Month: February 2021

The 2021 Welsh Open – Ronnie beat Jimmy in the last 64

Monique Professional snooker tournament

Ronnie beat his close friend and Eurosport collegue, Jimmy White, by 4-0 yesterday afternoon. Here are the scores:

WelshOpen2021ROSL64-Scores

It wasn’t a great match by any means. Jimmy had chances in every frame. Ronnie improved in the last two frames, but will need to play better if he is to progress today.

Here is WST report:

Rocket Downs The Whirlwind

WelshOpen2021ROSL128-1World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan eased to a 4-0 whitewash win over 10-time ranking event winner Jimmy White at the BetVictor Welsh Open.

The Rocket now leads White 32-9 in their head-to-head record and has been victorious in their last ten meetings.

O’Sullivan, a four-time winner of the Welsh Open, is bidding to equal John Higgins’ record of five titles in the event this week.

White struggled during this afternoon’s encounter, with O’Sullivan edging a scrappy first two frames on the colours. The 37-time ranking event winner then surged to the final two frames with breaks of 70 and 65 to win 4-0.

Afterwards O’Sullivan stated the importance of remaining in the zone, despite facing his close friend White.

O’Sullivan said: “You have to programme yourself to stay in your own lane, focus on what you have to do and try not to be influenced by your opponent. That is what you have to do for your entire career. You just have to block it out no matter what happens.

“In some ways those performances are more pleasing than open and fluent games. Sometimes when you have to dig in there is a bit more pleasure, as you have to work a bit harder.”

Ronnie loves to play Jimmy in exhibitions, but hates to play him in ranking events. Despite his best efforts, it is likely that he wasn’t 100% focussed on the job at hand.

The report by Eurosport is a more detailed, and true-er, account of what happened out there:

WELSH OPEN 2021 – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN PROVES TOO STRONG FOR JIMMY WHITE IN MATCH FILLED WITH MISTAKES

Ronnie O’Sullivan booked his place in the third round with a 4-0 win over Jimmy White. It wasn’t vintage snooker, but he did enough to advance. The Welsh Open is being held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, as snooker takes a temporary break from its home-from-home during the coronavirus pandemic, the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

Ronnie O’Sullivan advanced to the third round of the Welsh Open, but his 4-0 win over his great friend Jimmy White will not live long in the memory banks.
The world champion was in sublime form in his first-round win over Robbie Williams, but there was little of that fluency on display early on as both players struggled for form.

O’Sullivan’s highest break in the opening two frames was 40, but he knocked in a 70 in the third and White had no answer.
O’Sullivan’s performance could have been impacted by playing someone he is so close to, but he will need to up his level if he is to win his first tournament of the season.

White will come off the table with a sense of regret, as he had chances in every frame but his highest break of the match was 20 and he had a pot-success rate of 75%.
The opening frame was extremely scrappy, as both players had chances and a break of 42 from O’Sullivan ultimately proved the difference despite White being in control for long spells of the frame and had his opponent in trouble with a couple of evil snookers.
There were winces, grimaces and sighs of frustration from both players, while there was a light-hearted moment in the second when White produced a jaw-dropping fluke.
White had chances but was unable to take them and the second frame went the same way as the first.

There were brighter signs from O’Sullivan in the third and fourth frames, with breaks of 70 and 65 sealing the win – but once again it was a story of White missing chances.

After the match, Ronnie was in the studio, explaining that, provided you look after yourself, you are in no way finished in your mid-forties:

Today, Ronnie will play Martin gould in the last 32 and he will definitely need to be on his game if he is to go further. Should he  progress, David Gilbert or Zhou Yuelong await.

If he survives today, his reward may be an encounter tomorrow with John Higgins, Mark Allen or Ali Carter. Ouch!

The 2021 Weslh Open – Day 2

Monique Professional snooker tournament

The first round at the 2021 Welsh Open was played to a finish yesterday and this time there were some surprises.

Here is WST report:

Williams Speeds To Second Round

Mark Williams vowed to get his average shot time as low as ten seconds after speeding to a 4-1 victory over Michael White at the BetVictor Welsh Open.

Williams averaged just 15 seconds a shot on his way to this afternoon’s win. Despite only composing a top break of 44, the Welshman eased to the finish line in an hour and 15 minutes.

Williams is the only Welsh player ever to have won this event. The three-time World Champion was victorious in 1996 and 1999. He’ll be hoping for a first Welsh Open title in 22 years this week.

It was a disappointing afternoon for his fellow Welshman White, who fell off the tour at the end of last season. The two-time ranking event winner subsequently missed out on a return to professional status at Q School and is playing as a top up this week.

Williams said: “I’m starting to enjoy it more now. Most of the time I play, I know I’m going to be terrible. I’m just going to get on with it. I’m going to play as fast as I can and get in and out as quick as I can. I’m actually going to see if I can get one match down as quick as ten seconds a shot. That’s my goal for the rest of the season.

“I felt a little bit for him. He’s struggling and fell off the tour. He’s far too good not to be on the tour. It’s just confidence. He didn’t look like he had any there. I’ve been there myself when you can’t pot three balls on the trot. He was like that today, really struggled and looked under pressure from the off. I’m sure he will get back on the tour, he just has to try and relax a bit more.”

WelshOpen2021ROSL128-1World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan put on a strong performance to brush aside Robbie Williams 4-0 and set up a mouth watering last 64 clash with Jimmy White.

The Rocket fired in breaks of 58, 122, 66 and 73 as he eased to the whitewash win in just 45 minutes.

O’Sullivan said: “I’m looking forward to playing Jimmy, it should be good fun. Hopefully we can both play well and put on a good show for the fans.

“I use every match as a practice session. I don’t want to play in every tournament, I don’t really want to go deep in every tournament. I just want to keep sharp and let most people know that I can still play.”

Masters champion Yan Bingtao was ruthless in a 4-1 demolition of Xu Si. After losing the first frame, Yan made breaks of 55, 127, 104 and 51 on his way to victory. Next up Yan faces Frenchman Brian Ochoiski.

Sam Craigie battled back from 3-0 down to defeat Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 4-3, while Robert Milkins beat Stuart Bingham 4-2.

.Stuart Bingham’s defeat means that his spot in the Players Championship is no certainty, he will need other players’ results to go his way.

You can read more about Ronnies victory here.

Yan Bingtao was impressive and Ronnie, who was in the studio in the evening, was duly impressed.

Not specifically about yesterday, but about this round…

Phil Haigh has, again, produced two excellent articles:

He interviewed Brian Ochoiski, the young French amateur and he aslo spoke with Jamie Jones who feels that his ban was the worst time of his life but has made him a better player and a better person.

WST has added to their collection of 147 gone wrong afterMark  Selby’s missed pink yesterday. It’s hard to know who was the most disappointed: Mark or Barry?

And finally, off topic but still remarkable and rather surprising … Stephen Hendry on twitter has announced that he has entered the Gibraltar Open  . Hopefully it’s not another false start.

 

The 2021 Welsh Open – Ronnie wins his last 128 match in no time

Monique Interview, Professional snooker tournament ,

Ronnie beat Robbie Williams by 4-0 yesterday afternoon. It took him 46 minutes! 

Here are the scores and stats:

WelshOpen2021ROSL128-ScoresWelshOpen2021ROSL128-Stats

The WST report is short:

WelshOpen2021ROSL128-1World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan put on a strong performance to brush aside Robbie Williams 4-0 and set up a mouth watering last 64 clash with Jimmy White.

The Rocket fired in breaks of 58, 122, 66 and 73 as he eased to the whitewash win in just 45 minutes.

O’Sullivan said: “I’m looking forward to playing Jimmy, it should be good fun. Hopefully we can both play well and put on a good show for the fans.

“I use every match as a practice session. I don’t want to play in every tournament, I don’t really want to go deep in every tournament. I just want to keep sharp and let most people know that I can still play.”

Eurosport provided something more substantial:

WELSH OPEN 2021 – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CRUSHES ROBBIE WILLIAMS TO SET UP CLASH WITH JIMMY WHITE

Judd Trump is the favourite for the event, but he will need to improve on the performance he delivered against Zhao Jianbo in the first round. Shaun Murphy was extremely impressive in getting the better of Zak Surety and he will be confident about defending the title he won at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena 12 months ago. But Ronnie O’Sullivan looked in ominous form on Tuesday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan powered into the second round of the Welsh Open with a 4-0 win over Robbie Williams.
The world champion has looked sharp in recent weeks, impressing despite not qualifying from the group stage of the Championship League, and he oozed quality in disposing of Williams at the Celtic Manor Resort.

Breaks of 56, 66, 122 and 73 were the highlights of a 4-0 win that was secured in 45 minutes.

Speaking in the Eurosport studio with Andy Goldstein and White, O’Sullivan said of his performance level, which is always the subject of intense debate: “It’s quite strange I think everybody else is more worried and intrigued by my form than I am in many ways. I just go out there and play, have a bit of fun, enjoy it. Just kills a bit of time, obviously I like to play well but it doesn’t ruin me.”

Williams went into the game knowing he could not afford errors, but he coughed one up early in the first frame and a break of 56 from O’Sullivan set the tone for the contest.

The underdog knocked in an excellent plant in the second frame to show his quality, but he unpicked the good work by missing a pink into the middle and O’Sullivan stepped in with a 122 – his 26th ton of the season and 1087th of his career.

Williams had chances in the third as O’Sullivan missed a few balls, but he did not take them and a 66 break enabled the world champion to take the third.

The fourth frame summed up the contest, as Williams left a long red above ground and O’Sullivan knocked in a 73 to secure the win and a meeting with Jimmy White in the second round.

O’Sullivan said: “Listen, if you look at the game and the history of the game there’s only been three or four players who’ve managed to sell tickets and Jimmy has done that as well as anybody. It’s probably only me, Jimmy, Alex Higgins maybe. So legend playing junior legend.”

He was also interviewed by the excellent Phil Haigh:

Phil Haigh Tuesday 16 Feb 2021 7:40 pm

Ronnie O’Sullivan wants to keep playing snooker well into his sixties, taking inspiration from comedy icon Ken Dodd, and doesn’t see any reason why he can’t be playing a very high standard well into his fifties.

The Rocket was in fine form on Tuesday as he breezed past Robbie Williams and into the second round of the Welsh Open with a 4-0 victory at Celtic Manor.

The world champion is looking for his fifth title at this event and, as always, is among the favourite to be lifting the trophy on Sunday night.

The 45-year-old insists that winning tournaments is barely a secondary concern to him these days, but he wants and needs to keep competing in order to stay relevant for the exhibition circuit, which is his primary snooker love.

O’Sullivan takes on Jimmy White in the second round in Wales on Wednesday and he doesn’t see any reason why he can’t still be playing well as he approaches the Whirlwind’s age of 58.

‘My main thing is I want to do a Ken Dodd, he toured until the day he died,’ O’Sullivan told Metro.co.uk.

‘For me, that’s playing exhibitions and having fun and as long as I keep fit and healthy, I try and do 30 or 40 nights a year. I loved it, me and my mate on the road, it was like a road trip, we have so much fun.

‘I play enough snooker to be sharp enough for exhibitions, which is great. I can manage my diary much better, I like to be secure in what I’m doing, have control of what I’m doing.

’55 should be the minimum really, [Steve] Davis was still playing good snooker at 55. If I’m still in good shape, playing good snooker, why not do exhibitions until I’m 65? If you’re still playing well, people are enjoying it, you’re still doing good things on the table, that would be great for me.’

The reigning world champion is still looking to win his first tournament of the season since his superb triumph at the Crucible in August, whilst Judd Trump has been racking up titles.

The world number one has won four ranking titles this campaign and remarked that he would rather be winning a string of events over a season than just picking up a lone World Championship title.

The Rocket, unsurprisingly, doesn’t agree, saying the major titles in the game – the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship – are the only credible judge of a player.

O’Sullivan compared winning lots of other events to the golf career of Colin Montgomerie, while it was Tiger Woods taking home the biggest prizes.

‘It’s very difficult to say when you’re playing however many tournaments they play,’ said Ronnie when presented with Judd’s comments.

‘The only real yardstick that you can compare, that never changes, is the Worlds, the Masters and the UK. I think the same with golf and tennis.

Judd Trump on the World Championship:

‘I know winning the Worlds is an amazing achievement, but I’d much rather win five or six events a year than just pick up that lone World Championship.‘I’d rather have the consistency of playing well 50 weeks of the year and have a bad two weeks at the Worlds, rather than just play well for a couple of weeks and a bad 50 weeks‘It certainly makes me a lot happier playing well week-in-week-out than just peaking for one event. Obviously it would be nice to win them all but the Worlds is just one event, it’s exactly the same as every other tournament to me. The only difference is from people looking from the outside saying the Worlds is special, as a player every tournament is equally important.’ 

‘Everybody knows that it’s the big tournaments, that’s where the big players produce their best. That’s the only constant way of judging how somebody’s done, but everybody has a different approach to how they want to do it.

‘My approach is less on winning tournaments, less on rankings and just enjoying it and having fun. Other players are like Colin Montgomerie, he dominated the European Tour for so many seasons but couldn’t quite win the majors because Tiger Woods was there and he was a hard man to stop.

‘There’s no wrong or right way, it’s whatever floats your boat.’

‘Sullivan has the opportunity to lift the Ray Reardon Trophy on Sunday for the first time, with the prize renamed after his old mentor since the last time the Rocket won this event.

The world champ says that his connection with Reardon runs much deeper than the trophy making a difference and they still have a close relationship to this day.

‘The relationship I have with Ray is much more important than a trophy, it would be great if Ray was here to hand the trophy over, obviously that would be a special moment,’ he said.

Ronnie-Ray-Reardon
O’Sullivan credits Reardon with teaching how to become a winner (Picture: Getty)

‘Any tournament is great to be in and great to participate in. The relationship I had with Ray and the time we spent together is what I’ll remember most.

‘We still chat on the phone, not as much as we used to, but I still check in with him now and again. I’m sure he’ll have been watching today so I’ll get a little text from him telling me I was rubbish and could improve in certain areas.’

Having skipped the German Masters and the Shoot Out, this is the Rocket’s first ranking event of the year and since he spent Christmas Day working with a homeless charity.

It is something the Rocket does on an annual basis and gets a lot of pleasure out of.

‘I haven’t done much since, because I haven’t got masses of time, but Christmas Day is my chance to get involved and do stuff for the homeless.

‘When I’m playing a bit less and travelling less I’ll do more, I’m still involved in certain projects.

‘I do it every Christmas, go and feed the homeless, I enjoy it, giving back, seeing people that are down on their luck, haven’t got much positive stuff going on, to be able to be with them is quite nice.

‘I don’t think they watch too much snooker, but as long as you get a smile out of them, it’s all good.’

O’Sullivan takes on White on Wednesday in the second round of the Welsh Open.

I have put the part of the text that refers to Judd Trump’s quotes in a different colour to make the it easier to read/understand as more Ronnie quotes follow immediately and the separation is not very obvious in the original presentation.

As usual with Ronnie there is a bit of contradiction … he doesn’t care to win events but would dearly love to receive the trophy, presented by Ray Reardon, this week. Never mind … as he would say “It’s all good….”. 😉

Ronnie was in the studio in the evening.

The 2021 Welsh Open – Day 1

Monique Professional snooker tournament

Other than Kurt Maflin and Alex Borg who had already withdrawn before the start of the event, two more players withdrew on day 1: Mark Joyce and Neil Robertson. Mark Joyce developed covid symptoms, and, although he hasn’t got the test results yet, preferred not to travel. That’s the sensible thing to do of course. I wish Mark the best, hopefully no severe symptoms and a speedy recovery. Neil Robertson cited personal reasons. As a result, Jimmy White and Mark King get a bye to the next round.

Neil Robertson has played just two matches since winning the UK Championship in December: the first round of the 2020 World Grand Prix, which he lost by 4-2 to Robert Milkins and the first round match at the 2021 Masters, wich he lost by 6-5 to the eventual Champion. He admitted afterwards that his preparation had been minimal because he had given priority to his family over Christmas. But this now is becoming puzzling and a bit worrying. Neil’s partner has suffered serious mental healths issues in the past, and the lockdown takes its toll on many. I hope that there isn’t a severe return of  her depression.

There were no big surprises yesterday. Here is the report by WST:

Murphy Defence Begins With Victory

Defending BetVictor Welsh Open champion Shaun Murphy began his campaign at this year’s event with a 4-1 defeat of Zak Surety at the Celtic Manor Resort.

The Magician lifted the Ray Reardon Trophy 12 months ago with a stunning 9-1 defeat of Kyren Wilson in the final.

He’ll require another strong showing this week if he is to qualify for the upcoming Cazoo Players Championship. Murphy currently lies in 20th position on the one-year list and needs to force his way into the top 16 to gain a place.

Murphy made breaks of 63, 107 and 119 on his way to today’s win and will face either Stuart Carrington or Soheil Vahedi in the last 64.

“It’s very pleasing. I’ve put a lot of work in since my last outing. There have been times this season where I have been really struggling,” said Triple Crown winner Murphy.

“I’ve spoke at length about the difference in restrictions with living in the Republic of Ireland. It has affected my ability to prepare for tournaments. I’ve done as much as I can for this week, as the last thing you want to do is turn up as defending champion and go out in the first round.

“I’ve played myself into a hole this season. I’m chasing points for the Players Championship now. It is last chance saloon for that. It’s one down and a few more to go.”

Mark Selby missed out on a golden opportunity for a 147 in his 4-1 defeat of Barry Pinches. The three-time World Champion compiled a supreme run of 134, before missing a routine pink to end the break.

Selby remains in a strong position in the fight for the £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus, which goes to the player who accumulates the most prize money over the six events.

He lies in second place behind Judd Trump, after winning the BetVictor European Masters and being runner-up at the recent BetVictor Shoot Out. Just two events remain in the series, with the BetVictor Gibraltar Open to follow.

Selby said: “Making a 147 in any tournament is one of the biggest buzzes you can get in snooker. I’ve managed to do it once or twice before. It would have been nice to do it again there, but it wasn’t to be. There are a lot worse things going on in the world than me missing the pink.”

World number one Trump booked his place in the second round with a 4-2 win over China’s Pang Junxu. The Ace in the Pack made breaks of 117, 67, 90 and 51 on his way to victory. He faces Si Jiahui in the second round.

Scotland’s five-time Welsh Open winner John Higgins got underway with a 4-1 defeat of Steven Hallworth, while fellow Scot Stephen Maguire saw off Welshman Dominic Dale 4-1.

The above report is inaccurate: Trump played Zhao Jianbo, not Pang Junxu. Pang  beat Allan Taylor by 4-0. This is unprofessional from WST.

Also, Trump’s breaks give the wrong impression about the match. Actually he was very poor for the best part of it. His young opponent, only 17 years old, was visibly ill at ease on the main table and made some bad shot choices. A more experienced player would likely have sent Judd Trump packing yesterday. Now that he is through, he’s likely to get stronger.

Also there is no mention of Chang Bingyu fight back against Joe Perry: from 3-0 down, Chang forced a decider, but the vastly experienced Joe eventually prevailed.

No mention either of Ding’s 4-1 victory over Lyu Haotian. Ding like many Chinese players is struggling emotionally under the current circumstances and he has been speaking to Phil Haigh. It’s heatbreaking really. People who moan because they have to wear a mask in super-markets, or because they can’t get smashed in the pubs should get some perspective.

Today, Ronnie will face Robbie Williams, and it’s not an easy first round opponent over a best of 7.  Should he win, he is due to play Jimmy White tomorrow,

Meanwhile he has been in the news again for a good cause:

Ronnie O’Sullivan painting helps find bone marrow donor

RonniesPaintingJohn Donaldson Art
Mr Donaldson said: “I could see that Libby was only aged 12 and just wanted to help”

An artist’s partnership with multiple world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has helped a 12-year-old girl find a life-saving donor.

John Donaldson, from Bristol, is auctioning a signed painting of the snooker star to help Libby Cott who has a rare bone marrow condition.

Publicity generated by the pair’s efforts has helped raise £130,000 in donations.

Libby’s auntie Lucy Tant says thanks to the funds, a donor has now been found.

Libby, from Buckhurst Hill, Essex, has aplastic anemia, a condition which leads to her body not producing enough new blood cells, making her more prone to infections.

Mr Donaldson, 40, a former painter and decorator, said his previous work for American rapper Snoop Dogg gave him the motivation to get involved in the push to find a bone marrow donor.

He said: “I’d seen the Libby’s Lockdown campaign on Ronnie’s social media and I thought I can help her.

“So I got in contact with Ronnie and said I can do this painting and if you sign it we can raise a lot of money.”

The highest bid for the artwork currently stands at £2,500.

Mr O’Sullivan said he could tell Mr Donaldson “put his life and soul” into his painting and he was “glad” to be able to help.

He said: “It was heartbreaking to hear about Libby, who goes to the same school as my step-daughter.

“When you are a parent like me it makes you really understand what it must be like for her family.

Ms Tant said since the artist and snooker player had shared her campaign on social media, more than £130,000 had been donated.

Ms Tant said the help given by Mr Donaldson and Mr O’Sullivan was “incredible”We cant believe that John has spent 63 hours painting this for us. It alone has given us the fundraising that we needed,” she said.”Any more money raised through John’s auction will now go towards helping other people find donors.”

The arena looks nice and it’s good to see adjacent tables again. WST put a lot of efforts into the arena design during the lockdown, but it still felt empty. This looks more “normal”  and it’s great.

 

WST/WPBSA Tribute to Doug Mountjoy

Monique Snooker

As the 2021 Welsh Open is about to start in Celtic Manor, WST and WPBSA pay tribute to Doug Mountjoy, one of the greatest Welsh players of the ’70s and ’80s. Dough sadly passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

Doug Mountjoy Passes Away

Doug Mountjoy, one of snooker’s leading lights during the 1970s and 80s, has died at the age of 78.

Welshman Mountjoy won the UK Championship twice, the Masters once and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the World Championship in 1981.

His close friend Cliff Thorburn said: “So sad to hear of Doug Mountjoy’s passing today. He was a true champion and gentleman. He had all the shots and the heart of a lion. You knew he was in the room by his laughter and I spent many a happy time with Doug! My sympathies to his family and friends.”

While working as a miner in the coal valleys around Ebbw Vale, South Wales, Mountjoy had considerable success on the amateur snooker scene, and decided to turn pro at the age of 34 after winning the World Amateur title in 1976.

Remarkably, he won his first professional tournament, the 1977 Masters,  beating Ray Reardon 7-6 in the final. The following year he lifted the UK Championship trophy thanks to a 15-9 defeat of David Taylor. Mountjoy also won Pot Black that year, and the Irish Masters in 1979.

At the Crucible in 1981 he came through a tough draw, knocking out Willie Thorne, Eddie Charlton, Dennis Taylor and Ray Reardon to reach the final.  In the semi-final against Reardon, Mountjoy compiled a break of 145 – at the time the highest made at the Crucible. But Davis was not to be denied his first world crown, and won the final 18-12. Mountjoy would never again go past the quarter-finals.

For much of the 1980s, Mountjoy’s game was in decline, but he enjoyed a revival towards the end of the decade, after working with legendary coach Frank Callan, who made a significant change to his technique.

In 1988, at the age of 46 and ranked 24th in the world, he beat Stephen Hendry 16-12 in the final of the UK Championship, at one point scoring three consecutive centuries. “Reaching the final was like swimming the Channel, but winning it is like swimming the Atlantic,” he said. In January 1989, Mountjoy made it back-to-back ranking titles  by beating Wayne Jones in the final of the Mercantile Credit Classic.

That proved his last significant victory, though he reached a career-high of number five in the rankings in 1990. In 1993 he was diagnosed with lung cancer and subsequently had one lung removed, though he continued to play as a professional until 1997.

He want on to become a respected coach, firstly in Dubai and then back in Wales.

In a joint statement, WST Chairman Barry Hearn OBE and WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “Doug was a first and foremost a lovely man, who had great friendships with many players on the tour throughout the 1970s and onwards. He had a fantastic dedication to our sport, he simply loved the game and was always willing to help others to improve, both as a player and later as a coach. On the table he was a fierce competitor and a fine champion who won a multitude of tournaments. His revival late in his career to win two events including the UK Championship was an incredible achievement. Doug will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him, and our sincere condolences go to his family.”

Dennis Taylor said: “Just heard the sad news of the passing of one of our legends. Doug Mountjoy a very special Welsh man. RIP my dear friend.”

Jimmy White added: “Sorry to hear about the loss of a great legend of the sport. RIP Doug Mountjoy.”

Article by WST.

Doug played at the Crucible one last time on 9 April 2015, in a Snooker Legends exhibition, along with Cliff Thorburn, Dennis Taylor and John Parrott. Michaela Tabb was officiating and John Virgo was the host and compere.

SnookerLegends 2015 Crucible exho

This is the only time I had the privilege to meet Doug, a lovely man. I took pictures at that exhibition but unfortunately can’t show them as I don’t have them here in Greece where I’m detained for over a year now courtesy of the covid-19 virus.

2021 Championship League Snooker – Group 6

Monique Professional snooker tournament

Ali Carter won Group 6 of the 2021 Championship League Snooker.

Here is the report by WST:

Carter Through In Milton Keynes

Ali Carter completed an impressive turnaround to beat Anthony McGill 3-2 and advance to the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Winners’ Group after it had looked like McGill was about to win the Group Six final.

The Scot was 2-0 up in the best-of-five match, but after potting the brown to leave Carter requiring a snooker at the end of the third frame, McGill missed the blue.

The Essex man duly got the penalty points he required, and he took the fourth frame too, forcing the decider. Carter then compiled a century break of 111 to close out the match with three frames on the spin.

“I’m delighted,” said Carter. “Coming here on Wednesday I had no expectations and to get through against top quality opponents is great.

“I have been working on some stuff at home and trying to practice here and there with the lockdown and home schooling, but I am delighted to get through. I have tried to change my game a bit and play more attacking rather than the old school way. I came here with that in mind, made a few centuries and got some good wins.

“When you have played as long as I have, you get a feeling. When you win a frame needing a snooker, I could sense Anthony was struggling a little bit.

“I love this event, I have always done well here, and it is great that we are playing. I am away, I am working, and I can drive home tonight knowing I am the winner.”

Carter had earlier topped the league phase table with five victories, having won 17 out of a possible 18 frames across his matches. The Captain lost out to Mark Williams at the semi-final stage of Group Five, but avoided a repeat by taking the deciding frame of his play-off match against the Welshman.

McGill took a 2-0 lead over Gilbert in his semi-final, and despite being pegged back by the Tamworth cueman man he took the fourth frame to win 3-2 and join Carter in the final.

Joe Perry will join McGill, Williams and Gilbert Group Seven having finished fifth in Group Six. They will be joined by three new players, including Neil Robertson, with one last spot in Winners’ Group up for grabs. Li Hang and Liang Wenbo have been eliminated from the event having finished sixth and seventh respectively in the group.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker sees 25 of the game’s elite players compete for their share of a total prize pot of up to £205,000.

Group Seven begins on Tuesday, March 30. Live scoring will be available at www.wst.tv. Group fixtures and results can be found at http://www.championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/

PLAY-OFF RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS
Mark Williams 2-3 Ali Carter
25-71, 103-14 (103), 64-7 (63), 42-61 (55), 4-73 (53)

David Gilbert 1-3 Anthony McGill
0-63, 38-85 (85), 92-6 (91), 17-72 (72)

THE FINAL
Anthony McGill 2–3 Ali Carter
61-7, 74-40 (56), 75-78, 4-77, 0-111 (111)

 

FINAL LEAGUE PHASE STANDINGS

P W L FW FL PTS Money Won
Ali Carter 6 5 1 17 6 5 £6,500
Anthony McGill 6 5 1 16 12 5 £5,100
David Gilbert 6 3 3 12 13 3 £2,500
Mark Williams 6 3 3 11 13 3 £3,200
Joe Perry 6 2 4 12 13 2 £1,200
Liang Wenbo 6 2 4 12 15 2 £1,200
Li Hang 6 1 5 9 17 1 £900

What Ali says about practising “here and there” shows that it remains an issue for many players to find good practice facilities in the current circumstances. Probably all those who aren’t affiliated to an Academy, or haven’t their own table/club. are struggling to an an extent to get as much quality practice as they would like to.

 

Ronnie about Stephen Hendry’s return

Monique Snooker

This was actually published by Eurosport before the Shoot Out:

SNOOKER NEWS – RONNIE O’SULLIVAN: STEPHEN HENDRY WILL BE PLUNGED STRAIGHT INTO A ‘RAT RACE’

Stephen Hendry’s return to competitive snooker after a nine-year absence will not be a glamorous occasion as he is forced to battle it out in a “rat race” with the sport’s lesser lights, according to world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hendry had hoped to make his comeback at the Welsh Open later this month, but revealed on Friday his online entry form had not been received by tournament organisers.

Ronnie & Hendry

By DESMOND KANE

Stephen Hendry will be plunged straight into a snooker “rat race” when he returns to the professional circuit, according to world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Hendry last played a competitive match on the main tour at the 2012 World Championship quarter-finals when he announced his retirement following a 13-2 filleting by fellow Scot Stephen Maguire.

After receiving a two-year invitational tour card alongside fellow green baize icons Jimmy White and Ken Doherty, the seven-times world champion had hoped to return at the Welsh Open (15-21 February LIVE on Eurosport) at Celtic Manor only to discover his online entry form had not been received by the tournament organisers.

“Very disappointed I’m not playing in the Welsh Open,” he said on Friday.”I did enter as soon as entry opened online, must have been a glitch in system, however. I found out the other night I wasn’t in it, gutted as I was really looking forward to playing,” commented Hendry, who won the first Welsh Open with a 9-3 win over Darren Morgan in 1992 before claiming further victories in 1997 and 2003.

The Gibraltar Open (1-7 March) is the last ranking event open to all tour professionals before the World Championship qualifiers begin on 7 April in Sheffield, but Hendry has not outlined his plans after withdrawing from the WST Pro Series event last month.

Whenever or wherever Hendry touches down, 37-times ranking event winner O’Sullivan feels his old rival’s celebrated return at the age of 52 will not be a romantic occasion due to the dog-eat-dog nature of the sport.

The world number three is adamant Hendry, who he first faced in Dubai in 1993 when Hendry was then a three-times world champion, is returning to a much-changed landscape that no longer offers any of the top players protection through ranking points.

“It’s okay picking and choosing your tournaments, but when you go down that route you have to do well in them otherwise you don’t ever seem to be climbing the rankings,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport.
“I don’t think rankings are anywhere near as important as they used to be. Being in a tiered system, reaching the top 16 was always an ambition of a player so you could step out of that rat race if you like.”

BUT NOW THERE IS NO TIERED SYSTEM, EVERYBODY IS IN THE RAT RACE AND THEY ALL COME IN AT ROUND ONE.

“There is now no point in being a top 16 player. If you play, you win and if you don’t, you go home. You really have to win matches.”

Hendry retired in 2012 after growing increasingly exasperated with the dwindling standard of his performances. He endured a seven-year title drought with his last ranking event victory coming at the 2005 Malta Cup.

The Scotsman has rediscovered his passion for the sport after working with Stephen Feeney, whose celebrated SightRight method helped Mark Williams win a third world title at the age of 43 in 2018 and O’Sullivan end a seven-year wait to claim his sixth Crucible title last August.

O’Sullivan feels Feeney’s work ethic will have a positive effect on Hendry’s ambition to be a competitive force at the highest level.

“It’s a good method. It’s definitely worth exploring if you are a snooker player. Stephen Feeney is great to work with and gets you really motivated,” said O’Sullivan.
“It gives you a bit of structure to your practice. It’s all about ball striking, cue action and alignment.
“It’s always good to explore different ways of achieving the perfect cue action and I think Stephen is super excited that he can work with Steve.
“I think Stephen needed that. He needed someone with Feeney’s passion to get him back working hard.

THERE IS A LOT OF HARD WORK AHEAD FOR STEPHEN. IT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH FOR HIM, BUT IF ANYBODY CAN DO IT AND GIVE IT A GO IT WILL BE HENDRY.

I believe that the return will be extremely difficult for Stephen Hendry, its psychological aspect in particular. I feel that, at times, Steve Feeney has put too much pressure on him. maybe creating too much expectations. Also, the longer he delays it, the harder it will be for Spephen IMO.
Everyone is different of course, but, personally, I think that he should have entered one of the groups/round-robin events. Lots of matches against different opponents in a short time span, under lower pressure as well because those events are played under a short format, and aren’t that prestigious. It would have allowed him to assess where his game stands, and given him time to work on the weaknesses. Now the season is already coming to an end and there is only the Gibraltar Open and the World Championship qualifiers for him to play in … if  he enters.