Month: July 2024

Judd Trump is the 2024 Shanghai Masters Champion

Monique Snooker

Judd Trump has beaten Shaun Murphy by 11-5 to win the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

Congratulations Judd Trump

Here is the report by WST:

TRUMP TRIUMPHANT IN SHANGHAI

Judd Trump demolished Shaun Murphy 11-5 to win the Shanghai Masters for the first time in his career.

Victory ends a string of heartbreaking final defeats in Shanghai for the Ace in the Pack. He surrendered a 7-3 lead to lose the 2012 final 10-9 against John Higgins. Trump then suffered another 10-9 defeat against Kyren Wilson in 2015 and was beaten 10-3 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2017.

Trump had his revenge on the Rocket in the semi-finals this year, bringing to end an incredible winning run. O’Sullivan had won 21 consecutive matches and four straight titles in the event until running into Trump, who thrashed him 10-3 in the last four.

The Englishman was making his first appearance of the season, but has been in sparkling form from the off. He fired in a record ten centuries during the event, beating O’Sullivan’s previous record of eight. Trump pockets £210,000 for the top prize.

Defeat for Murphy means he will have to wait for maiden Shanghai glory. The Magician has now been runner-up on two occasions, having lost the 2019 final at the hands of O’Sullivan. He departs Shanghai with the £101,000 runner-up prize.

Much of the damage was done in the afternoon session, when Trump put on an electric display to move 7-1 ahead. However, Murphy dug deep to take the last two and end 7-3 behind coming into tonight.

When play got underway this evening, Trump re-asserted his dominance and fired in runs of 61, 86 and 114 to move just one from victory at 10-3.

Once again Murphy refused to wilt in the wake of a break building barrage. He crafted consecutive century runs of 110 and 101 to remain in the hunt at 10-5. The comeback was shortlived though, with Trump stamping out any resistance to take the 16th and win 11-5.

“Shanghai is my favourite city in China. They are all special, but this is one of the first that I qualified for after I turned professional. I’ve been in the final three times and never won before. It was more special playing Ronnie in the semi-final, with him having won it so many times in a row. To beat him was great.”

Judd Trump

Shanghai Masters Champion

34-year-old Trump added: “The age of the crowd in China is so much younger than the rest of the world. I always enjoy playing in front of a fanbase where I can inspire the next generation. I think that is why my record in China is so good.

“I want to win as many big tournaments as possible this season. This is probably one of the top five events on the calendar. To win this one early on is an amazing start. I would like to replicate what I did last season and get close to five wins or even more. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better start.”

Murphy said: “In a tournament like this you always have a bad day and unfortunately for me my bad day was today. Every other day this week has been really good. I always keep trying and giving my best. It just wasn’t to be.”

Murphy was asked by media to explain why he playing cards into the crowd at the end of the trophy presentation.

He explained: “I’m the Magician. That is my nickname. They were all signed, because I wanted to give them to the fans as a gift for the great support they have given me throughout the week. There were two sets of cards, so 100 or so lucky people got one.”

TRUMP’S WINNING MOMENT

There is not much to add. Judd has been the best player all week and he might well be the best player all season and in the coming years. At 34, he’s at the peak of his powers and, TBH, hasn’t much opposition in the same age group1. But he still has to win all those events. It doesn’t come “for free”. To be able to do that, you need a lot of hard work and total dedication as well as talent.

  1. Of course, there is Kyren Wilson, our current World Champion and it will be interesting to see how he copes this season. But for some reason Kyren, so far, hasn’t been able to be a consistent competitor for titles over an entire season. Maybe his responsibilities as a husband and father don’t allow him the “single mindedness” that often characterise serial winners. ↩︎

Ray Reardon (1932-2024) – Tributes to a Great Man and a Great Champion

Monique News, Snooker ,

Snooker is mourning one of his greatest champions in Ray Reardon who passed away yesterday, aged 91. Ray had a profound impact on the sport and inspired many snooker players, in Wales and well beyond. He was a mentor to Ronnie during some of the hardest times in his life and career. Ray helped him to turn his life around and win the 2004 World Championship.

I had the pleasure to meet Ray, albeit only briefly, at a Snooker Legends Exhibition nearly 10 years ago. Jason Francis had invited him without telling the players involved in the exhibition. I will always remember Ronnie’s joy when he found out that Ray was in the house. They embraced, laughed and chatted, clearly delighted to be together if only for a few hours. Ray was already an old man, but he had the wits, and the laugher of a young one! He also had an immense “presence” without saying or doing anything special.

My toughs are with his family and many friends in these difficult times. May he rest in peace.

WST Tribute

ALL-TIME GREAT RAY REARDON PASSES AWAY

Ray Reardon, widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players ever and a six-time World Champion, has died at the age of 91.

Welshman Reardon, who dominated the World Championship in the 1970s in a similar manner to Steve Davis in the 1980s and Stephen Hendry in the 1990s, passed away on Friday night after a battle with cancer, his wife Carol confirmed. 

Nicknamed ‘Dracula’ due to his widow’s peak hairstyle, he was one of the most popular and charismatic figures of his era, loved by millions of fans for his brilliance on the table and good humour off it. 

He was still playing snooker in recent months, and remarkably made a century break last November, a few weeks after his 91st birthday.

Ray Reardon (3)1.jpg

Leading the tributes, three-time Crucible king Mark Williams said: “Ray is one of the best sports people ever from Wales and the best snooker player. He’s one of the reasons why a lot of us started playing. He put snooker on the map, alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis. Anyone playing now owes them a lot because they brought popularity to the game. He is a real inspiration.”

Reardon was born in 1932 in Tredegar and by the age of ten he was a keen snooker and billiards player. At 14, he followed his father’s footsteps and joined the mining community at Ty Trist Colliery. He wore cotton gloves, and while older men laughed at the habit, he was able to protect his hands enough to continue his hobby on the baize.  

In 1957, after his family had moved to Stoke-on-Trent, Reardon was lucky to survive the collapse of a mine while he was working deep underground. He was buried in rubble for three hours, barely able to breathe. “I couldn’t move a finger,” he later told Michael Parkinson in a BBC interview. “It was amazing that with all the rubble and rock I was under, air still gets through. You have to keep perfectly still and not struggle, so I played thousands of games of marbles with my brother in my mind, until they came to my rescue.”

Soon afterwards, Reardon left the mines and became a police officer. During his seven years walking the beat around Stoke he won two awards for bravery – one for climbing across roofs to catch a robber, and one for approaching a man with a loaded shotgun in a crowded town centre and, in his usual calm manner, talking him out of using it. 

Meanwhile on the table, Reardon’s reputation as one of the best amateur players in the UK was building. He won the Welsh Amateur Championship every year from 1950 to 1955, and the English equivalent for the first time in 1964, beating John Spencer in the final. In 1967, at the age of 35, he took the decision to quit policing and try his hand at professional snooker.

His timing was near-perfect, as in 1969 the BBC broadcast Pot Black for the first time, finding snooker an ideal showcase for the advent of colour television. This was a key moment in the sport’s history as, within a decade, it led to extensive live coverage of snooker on the BBC and the boom in popularity. Reardon was the first Pot Black champion, beating Spencer in the one-frame final, and won it again in 1979.

His first World Championship appearance in 1969 ended with a 25-24 defeat against Fred Davis in the quarter-finals, but a year later Reardon was holding the famous trophy for the first time. At the Victoria Hall in London, he beat John Pulman 37-33 in the final. That was the beginning of his dominant spell, as he went on to capture the world title in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978.

The last of those six victories was arguably Reardon’s greatest triumph as, at the age of 45, it made him the oldest World Champion, a record only beaten in 2022 by a 46-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan. It was also Reardon’s only success at the Crucible, where the Championship had moved in 1977. He beat Perrie Mans 25-18 in the final and his modern-day record of six titles was not matched until Steve Davis reached that tally in 1989. Reardon reached one more Crucible final in 1982 when, age 49, he was beaten by Alex Higgins 18-15.

Higgins and Spencer were Reardon’s chief rivals for most of his hey-day, but he was without question the outstanding player of his era. Outside the World Championship, he won 16 other professional tournaments including the 1976 Masters. His highest break in competition was 146, made during the 1972 Park Drive event. In 1975 when the world rankings were conceived he was the first number one, and held that status until 1981, and then again during the 1982-83 season. 

He remains the oldest winner of a ranking title, having beaten Jimmy White in the final of the 1982 Professional Players Tournament at the age of 50. A few months later he beat White again to win the 1983 International Masters, his last title. 

He was ranked among the top 16 until 1987 and made his last Crucible appearance in the same year, losing in the last 16 to Steve Davis. Reardon retired in 1991 after losing to Jason Prince in the first qualifying round of the World Championship.

Though his peak as player came before the 1980s, Reardon’s fame grew in that decade as snooker became the most popular sport in Britain. He regularly appeared on TV shows such as A Question of Sport, Paul Daniels Magic Show and Big Break. Alongside Davis, White, Higgins, Cliff Thorburn and Dennis Taylor, he was a central character in the game described by Barry Hearn as ‘Dallas with balls.’ After retirement, he was in the public eye less, though he continued to play on the exhibition circuit. 

He was always renowned as a great tactical player – indeed Davis learned much from Reardon during his early career in the late 1970s. In 2004, Reardon mentored Ronnie O’Sullivan, helping the Rocket to add strategic nous to his formidable break-building. The result was a Crucible title, and O’Sullivan always references Reardon as one of his great influences and friends.  Shaun Murphy used one of Reardon’s cues to win the 2005 World Championship and received guidance from him in 2007. 

Reardon was awarded the MBE 1985. He was inducted into the snooker Hall of Fame in 2011, and each year the winner of the Welsh Open is presented with the Ray Reardon Trophy. Throughout the snooker family, he was much loved and highly respected.

The father of two, who married his second wife Carol in 1987, lived for over 40 years in Devon, an area he had got to know through playing exhibitions. After retirement he continued to play snooker socially, as well as golf, becoming President of Churston Golf Club. In 2019 he survived a pulmonary embolism, and continued to approach life with enthusiasm.

In August 2023, in one of his last interviews, Reardon told David Hendon: “I still enjoy playing snooker. Some days you are in a little world of your own, you can pot anything and nothing distracts you. It’s fantastic, magic.”

Main picture: Roger Lee

BBC Obituary

How ‘Dracula’ the ex-miner became the snooker world’s best

20 July 2024

Ray Reardon
Ray Reardon was the first Welsh player to win the world title, with compatriots Terry Griffiths and Mark Williams subsequently lifting the trophy – Getty Images

Ray Reardon, who has died aged 91, dominated the sport of snooker for the best part of a decade as he won six world titles between 1970 and 1978.

The popular Welshman, who was nicknamed ‘Dracula’ because of his distinctive “widow’s peak” hairstyle, was soon a household name as the game became hugely popular on television.

He won the first Pot Black series on the BBC in 1969, and was made an MBE in the 1985 Queen’s Birthday honours.

As well as outstanding potting ability and tactical nous, Reardon also benefited from fortunate timing.

The introduction of colour television in the late 1960s allowed snooker to emerge from the smoky back rooms of clubs and into the living room, where it found a keen audience.

And as the best player of the time, Reardon was ideally placed to take advantage of the sport’s newly acquired profile.

Ray Reardon recalls how Pot Black – and the introduction of colour TV – boosted snooker

Born in Tredegar, Reardon worked as a coal miner and a police officer while building a reputation in the amateur game before turning professional at the relatively late age of 34 in 1967.

It was a major step to leave a secure job at a time when he did not own a home, but the gamble paid off handsomely as he quickly established himself as one of the most popular characters in the game.

His rivalries with John Spencer and the flamboyant Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins made for some of the most compelling sporting contests on television at the time.

His first world title came in 1970, when he beat John Pulman 39 frames to 34.

There followed a gap until 1973, when he beat Australian Eddie Charlton in the final. That was the first of four consecutive titles, culminating in his victory over Higgins in 1976 – the last championship before the move to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Reardon won the title again in 1978, and topped the world rankings until 1981, when the emergence of Steve Davis heralded a new era.

He reached the World Championship final again in 1982, but lost to Higgins.

Getty Images – John Spencer (left), Alex Higgins (third left) and Ray Reardon (far right) won 10 successive world titles between them, between 1969 and 1978; Eddie Charlton (second left) was twice a losing finalist

Reardon retired from the professional game in 1991 at the age of 58.

He was later hired by Ronnie O’Sullivan as a consultant and was credited with helping the unpredictable Londoner claim the world title in 2004.

In 2016, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Welsh Open was named the Ray Reardon Trophy in his honour.

In spite of the Dracula nickname, Reardon will be remembered for his ready wit and cheeky winks to the audience as much as the measured tactical play which made him the most consistent and successful player in the world for nearly a decade.

Clive Everton in the Guardian

Ray Reardon obituary

One of the greatest British snooker players who won the world championship six times

Clive Everton

Ray Reardon playing in the Masters Snooker Championship at the Wembley Arena, London, in the 1980s. Photograph: Bob Thomas Sports Photography/Getty Images

Ray Reardon, who has died aged 91 from cancer, was snooker’s world champion six times in the 1970s, the decade in which the game was changing from subterranean folk sport into a TV attraction.

Always immaculately dressed, a highly popular and genial ambassador for the game, ever adept at engaging a crowd, he remains the oldest champion and, on the strength of his 18-15 defeat by Alex Higgins at the age of 49 in 1982, its oldest finalist. After his wins in 1970, 1973-76 and 1978 he was still good enough to reach the 1985 semi-finals, when he was 52, before Steve Davis, the dominant figure of the 80s, trounced him 16-5.

As a player, he transformed himself from brilliant young potter into supreme tactician. In later life his deep knowledge of the game was utilised by Ronnie O’Sullivan, who acknowledged him as a significant factor in capturing the 2004 world title.

Commercially, Reardon’s peak came too early; prize money of £7,500 for winning the 1978 world title, £12,500 for reaching the 1982 final and £20,000 as a 1985 semi-finalist looks like petty cash by today’s standards, although it did not seem too bad in those days, particularly as the snooker revival had started from a low base.

Reardon was born into a snooker family, to Cynthia and Ben Reardon, in Tredegar, south Wales, where he attended Georgetown secondary school. His father, a coalminer, played in the local league for the Miners’ Institute, as did his uncles. When Ray was 14, and after a brief stint as a motor mechanic, he became a miner himself. On his 17th birthday, in 1949, he made his first century break in the morning and won the first of six consecutive Welsh amateur titles in the evening.

In 1956, the family moved to Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in search of better job prospects. That same year he looked likely to become English amateur champion when he held a 7-3 overnight lead against Tommy Gordon in the final at Burroughes Hall in London, but his tip flew off with his first shot the next day, perhaps through the agency of a betting gang. Forced to play with an unfamiliar cue in those pre-superglue days, he lost 11-9.

Ray Reardon, left, with Ronnie O’Sullivan in 2004. Photograph: Trevor Smith/Alamy

Eleven years in the pits ended in 1957 after he was buried in a roof fall at the Florence Colliery in Stoke, unable to move a muscle for three hours. “I had to breathe through my nose,” he was to recall, “because if I opened my mouth I’d suffocate to death on the dust.”

With iron self-control he kept calm by imagining he was playing endless games of marbles with his eight-year-old brother, Ron.

After that he became a police officer in Stoke, earning a commendation for bravery for disarming a man who was brandishing a shotgun, and another for crawling across a frosty rooftop to drop through a skylight on to an unsuspecting burglar.

In 1964 he achieved his ambition of winning the English amateur championship, beating John Spencer, himself to become a three times world champion, 11-8 in the final at the Central Hall, Birmingham.

A professional career was hardly worth contemplating at the time, as the World Snooker Championship had lain dormant from 1957 until 1964. But after selection for an amateur tour to South Africa he was offered a return visit as a professional and in 1967 took the plunge at the age of 35, in time for the revival of the championship tournament and the advent of BBC Two’s Pot Black. This was a half-hour, one-frame competition that he won twice (1969 and 1979) and that introduced the game and its leading players to new audiences.

Then the world championship ran throughout an entire season of week-long matches, and in 1970 Reardon became champion for the first time by beating John Pulman 37-33 at the Victoria Hall in London. At the City Exhibition Halls in Manchester in 1973, the first time the championship was telescoped into a fortnight, he recovered from 19-12 down to beat Spencer 23-22 in the semi-finals and from 7-0 down defeated Australia’s Eddie Charlton 38-32 to regain the title.

He retained it a year later comparatively uneventfully, but in the 1975 final in Melbourne, Australia, had to make an epic recovery from 29-23 adrift to beat Charlton 31-30. He disposed of the mercurial Higgins 27-16 in the 1976 final at Wythenshawe Forum in Manchester, and in 1978 became champion for the last time at the age of 45 with his 25-18 victory over the South African left-hander Perrie Mans at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield.

He retired to Brixham, Devon, in 1991, later moving to Torquay, but having kept up with contacts on the club scene that had given him his staple income in his early professional days, he continued with exhibitions as well as his summer tours of Pontins holiday camps, a routine he much preferred to the unpaid slog of qualifying competitions.

He is survived by his second wife, Carol Covington, whom he married in 1987, and by two children, Darren and Melanie, from his first marriage, to Susan Carter, in 1959, which ended in divorce.

Ray (Raymond) Reardon, snooker player, born 8 October 1932; died 19 July 2024

2024 Shanghai Masters – Semi-finals – Judd Trump defeats Ronnie by 10-3

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

Ronnie hadn’t lost a Match in Shanghai since 2016 but today he was beaten, and well beaten, by Judd Trump.

Indeed, here is the report by WST:

TREMENDOUS TRUMP ENDS ROCKET’S RUN

Judd Trump is through to his fourth Shanghai Masters final after a 10-3 demolition of Ronnie O’Sullivan, ending the Rocket’s incredible winning streak in the event. 

O’Sullivan had notched up 21 straight match wins in the tournament and claimed four consecutive titles. The last time he was beaten in Shanghai was all the way back in 2016, when he lost out against Michael Holt. 

Trump’s exploits in ending the seven-time Crucible king’s streak earn him a place in tomorrow’s title match, where he will go up against Shaun Murphy for the £210,000 top prize. The pair are both aiming to lift silverware in Shanghai for the first time. Trump has previously lost finals against John Higgins, Kyren Wilson and O’Sullivan. 

Victory for the 2019 World Champion also brings to an end a run of five consecutive defeats against O’Sullivan, which includes the 2022 World Championship final. 

The damage was done this afternoon, when a devastating display of break building saw Trump establish an 8-1 advantage. That left him just two frames from victory, but O’Sullivan did take the first two of the evening to make it 8-3. 

That resistance was to be short lived. Trump fired in a break of 110, his fourth century of the match, to move one away and then claimed the 13th to wrap up a famous victory. 

“I knew that I’d lost quite a few times in a row against him. That isn’t a record you want to have. You don’t want him to fancy his chances every time he plays you. It was nice to get one back and show I can still play a little bit,” said 34-year-old Trump. 

“Every time you see him win a tournament, you want to have a chance against him. His record in these prestigious invitational events is incredible. Nobody gets close to him in this kind of tournament. He just seems to come in and find his best form every single time. It is nice to see that he can be human sometimes, he struggled a little bit. I’ve got to take a little bit of credit as I put him under a lot of pressure early on. 

“Shaun is a player I always enjoy facing. He is very attacking. He had an amazing turnaround against Mark Selby. On form it is probably the best two players of the week in the final. It is a game that hopefully everyone will look forward to.”

After the match, Trump also paid tribute to legendary six-time World Champion Ray Reardon, who passed away at the age of 91. 

Trump said: “He meant a lot to everyone in the game. Especially the Welsh players, they owe a lot to him. I think you have seen how much respect he has from Ronnie and Mark Williams. You can tell what he means to all of the players. He is a legend of the game and someone that will go down in the history books of Welsh sport. He is the flagbearer for Welsh snooker. It is a sad day and best wishes to all of his friends and family.”

JUDD TRUMP INTERVIEW

Here are the scores for that match

Incredibly, there was only one frame, the last, that didn’t feature a break ove 50.

No quotes from Ronnie so far. The damage was done in the first session. Credit to him for coming back fighting in the evening but it was an impossible task against a player of Judd Trump’s calibre. But, in those great champions, there is always personal pride and the desire to give something back to the fans.

As you will have understood, Ray Reardon has passed away. This is a huge loss for the sport, he was a great champion, a great ambassador for snooker and and enormous personality. For some of the players, notably Ronnie, it is a personal loss as well. Ray had a huge impact on Ronnie as a person and on his career as a player.

More to come when available …

Some images shared on Weibo

2024 Shanghai Masters – Shaun Murphy beats Mark Selby in the first semi-final

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

Shaun Murphy will face either Ronnie or Judd Trump in the final of the 2024 Shanghai Masters on Sunday.

Today, he came from 6-2 behind to beat Mark Selby by 10-8 in the first semi-final. Here is the report by WST:

MURPHY FIGHTBACK FLOORS SELBY

Shaun Murphy summoned a superb fightback to rally from 8-5 down and beat Mark Selby 10-8 in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.

The Magician is through to his second final in this event. Last time out he succumbed to an 11-9 loss against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2019 title match. This time he will face either a repeat of that match against the Rocket or an encounter with Judd Trump. 

Murphy and Selby have been battling each other on the tour right the way through from the junior ranks up to the 2021 world final, where Selby prevailed 18-15. However, Murphy has now won their last three meetings and trails the head-to-head 17-15. 

It’s a disappointing end to a largely positive week for four-time Crucible king Selby, who has shown he still has plenty to offer at the highest level, despite raising the possibility of retirement at the end of last season.

They came into the final session with Selby leading 6-3. However, Murphy produced a sublime start to the evening’s proceedings, firing in a 140 break to reduce his arrears to 6-4. 

He then pulled within one and looked set to draw level after constructing a hard -ought run of 57 in the 12th, but a missed red gave Selby an opportunity which he ruthlessly accepted. A break of 69 moving him 7-5 ahead. 

Selby made it 8-5, before Murphy compiled a fine break of 134 to claw back within two. Further contributions of 67 and 104 helped the 41-year-old to make it four on the bounce and move him one from the win. He completed a remarkable turnaround with a break of 116 to seal victory. 

“It is the old cliche, it is never over until it’s over. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a quitter. I’ve never given up in my life and I wasn’t prepared to give up tonight. I kept pushing, had a little bit of luck at the right time, scored well and I’m over the moon. I can’t believe it“

Shaun Murphy

2005 World Champion

Murphy added: “This is what you play for. This is what we dreamed of as boys growing up, to play in big matches like this and big tournaments like this. I’ve played Judd and Ronnie in big matches before. I played Ronnie here a few years ago, so it would be great to go one better. I am looking forward to watching them slog it out until the wee small hours while I rest and look forward to what is going to be a great match.”

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

No quotes from Mark Selby and it’s maybe for the best. This will hurt and considering that Mark had been seriously questioning his future in the sport at the end of last season, I can’t help wondering how hard this defeat, and the manner of it, will have hit him and in what state of mind this leaves him. Mark has struggled with depression in the past and I hope he has the right people around him. He’s far too good to quit. He has more titles in him, I’m sure of it.

2024 Shanghai Masters – Quarter-Finals – Ronnie’s title defence is still on …

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

It was England 4-0 China in Shanghai today as all four quarter matches opposed an English player to a Chinese player and all four were won by the English player.

Here is the report by WST:

SHANGHAI MASTERS DAY FOUR: ROCKET DOWNS DING

Ronnie O’Sullivan prevailed in his first meeting with Ding Junhui on Chinese soil in 15 years, winning 6-3 to make the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters. 

The pair are snooker’s biggest global superstars and have enjoyed a storied rivalry throughout their respective careers, but last played each other in China at the 2009 Shanghai Masters. 

Victory for O’Sullivan extends his dominance in the head-to-head standings to 23-5. The Rocket continues his quest for a fifth straight Shanghai Masters title and has now won his last 20 games in the city. 

The pair traded blows to find themselves locked together at 3-3 this evening, when O’Sullivan made his move. Breaks 131, 70 and 62 saw the seven-time Crucible king secure three on the bounce and seal victory.  He now faces a blockbuster semi-final with 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.

“I don’t think either of us played anywhere near our best, but I just tried my hardest and I’m happy to get the win,” said 41-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan. 

“Every match is a tough one in this tournament. You have the 16 best players in the world. We all play to a very high standard, each game is like a final. I’m pleased to still be in and looking forward to have a chance of winning this fantastic event again.”

Trump booked his place in the semis with a 6-2 defeat of Si Jiahui, in what was a repeat of this year’s German Masters final. Trump composed breaks of 74, 75 and 101 on his way to the win. 

Mark Selby produced a four frame blitz to defeat Pang Junxu 6-3 and set up a last four meeting with close friend Shaun Murphy. 

The Leicester cueman is making his first appearance of the new campaign, having vowed to carry on playing after calling his future into doubt at the end of last season. 

Selby’s only previous meeting with Pang came in last year’s WST Classic final, where the four-time World Champion prevailed by a 6-2 scoreline. Today’s encounter saw Pang lead 2-1, before a burst of breaks helped Selby to charge to the line. Runs of 75, 60, 81 and 118 gave him four frames in a row and a place in the last four. 

Murphy continued his impressive start to the week with a 6-2 win over Zhou Yuelong, who whitewashed World Champion Kyren Wilson yesterday. Murphy scored a fine 6-3 win over John Higgins in the last round and breaks of 57, 70, 66, 61 and 69 helped him to a comfortable win this afternoon. 

Here are the scores of the Ronnie v Ding match:

And images shared on social media

Eurosport also shared an account of the match “as it happened”

RESULT! – O’SULLIVAN 6-3 DING 

Ding makes steady headway towards an unlikely steal but with the balls so open, it’s definitely there for him. 

A red down to middle right tees him up for the black that he uses to navigate down for a red on the bottom cushion. His positional play is perfection and he pops it away nicely. Another black leaves him slightly off on his angle for the final red down the right rail. 

He produces a beauty of a cut and the crowd are loving it. 

They want to see more snooker, but there’s a plot twist when he wobbles taking on the green off its spot. It does drop but he’s miles off in terms of position for the brown. He tries a cut with the rest but it won’t go down and he leaves a sitter for Ronnie after a break of 50-plus. 

O’Sullivan knocks it in and takes care of the blue to seal his spot in the last four.

It’s a heartbreaker for Ding but overall The Rocket was too strong in the big moments. 

O’SULLIVAN 5-3 DING 

Ronnie sinks a red to middle right and the yellow off its spot takes him down to a pack that is now bearing fruit thanks to Ding’s initial attempt at the split. 

The Rocket loses position briefly but thunders a long recovery blue up to the green bag and then a delightful nudge off a red tees him up for a simple pot to the bottom right.

There’s real danger for Ding now as Ronnie appears to be firing on most cylinders all of a sudden. The half century comes and goes as he picks apart the bones of a pack that has loose reds simply there for the taking. 

A cannon into a red and pink tied together doesn’t come off, but the frame is done with a run of 70.

Ding needs three snookers and bizarrely returns for an excellent long pot down the right rail. However, he blows a much easier black and quickly concedes.

It had looked close at 3-3 but in the blink of an eye O’Sullivan has moved through a few gears and is now one frame from the last four. 

O’SULLIVAN 4-3 DING 

There’s a cagey exchange to open that comes to a climax when Ronnie leaves Ding in a precarious position in baulk with the reds well spread.

It inevitably leads to a chance for the five-time champion and he pops away a left-handed red to the yellow pocket before nicking in a green off its spot. 

The Rocket works his way south, easing in reds and navigating around the black and the remainder of the pack to score cheaply and keep that board ticking along. 

A pink to middle left is followed by a red down to the right corner that tees him up for a black and a screw back to begin eating away at the four reds left in what was once the pack.

A red along the bottom rail means it’s all about whether The Rocket can secure the first century of the match. A super pink to the bottom right bag means it’s looking likely before a black to the same pocket leaves him on the brink of the ton.

The penultimate red sets him up for the pink to the right corner and the century is there. 

A Hollywood shot on the final red means the clearance is on and he duly mops up the colours to complete a fabulous 131 up to the black.

O’SULLIVAN 3-3 DING 

Ronnie has no way out of the snooker safely and Ding kicks off another run with a simple red to bottom left. 

We’ve not really seen much in terms of significant breaks but Ding Junhui does just that here, methodically mopping up some routine pots.

He works his way up to the final red to nick it down to middle right and slips in a brown to the yellow pocket. A long yellow down to bottom right helps him take care of a some of the unorthodox spread of colours, but he can’t tease the blue from left to right into the green pocket and has to make-do with a break of 74 and parity on the board.

O’SULLIVAN 3-2 DING (0-23)

Ding cuts a lovely red to open and then watches in hope as the cue ball hits one middle pocket jaw before diverting across to the other, clipping the upper jaw and just about staying out.

He can’t drill in the yellow but is back in straight away and a gorgeous positional shot allows him to arrow a red to the right corner and cannon up into the pack.

The split is very favourable but he has to take on a red up to middle left to land on the brown and give himself the chance to come off the cushion and back down the table. 

He does the same via the green but he lands too high on a red to bottom left and can’t find the angle for the black. 

He ends the break on 22 and gets a welcome slice of fortune with a snooker in-behind the blue and yellow tucked together in baulk.

O’SULLIVAN 3-2 DING 

Scorchio! The Rocket sandwiches a deft brown to the yellow pocket with two belting reds to regain some lost rhythm. 

The Englishman suddenly surges through the gears but can’t nudge the final two reds and the black glued to the bottom cushion and has to end on 29.

The trio of shots that led to him pulling clear were trademark Ronnie though!

O’SULLIVAN 2-2 DING (44-0)

Ding doesn’t do enough with his safety despite the let-off and The Rocket is quickly back in, playing his best shot in some time with a pot on the pink that helps him burst into the pack.

The five-time champion makes easy work of a succession of the routine red-black combos around the disintegrated pack, but Ronnie’s run ends on 37 when he can’t find the fine angle on a a cut on a red to the left corner via the rest.

O’SULLIVAN 2-2 DING (7-0) 

There’s a tense safety exchange following the interval and Ronnie is first misjudge his retreat to baulk with an untimely cannon leaving a mid-range red on for Ding down the right corner.

The Dragon fails to bypass the jaws and thumps the cushion in frustration before slumping towards his chair.

O’Sullivan nicks in a red to make him feel even worse but after a blue and another red, an ugly cannon off the black ends the run abruptly. 

It’s been that sort of match for Ronnie since that 85 in the opener.

O’SULLIVAN 2-2 DING 

This time The Rocket makes the error and Ding is able to sink a long brown and land on the blue that helps him seal the frame. He clears up to the black to level up heading into the interval.

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (41-47)

My oh my, this is scrappy. Ding gets a double kiss on another safety and leaves the green on. Ronnie nails it to the bottom right but then gets his own nick off the blue which means the brown close to the baulk cushion isn’t potable. 

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (38-47)

O’Sullivan is the first to lay the trap on the face-off on the yellow and lure the foul.

The Dragon is first to blink when he escapes at the second time of asking and The Rocket pops the yellow into the middle right before blowing a big chance with the routine green.

On we go!

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (31-47)

The Dragon takes care of the remaining four reds but he adds too much zip to an attempt on a yellow to middle right. He was trying to come off two cushions for the green.

It means this keenly-contested, but far from high-class frame, is still up for grabs!

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (31-26)

Ding’s safety isn’t the best and Ronnie knocks in the long red to try and get his own Mojo flowing again.

A classy blue to middle left takes him off two cushions with a delicious helping of right-hand side. He lands perfectly on a red down to the left corner that he despatches with aplomb. 

The seven-time World champion has some sort of flow but there’s another gasp of surprise from the audience as a basic miss on a red to the right corner ends his run on 30 and leaves a wide-open table for Ding.

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (1-26)

The Rocket takes advantage of Ding’s adventurous near miss on a black to middle right but fluffs his lines on a make-able yellow up to its own pocket. 

Ding seizes upon the reprieve, clipping a routine red away at baulk and nudging down the black to middle right. It not only takes him down to the pack but also gets the black back on its spot. 

The Dragon tries to nudge a few more reds free of the pack, but again he misjudges pace and it’s end of break at 25. 

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING (0-1)

There’s a gasp from the audience as Ding misses a mid-range red to the right corner.

O’Sullivan follows suit with a left-handed, failed attempt at a cut on another red to that same pocket.

The Dragon uses the rest to cut a stray red to the left corner but his attempt lacks pace and he ends up south of the black with nothing on.

O’SULLIVAN 2-1 DING 

It’s Ding looking the more assured in this frame and a lovely red puts him back in the box seat. 

A black down the left rail with the rest shows he’s feeling it now and he takes care of the remaining reds via routine black-red combos and a blue to middle right.

The pink is in a tricky spot near the lower left cushion but it won’t impact whether he wins this frame or not. 

The yellow is routine and a potentially awkward green is dealt with across the baulk cushion to its home pocket. He lands beautifully above the aforementioned pink to sizzle it down the left rail and finishes off an 81 clearance with a clinical black to the left corner.

O’SULLIVAN 2-0 DING (8-37)

Could that be the catalyst for the Chinese star to kick-start his form?

A lovely red from left to right nestles snugly in the middle pocket and he works his way from brown, red and yellow down to a cannon off two cushions into the pack.

It gets a ripple of applause and rightly so. It keeps him ticking over but his attempted bullet red to come off a couple more cushions and back down to the pack goes pear-shaped when the cue ball cannons into the green and stops short, leaving his run to halt on 17. 

O’SULLIVAN 2-0 DING (8-20)

The Rocket can’t quite find the flow that saw him clock up an 85 to begin this match with and he’s forced to play safe after a run of eight. 

O’SULLIVAN 2-0 DING (0-20)

Ding is first to show with a routine red and he then cuts a blue to middle right but, again, his attempt to pick apart the pack goes wrong.

O’Sullivan is in but his long red up to the right corner also fails to convert. It’s suddenly gone very messy but that will probably suit Ding at present as he’s just not got going. 

Ronnie’s miscue gave him a second bite at the cherry but his run of 14 is a tad meagre. 

O’SULLIVAN 2-0 DING (35-1)

O’Sullivan doesn’t look the gift horse in the mouth and with five reds remaining he’s already out of sight.

He takes care of one to the middle right and also knocks in a blue but, perhaps in-keeping with the crappy nature of this frame, he can’t bunt a long brown into the left corner pocket and it all comes to an end with plenty of balls remaining and no decent break to take note of.

Not that Ronnie will care; he’s two frames to the good!

O’SULLIVAN 1-0 DING (35-1)

Ding produces a splendid pot on a red along the bottom rail to the right corner but blows a tricky black to the opposite pocket and the door opens for Ronnie.

O’SULLIVAN 1-0 DING (35-0)

Ding is the first to blink in a brief safety exchange and Ronnie takes charge.

There’s a fair bit of work to do but he makes full use of the table, moving up to baulk to polish off a stray red with a green to its own pocket. 

The Rocket gets fortunate with a nick off the middle left pocket jaw but can’t take full advantage with a red down the left rail refusing the invitation to the bag.

O’SULLIVAN 1-0 DING (19-0)

Ouch. Ding’s safety goes awry as the cue ball catches the green on its spot en route to baulk and ends up in the pocket!

The Rocket dives in again but this time his position goes AWOL when he comes off the lower left cushion and ends up tight to a red west of the pack. He can’t attempt the pot and has to play safe off a run of seven. 

Ding isn’t having a good time out there just yet and fouls again when he catches a red at the top of the pack and sees the cue ball make a beeline for the left corner!

O’SULLIVAN 1-0 DING 

A neat red up to middle right kicks things off for the five-time champion and he quickly sets about preying upon some routine red-black combos before straying up to baulk to cut the brown over the mouth of the yellow bag to maintain position on the reds south of what is now a diminished pack.

It soon becomes apparent this is a frame-winning situation and Ronnie clips a red to middle left before spearing a pink down to the left corner. 

He’s down to the final four reds and they are all simple enough, but after getting down to the penultimate one he surprisingly catches the near jaw with a pink attempt to the middle right and his break ends on 85. 

There’s no century but it’s a strong start from The Rocket.

O’SULLIVAN 0-0 DING (0-4)

Enter The Dragon indeed!

Ding opens with a special, long red pot up to the green pocket and follows with a yellow to its home bag.

The run continues with a fine cut on a red to the bottom left but his attempt on another tricky cut on a brown to the yellow bag doesn’t come off. Worst still his cannon into the red works perfectly and leaves an inviting table for The Rocket.

And here some clips shared by Eurosport on their YouTube Channel:

Ronnie’s 131 in frame 7

Last frame

The 2024 Shanghai Masters – Day 3

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

As we reach the end of day 3 in Shanghai, the quarter-finals line-up has been decided and it’s an interesting one. Indeed, all four quater-finals matches will see a British player do battle with a Chinese player: Mark Selby v Pang Junxu, Shaun Murphy v Zhou Yuelong, Ronnie v Ding and Judd Trump v Si Jiahui.

Here is how we got to this, as reported by WST:

SHANGHAI MASTERS DAY THREE: ZHOU WHITEWASHES WILSON

Zhou Yuelong staged a stunning 6-0 win over World Champion Kyren Wilson to make the last eight of the Shanghai Masters. 

It was a rough start to Wilson’s reign as Crucible king, in his first appearance competing at a straight knockout event since securing a maiden World Championship victory in May. 

Zhou compiled breaks of 78, 59 and 83 during today’s emphatic victory. He now faces 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals. Afterwards he admitted that a change in mindset, prompted by his wife, has helped him with his game.

Zhou said: “I’ve taken a big step on personal level this summer. My wife has been very helpful and we have worked on being able to play my game with a different mindset. That has been a great help to my career. I used to hope for chances during competitions, but now I tend to think differently, which has allowed me to enjoy it more. I’m happy and it’s not really about winning the match, but being able to do what I wanted to in the game.“

Murphy sealed his progression with an impressive 6-3 win over John Higgins. The Magician fired in breaks of 62, 55, 56, 93, 83 and 64 during the tie. Defeat for Higgins means he will have to wait a little longer to reach 1000 centuries, he is currently stranded on 998.

Mark Selby produced a strong showing in his first appearance of the season, defeating Chinese amateur Cao Jin 6-1 to make the quarters.

Selby had cast doubts on his future as a professional after a disappointing showing at the World Championship, but after discussions with his wife he elected to continue this term. 

Despite going a frame down this afternoon, the four-time Crucible king crafted breaks of 115, 76 and 65 on his way to six on the bounce and a place in the quarter-finals. 

Speaking earlier this week, Selby explained his decision to carry on playing, he said: “I’ve had a couple of holidays and just switched off completely. I’ve come here to give it a go. I sat down with Vikki and she said she thought I should carry on playing as I have more to give to the game, but maybe to pick and choose and don’t play in everything. I’m going to give that a go and see what happens.“

Selby now faces Pang Junxu, who conquered world number one Mark Allen 6-5 in a thrilling encounter. The tie couldn’t be completed in the afternoon session and was pulled off with Pang leading 5-4. When play resumed later in the evening, Allen showed his class with a break of 101 to force a decider. However, it was the steely Pang who took the last on the blue to progress.

The match between Pang and Allen was as hard-fought as it gets. It wasn’t pretty, it was quite slow going1, it overran, but it certainly was compelling to watch. Both players held themselves together well under pressure. Both looked exhausted and tense during the decider. Eventually it seemed that Allen was going to win – Pang, in his seat looked resigned to defeat, clearly expecting his opponent to clear up – but Allen didn’t land ideally on the last blue and missed it.

Here is the end of the match, shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:

  1. Not because the players were unduly slow, but because both played some great safeties and the balls ended up in awkward positions ↩︎

The 2024 Shanghai Masters – Day 2

Monique Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament

Yesterday was a big day for the fans in China, with both Ronnie and Ding in action. Both won and I’m sure that the sponsors is just as delighted about it as the fans. They will face each other tomorrow in the QFs. The atmosphere will certainly be incredible for the occasion and the arena should be packed. Still … it’s unfortunate that they clash so early in the tournament.

About Ronnie’s win … you will find a lot of stuff here. Make sure to check the comments section. It is full of wonderful finds by Kalacs. Thank you Kalacs.

About the other matches played yesterday here is the report by WST:

…

Ding delighted his adoring home supporters by edging out Ali Carter in a 6-5 thriller. Having led 4-1, he was pegged back to a decider, but kept his cool with a fine break of 95 to clinch victory.

Judd Trump put on a superb display to see off Mark Williams 6-2 and seal his progression. The 2019 Crucible king was making his first appearance of the campaign, but looked sharp straight out of the gate, firing in breaks of 72, 52, 67, 112 and 112 to set up a meeting with Si Jiahui.

Afterwards he admitted that he has been enjoying a spot of culture and jet-setting during the summer break, which included trips to the Pyramids of Giza and Venice.

Trump said: “I had a good three weeks off. I was able to travel around Europe, the Middle East and a few other places. For once I didn’t go to my normal places like Vegas or Ibiza. I tried to explore the world a little bit and it was good fun. I saw different things and a bit of history. I’m coming into the season after a solid few weeks of history lessons, so I’m excited to get going again.“

TRUMP REFLECTS ON SEASON OPENING WIN

Si gained revenge for his heartbreaking 2023 World Championship semi-final defeat at the hands of Luca Brecel, beating the Belgian 6-2. Si now faces either Judd Trump or Mark Williams.

Chinese amateur Cao Jin scored a superb 6-2 win over World Championship runner-up Jak Jones to reach the second round.

The 39-year-old has competed in the Shanghai Masters once before, losing out 6-0 to David Gilbert in 2019, but he fared much better this time around. Victory this morning earns Cao a last 16 meeting with four-time World Champion Mark Selby. 

Pang Junxu came from 5-4 down to take the last two frames and beat Gary Wilson 6-5. He now sets up a second round clash with world number one Mark Allen.

Judd Trump was sharp indeed, but Mark Williams wasn’t at his best. It’s a shame. I’m not saying that an “in form” Mark would have beaten Judd yesterday but the match could have been closer.

Luca Brecel was disappointing again… alas. That said, Si played really well but that match too should have been much closer!