Media

The 2024 Ranking CLS – Day 5

Monique Interview, Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament ,

Yesterday was a rather disappointing day for me as a Belgian. Indeed Julien Leclercq was in action and, after a decent start in the first session of the day, he really struggled in the second session and finished last of his group. I was even more disappointing because Julien had been interviewed by WST ahead of his return to action and appeared to be in an excellent frame of mind.

JULIEN LECLERCQ Q&A

On the cusp of his third season as a pro, Belgium’s 21-year-old Julien Leclercq reflects on what he has learned from his first two years on the tour, and looks ahead to the coming campaign.

Julien, how much are you looking forward to the new season?
I’m very excited, I haven’t played a match since the World Championship qualifiers in April so I want to get started again. I only had a few days rest and then I was practising again.

How do you reflect on your results and performances last season?
I got nervous towards the end because my tour card wasn’t safe. Going into the world qualifiers I had to win my first match against Haydon Pinhey otherwise I would have been going to Q School. I didn’t play well but I won 10-3 so that took a lot of pressure off. Next time I don’t want to be in that position again. My goal for the first part of the new season is to get well up into the top 64 so I am not risking dropping off the tour at the end of the season.    

Still, to keep your tour card after your first two seasons is a good achievement. What have you learned?
Yes I am happy just to keep my card. I have learned so much. Mainly about life on tour in terms of travelling to events. It is not easy, living in Belgium and going to the UK or other countries for every tournament. Things like arranging travel by train and booking the right hotels close to the venues, that takes time to learn everything, and I do it all myself, or sometimes my girlfriend Chloe helps me. I know a lot more about that now, so next season I won’t need four hours of searching online just to find the right hotel! That will take away some stress. In terms of my game, I have had to get better at safety. When I turned pro, my safety wasn’t great. But on the tour, if you can’t play safety you will be killed. The other thing I have tried to learn is to accept defeat. It’s hard when you lose. But there is no point getting angry or frustrated. Staying positive on the mental side is so important.

What was your best moment last season?
Winning that first qualifying match in the world qualifiers because after that I knew I would probably stay on tour. My uncle Joel came to watch – he has been to a few tournaments, he absolutely loves snooker and it is great to have him in the crowd. 

…and the worst?
In the qualifying round for the International Championship, I was 5-5 with Si Jiahui and in the last frame I was 56-0 ahead but he cleared up with 68. That was painful because I want to qualify for more events in China. I played there three times as an amateur but I am yet to play in a pro tournament there.

Ben Mertens joined the tour at the same time as you, how much has that helped both of you over the first two years?
He is my best friend and we have been playing snooker together since we were nine years old. He only lives 20 minutes away so we practise together a lot. There has never been any jealousy, we are always happy for each other’s success. We are going through some of the same experiences on tour so it really helps to have someone to speak to. And when we have time off we play video games like Call of Duty, but I always win, he’s a very bad gamer!

Have you thought about moving to the UK?
When I first turned pro I considered it, but then I decided to stay in Belgium. I have Chloe there – she is studying psychology at university – as well as my friends and family, it’s more important to me to be close to them. People might think I would learn more by practising with other players in the UK, but I learn most by playing matches. And I often watch my matches again on video and try to work on the mistakes I made.

During your first season you reached the final of the Shoot Out, did that give you a taste for the big occasion?
Yes – every player on tour wants to be in the big finals. Also I want to do well to help inspire more young players from Belgium. 

What’s the best venue you have played at?
The Tempodrom in Berlin. You are so close to the crowd, it’s an amazing atmosphere.

Finally, what’s the best thing about being a snooker player?
The chance to travel the world and share some of those experiences with my family. And to play snooker on live TV – that’s what I always dreamed about. I can’t complain about anything. 

Anyway … here is the report by WST:

In the tightest group yet at this week’s BetVictor Championship League, Jackson Page scored a superb late win over Robert Milkins to book his place in the second stage.

The first four matches in Group 10 were all drawn 2-2, leaving it in the balance heading into the concluding ties. Andrew Higginson scored a 3-1 win over Iulian Boiko and he looked favourite, particularly with a high break of 121 earlier in the day. But Page then came from 1-0 down to beat Milkins 3-1, and his break of 127 in the second frame edged him ahead of Higginson and secured his progress.

Success for the 22-year-old means that a Welsh player has topped a group every day this week, as Page follows Ryan Day, Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens and Michael White into the next phase.

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh topped Group 32 in another close finish, edging out Daniel Wells. Thailand’s Un-Nooh opened with a 3-1 win over Mark Joyce, then made breaks of 106 and 104 in a 3-0 defeat of Julien Leclercq. 

Wells drew 2-2 with Leclercq and beat Joyce 3-1, so could have won the group with victory in his final match against Un-Nooh, and he started well with a break of 91 to take the opening frame. But Un-Nooh hit back to take the next two, and eventually progressed with a 2-2 draw. 

Results / Fixtures

Group 10 really delivered. There was no dead match and the group winner was literally decided by the second and last frames of last match on the day. Jackson needed to win, from 1-0 down, AND to make ea break of 122 or more. He managed both! Andrew Higginson must have felt sick.

More about the exhibitions in Kunshan – May 2024

Monique Media, Snooker exhibition ,

There is a lot of media material about the current exhibitions in China, and, thank to Kalacs we can access A LOT of it. But as, maybe, not everyone can open the links easily here are my pics with the purpose of offering “the essentials” in a post …

First there is this article in the local press (automatic translation with a few improvement… )

2024 Kunshan “Spark Cup” Snooker Masters Invitational Tournament was successfully held

May 22, 7:30 pm

Kunshan Sports Center Gymnasium

A wonderful showdown between snooker masters

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Marco Fu

The stands were packed

A feast for the eyes of the fans

Facing the camera of reporters, O’ Sullivan who visited Kunshan a few years ago, said hello to the snooker fans

“I am very happy to come to Kunshan again and see so many enthusiastic fans and feel the enthusiasm of this city. Kunshan is a very beautiful city, the people are friendly and the culture is really great!“

From May 21st to 22nd, the “Spark Cup” Snooker Masters Invitational Tournament was held for two days. Four snooker masters, “Rocket” O’Sullivan, “Uncrowned King” Lisowsky, China’s “Wonder Boy” Marco Fu and “Dazai” Zhang Anda, staged four exciting duels. Over the past two days, thousands of snooker fans gathered in Kunshan, and many spectators even came from cities such as Tianjin and Jilin.

In the arena , a fan and his family were deeply attracted by the players’ precise strokes and positions.: “The game was very exciting. The position of the white ball was just like the movement of the hand.” “Thank you Kunshan for hosting such a wonderful event.“

Snooker game. It’s a niche sporting event. Four top players compete in Kunshan for the first time in this type of exhibition

The city and area indeed look great.

And more images of the Ronnie v Marco Fu match, a match that Ronnie won by 5-4.

And this one showing the crowd … during the Ronnie v Zhang match

2024 At the Crucible – Day 6 and Barry Hearn’s Announcements

Monique Interview, Professional snooker, Professional snooker tournament ,

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.

You will my my report on Ronnie’s win here.

And here is WST report on John Higgins 10-6 win over Jamie Jones

HIGGINS HANGS ON TO TOP 16 HOPES

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.

Here is Eurosport about Barry’s annual “announcements” at (and about) the Crucible

EXCLUSIVE: BARRY HEARN AIRS VIEWS ON CRUCIBLE AS HOST – ‘YOU CAN’T EAT HISTORY’

BY DESMOND KANE

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. 

The size of the Crucible in being able to house only 980 fans, and greater prize money to satisfy the 128-player professional tour at a bigger venue are the two main sticking issues confronting the sport with Hearn previously intimating that the £500,000 first prize could easily be doubled by moving beyond the UK. 

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.

…

You can watch and listen in this short video shared by ES on Youtube: https://youtube.com/shorts/E44YPOuySJ8?si=iu3a3_FvQUcEc0Oj

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

Sporting events promoter Barry Hearn at the World Snooker Tours.
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 with the UK Snooker Championship trophy.
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.’

An interesting interview with Ronnie, speaking about his future in snooker, and more Ronnie and WST news

Monique Interview, Snooker , ,

Here it is shared by Eurosport on their website

‘I DON’T HAVE TO WIN, YOU KNOW‘ – SNOOKER LEGEND RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ON HIS FUTURE IN SNOOKER AHEAD OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

BY ALEX LIVIE

The World Championship is looming into view and Ronnie O’Sullivan will arrive at the Crucible with an eighth title in his sights. The world No. 1 has had a superb season in terms of winning titles, but he is not happy with the state of his game but is ready to buckle down and fight to remain at the top end of the sport over the next 12 months and more.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has said he will dedicate the next 12 months to working hard on his game in a bid to extend his career at the top level.

O’ Sullivan has had some stellar results in the 2023/24 season, winning the UK Championship and Masters to add to his tally of Triple Crown events.

But despite the wins, the world No. 1 has been unhappy with the state of his game.

After beating Gary Wilson in the semi-finals of the Tour Championship, O’Sullivan spoke about battling the yips.

He has begun working closely with Steve Peters once again, and the revered Sports Psychiatrist will be in his corner at the World Championship and for the next 12 months.

“Steve’s gonna be there a lot,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport about his plans for a shot at an eighth World Championship, which gets underway on Eurosport and discovery+ at the weekend. “I told him, whenever you can make it, that’d be great.

“I’ve been speaking to him a lot on the phone recently.”

O’Sullivan is not happy with the state of his game, but has committed to working hard to feel comfortable at the table.

He continued: “I’m in that situation at the moment where I’ve just got to get myself in a frame of mind for maybe the next however long. I’ve given myself a year to the end of next year’s World Championship to work with Steve and hope, you know, to get back to where I feel it’s acceptable.

“I could do another year like this, I’ll commit to that playing how I’ve been playing and the struggles and what we all want to call it – the yips or the snatches, whatever you want to call it.

“I don’t consider that snooker, I’m butchering balls.

“Everyone’s got their own problems. But that ain’t fun for me.

“I’ve got two options. Like Steve said, you can learn to live with it. You can learn to live with anything and be happy or choose to be miserable.

“The task I’m gonna have to set myself is if I can’t get my game in the right place, and I really don’t wanna stop then I’ve got to get round my head round acceptance. Learn to live with it, play it.

“But if I can’t, then maybe do 18 months, two years, exhibitions, go see all the fans and really just go down that testimonial route and then hang my cue up. Would be, like 51, 52. No big deal.”

Should O’Sullivan triumph at the Crucible, it would give him an eighth world crown to go with his eight Masters and eight UK Championships.

Such an achievement would not be the trigger to consider retirement.

“I’ll only retire if I think I’m not playing well enough for long enough, which has been going on a while now,” he said. “That’s obviously something that distresses me enough to think. ‘I don’t want to keep doing that.’ But like I said, if I can learn to live with it.“

The lifestyle snooker has handed O’Sullivan is one of the reasons for him to keep playing.

He said: “I don’t have to win, you know, I just like travelling, I like the people I meet, I like the people I work with; I have a great time with all my sponsors and stuff like that. That’d be hard to give up.

“It’d be hard to give up all the exhibitions I do, the places I get to travel to. That’s why I don’t want to give it up.

“But you’ve got to enjoy the playing, you know, and it’s been a tough year.

“If I can get back to enjoy the playing, then I’ll be the happiest man in the world.”

Despite being unhappy with his game, O’Sullivan is pleased with how he has approached the mental side of snooker.

“I think I’ve mentally been really strong to just keep going at it,” he said. “But I thought I’ve won five tournaments, got to the finaI and I’m not enjoying it.

“I want to win and enjoy it. So that’s why I said to Steve, ‘come on, I need to work this out now.’

“I need to work something out where I can feel in a better place with it all.“

Provided his game is in shape, O’Sullivan does not feel this is his last shot at an eighth world crown.

“I think there are plenty of opportunities to win that World Championship,” the 48-year-old said. “It’s just if I’m not enjoying it. If I’m enjoying it and like I said when I’m playing snooker, I feel like my mind is young around that table.

“I think like a youngster, so age is not important.

“I feel agile. As long as I keep feeling that young when I’m out there, then it doesn’t matter if I’m 60 if I feel like I’m still performing well out there. And I’m making, you know, my opponent look sluggish to me. I’m like, ‘cool, we can still do this.'”

And there will be exciting things to come for Ronnie as WST shared these news:

Riyadh Season.jpeg

Saudi Arabia, April 16th, 2024

HE Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), has announced an agreement between Riyadh Season and WST to further expand and develop collaboration which will promise to bring the sport to more fans across the Middle East.

Ahead of this weekend’s World Snooker Championship, Riyadh Season has agreed to become an official partner for snooker’s most prestigious tournament, underlining the commitment to supporting the WST.

With the ambition to grow snooker throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond, HE Turki Alalshikh has also announced a new three-year ambassadorial agreement with world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan, who has won a record 23 Triple Crown titles. This agreement guarantees that O’Sullivan will play in all WST events in Saudi Arabia and will also make special trips to the Kingdom to coach and foster aspiring talent.

Saudi Arabia hosted its first-ever WST event last month –Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker – which was won by O’Sullivan. Such was its success, the tournament is confirmed to return as part of the calendar for Riyadh Season during the 2024/25 schedule and will feature the world’s top ten players in addition to two wild cards being invited.

The event will again feature the innovative golden ball, known as the Riyadh Season ball, which will give players a chance to score a world record break of 167 if they pot it at the end of a maximum 147, with HE Turki Alalshikh confirming that the prize for the ‘super maximum’ will be doubled to $1million should anyone succeed in achieving this milestone.

On this announcement, HE Turki Alalshikh stated that these initiatives will act to drive the development of snooker in Saudi Arabia, inspiring a new generation of young fans who idolise the sport’s biggest stars. This expansion of snooker is one of many sporting events offered by Riyadh Season, building a vibrant community of snooker fans that will increase the popularity of the game in Saudi Arabia, where all enthusiasts can thrive and pursue their passions.

HE Alalshikh added “Riyadh Season is delighted to be a partner of the World Snooker Championship, which will start next Saturday and continues until May 6th at Crucible in Sheffield.”

WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are honoured to work with HE Turki Alalshikh on his visionary plans for progress. We share his ambition of bringing snooker to many more fans across the Middle East, and to foster new talent and develop grassroots structures. We share a dream that one day Saudi Arabia will produce a World Snooker Champion, and each of the three initiatives announced today are steps towards that dream. We are thrilled to be working with His Excellency and to deepen our relationship with Saudi Arabia.

“The inaugural Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker was a fabulous event and many of the players enjoyed the atmosphere created by the local fans. We look forward to returning to the Kingdom in the summer for the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, which will be the first ever world ranking event in the region. These tournaments grow the sport and provide fantastic opportunities for the players to compete for outstanding prize money.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan said: “Playing in Riyadh last month was an amazing experience, I love the atmosphere and the enthusiasm of the fans. We can make snooker huge in Saudi Arabia. So I am excited by this chance to work to grow the sport there and the opportunity to coach the best young talent and pass on my experience. I’m also relishing the chance to play in more big events in the Kingdom, and to work alongside HE Turki Alalshikh on his ambitions.”

As much as I disagree with the Saudi regime, developing snooker in new regions is not just good, it’s absolutely necessary. I wish such efforts could be made to get more and bigger tournaments in mainland Europe. Snooker faces serious challenges, we should not be deluded about it, notably because hey-ball has become the number one billiard sport in China, dethroning snooker. We have seen several British snooker platers being tempted by it this season, and they enjoyed the experience.

And maybe … only maybe … something good can come from this when it comes to the human rights situation. Further opening your country to visitors means being under more scrutiny. It also means more contacts between the local population and foreigners who grew in a different culture and have a completely different live style. No matter the regime efforts, this is unavoidable and it is bound to force some societal changes. At least I want to hope so…

Amateur Snooker and Ronnie News – 25 March 2024

Monique Amateur, Film, Snooker , ,

Amateur Snooker News

Robbie McGuigan wins the 2024 EBSA Championship in Sarajevo and earns a two year Tout card (EBSA report)

Robbie McGuigan European Champion

Posted on , updated on  by Derek Kiely

Northern Ireland’s Robbie McGuigan is the 2024 European Champion in Sarajevo following an incredible Final where he beat Craig Steadman 5-4.

McGuigan just 19 years of age will now become a Professional Player on the WST in the 2024 – 2025 Season after winning a two year Main Tour Card.

The final could have gone either way and the two players were level no fewer than four times until in yet another deciding frame and McGuigan kept his nerve to pot the final couple of Reds to win the title.

BIH President Senad Pehlivanovic and EBSA President Maxime Cassis with the new Champion

Final Referee from Bosnia and Herzegovina Almedin Hodzic and Final Marker Catalin Cojoc from Moldova

Robbie also received a New Titanium Cue from the Newest EBSA Sponsor ‘little monster’ presented by EBSA General Secretary Simon Smith and EBSA President Maxime Cassis.

Runner Up and Silver Medal winner Craig Steadman

Bronze Medal winner Florian Nuessle from Austria

Congratulations Robbie!

About this competition, a player from England was reflecting on Facebook that, a few years back, when facing an amateur from mainland Europe, the UK players almost always won easily, but things have changed radically. That’s good news to me! All the results are available on snooker.org.

Lei Peifan has regained his tour card by winning the 2024 Asia-Pacific Open Championship (Report by WPBSA)

Lei Peifan came from 5-3 down to defeat Vinnie Calabrese 6-5 in the final of the Asia Pacific Open Championship to earn a return to the World Snooker Tour after a one-year absence.

The 20-year-old Chinese player came through a strong field of 90 cueists at the Mounties Club in Mount Pritchard, Australia to regain his professional status less than twelve months after dropping of the tour at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

Both Lei and fellow eventual finalist Calabrese stormed through the initial group phase with a clean sweep of victories and an aggregrate frame score of 11-1.

Victories over Adam Waller and Chi Kin Yeung early in the knockout phase saw Lei lose just one further frame as he set up a mouthwatering quarter-final contest with fellow countryman and former WSF champion Luo Honghao.

Lei was able to overcome his toughest opponent thus far as he defeated Luo 4-2, before booking his place in the title match with a 5-2 victory over Hong Kong China’s Wan Nansen Sin Man.

Former professional and recent Q Tour Asia Pacific event winner Calabrese would be his opponent in the final as he lost just four frames in his four knockout matches en route to a meeting with Lei – comfortably defeating fellow Australian Shaun Dalitz 5-1 in the last four.

Calabrese had been in fine form throughout the event, including firing in four centuries and a further sixteen breaks of 50 and over, and he moved to the verge of claiming the Asia Pacific Open Championship title when he moved 5-3 ahead in a race to six.

Lei held his nerve, however, to claim three consecutive frames and dramatically secure both the championship crown and a two-year World Snooker Tour card for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

Photos courtesy of the Asia Pacific Snooker & Billiards Federation

Congratulations Lei Peifan

Ronnie News

According to Weibo, Ronnie traveled to Xinchang, Shaoxing yesterday to participate in the filming of a film named “Lovely Home”. At the scene Ronnie admitted that this was a completely new experience for him. He also met many fans.

The film, named “Lovely Home” is produced by the Xinchang County Tourism Group and features a scene where the main protagonist competes with the World Billiards best player. The crew invited Ronnie, the current number one, to Xinchang Stadium for the filming. From what transpired, the film is written and directed by Chen Tianyi – who was born in Xinchang – and stars some famous actors such as He Saifei and Zhang Chenguang. The film is a “family drama” about billiards.

Here are some images shared on Weibo:

And, yes, Ronnie travels by train… he often does actually. He finds it more relaxing than dricving.

Today, Ronnie is playing an exhibition in Hong Kong

I haven’t found much about the outcome yet, but some images were shared on Weibo, as well as news about spectators being unhappy with the organisers about the seating…

13 February 2024 – David Hendon on why we shouldn’t be too quick to “judge” our snooker heroes

Monique Eurosport, Media, opinion , ,

Following Ronnie’s withdrawal from the 2024 Welsh Open, David Hendon – who has been around the tour and got to know the circuit and the players for many years – shared this piece on the Eurosport website.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN, MARK SELBY, NEIL ROBERTSON DESERVE MORE EMPATHY REGARDING EXTERNAL FACTORS – DAVE HENDON

BY DAVE HENDON

Dave Hendon details why the general public must not forget that snooker players – and sportspeople in general – should not be seen as superheroes, but as human beings. With Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrawing from the Welsh Open due to “anxiety”, and Mark Selby recently opening up about his issues at home, Hendon explains why it’s important to consider “external factors” when analysing their play.

What was Dennis Taylor thinking about as Steve Davis won frame after frame, threatening to turn their 1985 World Championship final into a damp squib?

Taylor played that season in a haze of grief following the sudden death of his mother at the age of 62. He withdrew from a tournament when the sad news came through and was not going to play in the next one, the Grand Prix at Reading, until urged to do so by his family.

Driven by pure emotion, he beat Cliff Thorburn 10-2 to win his first ranking title. A few months later he was facing Davis in snooker’s showpiece match at the Crucible.

Taylor had first seen a snooker table as an excited eight year-old in Coalisland, Northern Ireland. He was from a typically close-knit Catholic family, the bonds of which could not be broken. As Davis piled on the misery, Taylor talked in his head to his mother. Finding calm amid the Sheffield storm, he staged a memorable recovery from 8-0 down to win on the final black of the match.

As he told the Belfast Telegraph in 2020: “That was one for my mum. She was still there helping me. I had her to chat to. It helped to keep me relaxed throughout that final game.”

Taylor’s story underlines something fundamental. The world of modern sport endlessly analyses technique and performance but can often forget the human realities which lie behind every competitor.

In snooker, we routinely obsess about cue actions, a player’s long game, their safety prowess and how many centuries they are knocking in. We rarely stop to consider the external factors which could be affecting all of the above.

Every life is informed by a heady mix of experiences, some exhilaratingly good, some heartbreakingly bad.

It’s no surprise these are widely overlooked because we go to sport to escape the very pressures which burden us in everyday life. But peel back the surface and you will find that snooker players, like anyone else, are human.

Mark Selby has long been regarded as snooker’s iron man, at times impossible to break down, yet he has dealt with considerable pain away from the baize. His parents divorced when he was young and, at 16, his father passed away, leaving Selby to rely on help from friends at the snooker club.

He rose to the top of the sport but has been battling mental health issues stemming from unresolved grief. During the last year his wife, Vikki, has been undergoing treatment for cancer. A close friend of the couple died recently from the same cancer at the age of 44.

Given all of this, how does Selby concentrate on a snooker match?

Perhaps the table can serve as a refuge. In some ways it’s as far away from real life as you can get, a cocoon away from the cruelty of fate where the only concern is whether you can successfully get a ball into a hole.

Selby’s form has dipped this season, most likely because his preparation has been affected by what is going on at home, but the experience has also reminded him of what is important. He told the Metro last week: “Playing does help because it gives me a purpose. I’m doing it for Vikki and [daughter] Sofia, to put food on the table, so I’ve got a drive to keep going for them.”

Neil Robertson has spoken of his wife, Mille’s, struggles with mental health and his pride in how she has overcome them. It was a difficult time for the couple, with Robertson attempting to juggle family with a high profile career.

He told Eurosport in 2020: “I had a few mixed results on the table and people not really knowing why. It wasn’t myself going through those issues, but when you are trying to help someone through them in some ways it can probably be worse because you feel completely helpless in that situation.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been through several emotional maelstroms and somehow still come out not only standing tall but arguably stronger than ever.

His father’s imprisonment just as O’Sullivan became a national figure precipitated a spiral of depression and substance abuse. It took him years to find a way to cope. Snooker was both an anchor and a weight around his feet. He needed it but at the same time it exacerbated the very problems he was dealing with.

In the midst of arguably his greatest ever season, he is skipping this week’s Welsh Open pointing to “stage fright” and anxiety over his performance. “I just can’t get my cue out when I feel like this,” O’Sullivan said.

Even Stephen Hendry, the iceman of the 1990s with a seemingly impenetrable shield of invincibility wrapped around his shoulders, was not immune to real life.

He spent long hours playing snooker as a boy in part as a distraction from his parents’ divorce. In his autobiography, Me and the Table, Hendry writes of this unhappy part of his childhood: “Now, more than ever, snooker is a fixation. I discover that the physical and emotional disturbance caused by the split can be pushed away into a corner when I’m at the table.”

It’s sad to hear exciting talents such as Jack Lisowski and world champion Luca Brecel recently talking about how they are not enjoying their snooker. Lisowski said at the World Grand Prix that he was longing for a break. When Brecel was asked before walking out at the Masters if he was looking forward to it, he sounded as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

To the watching world this sounds strange, but we are only watching. The media, social media, the wider public – all of us – are guilty of judging without really knowing what is going on underneath the shiny surface. Maybe we don’t really want to know, because sport is where we go to escape our own pain.

To some, it is ephemeral, a distraction to be switched on or off, its performers there for our benefit and entertainment. Others regard sportspeople as superheroes. They aren’t. They bruise like the rest of us.

In a world that could use more empathy, maybe sport is where we should start.

There is not much to add to this and it applies to people around us in every day’s life as well as to our sporting heroes. In particular, this applies to our every day usage of social media. There is that idea floating around that those who earn a lot of money and are “successful” should be happy, have no actual right to feel down. How often have I read about Ronnie that he should “get a real job” or “work down the mine” to know what hardship is. Of course money helps in life but it doesn’t buy you happiness, it doesn’t heal deep psychological wounds. A rather depressed and self-deprecating Ronnie once told me about his money … “it gives me the luxury to go and cry somewhere sunny if I so wish … ”

Words can hurt as much, and sometimes even more, than a physical blow. Being kind(er) costs nothing.

The bold highlight is my doing.

23 January 2024 – Dave Hendon about Ronnie, snooker and retirement …

Monique Media, opinion ,

Writing for Eurosport, David Hendon reflects on the complex relationship between Ronnie and his sport

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CONTINUES TO FLIRT WITH RETIREMENT BUT WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO LEAVE SNOOKER, ASKS DAVE HENDON

BY DAVE HENDON

Eurosport’s Dave Hendon looks at when Ronnie O’Sullivan could retire from snooker after his World Grand Prix win, and what ‘The Rocket’ might do next in life if he did step away from the sport. O’Sullivan beat Judd Trump in the final of the World Grand Prix to continue his fine form this season. However, The Rocket has hinted at stepping away from snooker in the near future.

When is the right time to leave the party? On a high and still having fun or well past the time it’s ceased to be enjoyable?

Ronnie O’Sullivan has long pondered this conundrum. It’s a harder question for him because for extended periods of his career, he has been on top of the world and still looking for the exit.

He has now won the last three tournaments he has entered: an eighth UK Championship, an eighth Masters and, last night, the World Grand Prix with a comeback from 4-0 down to beat Judd Trump 10-7.

At 48, some 32 years into his professional career, he is arguably at his most dominant. Yet suggestions of retirement continue to swirl around him, stemming from his own comments and the wider views of the snooker world.

Last week Ken Doherty posited the notion that the game’s greatest ever player could bow out after winning an eighth world title this coming May, an audacious exit at the very top.

Such a scenario could be tempting, but if he can win eight world titles, why not a ninth? Why not 10? He could enshrine a legacy which may remain unreachable for generations. And he may miss it as much as his vast legion of fans would miss him.

O’Sullivan’s retirement threats have been constant and at times comical. His first was after losing to Doherty in the 1994 UK Championship. He was 18.

Many of us have been surly teenagers, so this premature reaction to defeat could be forgiven. However, the threats continued and continued over three decades as he got older.

The downbeat statements left many fans bored, although the media kept reporting his vows to walk away with a straight face. Surely this time he means it, right?

In 2012, it seemed as if he had finally made good on his words, although he stated he would be taking a year off rather than departing the stage for good.

What to do with all that precious free time? O’Sullivan spent a few days working on a pig farm but inevitably ended up watching snooker on TV and by January 2013 was missing the circuit so much that he turned up at the Masters to watch two old foes, Mark Selby and Graeme Dott, doing battle.

He returned to competitive action a few months later and, with a style and nerve only he could summon, retained his world title. He has played a busy schedule ever since.

So what is the reason for the constant flirtation with retirement? You don’t need a degree in psychology to recognise that O’Sullivan has a love-hate relationship with snooker. At times it entrances him. On Saturday night in his semi-final demolition of Ding Junhui he found the perfection he has long searched for. At other times it leaves him in deep depression. He doesn’t feel comfortable and his form deserts him.

The other side of the sport, dealing with media and fans, the expectations of outsiders and demands on his time, the scrutiny and judgements, have always been something O’Sullivan has found hard to tolerate.

It was noticeable how freely he played at the 2020 World Championship, staged almost entirely behind closed doors because of Covid. With hardly anyone around wanting a piece of him, he won a first Crucible crown in seven years.

Two years later he secured a record-equalling seventh world title. His reaction was not one of joy but an outpouring of emotion after a mentally gruelling 17 days. Even after making history he was still left wondering why he was putting himself through this.

There is no playbook for when a snooker player retires. In physical sports, your body decides for you. The green baize game allows for longevity, although aches and pains are still common for players who have spent most of their lives bent over a table potting balls.

Many a snooker player has threatened retirement, usually in the aftermath of defeat. They invariably come to their senses, not least because most have little else to fall back on having been focused on nothing but the table since their childhood years.

Ali Carter is a qualified pilot so he could take to the skies, but the thrill of competition is too compelling to turn away from while he is still playing the sort of snooker that took him close to the Masters title earlier this month.

Hardly anyone actually walks away of their own volition. They are usually dragged off kicking and screaming, often ending up back in Q School trying to start all over again.

Terry Griffiths, the 1979 world champion, dropped out of the elite top 16 in 1996 and retired a year later at the age of 49, but he had a position lined up as head of coaching for snooker’s governing body.

Stephen Hendry, seven times the Crucible king, made the shock decision to retire in 2012 at 43. Like Griffiths, he had dropped out of the top 16 and was finding it hard to accept losing to players he would once have swatted away. But Hendry also had a lucrative job waiting for him, promoting pool in China.

More recently Alan McManus called it a day in 2021 but by then he had long established himself as a brilliant TV analyst. Fergal O’Brien, a professional since 1991, will retire at the end of this season with relegation from the circuit looming. He plans to coach and has joined the Eurosport commentary team.

Notice that all these retired players have remained within snooker. It’s what they know and love. Steve Davis became a musician and DJ but still pitches up at tournaments for studio punditry, as if the link is too deep-seated to be broken.

Hendry of course came back eight years later, accepting a wildcard for the tour. His old rival Jimmy White, 61, has no thoughts whatsoever about packing it in.

O’Sullivan is the world No. 1. He has won four titles this season, losing only three matches the whole campaign. He is closing in on £1m in prize money for the current term and is clearly still feared by the majority of the tour. Given all of that, it would be a huge decision to quit any time soon.

Time catches up with us all in the end. There will come a moment when O’Sullivan actually will retire. Most likely it will only be from professional competition. He can write his own cheques for exhibition, media, and ambassadorial work. He will remain a huge figure in the sport long after he is still chasing titles.

Snooker is O’Sullivan’s anchor. It defines him, whether he likes that fact or not. It is his means of making a good living, of expressing himself, of feeling fulfilled.

Like any long-term relationship, it has its ups and downs but he keeps coming back to it because that first spark of love he experienced when young is still in him.

So even if he does walk away, he won’t be walking far.

The situation in 2012 was a bit more complex than just making good of retirement talk. Ronnie had gone through three extremely difficult years. After splitting with his former partner – Lilly and Ronnie Jr mother – he had got in trouble with the authorities for missing several tournaments, withdrawing last minute or just not showing up. His game had suffered, he had no form, he was in a bad place mentally. Just before the 2011 World Championship, on advice from his then manager, Django Fung, he had started working with Steve Peters, who has helped him enormously ever since. The thing is, his private situation, at the time, was difficult. His former partner was showing no flexibility when it came to visiting his children. He was assigned fixed dated, often at short notice, and it often clashed with his snooker commitments. When he missed a visit, his former partner used it in court against him and he didn’t want to lose his kids. When he missed tournaments, he got in trouble with the snooker authorities. Also, he found the new WST contract too restrictive. So he decided to step away… only to find out after a while that he missed it, and that being idle brought back some bad habits too. Snooker is the only thing he knows, he said that again recently. As David wrote at the end of the piece … he won’t go anywhere far.