Only eight players remain in the 2024 World Snooker Championship draw as we reach the quarter-final stage and four of them are qualifiers. Jak Jones, number 44 in the ranking, is the lowest ranked player still standing.
Four matches were played to a finish yesterday. The two matches played in the afternoon finished quickly, there was no MSI in either. The two matches in the evening were extremely hard fought, intense and brought the sort of drama that only the World Championship and its multi-session format can bring.
Kyren Wilson scored a 13-6 win over Joe O’Connor to make the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Championship for the seventh time in his career.
The Warrior has a formidable record on snooker’s grandest stage. His steely all-round game is well suited to the gruelling test which the Crucible provides. Wilson is a three-time semi-finalist and was runner-up to Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2020. He’s still seeking a maiden World Championship title.
Wilson is now just one win away from a return to the hallowed single table setup, where defeated Anthony McGill 17-16 in one of the most dramatic deciding frames of all-time four years ago. In Wilson’s way will be either four-time Crucible king John Higgins or Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, who is hunting a first world crown.
O’Connor’s Crucible debut ends in defeat, but he can take pride in his best ever Sheffield showing. The world number 30 defeated Matthew Selt 10-8 in a marathon qualifying clash to become this year’s only Crucible debutant. The 28-year-old had a dream first appearance, beating fellow Leicester cueman, four-time World Champion and close friend Mark Selby 10-6 in the opening round.
The pair came into this afternoon’s concluding session with Wilson holding a 10-6 lead, after O’Connor fired in a break of 102 in the last frame yesterday evening to remain in touch. However, when play got underway today it was Wilson who extinguished any hopes of a fightback.
The first frame was in the balance, before a long-range final yellow from the Kettering cueman helped him to clear to the pink and make it 11-6. Wilson then dominated the 18th to move one from victory.
He had looked to be coasting over the line in the next, before an unexpected missed black off the spot. O’Connor couldn’t capitalise and spurned a red with the rest to effectively end his hopes with Wilson clinching the frame and the match.
“Sometimes it is nice to go under the radar. I had that all throughout my junior career, I was never fancied. I managed to come under the radar and win a lot of the events. It is irrelevant if people are tipping you or not, they can’t help you win. I try to ignore all of that. You have to put it to one side and focus on yourself. “
Kyren Wilson
Five-time Ranking Event Winner
32-year-old Wilson added: “I always seem to peak for Sheffield. I know the process I have to go through to get myself in form going into this event. It definitely helps if you hit the ground running and I managed to do that with my win over Dominic Dale in the first round. As soon as you get a win here, you feel a part of the tournament. You get a feel for the venue and you settle in.
“Next I have either an all-time great who has won the World Championship four times (John Higgins) or the provisional world number one (Mark Allen). It is going to be a tough game, both lads are playing well. Hopefully it goes 13-12 and they are both shattered!”
O’Connor said: “I’m dissapointed. Kyren was the better player over the sessions and he did deserve to win. It is frustrating to not get out of first gear. On the whole, it is a great tournament and it has been great to be a part of it.
“The first match made it really. It was a bit of a dream to play Mark and to get the result as well. It has been amazing having all of my family and friends here. It is one to cherish.”
John Higgins cried tears of joy in his dressing room after making what he described as the best clearance of his career to beat Mark Allen 13-12 in a sensational second round match at the Cazoo World Championship.
Legend Higgins has had moments of despair in recent seasons, particularly when struggling to convert winning positions, but tonight he rolled back the years to produce a moment he said he would remember forever. From the jaws of defeat at 62-0 down in the deciding frame against Allen, he doubled a red to a centre pocket to initiate a marvellous 71 clearance, reminiscent of his winning break against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2006 Masters final. The four-time champion raised his arms aloft to an enthralled crowd as the last ball went down, in the first Crucible match to go to the final black since Nigel Bond beat Stephen Hendry in 2006.
Asked where the clearance ranks in his career, Higgins said: “It’s the best. It will live with me forever. After everything that has gone before over the last two years, to stand up under the most intense pressure is a very proud moment for me. When I came to the table I knew that the double was my only chance, and when that went in, I knew it was on. I felt calm and I just tried to stay positive and keep pushing the cue through straight. This should do wonders for me because I know I can do it, and this is the hardest place to play.”
Scotland’s Higgins goes through to his 18th quarter-final in Sheffield and will face Kyren Wilson over 25 frames on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tonight’s result was particularly significant for the 48-year-old as defeat would have meant the end of an unbroken sequence of 29 years among the top 16 of the world rankings. Instead, victory lifts him to 15th in the provisional end of season list. Chasing his first ranking title since the 2021 Players Championship, Higgins is now the only player in the top half of the draw to have previously lifted the trophy, and will hope to use his experience and surge of confidence when he comes up against Wilson and then potentially David Gilbert or Stephen Maguire in the semi-finals.
Allen remains top of the provisional list but his hopes of becoming world number one for the first time now rely on other results as Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan can overtake him. The Northern Irishman was disappointed to miss match-winning chances in the closing stages and will have to wait a year for another opportunity to win the title he covets most.
Leading 9-7 going into tonight’s concluding session, Allen took the opener, then in frame 18, he had a chance to clear from 55-1 down, but missed on 39 he a tricky pot on the last red to a centre pocket, and Higgins punished him for 10-8. Allen led 46-26 in the next when he failed to pot a tough red to a top corner, and an excellent 35 from his opponent drew him within one frame. Soon they were level, as Higgins made 64 in frame 20.
After the interval, Allen regained the lead with a break of 66, and he had a scoring chance in the next but, trailing 33-13, missed a red with the rest to a top corner, letting Higgins in for 51 to make it 11-11. In frame 23, Higgins had first chance but was unlucky to not to land on a red when splitting the pack off the blue. Allen took control and eventually won it with an excellent pot on the last red along a side cushion.
Frame 24 came down to the colours, and after trapping his opponent in a snooker on the green, Allen was just three pots from victory at 41-37 when he wobbled the green in the jaws of a baulk corner. Higgins cleared for 12-12, but thought his chance was gone when he narrowly missed a long red at the start of the decider. Allen looked composed in a run of 62 until he failed to pot a red to a top corner with the rest, and could only watch from his chair as Higgins created an all-time classic Crucible moment.
Higgins added: “I had a cry for about 20 seconds in my dressing room to let it all out. But then I said to myself that I need to be ready for tomorrow. I’m only in the quarter-finals, there’s a long way to go. I need to get better – I haven’t made a century yet in the tournament (his highest break is just 75). But I am in there fighting and staying positive.”
Allen said: “Credit to John, it was a great clearance. But I didn’t lose it in the last frame, I lost it earlier in the match because I had so many chances to go further ahead. I could have won around 13-7 if I had taken those chances. It’s one that got away.
“As soon as John got the double I knew he was going to clear up. He is one of the very few players who can make a break like that. He should give himself a massive pat on the back for that and he should believe he can go on and win this now.”
HIGGINS: MY BEST EVER CLEARANCE
Am I the only who got (painful) memories of this one watching it?
Stuart Bingham came through a pulsating encounter with Jack Lisowski 13-11 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Cazoo World Championship.
The last time Bingham crossed cues with seven-time World Champion O’Sullivan at the Theatre of Dreams was in 2015. It was Bingham who scored a momentous 13-9 victory and he went on to beat Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy to capture Crucible glory and become World Champion.
Recent times have been more trying for Bingham, who has fallen out of the top 16. He had to battle through qualifying to earn his place in the final stages this year, scoring a 10-9 win over Stuart Carrington and a 10-8 defeat of Louis Heathcote at the English Institute of Sport.
It’s the first time that four qualifiers have made the quarter-finals since 1992, with Bingham being joined by Jak Jones, David Gilbert and Stephen Maguire in the last eight.
Defeat comes as a bitter pill to swallow for six-time ranking event finalist Lisowski, who ends his season still chasing a maiden piece of silverware.
They came into the evening session with Bingham holding a 9-7 advantage. The Basildon cueman extended his lead to three by taking the first frame tonight, before Lisowski hit back to make it 10-8.
Bingham was in control of the 19th, when Lisowski summoned a clearance of 51 to steal. He potted a tricky final black to pull within one at 10-9.
The last before the mid-session came down to the pink, with Lisowski spurning a routine chance with the frame at his mercy and another from long range. Those errors were punished by Bingham, who nailed a double to the middle to move 11-9 up.
Lisowski appeared to have put those misses behind him when play resumed after the interval. Breaks of 84 and 124 helped him to a quickfire two frames to draw level at 11-11.
A hugely dramatic 23rd frame had looked to be going the way of 32-year-old Lisowski, until he missed a straight pink to the top right. Bingham stepped in and cleared the colours to move one away from the win. The six-time ranking event winner held his nerve to get over the line at the first time of asking, winning the 24th by a 75-0 scoreline to seal a famous victory.
“I’ve been working on a few things with my coach Chris Henry. Something clicked after the second session and I felt really good going into tonight. I just have to get my scoring boots on and see where it goes,” said 47-year-old Bingham.
“We will see tomorrow how it goes. I watched a little bit of Ronnie’s match with Ryan Day. He gave him a fair few chances. I hope he plays like that tomorrow and over the next couple of days. Ronnie is Ronnie. I will have to touch up on my game and score a bit heavier to have a chance.
“I’m going for my second and he is going for his eighth. We have our own pressures. He is maybe coming close to his retirement and I’m sure he will want to get to eight. To be honest, he probably should be on 12 at the moment. He does have that added pressure, but you can’t take anything for granted with Ronnie. He is the best player that has ever picked up a cue. You need to play really well to have a chance.”
Jack Lisowski is ahead on every statistic in this match … except the only one that matters, the final score. He was the better player yesterday, even his safety game was strong BUT when it really mattered Stuart experience and solid nerves made the difference. I won’t lie, I was hoping for a Ronnie v Jack QF for a number of reasons. It wasn’t to be BUT having watched Jack yesterday, and earlier this week, I thought that he might well win a ranking event in a not too distant future after all and if the gates open… who know?
Ronnie booked his place in the quarter-finals at the Crucible this afternoon with a 13-7 win over Ryan Day.
Here are the scores of that match:
This is the report by WST. Ronnie explains why he felt the need to change his technic and turned to Nic Barrow for help.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, at ease with his technique and competing with enthusiasm, reached a record-extending 22nd Crucible quarter-final by rounding off a 13-7 success against Ryan Day in the second round of the Cazoo World Championship.
Looking relaxed and confident, O’Sullivan even engaged in a friendly exchange with a woman in the crowd who was clapping eagerly during the 17th frame. “She got a bit excited, maybe she had never been to a snooker match before!” he later joked. “I said she should calm down a bit. But then I felt a bit bad, I didn’t want her to think I was telling her off.”
O’Sullivan has dropped just eight frames in the tournament so far and will meet Stuart Bingham or Jack Lisowski on Tuesday and Wednesday. He needs three more wins to land an eighth world title, which would put him one ahead of Stephen Hendry. The world’s number one has already won five trophies this season and his prize money tally for 2023/24 is now £1,265,500.
MOST CRUCIBLE QUARTER-FINALS
ROCKET EXTENDS RECORD
Ronnie O’Sullivan 22 Stephen Hendry 19 John Higgins 17 Steve Davis 15 Jimmy White 15
Working with coach Nic Barrow, O’Sullivan is, for once, content with his game in matches and practice. “It feels like I want to play,” he told BBC. “It feels like I want to get my cue out of the case. I’m not scared of the table, not scared of the balls. I’m scared of some other things but not that, which is the most important thing. When you’re confident in your ability to do something when you get the chance, then you feel alright.
“It’s early days for me, trying this new way of playing, a different style of cueing. It’s been hard work for two years. I decided I couldn’t continue playing like that. I had to make some changes and it’s the body and the mind trying to catch up with each other. I’ve got some of it right, I’m just trying to work out the puzzle at the moment. I’ve had a bit of excitement for the last couple of weeks, getting through the ball better. There were some good bits there today. When I find this game hard my life gets harder. When I find it easy, life becomes a pleasant place again.”
O’Sullivan led 10-6 after two sessions, having made breaks of 123, 84, 83, 51, 92, 82, 65, 89, 56 and 96. The opening frame of today’s concluding session came down to a battle on the yellow and Day, leading 57-35, got an unwanted double kiss attempting safety, handing his opponent an opening to make a fine clearance to extend his lead.
A run of 85 brought him to the brink of victory, and though Day pulled one back, O’Sullivan finished the job in frame 20 with 67 and 53.
Day said: “I created lots of chances, but I struggled to settle all game. I missed too many balls and you can’t do that no matter who you play. If I’d managed to settle I could have given him more of a game and put him under pressure. I wasn’t able to do that.“
Ronnie O’Sullivan speaks out on anxiety struggles: ‘For two years I’ve held it down’
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan is feeling as confident as he has done for some time (Picture: Getty Images)
Ronnie O’Sullivan says his issues with his own game have led to him taking medication for anxiety, but is finally feeling better after two years ‘in the doldrums.’
The Rocket is into the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship after seeing off Jackson Page and Ryan Day in the opening two rounds.
He is looking to end an already brilliant season in style by adding the world title to five other big events he has picked up over the campaign.
The 48-year-old has cut a frustrated figure over the season, despite his immense success, but is looking and sounding generally more positive in Sheffield.
After beating Page in round one the Rocket suggested he is going to push on into his 50s and see how many more world titles he can win, sounding a lot more buoyant than recent months.
O’Sullivan spoke about working with a new coach ahead of the Crucible this year and he certainly has a bit more pep in his step after two years of not feeling at his best and struggling with anxiety over his game to the point he had to take medication for it.
‘I’ve had such a long time in the doldrums,’ O’Sullivan told the BBC after beating Day 13-7. ‘For two years I’ve held it down, I’ve not really mentioned anything but it’s been really challenging.
O’Sullivan has coasted into the last eight in Sheffield (Picture: Getty Images)
I’ve had to take medication for the anxiety and all that sort of stuff, even in small tournaments, even when I’m not playing. That’s how bad the game can make me feel at times.
‘I didn’t want to do that anymore. I’ve just had a bit of excitement for the last couple of weeks, getting through the ball a little bit better. Then you come down crashing to earth. I was out there last night and it started to wander a bit. It was like, can we fix it? Can we get it back on track? There were some good bits there today.’
‘I’m just getting a bit more optimism a bit more belief that I can sustain it. It’s no good being able to do it for one match or one tournament you’ve got to try and sustain it for a few months, even a year. I played great for three years once, never had a bad day, so it can happen, you just have to get everything right.’
O’Sullivan has often tried to play down how much he is affected by the sport he sits atop of, but admits it is almost impossible to separate his emotions from how his game feels.
‘When I find this game hard my life gets harder. When I find this game easy it comes good to me, life becomes a pleasant place again,’ he said.
‘I’ve tried to disassociate from it, it’s not easy, I’ve tried to not let the sport identify me, but it’s hard. I’ve probably accepted it’s never going to happen.
‘I’ve just tried to minimise the bad performances or what I consider bad feelings out there when I’m playing. If I’m cueing well and lose I’m in a great place because I’m looking forward to the next one. When you’re winning and not looking forward to playing, it’s like, where do I go from here? It’s not a good place to be.’
Here are some videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube Channel
Only one match finished yesterday: Stephen Maguire beat Shaun Murphy by 13-9 to book his place in the quarter-finals of the 2024 World Snooker Championship.
Stephen Maguire defeated old rival Shaun Murphy 13-9 to make the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
The pair have been engaged in a heated rivalry which extends back three decades. This was the 24th meeting between Maguire and Murphy, with victory for the former taking the head-to-head record dead level at 12-12.
The win for Maguire means he has now beaten Murphy in their last four meetings. Their previous clash came at the 2022 World Championship, when the Scot prevailed 10-8 in the first round.
They contested a fiery first two sessions, which saw both players in demonstrable moods around the table, celebrating frame clinching moments. After Maguire deposited the final pink of the second session to end 10-6 up, he hammered the table and clenched his fist with delight.
When play got back underway this morning, a break of 68 from Maguire extended his lead to 11-6. Murphy claimed the next and had looked good to pull within three in the 19th, but an unexpected missed red on 43 let his opponent in. Maguire pounced with 73 to move one from the win at 12-7.
The Magician kept himself alive with two on the bounce. However, it was Maguire who forced his way over the line in style with a sublime 127, the first century of the match. It puts Maguire through to his eighth Crucible quarter-final, where he will meet David Gilbert.
“There’s a lot of pressure out there. The crowd get involved and they are that close. You end up getting involved. A wee bit of emotion, or actually a big bit of emotion, got out. It must mean a lot, because if it didn’t then there would be no emotion like that. That’s what every player does when they go to the dressing room. They go nuts. They normally hold it in the arena. I let it slip a little bit there.”
Stephen Maguire
2004 UK Champion
Maguire added: “He looked like he was comfortable in that session so I was starting to get geared up for a comeback and a close finish. Once I got my chance, I finished pretty well there.
“Me and Dave (Gilbert) get on and we’ve grown up with each other for the best part of 30 years. He is a great player. He’s not had a great season by his standards. I’m probably the same, so we are coming into a good game at the right time.
“The quarter-finals are the pressure matches. I’ve won a couple and lost a couple. It is a match you don’t want to lose in because that arena changes and it does become the best in the world with the one table.”
Murphy said: “I just wasn’t good enough throughout the match. It was typical of my season really. There were some glimpses of some good stuff but far too many self-inflicted mistakes to challenge Stephen. I thought he played really well and he was very solid. I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
MAGUIRE REFLECTS ON ROUND TWO WIN
I can’t really comment as I didn’t see anything of this match past the first session.
In other unrelated news Ronnie’s latest autobiography was shortlisted for The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year as reported by WST. You can still vote … if you so wish.
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ‘Unbreakable’ is on the shortlist for The Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards Autobiography of the Year, in association with The Sunday Times.
Written with Tom Fordyce and published in 2023, Unbreakable is an insight into O’Sullivan’s life and extraordinary career. The seven-time World Champion looks back on his landmark 2022 Crucible triumph and reflects on many highs and lows from his three decades at the top of his sport.
Now in its 22nd Year, the Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards highlight the outstanding sports books of the previous calendar year to showcase their merits and to enhance their reputation and profile.
The shortlist is:
Broadly Speaking, Stuart Broad Carl Frampton: My Autobiography Kammy, Chris Kamara The Extra Mile, Kevin Sinfield Unbreakable, Ronnie O’Sullivan Unique – A Memoir, Dame Kelly Holmes Who am I?, Danny Cipriani Winning the Fight, Maggie Alphonsi
Judd Trump insisted that he does not feel extra pressure at snooker’s biggest tournament after strolling past Tom Ford 13-7 to reach his tenth quarter-final at the Cazoo World Championship.
Trump has 28 ranking titles to his name – only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins have won more – but has conquered the Crucible only once, in 2019. Over the next ten days, the 34-year-old has the chance to become only the seventh player to lift the famous trophy more than once in Sheffield. His next opponent will be Jak Jones or Si Jiahui on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I don’t put too much pressure on myself here, I try to relax and enjoy it,” said Trump. “I have the same attitude and will to win that I do at any other tournament. For some other players, winning here means the absolute world, nothing else matters and they forget to enjoy it, but it’s not the same for me.”
As for the match against Ford, Trump added: “I was average. We both struggled. I had to stay patient when my positional play wasn’t good. It’s hard to play your best when you are not being pushed. But I enjoyed being out there.”
Trump, winner of five ranking titles already this season, led 11-5 after the first two sessions, making breaks of 67, 52, 69, 107, 67, 59 and 50. The early exchanges might have been closer if Ford had not missed a red on the verge of a 3-2 lead, which proved a turning point as he fell 6-2 behind.
The Leicester cueman took the opening frame today with a break of 76, then Trump replied with a 107, his second century of the tournament and 78th of the season. Ford pulled one more back before Bristol’s Trump sealed the result with an 84 in frame 20.
Asked about his next opponent, Trump said: “Si is always improving and has been tipped as a future World Champion. He’s similar to me when I was younger because he needs more experience in his shot selection. I have played Jak a few times and he has played some unbelievable stuff against me, plus he seems to love this venue.“
Ford said: “You can get away with one bad session here, but not two. I tried everything, but it didn’t work. I don’t think Judd played that well, I just gave him so many chances.”
Ford didn’t play well at all and Trump, not being pushed, wasn’t at his best either. He didn’t need to. That made for a rather uninteresting match. The writing was on the wall right from session one. Ford started well, it was 2-2 at the first MSI. Then Ford missed one ball as he looked good to go 3-2 up and lost the frame. That miss appeared to play on his mind and it changed the course of the session and of the whole match.
Jak Jones became the first player in 25 years to reach the quarter-finals on his first two Crucible appearances as he beat Si Jiahui 13-9 in the second round of the Cazoo World Championship.
Having seen an 8-3 lead almost evaporate when his advantage was slashed to 9-8, Jones came good at the business end to get the better of Si in a tense finish. The 30-year-old Welshman will face Judd Trump over 25 frames on Tuesday and Wednesday.
World number 44 Jones reached the last eight on his debut last year and now becomes the first player get that far in his first two trips to Sheffield since Matthew Stevens in 1998 and 1999. He is clearly suited to this event and the longer matches, as he has not reached the quarter-finals of any other tournaments over the past two seasons.
World number two Trump will start strong favourite, and has won four of their five previous meetings, though Jones did score an impressive 6-5 win in the 2018 China Open.
The opening frame today lasted 58 minutes and came down to the colours. China’s Si, a semi-finalist on his debut here last year, got the snooker he needed on the green and later got the better of an exchange on the blue, then potted the last three balls to close the gap to 9-8. Jones made an excellent 44 clearance in the 18th to restore his two-frame cushion, then the next two were shared to leave the score at 11-9 at the interval.
A break of 78 extended Jones’ advantage to 12-9. In frame 22, he led 42-0 when he missed a tricky red with the rest to a top corner. Si battled his way back into the frame and it came down to a long battle on the colours, resolved when Jones slotted the brown into a centre pocket and added blue and pink for victory.
“It’s a relief because it was a shocking match and I’m not sure how I won,” admitted Jones. “I was lucky to be 6-2 up because I won four black ball frames in the first session. I have got a couple of days now to spend time on the practice table, trying to get something together so I am ready to challenge Judd.
“Judd and Ronnie are the best two players at the moment so it can’t get any tougher for me. Everyone expects those two to meet in the semi-finals. He is much more used to the big occasion than me, but I’ve got nothing to lose.”
It was a terrible match but a quite fascinating one at the same time. Si showed tremendous resilience despite struggling badly with his game. He didn’t have the run of the balls either. Jak Jones is a bit of an oddity. He’s a young player but plays like an “old-timer”. He too is extremely resilient, very solid mentally. At times yesterday I was thinking : “No way this guy is only 30… he’s a time capsule out of the 70th-80th“. And that’s no criticism, quite the opposite under the circumstances.
David Gilbert scored 421 points without reply as he thrashed an injured Robert Milkins 13-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Cazoo World Championship.
Milkins predicted before the match that it was a “50-50 game” but it turned out to be a one-sided contest as Gilbert, riding on a new wave of enthusiasm for snooker, made two centuries and six more breaks over 50 in a superb display. From the end of frame 13 to the conclusion of the match, he compiled 421 points without Milkins troubling the scoreboard – the fourth highest sequence of unanswered points in Crucible history, albeit well short of John Higgins’ record of 485
Tamworth’s 42-year-old Gilbert is through to his second Crucible quarter-final and first since 2019 when he reached the semis before a narrow 17-16 defeat against Higgins. The world number 31 will face Stephen Maguire or Shaun Murphy on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
Throughout his career, Gilbert has had spells of falling out of love with snooker and losing appetite for practice. He has not reached a ranking event semi-final since winning the 2021 Championship League, but in the past four weeks he has worked hard on his game and fitness and is now enjoying the rewards.
During the second session this morning, Gilbert moved from 5-3 ahead to 12-4, compiling breaks of 67, 83, 136 and 123. Milkins’ chances were hampered by pain in the trapezius muscle of his left shoulder, and he struggled to cue correctly throughout the day. During the 12th frame, frustrated by the match slipping away, he threw his cue to the Crucible floor. When they returned for the evening session, the match was over within 17 minutes as Gilbert dominated frame 17
Milkins said: “It was just emotion coming out when I threw my cue. It wasn’t that bad, I didn’t javelin it into the crowd or do an Eric Cantona! I have done it loads of times, there’s a certain way of dropping the cue where the tip doesn’t come off. It can be good to let your emotions out – Stephen Maguire does it and it can turn his game around.
“This morning I was at Tesco at 6am, buying ibuprofen. I get this pain once or twice a year and usually it goes away with the tablets, but this time it has hurt all day. I couldn’t get down on the shot. It was frustrating that I couldn’t have a good crack at the match. But I don’t want to make excuses because Dave played really well and if he keeps that up he could go far. I have been lazy this season and it has caught up with me now, my game is a million miles off.“
Gilbert said: “I’m feeling confident and it’s nice to know I can still play a bit. It feels fantastic when the white is doing what you want it to do, and I have also been winning scrappy frames, which is important. Some people might be surprised because I have been shocking for so long, but I have been working hard and timed it right for this event. When I got to the semis here in 2019 I realised you have to spend your time wisely, make sure you rest in between sessions and eat properly, so the fitness work has helped and I have time to smash the gym before Tuesday.”
Asked about his next opponent, Gilbert added: “I have known them both since we were kids. Back then, Stephen was the one I most admired, even more than the likes of Shaun and Mark Selby. He has had a great career but I’m amazed he hasn’t won this one. Shaun is one of the few players I will watch if it’s on – the way he hits the ball. They both attack and go for their shots which you have to do here. You have to play to win, you can’t fudge over the line.”
…
The end of the match
I didn’t watch this particular match so can’t comment on the action. One thing though that I want to say is that Robert Milkins isn’t a bad person. I’ve got to know him a bit during the SWSA days. He’s a very instinctive sort of man who sometimes does things that he later regrets but his heart is in the right place and he will be the first to admit it when he’s been wrong. Life hasn’t always been kind on him either. People shouldn’t judge him too harshly.
On another note … about conditions … Barry Pinches on Facebook was rejoicing about the fact that this year the pockets are tight and don’t accept the balls too easily, only for Tom Ford telling him that it’s nothing to do with the pockets. According to Tom it’s freezing cold in the arena and that has an impact on the way the cushions react, including in the immediate vicinity of the pockets, and that is – in his views – why the pockets appear to be tighter.
Shaun Murphy is asking some very important questions here and he summarises the Crucible dilemma very well: a lot of players and fans, especially the older ones and the British ones, have a strong sentimental bond with the Crucible but it’s the smallest venue hosting snooker biggest event. It worked in the past, even in a not so distant past but no more. One of the reasons for that is that snooker in the UK is in decline, while it’s growing elsewhere. the UK centric approach isn’t right anymore. Shaun also wonder why Barry Hearn – officially retired – appears to still be the figurehead of snooker. My answer to that is … because the reality is that Matchroom is the majority shareholder of the sport, and, although Eddie Hearn is supposed to be the boss, he has little interest in snooker, unlike Barry who hasn’t really stepped down and can’t let go of it.
Day 6 at the Crucible is the day when the first round finishes and the second round starts. The last two first round matches were played to a conclusion, with wins for Ronnie and John Higgins.
John Higgins, ever present in the top 16 for a record 29 years, maintained his hopes of keeping that elite status with a hard fought 10-6 win over Jamie Jones in the first round of the Cazoo World Championship.
Higgins first climbed into the top 16 at the end of the 1994/95 season and, incredibly, has been there ever since. But after a lean two years, he could drop out at the end of this Championship. Having knocked out Jones, he must still win one more match to have a chance of keeping his place in the top bracket of the rankings, and the 48-year-old Scot faces a tough test against world number three Mark Allen over 25 frames on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The pair have met five times already this season, Allen winning three of those.
The result means that the record for the most seeds falling in the first round – eight – has been equalled but not beaten.
Leading 5-4 overnight Higgins took the first two frames today to extend his lead to 7-4. In frame 12, he led 39-18 when a routine pink to a centre pocket hit the far jaw, and Jones responded with a 49 clearance to pull one back. Higgins regained control as breaks of 59 and 64 helped make it 9-5. Frame 15 came down to the colours and Higgins, trailing 58-38, missed a long pot on the yellow, which allowed Jones to narrow the gap. Both players had chances in the 16th, but Higgins got the better of an exchange on the last red and cleared to get over the line.
“Jamie still fancied it at 9-5, you could see by his body language,” said four-time champion Higgins, who has not landed a ranking title since the 2021 Players Championship. “He probably came into the match feeling he could beat me because he knocked out Neil Robertson in qualifying and he has beaten me a couple of times before. The draws are tough but you just have to roll with it and try to play your best. I felt my game was pretty good tonight.
“I’m really looking forward to playing Mark Allen over 25 frames, I have beaten him twice here before so I’ll have to draw on those memories. Mark is a fantastic player and competitor. I’m not thinking about the top 16, I’m just focussed on the next match. Tonight was a great win for me because you don’t know how many more times you’re going to play here, and it’s the the best place ever to play snooker.“
Jones said: “From 9-5 I was trying to battle as hard as I could. I could see John was trying a bit too hard and I tried to just stick in there. If it had gone 9-7 then who knows? I enjoyed the occasion, it’s always an amazing experience to play here.”
I didn’t watch any of it. After what happened in 2010, I will never again watch John Higgins unless I have to. I already explained why I feel that way, so I won’t bore you repeating it. Let’s just say this, if it had happened in 2024, and if John was Chinese, he would have been banned for many years, not just for a few months (most of it in the summer when nothing happened back then). His opponent Jamie Jones was banned for longer and fell off the tour merely for failing to report a corrupt approach, although he was cleared of match-fixing. He wasn’t even the one being approached, it was one of his mates and Jamie found it too difficult to denounce/report him. So, I dearly wanted Jamie Jones to win but it wasn’t to be. Don’t get me wrong, John is a great great player, with immense skills and a shrewd mind. But, even before the 2010 affair, for some reason I can’t understand myself, I never enjoyed watching him, he bores me.
Other than that there were some really interesting quotes by Barry Hearn reported in the press yesterday.
The Crucible Theatre has staged the World Championship since 1977, but former World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn has cast doubt over the future of the sport’s biggest event in Sheffield beyond its current agreement in 2027. Hearn, speaking to Eurosport, said: “There is no point in saying: ‘Oh, think of the history’. You can’t eat history.”
Barry Hearn has been on a career-defining journey over the past 43 years when it comes to the ongoing subject of the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield being a suitable host venue for the World Snooker Championship, the sport’s landmark and most lucrative tournament.
When the former World Snooker Tour chairman was manager of Steve Davis in the 1980s and 1990s, he famously bounded down the stairs of the venue to greet Davis after the first of the Romford player’s six world title wins against Doug Mountjoy in 1981.
While it could be argued the Crucible was the scene of Hearn’s greatest moments in snooker overseeing the growth, development and dominance of Davis during the halcyon days of saturated TV coverage, sentiment will not get in the way of forward thinking when it comes to finalising the future direction of travel for the green baize’s blue-chip competition.
As president of Matchroom Sport, majority shareholders in WST, the Essex businessman has appeared to cast doubt over the future of the event being staged by the Crucible when the venue’s current agreement with Sheffield City Council expires in 2027 – the year that will mark 50 years of the World Championship in Sheffield.
Amid several media reports suggesting Saudi Arabia and China could be new destinations for the World Championship, Hearn – who once described the Crucible as “one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues” – told Eurosport: “Look, I can’t be more honest, my hand on my heart, I want to stay at the Crucible.
“I want to stay in Sheffield. Obviously, money talks and we are getting inundated with offers around the world.
“And there’s a certain argument that says we should actually take the World Championships around the world to a different venue every year. Some of the venues want to pay money I’ve never experienced, others just want to show their love and support for snooker.
“We’ve been very consistent. Broadcasters that we’ve worked with and have done a good job for us and have been part of our history, we’re going to stay with as much as we can if they want to stay with us.
“Venues that we’ve used and people that we’ve relied on to be the fans, have been good to us, we want to stay with them as long as they want us.
“Common sense says I have a fiduciary duty to the players to provide the biggest prize money because they’re professional athletes.
“And there is no point in saying: ‘Oh, think of the history’. You can’t eat history.
“Sport, to be progressive, has got to provide bigger and bigger prize funds or it is not going to be competitive in today’s world, and will no longer be aspirational to young people that we want to see come into the sport.“
As a celebrated sports promoter, Hearn traditionally uses the annual World Championship to deliver a state of the nation address on his plans for snooker, with the subject of the Crucible never far from his thoughts.
There was also this, reported by Phil Haigh about Hearn’s stance on players wanting to play in events “outside” the main tour:
Barry Hearn: ‘If people want to leave for a quick buck then I wish them well’
Phil Haigh
Barry Hearn has warned players of the ‘temptations for a one-off quickie’ (Picture: Getty Images)
As some players remain at odds with World Snooker Tour over what events they can and cannot play in, Barry Hearn says he will wish anyone well who leaves to chase a ‘quick buck’.
There is disquiet among professionals after the Macau Five situation this season, which saw John Higgins, Mark Selby, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh sign up for a lucrative exhibition in China which was set to be held during the Northern Ireland Open.
WST were not happy about it and told the five in question that they would be in breach of their players’ contract if they took part in the exhibition while the ranking event was being played in Belfast.
The exhibition was eventually moved to December to avoid the clash, but the five men had already pulled out of Northern Ireland so they didn’t play in anything during that week in October.
Shaun Murphy told the BBC during the coverage of the UK Championship that he was ‘offered the same amount of money to go to that event in the Far East as I would have had for getting to the final of the Northern Ireland Open.’ Ronnie O’Sullivan has also spoken out on the subject, saying it is very hard to turn down the huge sums of cash being offered in China.
‘I get paid so much more for going to do that,’ the Rocket said of the Chinese events. ‘It’s really hard for me to turn them down, I can’t. I’ve got to think of my family and all that sort of stuff.
‘It’s all right if you win all of these tournaments, great. But if you get beat first round you’re struggling to pay your bills and stuff.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan picked up the £250,000 top prize at last week’s UK Championship (Picture: Getty Images)
WST say players are free to take part in exhibitions when professional events aren’t being staged, but Hearn, the president of Matchroom Sport, says that if there is a clash then players will have to choose between being part of the tour or exploring other opportunities.
‘Everyone has a choice in what they want to play in and whether they want to be a part of our tour,’ Hearn told Metro.co.uk.
‘I think the game’s in really good hands. There’s always going to be temptations for a one-off quickie, but we don’t do one-off quickies. We are a sustainable business that’s growing very well, with some great news that’s coming in the next month or so, we’ve got a big month coming up.
‘Look, you’ll always get someone who wants to do something for a quick buck, but that’s just not the way that I run businesses, nor will it ever be.
‘If people want to leave for a quick buck then I wish them well, they’ve got their own lives to run, they make their own decisions.
‘I won’t be unreasonable with anybody, but we have rules, contracts in place and we’re always happy to sit down and talk to them, but in a professional dialogue.
‘I don’t think there’s going to be any real issues, to be honest with you, I think Ronnie in particular is in demand in China. They offer him a lot of money and he wants to take advantage of that, I understand that.
‘But he can’t do anything that’s harmful to the players’ contract. He has the choice not to sign the players contract, that’s his call, not mine.’
A dominant session of snooker saw Ronnie O’Sullivan begin his bid for a record eighth Cazoo World Championship crown by moving to the verge of victory in his first round clash with Jackson Page, leading 8-1
It’s been a sparkling season for O’Sullivan, who has already won the UK Championship and the Masters. That means victory here at the Theatre of Dreams would see him win all three Triple Crown events in a single campaign for the first time in his career.
The Rocket equalled Stephen Hendry’s record of seven Crucible crowns by winning the 2022 World Championship. His first attempt to eclipse the Scot ended at the quarter-finals last year, when he bowed out at the hands of eventual winner Luca Brecel.
By contrast, Page has been battling for his tour survival this season. However, a run to the semi-finals of the World Open ended any concerns of relegation from the circuit. The Welshman came through a final frame decider at World Championship qualifying, beating Noppon Saengkham 10-9 to secure his place at the Crucible.
When play got underway this afternoon it was 41-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan who grasped an immediate stranglehold on proceedings. Breaks of 54, 56 and 81 helped him to a 4-0 advantage at the mid-session.
Following the break, a run of 122 ensured O’Sullivan has now made a century at the Crucible for 30 consecutive years. After falling 6-0 behind, Page showcased his considerable talent with a break of 142 to get a frame on the board. However, the last two of the session went the way of O’Sullivan who requires just two more frames for victory.
They return tomorrow afternoon at 1pm to play to a conclusion.
O’SULLIVAN STARTS STRONGLY IN QUEST FOR EIGHTH TITLE
Making his 32nd consecutive appearance at the Crucible, Ronnie O’Sullivan cruised to a 10-1 victory over Jackson Page in the first round of the Cazoo World Championship as he began his bid to win a record eighth title.
Reunited with former coach Nic Barrow, O’Sullivan – for once – admitted he is happy with his cueing and is playing as well in practice as he has for several years. Having lifted the trophy in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2022, the 48-year-old would go one ahead of Stephen Hendry’s tally of seven titles if he takes the top prize. Through to the last 16 at the Crucible for a remarkable 28th time, O’Sullivan will now face Ryan Day on Sunday and Monday.
The world number one has enjoyed a superb season, winning five titles, and victory in Sheffield would make him only the fourth player – after Steve Davis, Hendry and Mark Williams – to land all three Triple Crown events in the same season.
O’Sullivan told the BBC: “I played well and cued well. I’m mentally hard, I’m tough. I’ll be honest, I have played terrible for two years, I know I’ve won but that’s what I do, I win. I know how to win. That’s something I’ve been blessed with. I haven’t really cued smoothly, which is frustrating, but I’ve just started working with Nic Barrow, my coach who knows my game inside out. He worked a lot with Frank Adamson who’s not with us anymore, but was an amazing coach. I’ve decided I can’t really coach myself anymore, but I’ve felt pretty much as good the last couple of weeks on the practice table as I have the last six or seven years.
“I don’t lie when I say I’m not playing well, I know a lot of people think I am but I’m not a liar, I think most people know that by now. I say what I feel and I don’t care if I leave myself vulnerable. I have the confidence to back it up, I know the ability is there. It’s just about finding the right formula. I’m still going at 48. What is possible in this game? How long can you keep going for? Can I win a World Championship at 50? Who knows? I’m probably the only player that’s able to do that so let’s see.
“I’ve had the greatest career of any snooker player. How many people can say they’ve been the best or most successful at their job ever? I should pat myself on the back because I’m always pretty hard on myself. But the reality is no one’s achieved what I’ve achieved on the table statistically. If I’d had my head straight for 30 years I could have won ten or 21 world titles, who knows? But it’s great to find out, let’s see what can happen. The main thing for me is to enjoy the game.“
Breaks of 54, 52, 81, 122, 66 and 53 helped O’Sullivan build an 8-1 lead in Wednesday’s first session. He made a 79 in the opening frame today, before wrapping up the match in frame 11.
Page said: “I was like a rabbit in the headlights at the start of the match. Apart from making a century when I was 6-0 down, I was poor. My safety wasn’t good and I wasn’t getting chances. It’s tough playing Ronnie because you know you can’t miss. I usually enjoy playing against the top players – maybe next time I’ll be more used to it.“
Here are the images shared by WST
And some videos shared on YouTube by Eurosport
The end of the match
The post-match interview with Eurosport
The pundits assessment
Ronnie wasn’t at his absolute best, but he played solid snooker, he didn’t take any liberties and, more important than everything else, he enjoyed it. He’ll play Ryan Day next. Happy days!
Ronnie O'Sullivan 