Day 2 at the Barbican saw 3 out of 4 seeded players bow out of the tournament, Luca Brecel being the only one to reach the last 16 round. This means that half way through the “main event” first round, we have lost half of the top seeds who played so far. OK, Neil Robertson was unwell, but this still tells us a few things.

• The strength in depth on the tour is probably higher than ever. This was discussed recently on social media and the consensus is that the players at the very top some 30 years ago were probably as good as the top guys now, Reardon, Davis, Hendry would have been dominant players in any era. What has changed – massively – is the quality of the opposition down the rankings.
• A tiered system, correctly implemented, does not disadvantage the lower ranked players. In fact it’s quite the opposite. It puts the top players under added pressure because they come in the main event cold and face an opponent who has already won at least one match and has already secured good prize money and ranking points. Of course the seeds get the money, even if they lose, but not the ranking points, therefore their (future) ranking suffers big time.

By correctly implemented I mean this:

• The qualifying rounds must be played right before the main event, so that the “form” players get to the main stages, as opposed to “the players on form three months before”.
• Ideally they should be played at the same venue as the “main event”. If that’s impossible, at a geographically close location, in the same city or close by. They definitely should NOT be played in the UK for events that are scheduled to be held in China, mainland Europe or outside UK in general. The “local” fans should be given the opportunity to watch and appreciate all the players, including their fellow citizens if any. It makes no sense to give “local wild cards” if they need to qualify (elsewhere) in the UK as they usually don’t qualify and held-over matches are far from ideal for a number of reasons, mainly organisational reasons.
• The conditions should be as close as possible to the “main events” conditions. The lighting on all tables should be identical to the “television tables” one.
• The qualifiers should be broadcasted, with extensive media coverage. The venue should accommodate fans and offer reasonable comfort, decent catering and good accessibility.
• If huge gaps between sessions are to be expected, having a cue zone and a fan zone is desirable too.

This is what this event has offered and there has been more excitement and interest for this event than for any previous event this season. By far. Fans have genuinely enjoyed the qualifiers, thanks to the excellent coverage. The quality of the main venue and setup have been hugely appreciated. A word that has been used extensively so far this week is “classy”. That’s what snooker needs: “class”, a “classy image”, not DJs, blaring music, gimmicks, shouting fans and sloppily dressed players. “Class” is what will attract more/better sponsoring because image is all important to sponsors.

Here are the reports by WST

Afternoon session

Robertson Knocked Out By Perry

The last two winners of the Cazoo UK Championship are out of the tournament already in York, as Neil Robertson followed Zhao Xintong out of the exit door after losing 6-2 to Joe Perry.

Robertson won this title in 2013, 2015 and 2020, but has since won just four frames at the Barbican as he lost 6-2 to John Astley last year, and by the same scoreline today. The world number two was unwell with a cold, but insisted that there were no excuses as he was outplayed by close friend Perry.

Australia’s Robertson was player of the season in 2021/22, winning four titles, but having elected not to enter the first three ranking events of the current season, he has now left himself in danger of missing out on the World Grand Prix. The 40-year-old is currently 39th on the one-year ranking list and could need a deep run in either the Scottish Open or English Open to get into the top 32.

In the final qualifying round last week, Perry beat Graeme Dott 6-0 with what he described as his best performance since winning last season’s Welsh Open. He carried that form into today, dominating from the early exchanges. The 48-year-old from Cambridgeshire goes into the last 16 to face Stuart Bingham or Liam Highfield.

Breaks of 102, 85 and 68 helped put Perry 4-0 ahead at the interval. Robertson made an 88 to pull one back, but early in frame six, Perry converted an excellent pot on a red to a centre pocket to set up a run of 81 for 5-1.

The Englishman had a chance to clinch the result in frame seven, but missed the pink to a centre pocket when he trailed 21-26 and his opponent punished him with 62. Robertson had an opportunity to further reduce the deficit in the seventh, but at 41-0 he left a tricky black in the jaws of a top corner. This time there was no mercy from Perry, who cleared with 64.

“I could see Neil wasn’t a hundred percent, but that probably made my task a bit more difficult. Not on the table, but to deal with that sort of emotion, I had to really keep my concentration and focus,” said world number 30 Perry. “I’ve always liked playing Neil because he’s such a great person around the table, he’s always so well behaved, and he brings out the best in you.

“I’ve always felt relaxed around him because we’ve spent much of the past 20 years, together. He knows what I’m capable of, I never feel like I have to impress him, he knows what I can do.”

Perry is very much a fan of the change in format and new fan experience at the Barbican this year. He added: “I love the whole set up, the fact that you can just walk in, get on the practice table no problem. You could tell in qualifying, it was a big deal to qualify and get here, and then once you’re finally here it’s even better.”

Robertson said: “Joe played really well. His strength has always been his scoring and positional play around the balls. When he’s knocking in long pots, and his safety was excellent, he’s tough to beat.

“I wasn’t feeling great but with the way Joe was playing today I would have had to be at my best anyway. I downed a Red Bull at the interval, guzzled it down, and it did actually help. I tried, you always have to, things can turn around. I got back to 5-2, but then rattled the black and he made a very clinical finish. It’s good to see because he’s a friend and I always want to see him do well. Now I’m out, I hope he wins it.”

On table two, last year’s runner-up Luca Brecel came through a tough test against Lyu Haotian, winning 6-4. Belgium’s Brecel played outstanding snooker in York 12 months ago before losing to Zhao in the final, and has since won the Scottish Open and Championship League.

World number 11 Brecel took the opening frame then made a 124 for 2-0. China’s Lyu hit back with 58, 97 and 79 to lead 3-2, then Brecel levelled before regaining the lead with a 72. In frame eight, Lyu had a chance to clear from 62-0 down, but failed to convert a double on the last red on 29, and his opponent potted it for 5-3.

Brecel made 55 in the ninth before under-cutting a tricky red to a top corner, and Lyu cleared with 79 to close to 5-4. The tenth came down to the colours and Lyu, trailing 42-49, missed a tough pot on the yellow to a baulk corner, which proved his last shot as Brecel clipped home the yellow to a blind pocket and added the points he needed.

“I’m happy with how I won the match in the end,” said Brecel, who now plays John Higgins or Tom Ford. “Reaching the final last year set me up nicely and I’ve had some good results and some nice tournament wins. It’s like I’m a different player now. Every time I come to a tournament now I’m thinking ‘win it’, and before we were looking at quarter-finals, maybe semi-finals.

“It takes a lot to get me excited but this time I felt quite excited when I saw the set up and the crowd were amazing. The tables were nice as well, so it’s perfect – like a dream. It felt a bit like the Crucible. You can just feel it’s such a big tournament and it’s great to still be in.”

Evening session

Higgins Joins York Casualties

John Higgins became the latest former winner to be knocked out of the Cazoo UK Championship as he was beaten 6-4 by Tom Ford in the first round in York. The result means that there will be no Scottish players in the last 16 of this event for the first time since 1987.

Following the exits of Zhao Xintong and Neil Robertson, three-time champion Higgins becomes the third of the top six seeds to lose on the opening weekend at the Barbican. It has been a poor start to the season for 47-year-old Higgins; he has not gone beyond the last 32 of a ranking event and languishes in 89th place on the live one-year ranking list.

Leicester’s Ford has now beaten Higgins four times in a row in knock-out ranking event matches, and tonight showed his ability to raise his game at crucial moments on the big staqe as he came from 3-2 down to win four of the last five frames. His reward is a last 16 tie with Luca Brecel.

After sharing the first four frames, Higgins made a break of 85 to lead 3-2. Ford levelled the tie then made a 71 to edge ahead at 4-3, before Higgins took the eighth.

A safety exchange early in frame nine was resolved when Higgins got an unwanted double kiss on a red near the top cushion, leaving his opponent plumb among the balls. Ford took advantage with a break of 99 to go 5-4 up. And when Higgins missed a long red at the start of frame ten, it proved his last shot as Ford secured the result with a superb 90.

“The first five or six frames were embarrassing,” said world number 32 Ford. “My hands were freezing so I had a packet of hand warmers and once I started using those I warmed up and felt more comfortable. I quickened up my game and found something. I’m proud of the way I kept my head because sometimes my head goes down and I beat myself up. Tonight I battled through that.”

World number five Higgins said: “I dragged Tom down to my level for the first four frames and I was lucky to be 2-2. After the interval it was a bit better, but Tom finished the match off really well.”

On the other table, another three time champion, Ding Junhui, scored a 6-3 success against Barry Hawkins. China’s Ding passed a significant milestone as he became the seventh player in snooker history to rack up six hundred century breaks. Ding is through to the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time since last season’s Gibraltar Open and now meets Mark Williams or Jamie Clarke.

Hawkins led 3-1 with a top break of 85, but Ding dominated after the interval, winning five frames in a row with breaks of 105, 62, 122 , 72 and 91.

Ding said: “Before the interval my safety wasn’t good. It’s nice to make big breaks, but you can’t forget that you need to play good safety to create the chances. From 3-1 down I tried to keep control and make the right decisions and that worked for me. I’m lucky to be the seventh player (to make 600 centuries). I was thinking in practice the other day that I want to get to 1,000, and I worked out that I have to make 40 every season for another ten years.”

I only had the opportunity to watch the afternoon session, and I chose to focus on Luca Brecel and Lyu Haotian. It was a good match and the right result too.

The 2022 UK Championship started yesterday at the York Barbican. With the tiered draw, there are only two table in the arena and WST/WPBSA did a really good job with the setup.

Here are some pictures they shared on social media:

Having the crowd sat on three sides always creates a better atmosphere. As you can see that there was a huge crowd, and this picture doesn’t show many sat in the upper part of the arena. That got quite full as well. There is a partition, like at the Crucible. Here though players have significantly more space to move around the table. Well done!

Now here are the reports by WST on the action:

Afternoon session

Zhao Floored In First Round In York

World number 47 Sam Craigie scored a shock 6-2 win over Zhao Xintong in York as the defending champion fell at the first hurdle of the Cazoo UK Championship.

China’s Zhao beat Luca Brecel in the final at the Barbican last year, and soon afterwards won his second ranking title at the German Masters. But his form has been patchy since then – the 25-year-old has not been beyond the quarter-finals of a knockout ranking event since February.

Craigie won two qualifying matches to book his place in York, and today scored one of the best wins of his career in front of a sell-out crowd. The 29-year-old from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is through to the last 16 of a ranking event for the sixth time in his career, and first time in a Triple Crown event.

A break of 83 in the opening frame settled Craigie into the match. Zhao took the next two, but Craigie then fired runs of 78 and 69 to go 3-2 ahead. World number eight Zhao had chances in the sixth but didn’t capitalise, and his opponent made a 36 clearance to double his lead.

Frame seven came down to a battle on the brown, and Zhao went in-off when attempting safety, which gifted the frame to Craigie. And another error from Zhao in the eighth, missing a red to a top corner, proved his final mistake as Craigie finished in style with a 104. He now faces Ryan Day or Jimmy White.

“It was a good performance,” said Craigie. “The crowd were absolutely phenomenal. I’ve never felt anything like that before. At the start everyone was behind Zhao, and it was midway through that it seemed to switch. I don’t know why but I’m not complaining. The first frame settled me down. If I hadn’t have started quick, he could have easily pumped me 6-0 and I could have been home by now.”

Craigie was watched by his partner and their daughter and added: “After you win it’s brilliant, giving them a hug. It’s the first time for my eldest daughter, and she’s been buzzing all day. I was struggling to prepare for the match and she was just buzzing. It’s nice to get the win for her. I’m going straight home now, I’ve been in a hotel for a week so I need to go home and get everything washed!”

Zhao said: “I couldn’t play well, I had pressure. Today is different, it’s my first time defending a title. I can’t say what happened. Maybe next time I can do it.”

On the other table, close friends Mark Allen and Jordan Brown embraced at the start and end of their first round content, but it was world number nine Allen who remains in York thanks to a 6-4 success. This was the first time that the Northern Irish duo had met in a professional tournament.

Allen has been the player of the season so far having won the Northern Ireland Open as well as reaching the final of the Cazoo British Open, and he is clearly one of the favourites for the record £250,000 top prize over the coming nine days in York. His next opponent is Kyren Wilson or Matthew Selt.

The standard today was superb with two centuries and six more breaks over 50 in the ten frames. Brown made an 84 in taking an early 2-0 lead, but Allen recovered to win five of the next six frames with top runs of 68, 105, 113, 63 and 55. He could have wrapped up the result in frame nine but, after potting the last red, he missed a tricky brown to a centre pocket when he trailed by 29 points.

Brown closed to 5-4 then had a chance to set up a decider, but after making 21, a routine pink to a centre pocket hit the far jaw. Allen dominated the rest of the frame to seal his progress.

Allen said: “It was not a match I was looking forward to. As much as I try to block that out, try to do the right things, I was always conscious of it – that’s one of my best mates in the other seat. We’ve known each other since we were 12. So, I don’t get anywhere near the amount of enjoyment out of that that I would usually. But I’m very  happy to be in the next round. I thought he handled the early part of the match much better than I did, but as the match went on I felt like I held on a bit better than he did.

“I’d love to have to wait another four and half years to play him because I’m invested in Jordan, I want him to do well, I know his family, I know how much they’ve put in to his snooker. He’s someone I am an avid follower of, and a supporter of. And I know he’s the same with me, so, it’s just disappointing that we had to meet so early. It’d be lovely to meet in a final someday.”

Evening session

White’s Run Ended On ‘Magical’ Night

Jimmy White’s biggest occasion on the World Snooker Tour for 12 years ended in a 6-2 defeat against Ryan Day at the Cazoo UK Championship, but the Whirlwind still described it as a “magical” experience which he will never forget

All-time legend White showed vintage form in the qualifying rounds, winning four matches including a tremendous victory over Stephen Maguire. The 60-year-old couldn’t replicate that performance in the first round proper in York, but the reception he received from the crowd will live long in the memory. The fans rose to their feet for a standing ovation as White was introduced into the arena.

“That’s why I still play snooker, for their support on nights like this,” said the 1992 UK Champion, whose last occasion of this magnitude was at the 2010 Masters. “It was magical, mind-blowing. I will never forget it.”

Day won the Cazoo British Open last month and the Welshman was too strong for White as he booked a last 16 clash with Sam Craigie, who knocked out defending champion Zhao Xintong earlier in the day.

White should have won the opening frame, but in potting the final brown he lost position on the blue and then missed a difficult pot to a top corner, allowing Day to snatch it. Londoner White also failed to take chances in the second frame, though he did make a 55 in the third to trail 2-1. World number 16 Day then pulled away with runs of 127 and 105 as he went 5-1 ahead.

Breaks of 49 and 44 helped White pull one back, but there would be no fairytale ending as Day made a 63 in frame eight and clinched the result.

“In the first frame I had two or three chances, I could have taken one and settled down,” admitted White. “In the second I got frustrated and made some mistakes with my shot selection. You can’t keep letting a player like Ryan off and he got stronger.”

Day said: “Jimmy was my favourite player when I was growing up, my hero. To share that occasion with him was a privilege. When he walked into the arena the hairs on the back of my neck were standing up. I was full of adrenaline and nerves for the first few frames but after that I managed to calm myself down and play well.”

On the other table, eighth seed Kyren Wilson survived a late rally from Matthew Selt to win 6-3 and earn a second round meeting with Mark Allen. Kettering’s Wilson has already won the European Masters this season while Allen has won the Northern Ireland Open so that match will bring together two form players. Wilson reached the semi-finals at the Barbican a year ago, notably knocking out Ronnie O’Sullivan before losing to Luca Brecel, and is in the hunt again for a first Triple Crown title.

He looked sharp tonight as he cruised into a 5-0 lead with top breaks of 103 and 101. Back came Selt to 5-3 with 65, 71 and 55 and the Essex cueman had an early chance in frame nine but was unlucky to snooker himself in potting the first red. Wilson got the better of a safety exchange and made 74 to end the resistance.

“He made it tough for me from 5-0, every credit to him,” said 30-year-old Wilson. “It was nice to end the match with a big break. This is a huge event and it feels bigger this year because of the set up. The arena and the CueZone and FanZone areas are fantastic and the event feels very classy now, the UK Championship deserves this. My game feels in very good shape and I’ll have to play well to have a chance against Mark Allen. We will both want to go for the jugular.

“I knew it would be a special atmosphere tonight, being in the same arena as Jimmy. He deserved every moment of that. Jimmy is the Godfather of snooker, he has had an amazing career.”

The 900

Week 8 at the 900 concluded in the early hours yesterday. The “Winners Week” line-up is now set:

It’s a strong line-up, comprising mainly vastly experienced players. The only exception is Alfie Lee, son of Stephen Lee. Alfie is definitely one to watch. Everyone of those eight is well capable of winning the event. It’s going to be interesting.

Here is how week 8 unfolded …

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

The winners of the previous two days battled it out in the final. Ben Hancorn emerged as the week winner and came on social media to praise his opponent Harvey Chandler. There was very little to separate them.

Here are some more images taken during the week:

The “man with the beard” is Phil Haigh, who does a sterling job, reporting about snooker almost daily in the written press. He spoke with the Legend that is Tony Drago. Tony did very well in this event.

The eye of the Tornado – Tony Drago on snooker robots, social media, underachieving and the GOAT

Phil Haigh Thursday 10 Nov 2022 10:44 am

Tony Drago, one of snooker’s greatest ever gun-slinging entertainers, may not have the titles of many of his rivals, but he is sticking to those guns and would not change a thing.

At 57, the Tornado is finished with the professional game, living back in Malta but still watching every bit of snooker available to him.

He was over in the UK this week to compete in The 900, the pioneering new amateur tournament, and he showed that the old magic has not left him, winning a couple of games.

The veteran has still got it, but he doesn’t get his cue out in Malta too much these days because he doesn’t love the conditions in his home country.

‘I don’t play much, no,’ Tony told Metro.co.uk. ‘I’ve got a problem because I don’t like to play in the humidity and Malta is full of humidity. Sometimes I go down and have a game with the boys, but not enough. 

‘There is one or two or three who can give me a game, but I’m used to playing against the very, very top, so it’s hard to get up for it. I respect them because they’re very good, but you get used to playing a certain level.

‘I’ve done what I had to do. 32 years on tour, it’s enough for me. I just play for fun now. I miss it [the tour] but not that much because I’m not good enough to compete on the main tour. If I was still living in the UK, practicing five hours a day, then I’d still give everybody a run even at 57!’

Drago may not be on the baize as much anymore, but he is just as obsessed with snooker as ever and loves to watch the players who bring the flair to the table, just as he did.

‘I watch every frame, I watch it all,’ he said. ‘Jimmy will always be my favourite player. Probably like another million people I enjoy watching Ronnie. No doubt he’s the best ever. 

‘Apart from five or six, I don’t like to watch nobody. I won’t say any names because it’s not fair, but there’s a lot of robotic players in the game now. I like the flair, like Ronnie, Judd, Higgins, although people wouldn’t think Higgins has got flair but he’s brilliant to watch. Zhao Xintong, a few more. 

‘The rest, like Mark Selby, if he plays a lower ranked player I can never watch. He’s a great great player, but not the prettiest to watch. When he plays Ronnie or Judd he’s so tough, I enjoy to watch his toughness, I know those players will have to be up for it to beat Mark Selby. Then I like watching him, but against a lower ranked player, I can’t be bothered. 

‘Ronnie can say Judd is this, Higgins is that, the player he most doesn’t like to play is Mark Selby.’

Drago has the ultimate respect for O’Sullivan, first seeing the Rocket in action as a teenager and knowing that he was set for greatness from the off.

‘Oh we knew when he was 13, we knew he would be unstoppable,’ said Tony.

‘Ronnie deserves what he gets, with hard work, his running. Don’t be fooled by Ronnie when he says it’s a holiday, we know who’s the greatest, but he will still want another world title to be on his own on eight. 

‘He will play it down, but I know he wants that, and he will get it, it’s only six months to go to the Worlds and nobody is near him! I’m not saying he will definitely win the next one guaranteed. But who is close to him? Nobody.

‘For me, Ronnie is the most talented sportsman, not snooker player, but sportsman of all time. He might not be as tough mentally as a Woods, because Ronnie can sometimes go off the rails mentally, but talking about pure talent, there’s no one with as much. Ronnie is mentally strong, I don’t think he has a problem being mentally strong, he has had a problem being mentally disciplined, that’s different.

‘Ronnie, if he plays another three years, he will definitely win another one, maybe two more world titles. If he’s on nine, he’ll go for 10! 

‘As long as he looks after his body and runs, what do you want, a 50 year old who runs or a 35 year old who eats burgers and kebabs? I’ll take the 50 year old. 

‘I never gave myself the best chance, I was 118 kilos, eating kebabs, burgers, then I had heart failure four years ago! I feel good now, I can’t be a million percent or I wouldn’t take all these tablets every day, but I feel healthy.’

Drago is an iconic figure in the sport, the favourite player of many fans, but he does not have the titles to match his legendary status in snooker.

A peak of number 10 in the world and just one big title at the 1996 Guangzhou Masters was not enough for his talent and he knows it, but he is proud of his achievements as he forged a rarely-trodden path from Malta and did it in style.

‘I had a laugh, I had a lot of fun,’ he said. ‘Obviously I underachieved by a mile and a half. I should have won big tournaments, but then again, a kid from Malta, first 10 years I was homesick more than enjoyed being here. 

‘I had missteps as well, dodgy managers and stuff. I look at my career as proud of what I achieved rather than what I didn’t win. Number 10 in the world, a couple of tournaments here and there. I had to struggle, that’s why I respect someone like Neil Robertson or Ding Junhui, it’s 10 times harder. 

‘Okay, sometimes my temperament let me down, these guys today train their mind. I just played on instinct. I had the wrong mentality, I was offered coaching, even at number 10 in the world I was offered it, but I would rather do it my way. When I failed I did it myself and I can live with that, I didn’t want a coach and have someone to blame.

‘Jimmy didn’t win the big one but he’s still more popular than everyone apart from probably Ronnie. People love the way we played, showing our emotions. I still get texts now asking why I’m not on tour, I have to say, “guys I’m not good enough.” They say they don’t care if I miss every shot or not, but I do care! England is one place, they love winners, but they also love entertainers.

‘I never wanted to change my game, I loved my game. People ask me would I change the way I played to win more and I say no. I enjoyed playing, I didn’t enjoy losing, but the day after I wake up and it’s okay.’

Drago and White were long-time practice partners and great friends and the Tornado talks with extreme fondness of the Whirlwind, although he will only ever be honest with him.

‘I lived in Balham, south London,’ he said. ‘I practiced with Jimmy for years., but I don’t drink or smoke, when the night comes I go one way and Jimmy went another, but in the morning we practice. He’s my idol, my hero, my friend, still now.’

On whether Jimmy can still win big titles, as he claims, Tony said: ‘That’s stupid of him, we know that cannot happen. If he says he can beat anyone on his day then yes, but that’s too much. I can say I can break this glass, but if I say I can knock Mike Tyson out, you’re not going to believe me.’

Drago will always give an honest opinion and will happily do so on social media, where he doesn’t mind ruffling a few feathers.

‘I like social media, but I use it in a positive way. You still get idiots who don’t agree with you, but I don’t mind,’ he said. 

‘I used to play, I know all the players, I have every right to write a post, it’s all in good spirits. Like the other day I said, Stephen Hendry shouldn’t have a wildcard when he doesn’t play any tournaments. 

‘I’m not close friends with Stephen, but we get on well, when he sees me he might say, “what the hell are you saying?” I’d say, “you know what I’m saying. You don’t deserve it!” 

‘There’s players out there who are not as good as Hendry was but they’re better than him now who want a tour card and can’t get it. He quit too young and for too long.’

After playing on the professional circuit from 1985-2016 and now watching every frame he can get hold of, Drago is well placed to judge the standard in snooker and he thinks the top of the game is not vastly different from his heyday, although down the rankings, the difference is stark.

‘I say the top 16 now and top 16 before, it’s slightly better now but not by a margin, but 17 down it’s miles better,’ he said. ‘You play number 18 in the world, you know he can beat world number one. When I turned pro in the 80s, the number 18 would get nowhere near the number one. 

‘In the 90s, when I was number 10, Higgins, Ronnie, Williams, Hendry, Ebdon, Parrott, Doherty, all great players. Okay the game has developed, more one visits, but I don’t see much difference. 

‘People can say whatever they want, but Steve Davis in the 80s at his best, he would have competed with all the players of now. In a different way, he probably wouldn’t out score them, but he was too clever. 

‘Davis playing Trump now, both at their best, Judd would not enjoy that, Davis would have tied his knots. Davis wouldn’t be scoring hundreds, but he’d make 70 and put you behind a colour. 

‘Davis would be top four of any era, for me. By a mile my hardest opponent. The other guys might knock you out, but Davis would jab you to death, he’d kill you slowly. I played him 16 times and only won once. But that win was the China Masters final. I kept saying, I beat you in a final! He just said, I’m in the final every tournament, where were you? He’s a great lad.’

Unsurprisingly, chatting to Tony and hearing his views is an absolute pleasure and one that any snooker fan would enjoy, so would he be interested in a role on television?

‘I wouldn’t like to do commentary, but I would like to do what Jimmy does and talk after the matches,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t be worried about saying something and getting sacked, I don’t care.’

There you have it, essence of Tony, not shying away when it comes to expressing his views. I’m very happy to see him looking well again and full of life.

Phil also recorded this short videos that he shared on social media

Snooker news

WST has announced a new sponsor:

Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage Becomes Official Partner Of World Snooker Tour

WST is proud to welcome Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage as the new official beverage of the World Championship, UK Championship, the Masters and the Welsh Open .

Red Bull branding will be prominent at WST’s Triple Crown events as well as the Welsh Open.

Snooker has a global audience of 500 million spectators across linear and online broadcast in over 120 countries, as well as a huge digital fanbase, so the Red Bull brand will be showcased to a vast spectrum.

As a leading energy drink, Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage has a close relationship with major sports events.

Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage offers a physical and mental energy boost, unlocking positive inner strength and activating your own drive and power to achieve your goal and passion.

WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are delighted to join forces with Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage on four of our biggest tournaments, starting with the UK Championship this month. They are a prestigious and globally recognised brand and they will benefit from the huge audience that snooker generates.

“We see this as the beginning of a long and successful partnership and we look forward to working with Red Bull Vitamin Taurine Beverage.”

WST and ITV have extended their partnership:

WST, Matchroom And ITV Agree New Two-Year Deal For Five Snooker Events

ITV will continue to televise five events on the World Snooker Tour for at least the next two years following a significant new agreement.

The deal will see the Champion of Champions, World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship and British Open broadcast by ITV until at least 2024.

This ensures that these prestigious events will continue to be broadcast on free-to-air television to millions of fans in the UK, who will be able to see the sport’s greatest names competing for some of snooker’s most coveted titles.

The Cazoo Champion of Champions has been running since 2013 and is promoted by Matchroom Multi Sport.  Tournament winners over the previous 12 months come together to battle for one of the sport’s most prestigious invitation titles.

The World Grand Prix features only the top 32 players on the one-year ranking list. Only the top 16 go through to the Players Championship then only the elite top eight qualify for the Tour Championship. The Cazoo British Open, recently won by Ryan Day, starts with 128 players and features a random draw for every round.

WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “This new agreement with ITV is fantastic news for the sport, the players and most important the British fans, who will be able to watch these huge events on a free-to-air channel until at least the end of 2024. Each tournament has its own identity and they have all become outstanding events on our global calendar.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship with ITV who have been a great partner for many years. Their viewing figures for snooker are consistently excellent, and that is due to the exceptional quality of their coverage as well as the perpetual popularity of our sport as a viewing experience. We look forward to working with the ITV team for another two years and beyond.”

Emily Frazer, Managing Director of Matchroom Multi-Sport, said: “The Champion of Champions has a burgeoning reputation as one of the most prestigious events on the calendar and we’re delighted to have the continued support of ITV which keeps this event on free-to-air TV in the UK. We’re excited to see where we push the tournament year on year as we continue to see a huge appetite from the fans to see the 16 champions from the last 12 months battle it out to be the ultimate Champion of Champions.”

The 2022 UK Championship Qualifiers are now over, the draw has been made and WST has published the first round draw and schedule for the main event. It starts tomorrow in York.

First Round Match Schedule In York

First round match fixtures are now confirmed for the Cazoo UK Championship in York, which starts on Saturday and runs until November 20.

…

First round matches are:

Saturday November 12, 1pm
Zhao Xintong v Sam Craigie
Mark Allen v Jordan Brown

Saturday November 12, 7pm
Kyren Wilson v Matthew Selt
Ryan Day v Jimmy White

Sunday November 13, 1pm
Neil Robertson v Joe Perry
Luca Brecel v Lyu Haotian

Sunday November 13, 7pm
John Higgins v Tom Ford
Barry Hawkins v Ding Junhui

Monday November 14, 1pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Stevens
Yan Bingtao v Zhou Yuelong

Monday November 14, 7pm
Mark Williams v Jamie Clarke
Stuart Bingham v Liam Highfield

Tuesday November 15, 1pm
Judd Trump v Xiao Guodong
Jack Lisowski v Xu Si 

Tuesday November 15, 7pm
Mark Selby v Hossein Vafaei
Shaun Murphy v David Gilbert

…

Prize money this year has been increased from £1,009,000 to £1,205,000, with the first prize up from £200,000 to £250,000.

China’s Zhao Xintong is the current champion having beaten Belgium’s Luca Brecel in the 2021 final.

This is what happened yesterday as reported by WST

Afternoon session

Brown Sets Up Allen Clash

Jordan Brown beat Zak Surety 6-3 in the final qualifying round of the Cazoo UK Championship and will now meet closest friend Mark Allen in a professional match for the first time.

…

Just a few minutes after Brown had won his Judgement Day battle with Surety, he was pitched against fellow Northern Irishman and practice partner Allen in the random draw for the last 32. They will meet on Saturday afternoon at the York Barbican.

“That’s the luck of the draw, it had to happen some time,” said Brown, who is in his sixth season on the tour but has never faced Allen in a pro event before. “There will be a bit of stick between us over the next couple of days. But we’ll both want to beat each other, we will be professional and get on with it.”

Brown, who won the Welsh Open in 2021, compiled breaks of 71, 89, 50 and 54 today. He added: “It’s so tough out there. I put myself under pressure. These are big matches, these are the events you want to be doing well in. I’m a big fan of York, the Barbican is my favourite venue apart from the Crucible. It will be really special with just two tables and a big crowd, that’s what we play for.”

Joe Perry and Neil Robertson will also have to put their friendship aside when they go head to head on the table on Sunday. Perry produced what he described as his best performance since winning the Welsh Open last March as he whitewashed Graeme Dott 6-0 with top breaks of 86, 102, 134 and 77.

“I was terrible in my first match here against Yuan Sijun, I was so luck to win 6-5,” admitted Perry, who failed to score a break over 50 in that match. “It was only my experience that got me through. I went home and had a few hours on my own table, I found something that work and played really well today.”

David Gilbert is currently 17th in the race to the Cazoo Masters so a deep run in York could earn him a place at Alexandra Palace in January. He thumped Mark King 6-0 today with top breaks of 56, 62, 60 and 66.

Three-time UK Champion Ding Junhui booked his return to York – where he lifted the trophy in 2005 and 2019 – with a 6-4 defeat of Robert Milkins. “I missed a good chance to win 6-3 and then I was worried because Robert is always a dangerous player,” said China’s Ding. “It has been a long time since I won anything, I don’t know what has happened. I am focussing on practice but then during a match, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

I watched the Ding v Milkins match and it was a bit disappointing. Neither played at their best, or even close to their best… Of course those are very important matches, players are bound to be tense. That said, maybe I was expecting too much and it’s only my perception expressed here.

Evening session

Liam On A High

Liam Highfield completed an outstanding comeback from 5-2 down to beat Ali Carter 6-5 in the final qualifying round of the Cazoo UK Championship.

…

Highfield goes through to the final stages in York and will face Stuart Bingham in the last 32. Defeat from the brink of victory will sting for Carter, who could have set up a repeat of the 2020 Masters final against fellow Essex cueman Bingham. Stoke’s Highfield lost his first six matches this season but has turned his form around in recent weeks and can now look forward to an appearance on the major stage at snooker’s second biggest ranking event.

Breaks of 90 and 79 helped Highfield to a 2-1 lead then Carter took four frames in succession with top runs of 86, 91 and 61. Back came Highfield to 5-5 with 78, 50 and 54. In the decider, Highfield had first chance and made 48 before running out of position, but he soon got back in and added 20 which proved enough.

“At 5-2 down I loosened up and went for my shots, and it came off,” said 31-year-old Highfield. “When you swing your arm at a few, sometimes your talent comes through and the game flows. I just tried to get on with it and play as I do in practice. It got edgy towards the end, even in the last frame when I was 68-0 up I knew I wasn’t over the line. I feel fit and healthy, I’ve got a couple of wins under my belt here and I don’t feel tired.”

Sam Craigie showed his quality in a 6-2 win over Ian Burns, compiling runs of 80, 104, 52, 129 and 79. Craigie will now take on the defending champion Zhao Xintong in the opening session of the tournament on Saturday from 1pm.

Estonia’s Andres Petrov saw his fine run ended by China’s Xiao Guodong. Breaks of 62, 90 and 90 helped Xiao set up a match with Judd Trump.

In the last match to finish, Matthew Selt battled to a 6-4 victory over Anthony Hamilton with a top break of 140. He now meets Kyren Wilson.

I’m very happy about Liam’s result for many reasons. Liam has always been very talented but his career has been marred by ongoing health issues. I have known him for a long time, before he turned pro. He’s an outgoing, bubbly character but Crohn’s disease is a painful condition that leaves the person in serious discomfort and extremely tired. It can be managed to an extent but still flares now and again. It’s no surprise that Liam struggles to get consistent results.

Andres Petrov run came to an end. He’s in his first year, he showed his potential, he gained experience, earned some money and climbed the rankings. All of that is positive and was unlikely to happen with the flat draw with strict seeding previously used for this event.

More than ever I’m convinced that snooker should go back to a tiered system for most if not all events. It’s much better for the young players development and it guarantees the top players at the venue which is better for the sponsors, the broadcasters, the venue management and ultimately the fans. The qualifying rounds should ALWAYS be played right before the main event, in a decent venue close to the main event location (*), with good conditions and good media exposure. Everyone is a winner.

Having those qualifiers close to the main venue is important. That’s how it should be, even for events outside of UK, as it’s time to break the UK centric model if the tour has ambition to be truly a WORLD tour. It would offer many advantages. The local fans would have the opportunity to see all the players, and to support their “local” ones no matter where they sit in the rankings or if they are wildcards. Having “local” wildcards to be forced to qualify in the UK is nonsense: more often than not, they lose in the first round and don’t make it to “their” venue. The German Masters has been a prime example of such nonsense. There would be no case for “held-over” matches that complicate the schedule, and more fans would have access to live snooker at reasonable a cost, no matter where they live. The latter for now is only offered to UK/Irish fans. Having the qualifiers right before the event is important too as it ensures that it’s the form players who get through… not those who were on form two or three months before the event.

Also, several fans I know were feeling very flat about their snooker before this event, almost disinterested. But this week it was all very lively on social media. The longer format created more drama and tension. We had a lot more close matches because players were of similar abilities, and the coverage was great!

Yesterday was a truly amazing day in Ponds Forge …

Here are the reports by WST

Afternoon session

White: I Can Win It

Jimmy White insisted that he can win the Cazoo UK Championship after thrashing Dominic Dale 6-1 to reach the last 32 of snooker’s second biggest ranking event for the first time since 2010.

Veteran White, age 60, has shown vintage form by winning four qualifying matches this week, beating Victor Sarkis 6-0, Mitchell Mann 6-0, Stephen Maguire 6-4 and now Dale. He will be in the hat for the draw to take place at the end of the afternoon session on Thursday, when he will be picked out at random against one of the top 16 seeds.

The final stages run from November 12 to 20 in York, and whoever White draws it will be his biggest occasion in a pro tour event since he last played at the Masters in 2010. The Whirlwind, who won the UK title 30 years ago, remains a crowd favourite and is sure to receive raucous support at the York Barbican.

It was a nervy opening to today’s match with so much at stake for both players. White scrapped to a 3-1 advantage with a top break of 39. After the interval he was more fluent, and took the last three frames with top runs of 46, 45 and 49.

“I’m not going to York to make up the numbers, if I have my A game I can win it,” said White, who is already guaranteed £10,000 which will boost him up the rankings from his current position of 89th. “I can still play like the top players when my game is there, they are just a lot more consistent than me. If I didn’t think I could win then I wouldn’t play. Even at my age, if you have a passion for practice then you can keep your game in shape.

“I have hit the ball well this season without getting results, but when I played Mitchell Mann this week, something clicked. I played well against Stephen Maguire. Today it was scrappy and I was lucky to be 3-1 up. When I play like that I get embarrassed. At the interval I said to myself ‘come on, there’s work to be done.’ I was thinking about John Higgins because even when he struggles he still plays good matchplay.”

Welshman Jamie Clarke raced into a 5-0 lead over Duane Jones with top breaks of 77, 75, 52 and 63. Jones recovered to 5-3 before Clarke sealed a 6-3 win with a run of 89.

Tom Ford was in fine form in a 6-3 defeat of Noppon Saengkham, firing breaks of 58, 102, 54, 108 and 82.  Xu Si top scored with 99 as he won a Chinese derby against Tian Pengfei 6-4.

Jimmy’s indefectible love for the game and optimism is truly admirable. How can anyone begrudge him his tour card? Especially now that the three invitational tour cards come on top of the normal “128” professional tour cards, he’s not taking anybody’s place and he continues to bring so much to his sport. You can be certain that he will fill the Barbican in a few days. I just hope that he doesn’t draw Ronnie. It would be horrible for both. As much as they love playing each other in exhibition, they don’t like it in ranking competitions. Ronnie certainly does hate it.

I din’t actually watch that match. I will watch it later for sure, but yesterday I watched Tian Pengfei v Xu Si. It was an extraordinary tense match. Both played well. It was not a scoring fest, but the tactical nous on show (by both) was excellent. I was happy to see Xu Si prevail. He has a lot of potential.

Evening session

Stevens Survives Yize Thriller

Matthew Stevens let slip a 4-0 lead over Wu Yize in the final qualifying round of the Cazoo UK Championship, but eventually prevailed 6-5 to secure his place in the final stages.

Stevens won this title in 2003 and the 45-year-old has given himself a chance of another deep run. The draw for the last 32 will take place at the end of the afternoon session on Thursday, with the top 16 seeds to be picked out at random against the 16 qualifiers. Former world number four Stevens is now ranked 60th but has shown improved form in 2022, notably qualifying for the Crucible and reaching the last 16 of two other ranking events.

Breaks of 126, 63, 75 and 57 saw Welshman Stevens race into a 4-0 lead. China’s Wu, Rookie of the Year in 2021/22, took the next three frames within 36 minutes with runs of 73, 87 and 55.

Stevens led 50-1 in frame eight but his opponent hit back to snatch it on the colours for 4-4. Wu also took the ninth, but Stevens made a 91 for 5-5 and a break of 58 in the decider proved enough.

“At 4-1 I could see that Wu fancied it,” said Stevens. “Before I knew it, it was 4-4. I should have gone 5-3 so when he won that frame and then went ahead it wasn’t looking good. I don’t know how I managed to turn it around and win the last two frames but it feels good and I’m very happy to still be in it. Wu is some talent for a 19-year-old, he looks like he’s going to be a fantastic player.”

Iran’s Hossein Vafaei booked his spot in York with a 6-4 success over Robbie Williams. Runs of 127 and 111 helped put Shoot Out champion Vafaei 3-1 ahead. Williams battled back bravely after the interval and the match looked in the balance at 5-4, but runs of 47 and 25 gave Vafaei frame ten.

“I am so pleased to qualify because it’s one of our biggest tournaments,” said the world number 20. “I wasn’t cueing well today, I missed a few balls. I started thinking about my technique and trying something different in every frame. Then it’s difficult to find your way, that’s why snooker is so hard. I have about 25 different cue actions – I don’t know how I’m playing!

“But every day is different and I just keep going. I don’t mind who I play in York, they all have two arms and two legs and they can all make 147s.”

China’s Lyu Haotian eased to a 6-1 win over Andy Hicks with top breaks of 92, 106 and 69. A frustrated Hicks smashed the pack of reds from the break in frame seven but to no avail as Lyu took it to wrap up the result.

Northern Ireland Open runner-up Zhou Yuelong saw off Jak Jones 6-3 with breaks of 78, 117, 84 and 72.

Wu Yize looked completely out of sorts before the MSI. His shot selection was weird and his positional game … random. I’m not sure what happened. Anyway, he came back after the MSI a different player. Stevens would never have won that match if he had faced the “post-MSI” Wu Yize from the start.

As for Hossein Vafaei, he spoke to Phil Haigh, in a far more measured way this time.

Hossein Vafaei on snooker getting boring, wanting a legend in his corner and those Ronnie O’Sullivan comments

Phil Haigh Thursday 10 Nov 2022 12:50 am

Hossein Vafaei is something of a restless snooker soul, looking for more from himself, wanting more from his sport and hoping people can help him achieve it.

The 28-year-old had a great season last time around, winning his first ranking event at the Shoot Out and becoming the first Iranian to qualify for the Crucible.

However, he feels his game is not progressing how he would like it, stuck in the same battle for consistency that so many players find themselves in.

He is still playing good stuff, qualifying for the main stages of the UK Championship on Wednesday night, but that is when he expressed his frustrations and how he wants to put them to an end.

Vafaei thinks working with a legend of the game, having an icon in his corner, could be the difference in making him turn from contender into champion.

‘I’m trying my best to move forward, but it’s hard when you are alone, when you don’t have anyone to check when you’re off line,’ said Vafaei. 

‘You’re always learning from your own mistake. If I lose I learn, but why shouldn’t someone be beside me to tell me what to do before that. 

‘Maybe I can be dangerous if someone can help me to go to a different level. I still don’t perform well in tournaments, I’m not finding the consistency. I need some tips from somebody, maybe one of the legends in this sport. 

‘I’ve showed that I can play, but it’s very hard to know everything alone. Who knows how far I can go in this game? I just need little tips to improve.

‘I don’t know who, but I will think about it. Maybe I can ask John Higgins and he wouldn’t say no, but I am their opponent right now, so maybe I should ask someone who is not on the tour. Everyone needs to work with someone to get success and improve. 

‘I’m not improving. I’m working all the time, but sometimes it’s not working. People ask what’s going on and why I play like that sometimes, but I don’t know, we are human. Some people find consistency and some don’t. That’s the difference between top players and other players.’

Hossein is desperate to succeed because he is not short on dedication, putting in serious hours and he wants to see the rewards.

He is not just talking about winning matches, but he wants to see the sport grow and reap the benefits of playing in more glamorous settings than Ponds Forge where he secured UK Championship qualification on Wednesday.

‘I’m alone in this country. Sometimes it’s hard to know what I’m doing here, why I’m here,’ Vafaei said. ‘As a young person I should enjoy my life. You practice 7-8 hours a day, you don’t see anyone, you’re losing opportunities in your life. 

‘I’ve said that before, it’s getting boring, so boring. If this sport doesn’t change to be something big it’s going to be the same, very boring. 

‘We need something to change, at least make the venues, qualifiers everything nicer. This sport looks nice on TV, in our suits, they expect behind the scenes to be that, but…you know. Champion of Champions was the first time I saw the LED TVs beside the table, it was great, like football! You feel great when you see something change like that.

‘We need this sport to get bigger, we need some change, I don’t know what it is, but I’d like to see it. I’d like when I go to the venue to enjoy it as a snooker player. I do 8 hours in a room, when I go to the tournament I must be happy, not like, “oh, I’m going there.” Sorry I’m saying that, I’m always honest, I say my opinion, some people like it and some don’t.’

Judd Trump has spoken regularly about wanting to attract a younger audience with some changes in the game and Vafaei sees the Ace as a role model to look up to.

‘Absolutely [I agree with Judd],’ he said. ‘I always follow the players, what they’re saying about this sport. Especially Judd, he’s one of the big heroes of this sport. 

‘He’s a legend and he’s a nice kid, not a kid, he’s a nice man! He’s a great hero for the young people to see what he’s done to get to the top. Every young snooker player should follow Judd.’

Vafaei is always ready to give his opinion on matters, most famously when he said Ronnie O’Sullivan should retire earlier this year.

He says he may have got carried away with that particular claim, but reiterates his point that he wants to see snooker grow and feels that the Rocket is the man to help it take off.

‘I didn’t say something really bad!’ Vafaei said. ‘But people said, why are you talking about Ronnie like that?! 

‘I said that Ronnie is one of the legends of our sport, a genius, without doubt no one can play snooker better than him, you have to call him god of snooker, he’s a winning machine. 

‘I always respect him, as long as he respect me. I don’t want to start anything again talking about something and get people asking why I’m talking like that again. I just said my opinion a little bit. He’s a great man, people love him, and I wish him success.

‘All I was trying to say was, do something for us please Ronnie. Snooker is in your hands. Leave something for the youngsters. I didn’t ask anything too much. If you can make the sport bigger, please do, I know it’s not his job to make snooker big, he should focus on his game, but he’s been winning 30 years, who else can do that for us? To make young players come and play snooker.

‘Maybe my English wasn’t great. What I said was right and at the right time because I qualified for the Crucible and I knew newspapers would write it. 

‘All I asked was for our sport to be a bit bigger. I think every snooker player should want this, I know it’s not their job, but when you see the future, it’s a bit of change, a bit back again, you don’t want that. 

‘We’re putting our lives into a game. This is why I said Ronnie O’Sullivan should have a private jet, he should be like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, look at their lifestyle. This is what I want for him! 

‘All I said was, help us Ronnie make this game a bit bigger. But he’s done his best, as long as he plays, people love him and I love watching him, I never get tired of that. When I say something bad, it doesn’t mean I don’t love him

I don’t doubt Hossein’s good intentions but there are manifestly a few he doesn’t know or understand. First of all that Ronnie and other older players HAVE tried to change things in the past and failed.

I remember Ronnie, at the Masters 2010, speaking to the press about how dispirited most players were, with very little to play in, how the atmosphere around the game was grim. He urged the authorities to do something to help the players. This was still when Sir Rodney was at the elm. He was crucified by the authorities, the BBC pundits and the fans for “speaking bad about his sport”. He was only speaking the truth, the situation WAS bad. Now he can’t be bothered and they wonder why?

By this evening, 8 players will have qualified for the television stages of the 2022 UK Championship.

I will have a look at those matches, but before that, here are a few thoughts about the third round.

I have already mentioned the surprising results of the two matches played on November, 7: Jimmy White and Duane Jones beat Stephen Maguire and Anthony McGill respectively. Xu Si also got through the final round with a fine 6-4 win over Jimmy Robertson. Xu is underrated by most, but not by Mark Williams who, on twitter, stated that he would gladly help him to further develop.

Yesterday we got a few more surprises.

Matthew Stevens, whose only ranking title so far remains the 2003 UK Championship, beat Fan Zhengyi by 6-2, with five breaks over 60. It’s easy to forget how good Matthew was in the early stages of his career. He’s a Masters champion, he reached the Word Championship final twice and the UK Championship final three times, winning it once. Family issues and bereavements derailed his career but the ability is still there.

Zhou Yuelong beat Michael White by 6-2. Somehow Zhou prevented Michael to score as heavily as he can, whilst himself had four breaks over 50, including 2 centuries.

Wu Yize got the better of Jamie Jones in a high quality and very entertaining match. Wu prevailed by 6-4, having trailed 0-2.

Lyu Haotian defeated Stuart Carrington by 6-3 from 2-1 down. Actually, from that stage of the match Lyu scored a break over 60 in every frame he won and he finished with a century.

Zak Surety beating Martin Gould by 6-1 was a major surprise. Zak can play but has rarely performed that well in important matches.

Ding beat Theppy by 6-2. Theppy wasn’t at the races really and Ding played well. Ding missed the yellow whilst on a maximum attempt in frame 2.

Liam Highfield got the better of Ashley Hugill. It was a fine performance from Liam: having lost the first frame, he won six on the bounce with 5 breaks over 50.

Ian Burns beating Ricky Walden by 6-3 was unexpected, but not as unexpected as Andres Pretrov 6-4 win over Gary Wilson. From 5-1 down, Gary fought back with breaks of 87, 79 and 59 but the European Champion held his nerves and finished the job in frame 10. It’s a remarkable run from Andres who is in his firs year as a professional. I like his game. He plays at a decent pace and is very positive in his shot choices.

All detailed results can be found on snooker.org

This is what we have in store today:

It is certainly an interesting line-up. I expect wins for Jamie Clarke, Noppon Saengkham, Zhou Yuelong, Lyu Haotian and Hossein Vafaei. Nothing is guaranteed though, they all have already won three matches over the last week.

In normal circumstances I would have expected Dominic Dale to prevail easily against Jimmy. But this week for Jimmy has been anything but normal and he looks fired up. He will have the crowd on his side too. Can he win? Possibly. Many would love to see him at the Barbican.

Tian Pengfei v Xu Si is hard to predict. I would love to see Xu go through.

Wu Yize v Matthew Stevens will be intriguing. Youth losing to Experience? Freshness prevailing over Battle Scars? I have no clue.

The start of the season has been very slow and start/stop. We have hard long periods with not much going on if anything at all. And now, this week-end we had the qualifiers of the second biggest event of the season clashing with the final stages of the Champion of Champions. It’s unfortunate … to put it mildly.

We are already in the middle of the third round of the tiered qualifiers, so let’s have a look at what happened so far.

You can follow all detailed results on snooker.org

Round 1

As a first observation, we had 13 amateurs in the draw, all playing against the lowest ranked professionals. Only 3 of them went through and one of those is Martin O’Donnell who has been a pro for years. The second one is Calum Beresford. Both of those two were beaten in round 2, Callum getting trashed by 6-0. Martin beat rookie Ben Mertens by 6-4. Martin typically has the kind of game that will derail very young players who are more used to an open game. Hopefully Ben will learn from the experience. The third amateur to go through was Farakh Ajaib from Pakistan, who is also a former pro.

A number of players got their first win as professionals, or a “first” of a kind:

• Peng Ysong won a very hard fought contest against Himanshu Jain by 6-4. Peng doesn’t score heavily. He has to improve on that. He practices at Vic’s academy where he will certainly get opportunities to improve.
• Asjad Iqbal from Pakistan also won his first match as a pro, beating the vastly experienced Barry Pinches in a match that over-ran and went to a decider. Asjad confirmed his value by beating Gerard Greene by 6-4 in round 2.
• Mohamed Ibrahim, the African Champion from Egypt, beat rookie Julien Leclercq from Belgium by 6-3. Julien didn’t play as well as he can, but he still had to be beaten and this was Mohamed only second match as a pro.
• On Yee Ng won her first match in a triple crown event beating Jenson Kendrick by 6-4. The match was extremely hard-fought and over-ran.

Muhammad Asif, another rookie, and another player from Pakistan, beat Aaron Hill by 6-2. Muhammad has, so far, played 4 matches as a pro and won 2 of them. Players from Pakistan have impressed me this season. They consistently do well in IBSF comps as well. Its’s probably only the UK centric nature of the so-called “World” tour with the associated costs and administrative burden that prevents more of them to be on tour.

Round 2

Notable results on round 2 include

• Zak Surety beating Elliot Slessor by 6-2. Slessor clearly can’t find the motivation he needs outside the big stages.
• Cao Yupeng beating Callum Beresford by 6-0 with breaks of 87, 72, 74, 84, 144, 67. The 144 is provisionally the tournament highest break.
• Andres Petrov, the rookie from Estonia, beating Jackson Page by 6-5. Following this win, Andres got involved in a discussion with Mark Williams on twitter. Willo stressing that the tiered system is much, much better for the development of young players. He’s 100% right and Andres approved, joking that it’s much better indeed than playing Willo in half of his first round matches. Andres was beaten by Willo in the first round of the British Open, and is due to face him again in the Scottish Open. He’s also pitted against Shaun Murphy in the German Masters first round, and possibly Zhao Xintong in the English Open. That’s NOT helpful when it comes to young players development and confidence.

I do believe that the significant factors in this event are the tiered structure, the longer format, and the interval. It really does help new players to learn and develop not to be pitted against top players right away, and there are fewer “shocks” overall as the better players tends to get on top when the format gets longer.

Round 3 … so far

Now then… The BIG surprise of round 3 so far is that Jimmy White is still in the draw, having won three matches: in R1 6-0 over Victor Sarkis, in R2 6-0 over Mitchell Mann and in R3 6-4 yesterday over former UK Champion, Stephen Maguire. Maguire lead 3-1 and 4-3. Jimmy won the last three frames of the match. Take a bow Jimmy White. Invitational tour cards are controversial with many fans but if someone deserves one it’s Jimmy. He still loves the game, he still has the passion, he still puts the work in and he still serves us some great shots now and again. “The Wind” will now face Dominic Dale for a place in the main draw.

The other big surprise in this round so far was brought by Duane Jones as he beat Anthony McGill by 6-2.

The action continues today…