullivan is more determined than ever to cut out the stresses of big events on the calender.
This could mean that he never contests another Masters, and he has even hinted that the World Championship could be removed from his diary when fans return.
‘For this year’s World Championships, there was no visitors, no guests, no one at the stage door, I could get in and out of Sheffield and I’ve never felt so relaxed there in my life,’ O’Sullivan told Pete Cohen’s Mi365 Podcast.
‘It wasn’t snooker, it was the stuff that surrounds certain tournaments. That was the reason I didn’t play in the Masters, because it’s a huge circus there.
‘Doing that was stopping me actually enjoying playing and for me it’s all about the playing side of it. So I decided to not play in any tournament that snooker wasn’t the priority.
‘So now, low-key events and the China events, I know the travelling can be quite hard, but once I’m there, my time’s not used up in that way, they allow you to just play snooker. They are the biggest events as well, and I do like China.
‘I won’t play a lot of the events where the circus is around, unless I like the town.
‘So York [UK Championship], I have to accept the circus there because I really love York and it’s a real good holiday for me.
‘London, the Masters is a no-no for me, if I never played in that again I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Ronnie O’Sullivan last won the Masters in 2017 (Picture: Getty Images)
‘World Championships is a bit like that, unless Covid is still lingering around next year then I’d quite look forward to the peace and quiet in Sheffield that I had this year.
‘I’m a lot happier when I do what I want to do and set my own rules.’
It would certainly be a big surprise if O’Sullivan did not return to Sheffield next year to defend his world title and try to equal Stephen Hendry’s record of seven triumphs at the Crucible.
While he may prefer the event without a crowd involved, Hendry’s is one of the few records the Rocket has yet to break and he will almost certainly attempt to match it in 2021.
However, having skipped the Masters this year, it may well be that the Alexandra Palace crowd will have to go without O’Sullivan again in future.
The reigning world champion is in action in the English Open on Monday night, in his second event of the season when he takes on Brian Ochoiski in round one in Milton Keynes.
Nothing really new in the interview, but confirmation that Ronnie will very likely play in York, probably not at the Masters, unless “no crowd” prompts a change of mind … as for the World, well, his sponsors might have something to say about it, as they did last season. That said WST has put Crucible tickets on sale, but only in limited numbers. So clearly they still expect restrictions to be in place come April 2021.
GARY WILSON ON TESTING TIMES: WHY SNOOKER COVID-19 RULE CHANGE IS POSITIVE NEWS
Former World Championship semi-finalist Gary Wilson tells Desmond Kane why he feared being forced to take another Covid-19 test with snooker’s organisers updating the guidelines on Thursday to fall into line with other major professional sports.
In normal times, the only test Gary Wilson would be worrying about before the English Open is the one 15-year-old Ukrainian prodigy Iulian Boiko will provide in the first round on Tuesday night. But these are far from normal times. For society or professional sport.
In the year of the pandemic, it seems difficult to remain positive. Especially when you are positive.
World number 18 Wilson is attempting to refocus his season after being forced to withdraw from the European Masters – the first major ranking event of the season – on Tuesday 22 September before his match with Duane Jones after a Covid-19 test came back positive despite being blissfully unaware of his plight.
The fall-out saw his fellow professionals Elliot Slessor and David Lilley also pulled from the event after he enjoyed a spot of dinner with them at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, the somewhat surreal new temporary home of snooker behind closed doors.
A similar fate befell the unfortunate world number 55 Daniel Wells before he was due to face world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the European Masters opening round after he tested positive. Contact with Michael White saw his fellow Welshman deprived of a place in the event despite being well.
The double whammy for Wells was turning up at the Championship League last week after self-isolating for 10 days only to re-test and still return a positive outcome on Friday 2 October.
The asymptomatic Wilson – the potting pride of Wallsend in North Tyneside – had no idea he was carrying coronavirus as well as his cue case, but is hoping to avoid a similar fate with the first of the Home Nations series breaking off on Monday.
“I’m absolutely fine thankfully. I tested positive a couple of weeks ago and did my self-isolation period,” Wilson told Eurosport. “In the meantime, me and Dan Wells have been texting each other because we were obviously in the same boat.
“He was fuming the other day because he tested positive again and then it has all came out when he’s done more research that you shouldn’t be really tested again until 42 days after you’ve tested positive.
“That information has come from public health in England and he has passed that information onto Jason Ferguson (the chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association). Jason has been sympathetic about the situation and is trying to clarify it.
“So I’ve told the snooker authorities that I don’t really want to turn up to the English Open and have to do a test again on Monday.
“The information is pretty clear from medical people that you shouldn’t be doing tests until six weeks after you’ve tested positive because there is still the risk of dead viral cells in your body.
“It has been on the news lately. It is actually a fact that you can no longer be contagious or have the illness, but can still test positive because of the dead viral cells in your body.
“That is what has been going on this week basically. The WPBSA are trying to come to some agreement with medical officers that we shouldn’t need tested again so soon after testing positive.
“Dan has missed out twice basically. He shouldn’t have been tested at the Championship League and I’ve got a test coming up on Monday that I shouldn’t have to test according to the stated medical advice.”
Since this interview, Wilson and Wells – who faces Mark Davis in the first round – have got the clarity they require with the players being informed by the sport’s authorities on Thursday they will not have to undergo another test enabling them to participate in the English Open without the stress of being forced to withdraw.
“Any player who tests positive will NOT be re-tested for a period of 30 days from the date of when the positive test was taken unless the player is demonstrating symptoms of the virus,” said World Snooker Tour in a statement released to the players on Thursday “following lengthy consultation with our Chief Medical Officer (CMO), plus other senior medical consultants familiar in the Covid19 pandemic.”
“1. The above policy is similar to that applied by other professional sports bodies, for example, the English Football League, who have adopted the same government guidelines but with a re-testing period of not before 90 days since the positive test,” said the statement.
“WST will continue to review this situation and will make changes to this policy if it is felt appropriate to do so and in consultation with our CMO.”
Wilson – who lost to Judd Trump in the World Championship semi-final in 2019 after defeating Mark Selby during a glorious run – believes it is right snooker tightened up the regulations in conjunction with the relevant medical advice.
The ardent Newcastle United supporter points to the guidelines Premier League and golf are adhering to as both common sense and caution in being safer than a bout of Selby safety play.
“It’s 100 percent we shouldn’t be tested so soon,” commented the 2015 China Open finalist. “As far as I’m concerned, if me and Dan get tested again it’s not really acceptable.
“There are other sports that are different because they are outdoor sports like football and golf. Snooker is a little bit different because it is indoors, but football is saying 90 days after the first positive test you don’t get tested again.
“They are kissing and cuddling on the field and have 90 days after a positive test. If they can implement that rule in the Premier League, and I think golf is 30 days, what is snooker doing? If the evidence is there that you shouldn’t get tested for 42 days, there is every chance I could come down again, test positive and get kicked out of the event for no reason.
“I’m hoping a bit of common sense will apply here.
“I had a four-hour drive down to Milton Keynes, got my test, stayed in the hotel overnight, tested positive then got back in the car back up the road for the self-isolation period.
“The WPBSA gave us all £200 as a goodwill gesture for travelling expenses the last time which was kind of them, but nobody wants to go through this. No test is the only way forward for me.”
While Wilson tested positive before embarking upon his period of self-isolation at home, his fiancée Robyn was tested and returned a negative outcome.
“It has been a serious illness for some people, but I never even knew I had it. All I had was a tickly throat. I possibly had tiredness, but that’s a hard one to determine because everybody feels tired at time,” explained Wilson.
“I can remember thinking I was going to bed a bit earlier a few nights, but you never really know if that is a symptom.
“The tests are probably right that I did have it, but I was very mild. At the most, a tickly throat.
“No headaches, cough or flu-like symptoms so for me it was just a case of doing your 10 days isolation as per the recommendation after the test just to be sure and I got out of self-isolation last Friday before going down the club on Saturday to start practising again.
“I’ve been absolutely fine and so has my partner Robyn. We’ve been sharing same bed etc, and she has had a test that came up negative.”
“It’s a bit of a strange one,” opined Wilson, who has made over 150 centuries in his career. “Some people don’t seem to catch it or catch it and don’t know they have it.
“It makes me wonder if I had it. I have absolutely no idea where I would have caught it. There is nothing that stands out. It is just something random.
“Me, Elliot and David had food the night before. I was asked that question when I came back positive and obviously couldn’t lie about it. I feel a little bit guilty, but there was nothing much I could do about it.
“We were all doing social distancing and following the regulations. It is just unfortunate that we’ve all had to sacrifice a tournament because of it.”
Like his fellow professionals, Wilson, 35, is adapting to the new normal of trying to perform without fans amid an outpouring of hand sanitizer, one-way arrows around venues and a face mask looming as closely as his chalk. A jobsworth’s dream, but a living pestilence for professional sport.
“It’s going to be a very strange season, but thankfully as a player there are still lot of tournaments there to play in,” said the straight-talking cueist, who is hoping his wedding to Robyn can still go ahead next spring.
“You just have to make as much money as you can because it’s not really about pleasing fans at the venue. Nobody knows where this will all end.
“You can understand why they’ve moved the events to Milton Keynes. The Championship League in June there was really strict, everybody adhered to the rules and there was no room for anybody to step out of line in any respect.
“Everybody was scared at the time, but I think that gave the players a lot of confidence because the venue was so clean.
“From a business side, it makes sense to keep the events there. It saves them a fair bit of money and allows them to keep the tour going for the rest of the season.
“We’ll still have the UK Championship in York, but it’s understandable to stop moving about at the moment. We’ve just got to be thankful that the sponsors have stayed on board.
“I’ve got full praise for (World Snooker Tour chairman) Barry Hearn, World Snooker Tour and Matchroom for all their efforts to keep the sport ticking over. ”
Desmond Kane
The fact that this disease comes in so many forms – ranging from being asymptomatic, to being deadly, or leaving people with permanent debilitating health issues – is the reason really why tests MUST be done and everyone has to be extra cautious.
Now of course, if a person who has tested positive, and is over the disease, will stay positive for a while even though they aren’t contagious anymore, common sense has to prevail IF re-infection can be excluded in the immediate aftermath of the disease because immunity has been gained.
Reanne Evans, snooker’s most successful ever female player, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Women’s world number one Evans, age 34, becomes the second female player to receive an MBE, after Vera Selby.
During her 18-year career on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, Dudley’s Evans has established herself as the circuit’s all-time greatest, with 57 ranking tournament wins to her name, including an unprecedented 12 World Championship titles.
Her most recent World Championship success came in 2019 in Thailand as she continues to rewrite the record books on the women’s circuit.
She compiled an unprecedented 90-match winning streak between 2008-2011, and also holds the record for the highest ever break made at a WWS tournament, compiling runs of 140 in 2008 and 2010.
Alongside her dominance of the women’s circuit, Evans has also broken new ground on the mixed gender World Snooker Tour.
At the 2013 Wuxi Classic she defeated Thailand Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 to become the first woman to reach the final stages of a professional ranking event. Two years later she competed at the 2015 World Championship, narrowly losing out 10-8 to 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, before returning two years later to defeat top 64 player Robin Hull by the same scoreline in Sheffield.
With further opportunities afforded to the best women players to compete at the highest level in recent years than ever before, Evans has become an increasingly familiar face on television screens. Last year on her debut at the Champion of Champions, she came from 3-0 down against Shaun Murphy to level at 3-3, before losing 4-3.
Mandy Fisher, WWS President said: “I am absolutely thrilled to see that Reanne’s unparalleled achievements on the World Women’s Snooker Tour recognised in this way.
“During the past 40 years we have seen many great players compete on our circuit, but few can argue that Reanne’s incredible record puts her at the very top of the list of women to have ever played our sport.
“Still only 34, I am sure that – even with 12 world titles under her belt already – the best is still to come from Reanne, and she will have many years of success ahead of her. I am looking forward to see her continue to compete both on the women’s circuit and of course being a trailblazer for female snooker players everywhere by competing with the very best male players in the world on the professional World Snooker Tour.”
World Women’s Snooker (WWS) has today welcomed the news that its world number one Reanne Evans is to become an MBE for services to women’s snooker in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
During her 18-year career on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, Dudley’s Evans has established herself as the circuit’s most successful ever player with 57 ranking tournament wins to her name, including an unprecedented 12 World Championship titles.
Evans, who hails from a ‘snooker family’ with her elder brother having also played the sport to a high standard, entered her first WWS competition as a 16-year-old at the 2002 World Women’s Championship. There she made an immediate impression by stunning the previous year’s runner-up Lynette Horsburgh in the quarter-finals, before losing out to Kelly Fisher at the Crucible Theatre.
Tour Dominance
She would repeat the feat the following year, but it was the 2004/05 season where she would hit her stride as she claimed maiden titles at the Connie Gough Nationals, and British Open, before going on to claim her first world title with a 6-4 victory against Horsburgh in 2005.
Little did she know it, but her success would prove to be the first of an unprecedented ten successive World Championship titles, with further successes coming in 2016 and most recently 2019 in Thailand as she continues to rewrite the record books on the women’s circuit.
As of 2020 Evans has more world (12) and UK (9) titles than any other female player, coupled with an unprecedented 90-match winning streak to her name between 2008-2011. She also holds the record for the highest-ever break made at a WWS tournament of 140, compiled twice in 2008 and 2010.
In recent years she has had to battle new challengers, most notably Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee, who dethroned Evans at the 2015 semi-finals and has since gone on to claim three world titles of her own. It is however the Englishwoman who remains the benchmark in our sport and set records that will surely stand for many years to come.
Trailblazer
Alongside her dominance of the women’s circuit, Evans has also broken new ground on the mixed gender World Snooker Tour as she has sought to prove herself among the best players in the world – of any gender.
At the 2013 Wuxi Classic she defeated Thailand Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 to become the first woman to reach the final stages of a professional ranking event. Two years later she competed at the 2015 World Championship, narrowly losing out 10-8 to 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, before returning two years later to defeat top 64 player Robin Hull by the same scoreline in Sheffield.
With further opportunities afforded to the best women players to compete at the highest level in recent years than ever before, Evans has become an increasingly familiar face on television screens. Last year she recovered a 3-0 deficit against Shaun Murphy on her debut at the Champion of Champions, before the former world champion ended hopes of a landmark victory with a century break in the decider.
“The best is still to come”
Mandy Fisher, WWS President said: “I am absolutely thrilled to see that Reanne’s unparalleled achievements on the World Women’s Snooker Tour are to be recognised in this way.
“During the past 40 years we have seen many great players compete on our circuit, but few can argue that Reanne’s incredible record puts her at the very top of the list of women players to have ever played our sport.
“Still only 34, I am sure that – even with 12 world titles under her belt already – the best is still to come from Reanne, and she will have many years of success ahead of her. I am looking forward to see her continue to compete both on the women’s circuit and of course being a trailblazer for female snooker players everywhere by competing with the very best male players in the world on the professional World Snooker Tour.”
This is fantastic news, first of all for Reanne of course, but also for snooker as an inclusive sport, and for all women in snooker. Hopefully it will inspire some more girls, and put to shame those clubs that still ban women from playing in their premises.
Next week’s English Open world ranking event will be title sponsored by global sports streaming platform Matchroom.Live
The Matchroom.LiveEnglish Open will run from October 12 to 18 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, with a tremendous field of the world’s top players.
In all there will be 128 players battling for the famous Steve Davis Trophy, including World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, world number one Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Ding Junhui, Shaun Murphy and defending champion Mark Selby.
Matchroom.Live was launched in May, giving fans across the planet the opportunity to watch a wide range of top class sports content, live and on demand.
Fans can watch a multitude of live sport including snooker, darts, boxing, pool and much more, through a subscription package and pay-per-view options in territories without current broadcast.
In territories where there is alternative broadcast, fans can still register for FREE and watch a vast collection of content on demand, including classic clips and matches, highlights, features and interviews.
The Matchroom.Live English Open will have television broadcast on Eurosport, Quest, PCCW (Hong Kong), Truesport (Thailand), Sky (New Zealand), DAZN (Canada), Astrosport (Malaysia), Sportcast (Taiwan) as well as Liaoning TV and online broadcast in China.
In all other territories it will be available on Matchroom.Live
It is the first of the 2020/21 season’s Home Nations series. The action starts on Monday at 10am.
WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are delighted to join forces with Matchroom.Live for the English Open. It is a phenomenal field packed with the world’s best and it’s going to be a fantastic week.
“Matchroom.Live is all about reaching out to fans in every corner of the globe who love watching live sport but haven’t had the opportunity to do so because of a lack of television coverage in their own territory. Now they have the choice to subscribe and watch the biggest events live. The range of content on Matchroom.Live is fabulous.
“We know we have many millions of snooker fans in the Indian sub-continent, Africa, the Americas and other areas where they have been starved of broadcast in the past. We are now giving them what they want and developing the popularity of our great sport worldwide.”
Matchroom.Live is a video-first platform, with the ability to cast to virtually any device whether that be a console, Smart TV, or connected device. The services will also allow fans to watch up to four live events at once with ‘QuadPlay’.
The service is built and powered by sports streaming and video technology specialists StreamAMG. They have been a longstanding partner of Matchroom Sport operating PDCTV since 2016 and streaming Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz II for the Indian Subcontinent in December 2019.
World number four Mark Selby is high on confidence ahead of his bid to retain the Steve Davis Trophy at next week’s Matchroom.Live English Open.
Selby, who won the title 12 months ago, gets his campaign underway on Monday, when he faces China’s Fan Zhengyi in the opening round Milton Keynes.
Selby’s 2019 English Open victory came after a stunning 9-1 win over David Gilbert in the final. The three-time World Champion missed just seven balls and racked up seven breaks over 50 in the emphatic win. He then went on to become the first ever player to win two Home Nations events in a single season by claiming the Scottish Open title in December.
Those victories were the eighth and ninth in an ongoing run of ten consecutive ranking final victories, which includes the recent European Masters where he beat Martin Gould to take home the title. Looking back on last year’s win at the English Open, Selby admits the win over Gilbert was one of the finest performances of his career.
Selby said: “My form leading up to the tournament wasn’t great. Even getting to the final, I didn’t play fantastically in any of the matches. I just dug in and grafted. Then playing Dave I produced some really good stuff. That was probably the best I’ve played before in a final. I’d like to perform like that every time. If I could box up that performance and do it in every final, then you’d be paying a fortune for it.
“Mark Allen had a shot at a double to beat me at 5-3 up in the semi-finals. He only needed the red and it basically went halfway down the pocket and popped out again. I went on and pinched the frame and then won the match. If I don’t win that game, I don’t win the English Open, my confidence is low and I probably wouldn’t have won the Scottish Open. Snooker is a game of fractions. One ball can turn a match, or in that instance it probably turned my whole season around.”
Selby’s win over Gould in the European Masters final was a thrilling encounter, with the 37-year-old requiring a final frame decider to seal the 9-8 triumph. He was the beneficiary of two walkovers earlier in the event after Michael White was required to self isolate and Mark Davis had his cue stolen, which he has since got back.
Selby began working with coach Chris Henry ahead of his run to the semi-finals of the World Championship and has admitted that partnership has helped to restore his confidence levels.
“I played well in the matches that did happen! My match with Stuart Bingham that was the big one for me. I was 4-1 down and won 5-4. If I was in that position 18 months ago, I might not have won that game as I was a bit fragile upstairs. Stuart had two total clearances to go 4-1 up and was playing very well. I still had the confidence that I could win the match. That was massive for me. In the past I wouldn’t have had that self belief. I wouldn’t have given up, but I’d have had more negative thoughts than positive. When my back was against the wall, I played my best snooker. I thought it was a decent standard against Martin in the final and I’m happy how I got over the line.
“Some of the stuff Chris Henry has done with me off the table has taught me to sit in my chair and reminisce about positive things that I’ve done in the past. It is important to know that I’ve done it before and realise that there is no reason I can’t do it again. You’ve just got to remain positive no matter what the situation is in the match.”
The 18-time ranking event winner says he is now aiming to dethrone world number one Judd Trump and climb back to the top of the world rankings.
“I always set goals just to keep my motivation going. If you don’t set goals it is easy to think that I’ve won everything and don’t need to put the work in, get a bit lazy and decide not to go into the club. While you have goals you strive for those wins. Judd is a long way in front, but he will have six tournament wins to defend on his ranking next year. There is still a chance it can happen. I’m going to have to be consistent and win tournaments.
“While you are playing well and are confident, you have to make hay while the sun shines. I won’t be trying any harder than last week. If the form is good then you have a chance. There is no divine right to go to the later stages. You just have to take it one step at a time and see what happens.”
Won last year by Mark Selby, who also claimed the season-opening European Masters just a couple of weeks ago, the English Open dates back to 2016 when Liang Wenbo claimed his maiden ranking event title in Manchester. He was succeeded by Ronnie O’Sullivan a year later, before Stuart Bingham lifted the Steve Davis Trophy in 2018.
As with the majority of the remaining events to be staged in 2020, the English Open will be staged in Milton Keynes as the global coronavirus pandemic continues. There will once again be a first prize of £70,000 to be won, although there will no longer be a bonus for winning all Home Nations events during the season.
The seeding structure of the event remains unchanged with the top 32 players seeded apart until the third round, with the remaining players seeded randomly into the draw. Early rounds will be played over the best of seven frames (no interval), increasing for the quarter-finals (9), semi-finals (11) and final (17).
The tournament will have television broadcast on Eurosport, Quest, PCCW (Hong Kong), Truesport (Thailand), Sky (New Zealand), DAZN (Canada), Astrosport (Malaysia), Sportcast (Taiwan) as well as Liaoning TV and online broadcast in China.
In all other territories it will be available on Matchroom.Live
THE TOP QUARTER
The draw is led by defending champion Mark Selby who could come up against Shaun Murphyin the quarter-finals in what would be a repeat of their recent last four clash at the European Masters.
Before then, Selby is set to open his tournament against China’s Fan Zhengyi, with either Chang Bingyu or Aaron Hill – conqueror of Ronnie O’Sullivan last time out at the Marshall Arena – to come in the last 64.
Former English Open winner Liang Wenbo could be a last 32 opponent, with Joe Perry and Ali Carter the highest ranked pair who Selby could play in the fourth round.
For Murphy, he shares his section with ninth seed Stephen Maguire who could be a last 16 opponent, while Zhou Yuelong and Scott Donaldson are the other top 32 seeds who can be found here.
First up for the Magician however will be Robert Milkins, who defeated Murphy two years ago at the last 32 stage of this tournament in their most recent meeting.
The likes of Jamie Clarke and Ashley Carty can also be found in this quarter, with one amateur present in the form of Paul Davison.
THE SECOND QUARTER
Neil Robertson and Mark Allen the top seeds to be found in the second quarter of the draw, with the pair both looking to win the English Open for the first time in their careers.
Australia’s Robertson will be looking to extend a 100% record against Lyu Haotian following four previous wins, with either Tian Pengfei or Mark Joyce in wait for the winner. Zhao Xintong is the highest ranked player Robertson could face prior to the last 16, with David Gilbert and Barry Hawkins the established names who could lie in wait at that stage.
For Allen, he faces a tricky opener against former Northern Ireland Open champion Mark King,with the winner due to play either Gerard Greene or Robbie Williams in the last 64.
Continuing a theme from the World Championship and European Masters, world number one Judd Trump and Crucible finalist Kyren Wilson are once again on course to collide at the quarter-final stages next week in Milton Keynes.
Among his highest-ranked opponents in close proximity in the draw are potential last 16 opponents Mark Williams and Gary Wilson, while Michael Holt is the only top 32 player he could face prior to that stage.
For Wilson, who was runner-up at this event to Ronnie O’Sullivan back in 2017, will begin his campaign against Welshman Dominic Dale, with either Gao Yang or Kacper Filipiak to follow at the last 64 stage.
Potential last 16 opponents include 2018 English Open champion Stuart Bingham, or former world champion Graeme Dott, while a mix of tour veterans including Ken Doherty,Fergal O’Brien and Nigel Bond could also lie in wait.
THE BOTTOM QUARTER
As at the recent European Masters, the bottom quarter of the draw is headlined by reigning world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and four-time Crucible winner John Higgins.
First up for O’Sullivan is a clash with talented French amateur Brian Ochoiski, who will be hoping to take inspiration from Aaron Hill’s recent upset of the world number two last month.
Elsewhere, there is a strong Welsh presence in this section of the draw with Ryan Day,Matthew Stevens and amateur Michael White in very close proximity. For Day, he will begin his campaign with a match against English amateur Mark Lloyd, who alongside Connor Benzey, is one of two players nominated to compete in the event by the English Partnership for Snooker and Billiards.
Scotland’s John Higgins meanwhile takes on James Cahill in his opener, with either Fraser Patrick or amateur Connor Benzey to follow at the last 64 stage.
Ding Junhui is the other top 16 representative in this section, with the likes of Luca Brecel,Tom Ford and Xiao Guodong (the latter two set to meet in the first round) among the other stand out names who will be looking to run deep next week.
That’s actually not a real preview, but a great opportunity to showcase the new WST players profiles…
Ronnie doesn’t have a particularly easy draw, with Ryan Day possibly waiting in the last 64, Matthew Stevens possibly in the last 32, Jack Lisowski, Thepchaiya Un-nooh or his nemesis Elliot Slessor possibly in the last 16, John higgins possibly in the QF, and Judd Trump possibly in the SF…
The World Snooker Federation (WSF) and Australian Billiards and Snooker Council (ABSC) have jointly announced that the WSF Open and WSF Junior Open tournaments due to be held in January 2021 have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mixed-gender competitions holding World Snooker Tour qualification won this year by Ashley Hugill and Gao Yang respectively were due to be held at the Snooker SA Venue in Adelaide, South Australia for the first time.
Due to the ongoing effects of the outbreak and travel restrictions in place, both nationally in Australia and across the world as a whole, both parties have taken the responsible decision to postpone these plans by 12 months to 2022.
Both the WSF and ABSC remain committed to hosting the event as soon as it is practical to do so for all involved with the event and will continue to monitor the situation for 2022.
WSF competitions provide an important pathway to the World Snooker Tour for amateur players and alongside the WPBSA, the WSF is currently reviewing options as to how these opportunities can be maintained this season so that players are not disadvantaged.
Jason Ferguson, WSF President said: “I would like to put on record our thanks to ABSC President Frank Dewens who leads a very capable organising team in Australia. In consulting regularly, we have reached what is a sensible decision for all parties. The WSF vision does not change, we are committed to moving major events like these around the world as we must ensure those who have vast distances to travel are presented with opportunities to fulfil their dreams. Adelaide is a stunning destination for these prestigious events, and we will do everything possible to ensure we deliver on our plan for 2022. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the global situation and will investigate all opportunities to hold the 2021 WSF events prior to the 2021/22 season”
Frank Dewens, ABSC President said: “It is indeed a huge disappointment that we have had to postpone these prestigious events until 2022. This decision did not come easy, but we have a duty of care to the snooker fraternity to provide a safe environment for all. We considered delaying hosting these evets until later in 2021 but with the uncertainty of travel restrictions throughout the world we decided to postpone until 2022. We are committed in supporting the WSF events and look forward to hosting these events as soon as it is possible to do so.”
This is of course the right decision. Now, it remains to be seen how those two Tour cards will be re-allocated.
Tai Chengzhe, who takes pictures for WST and is also their assistant media officer, is still in China, but back snapping around in Lanzhou.
On those images you will recognise Zhang Anda, who went back to China before the 2020 World Championship and decided to put an end to his professional career, and Cao Yupeng. Cao Yupeng was banned from the sport for match fixing. His effective ban is supposed to end in about six weeks from now, according to the above article. My understanding was that the ban extended to the CBSA events, so I’m not sure wheteher the ban was reduced, and if not, what event this is.
The 2020/21 Home Nations Series gets underway in just a matter of days with the English Open, here’s a look back at the times when tournaments from the series have come down to just a single frame
Snooker fans are now well versed in the 128 player, quickfire format associated with the four Home Nations events, with the series about to enter its fifth season. On four occasions Home Nations finals have come down to a final frame, providing the sorts of nerve shredding drama only a decider for the title can.
2016 Northern Ireland Open – Mark King 9-8 Barry Hawkins
Essex cueman Mark King found himself in his third ranking final after beating Kyren Wilson in the Belfast semis. He was aiming to land a dream maiden ranking crown after 25 years as a professional.
Standing in his way was former Crucible finalist Barry Hawkins, who had already racked up two of his three ranking titles to date. The odds were stacked against King before the first ball was struck and it seemed an even more imposing task when Londoner Hawkins raced into a 5-1 lead during the first session.
However, in typically steely fashion, King dug deep to remain in contention by claiming the last two frames of the afternoon to head into the evening just two down at 5-3.
In the second session, with King leading 8-7 and just a frame from glory he required a seven-point snooker to force a re-spot. Only the pink and black remained on the table, but the black was over the top right corner. He managed to place the pink ball impossibly on top of the black with one of the shots of his career. Hawkins fouled, but won the re-spot to take the match to a decider.
King controlled the final frame and sealed an emotional victory and win the Alex Higgins Trophy in the Northern Irish capital.
Afterwards he said: “I just thought all week my name was on the trophy. I didn’t say it, I just thought things were happening. People were missing game balls, I was winning on the black. It just looked as if it was meant to be and it was. Unbelievable.
“At 8-7 up, I came out and my little six-year-old Polly was out doing cartwheels and the splits outside the arena. That just calmed me down a little bit, seeing her happy. I thought worst case scenario I have my three gems here and my wife. I left everything on the table and it is just nice to come out and be a champ.”
2017 Welsh Open – Stuart Bingham 9-8 Judd Trump
Stuart Bingham climbed snooker’s Everest by becoming World Champion in 2015, but subsequently struggled to hit the same heights and endured a near two-year trophy drought. That dry spell was ended in Cardiff, but not before an epic clash with Judd Trump
Bingham had already lost the European Masters final earlier that season to the Ace in the Pack 9-7. He was a 17-16 victor against Trump in the semi-finals en route to his 2015 World Championship win.
In the early stages of the Welsh Open final, Bingham established a 4-0 advantage, but let that lead slip and eventually found himself 8-7 behind and on the verge of defeat. Bingham hit back to win a tense 40-minute 16th, laying a snooker on the brown and then making a clearance which included a doubled pink to a centre pocket.
In the decider it was a crucial break of 55 which helped Bingham to get himself over the line and capture the Ray Reardon Trophy.
Looking back on that victory, Bingham said: “You get people on social media saying you will never win anything again and that the Crucible win was a one off. I came close at the 2016 World Grand Prix and lost 10-9 to Shaun Murphy in the final. To finally get my hands on the Welsh Open trophy was very special. Especially considering I lost years earlier to Stephen Maguire in the final 9-8, it meant a lot to me.”
2017 Northern Ireland Open – Mark Williams 9-8 Yan Bingtao
A victory which sparked a golden season for the now three-time World Champion Mark Williams.
The Welshman had endured a barren spell which far outweighed that of Bingham’s, having not picked up ranking event silverware since the 2011 German Masters.
Following the win in Belfast, Williams went on to win three further ranking titles to take his career tally to 22. That included a first world title since 2003, defeating John Higgins 18-16 in the final to win the World Championship and become King of the Crucible for the third time.
Yan, aged just 17 at the time, would have beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan’s record to become the youngest winner of a ranking event had he taken home the title. He subsequently failed to clinch silverware in time for the record, but the now 20-year-old has since won a maiden ranking title at the 2019 Riga Masters.
Yan performed well during a high quality final. He had looked set to make history when he led 6-3 and 8-7. However, Williams showed his class and turned the match on its head to seal the Alex Higgins Trophy.
Leading up to the final there were doubts whether Williams would even take to the baize. His wife Jo had fallen ill with Meningitis and required treatment in hospital. Williams made the decision on the morning of the final to play and thankfully she has since fully recovered. It all added up to being a very emotional occasion for the Welshman.
Williams admitted: “After I won and they were interviewing me I could feel myself choking up a little bit. I am never like that. I’ve actually felt myself do it a couple of times now, after I won in other tournaments. It was only at 11 o’clock on the morning of the final, that I told Tournament Director Mike Ganley that I would play.
“She was having something injected into her spine and I was waiting to see how that went in the morning. God forbid anything didn’t go as planned, I would have been straight on the flight home. It was really close to not having a final played, I don’t think that has ever happened before.”
2017 Scottish Open – Neil Robertson 9-8 Cao Yupeng
Having dropped out of the world’s top 16 and missed out on the cut off for Masters qualification just a week earlier, Neil Robertson returned to snooker’s elite tier seven days too late by winning the most dramatic of Scottish Open finals.
The Thunder from Down Under faced a huge deficit when he trailed Chinese counterpart Cao Yupeng 8-4. However, he mounted an improbable fightback to turn the match around.
After 2010 World Champion Robertson clawed his way back to 8-7, there was an extraordinary 16th frame. Cao looked set to clinch the title by clearing the colours, before missing a straightforward pink. He had another chance on the final black, but jawed it and the ball remained over the pocket to allow Robertson to set up a decider.
The Triple Crown winner showed his mettle by firing in a break of 59 under extreme pressure. He eventually crossed the line to take home the title and the Stephen Hendry Trophy.
Robertson said: “I can’t remember being involved in too many finals like that, where I had to come from so far behind. I was millimetres from losing with Cao rattling the black.
“I started to notice some nerves and jitters in his cue action and I was super aggressive the next few frames. It was all out attack to put him under pressure.
“He just completely outplayed me for a lot of the match. Up to 8-4 it was one of the best performances ever against me He played as the underdog and was free flowing with no pressure. I was expecting some of the mistakes he made at the end to come at the start of the match.”
The provisional calendar for the second half of the World Snooker Tour 2020/21 season is now available, with potentially 11 events scheduled next year*.
The Masters at Alexandra Palace in London, snooker’s biggest invitation tournament, will be the first event of 2021.
A minimum of six ranking events will follow between January and March: the BetVictor German Masters in Berlin, BetVictor Gibraltar Open, BetVictor Shoot Out, BetVictor Welsh Open in Cardiff, the Players Championship and the Tour Championship.
Currently, no international sporting events are being held within the People’s Republic of China. However, WST has left room in the calendar at the beginning of March which could see up to three events held back-to-back. Further opportunities are also being investigated should current policy extend beyond February 2021.
The season concludes with the Betfred World Championship in Sheffield, bringing the total number of tournaments in the 2020/21 season to potentially 19 events.
WST Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are delighted to release a packed calendar for the second half of this season. In these difficult times we are working relentlessly to keep our tour going. We realise the importance of providing competitive opportunities for the players and live snooker for our many millions of viewers globally.
“We will continue to explore all avenues in terms of staging events and providing access for live fans, while keeping health and safety as our top priority.”
In order to align with UK Government social distancing guidelines, the Betway UK Championship first round will now be played at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from November 23 to 26. The second round onwards will be held at the York Barbican from November 28 to December 6. The decision as to whether an audience will be allowed at the Barbican has not yet been made. WST will inform ticketholders as soon as plans have been finalised.
The seeding cut-off point for this event has been brought forward and now occurs at the end of the BetVictor Championship League on October 30.
CLICK HERE to see where ranking points are added and removed throughout the season.
A limited number of tickets for the 2021 Betfred World Championship are available but selling fast – for details click here.
*All dates and venues are provisional and subject to change, and will comply with Government Covid-19 regulations in each of the host territories.
And here is the calendar
And AGAIN, players will have to qualify in the UK for all non UK events. When will that change? When will this UK centric approach be abandoned by a governing body that claims to have ambitions for a GLOBAL sport? Also, suppose that players do qualify for those Chinese events in March, and later restrictions make travel or actual staging of (some of) the events impossible? What then? There should be no qualifiers unless the event has a tiered structure. If it’s a flat draw it should be played at the tournament location, or close to it, from the last 128 on.
At least this time, the German Masters qualifiers will not be held after the UK Championship when most players are tired and need a break.
We have a few day ahead of us without actual action at the table. I will take the opportunity to go through some articles/news that came out in the past weeks.
The first of those is an excellent interview with Martin Gould, by Phil Haigh.
Ronnie O’Sullivan comments can drive you mad, I did call him a few names, admits Martin Gould
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s comments at the World Championship caused a huge stir (Picture: Getty Images)
Martin Gould was far from happy with Ronnie O’Sullivan’s disparaging comments about lower-ranked players in snooker, so much so he was preparing a winner’s speech to fire back at the Rocket.
During this year’s World Championship O’Sullivan said he would have to ‘lose an arm and a leg to fall out of the top 50’ in the world, such is the cavernous gap in talent between him and the players at the lower reaches of the rankings.
The 44-year-old, who went on to win his sixth world title at the Crucible, was more commenting on the younger players in the game and the lack of talent emerging, but his barbs were felt by anyone outside the top 50.
Gould was ranked at number 60 at the start of the World Championship and was not happy at all with the Rocket knocking him.
The Pinner Potter has been in sparking form since July and has climbed to #36 in the world, thanks largely to a run to the final of the European Masters.
The 39-year-old beat John Higgins, Judd Trump and yan Bingtao en route to the finale in Milton Keynes and had prepared a speech that was aimed at putting O’Sullivan in his place, were he to beat Mark Selby in the final.
‘I had a little speech ready for the final if I’d beaten Mark, because it would have meant I’d have beaten Higgins, Bingtao, Trump and Selby,’ Gould told Metro.co.uk.
‘So I was going to cheekily say, “I’ve got rid of them lot, now all I’ve got to do is tie an arm and leg behind Ronnie’s back and see if he can beat me.” Because at that point he said that, I was in the ranking bracket that he was talking about.’
Gould would narrowly lose the final to Selby in a 10-9 classic, but it was another big step to recovering his best form, which he had lost over the last two seasons as he battled depression and injury.
The former world number 12 doesn’t think he was the specific target of O’Sullivan’s remarks, but does admit they wound him up.
‘I did call him a few names, I won’t lie,’ said Martin. ‘It’s just Ronnie being Ronnie, really, just take it with a pinch of salt and laugh about it.
‘I’m pretty sure he wasn’t actually including me in that bracket, I’ve played him a fair few times.
‘Ronnie’s just one of those types of people, he puts bums and seats, he can criticise people, but everyone still loves him. It’s just Ronnie being Ronnie, you can’t knock him.
‘He can drive you mad with some of his comments but people shouldn’t criticise him because he might just pack it in one day and the game…well it wouldn’t die, but it needs him.’
Martin Gould is in fine form at the start of the new season (Picture: Getty Images)
Gould followed up his run to the final of the European Masters by topping his first Championship League group to book his spot in the next stage of the competition.
He is enjoying a career resurgence as he nears 40, but he does feel there are some bright young things on the baize, particularly impressed by China’s Yan Bingtao, with the 20-year-old now up to number 12 in the world.
‘For me, Yan’s going to be someone who’ll be around for a long, long time yet,’ said Gould. ‘He just looks very, very good indeed and he will cause some damage. ‘The European Masters was the first time in three or four attempts that I’ve beaten him. He beats himself up when he plays a bad shot, seems to find it difficult to keep emotion in check, but different people do different things with that, each to their own.
I could definitely see Yan winning another event this season, adding to his tally.’
Gould is also a fan of Welshman Jamie Clarke after his headline-grabbing performances at the World Championship as he knocked out Mark Allen and then narrowly lost to Anthony McGill in a feisty epic.
‘Jamie is going to have a good season, I think,’ Gould said. ‘The only thing I thought, with what happened at the Crucible, I thought maybe Jamie was getting a little bit big for his boots at time.
Jamie Clarke won a lot of new fans at the Crucible this year (Picture: REX)
‘I hope and pray that’s not the case because he’s a lovely kid and I don’t want to see him get overconfident. But he looked very solid and started to score heavily as well, which is a massive plus. He’s got an all-round game so I can see him doing well.’
One youngster who has done more than most to start proving O’Sullivan wrong is Aaron Hill, the 18-year-old who knocked the Rocket out of the European Masters in the second round with a superb performance.
‘I’ve never really seen Aaron Hill play, he looks good, looks useful, but he was on the table next to me when he beat Ronnie so I was concentrating on my own game,’ said Gould of the young Irishman.
‘It’s only his first year so we’ve got to give him a little bit of time to see what he’s capable of.’
Martin is right about the fact that Ronnie wasn’t thinking about him when saying what he said, no more than he would include Stephen Hendry or Jimmy White in his critiscism of the “under top 50” level. Martin has been in the top 16, and is a ranking event winner. Martin knows it and still felt hurt, and it motivated him to prove Ronnie wrong, which, I’m sure, is exactly what Ronnie wanted to see.
Ronnie, for all the ups and downs, loves his sport, it’s been his life for the best of the last 35 years, and he is genuinely concerned by the fact that hardly any young player has come through over the last 10 years. The top 16 has essentially remained the same.
Martin is full of praise for Yan Bingtao, and rightly so. He is the exception, he is the only one who came through the flat draw system to reach the top 16 at a young age. Martin’s assessment of Yan’s emotional reactions when not playing well is interesting too. It’s the mark of a perfectionist. Being a perfectionist is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it constantly fuels the motivation to get better. It’s a curse because it can lead to never ending dissatisfaction and totally unjustified self-deprecation. Eh Ronnie?
Yan is not helped by the constant criticism he gets from some commentators and I can’t help to think that if a 20 years old Brit was playing at the level Yan is playing, those same commentators would not be so harsh on them, on the contrary. They would see them for what they are, a young player still “searching” their best self at the table and sometimes unsure about their shot selection or strategy.
Martin is also right about Aaron Hill. He looks a very promising prospect, and him beating Ronnie, is a great story and one that could have a huge impact on the state of snooker in Ireland. But it’s too early to make a prediction on his future career. He’s only at the start of his first year. He hasn’t any battle scars yet. I don’t wish that on Aaron, but the current flat draw system has destroyed many young players’ enthusiasm and faith in their ability. It takes a very strong character to keep that going when you get beat more often than not in round 1, because, more often than not, you face a top player, and then you struggle financially, because you get nothing for your efforts, even if you pushed the world number one to the last black in a deciding frame.
Talented 21-year-old amateur Ochoiski took a tight opening frame then showed his potential with a superb break of 105. He had two early chances in frame three, but a missed pink on 9 proved a turning point. O’Sullivan made 51 in taking the frame then compiled runs of 113, 55 and 52 in winning the next three.
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World number four Mark Selby is high on confidence ahead of his bid to retain the Steve Davis Trophy at next week’s Matchroom.Live English Open.
Selby’s win over Gould in the European Masters final was a thrilling encounter, with the 37-year-old requiring a final frame decider to seal the 9-8 triumph. He was the beneficiary of two walkovers earlier in the event after Michael White was required to self isolate and Mark Davis had his cue stolen, which he has since got back.
2016 Northern Ireland Open – Mark King 9-8 Barry Hawkins
2017 Welsh Open – Stuart Bingham 9-8 Judd Trump
2017 Northern Ireland Open – Mark Williams 9-8 Yan Bingtao
2017 Scottish Open – Neil Robertson 9-8 Cao Yupeng
Ronnie O'Sullivan 