News

The 2023 European Masters Day 4 and other Snooker News

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The semi-finals today in Nuremberg will see Judd Trump face John Higgins and Mark Selby do battle with Barry Hawkins. Here is how yesterday on the baize unfolded as reported by WST.

In the firs session of the day Barry Hawkins got the better of Luca Brecel …

Hawk Downs Belgian Bullet

Barry Hawkins inflicted Luca Brecel’s first defeat as World Champion, coming through a deciding frame to win 5-4 in their last 16 clash at the BetVictor European Masters in Nuremberg.

Defeat for Brecel ends his ambitions of emerging from this event as world number one. The 28-year-old had to make the semi-finals to leapfrog Ronnie O’Sullivan, but ended up falling two hurdles short.

Hawkins is seeking a first ranking title in six years, having last lifted silverware at the World Grand Prix back in 2017. Next up he faces a quarter-final clash with Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham this evening, who edged out former European Masters winner Jimmy Robertson 5-4.

Leading 2-1, Hawkins composed a fine break of 70 to head into the mid-session interval with a commanding 3-1 advantage this afternoon. However, when play resumed, Brecel responded by taking the fifth and sixth frames to restore parity at 3-3. The Crucible king then made it three on the bounce to move just a frame from victory at 4-3.

Hawkins showed his class with a stunning 133 to force a decider, where both players spurned opportunities for victory. Eventually the Londoner got himself over the line and wrapped up a 5-4 win.

Defeat left Brecel disappointed to miss out on the world number one spot. However, that blow was softened after finding out the cue he won the World Championship had been found, after it was lost on a recent flight from Seattle to Frankfurt.

“Missing world number one and the chance to get a trophy was quite disappointing. I think it would have been quite gettable. It wasn’t to be,” said four-time ranking event winner Brecel.

“It was surprising that after ten days I have got my cue back. It is going to be delivered to my home. That is good news. With this cue it is no fun, it would have been a horrible season for me so I’m glad I’ve got the old one back.”

Mark Selby secured his place in the last eight with a 5-2 win over Ashley Hugill. The four-time World Champion composed breaks of 69, 84, 60,103 and 68 on his way to the win. He now plays China’s Lyu Haotian, who thrashed David Gilbert 5-1.

The second session saw Judd Tump and John Higgins progress to the SF stage

Trump Sets Up Higgins Showdown

Judd Trump saw off Ashley Carty 5-1 to make the semi-finals of the BetVictor European Masters in Nuremberg, where he will face a blockbuster clash with John Higgins tomorrow.

The Ace in the Pack is aiming to secure a first piece of ranking silverware in over a year if he can claim the title this weekend, with his last ranking win coming at the 2022 Turkish Masters.

Trump has enjoyed fantastic success against tomorrow’s opponent Higgins in recent times. He has won seven of their last eight meetings, dating back to his victory in the 2019 World Championship final. However, Higgins did get the better of their most recent encounter at the Hong Kong Masters last season.

Defeat for Carty draws the best week of his career so far to a close. The Rotherham cueman regained professional status last season by winning the Q Tour Playoffs. His run here in Nuremberg has seen him make the quarter-finals of a professional event for the first time in his career.

Breaks of 68 and 113 helped Trump secure victory this afternoon. He is eagerly looking forward to what is set to be a showpiece meeting with Higgins tomorrow.

“It is always an incredible occasion against him and always a game I cherish. We played each other a couple of weeks ago in China and it is something I always get up for. The games always seem to be pretty close. Whoever plays their best snooker normally comes out on top and it is always a great standard. Some of the best games I’ve ever been involved with have been against him and probably some of the best of all time. I think he enjoys me and I enjoy playing him,” said 34-year-old Trump.

“Something that I have learned from being a professional for so long is that you feel you have a lot of time and a lot of tournaments, but you really haven’t. If you lose your first couple of games then nine times out of ten it will dictate the whole season. Often it is the other way round and you have a good season if you get a good start. So much is down to the first couple of events and getting that confidence early on. It is nice to get off to a good start.”

Higgins secured his passage through thanks to a narrow 5-3 defeat of defending champion Kyren Wilson. The Wizard of Wishaw has now won all of the last four meetings between the pair.

Despite losing the opener, Scotland’s four-time World Champion Higgins composed breaks of 105, 74 and 52 as he took the next three frames to lead 3-1 at the mid-session.

When play resumed Wilson clawed his way back into contention to trail by one at 4-3, but Higgins closed out the tie in style with 118 to run out a 5-3 victor.

And the evening session saw Mark Selby and Berry Hawkins complete the SF field

Selby And Hawkins To Meet In Semis

Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins will have to put their friendship to one side when they meet in tomorrow’s BetVictor European Masters semi-finals, after the pair secured respective last eight victories in Nuremberg.

Selby booked his place in the semis with a 5-2 win over China’s Lyu Haotian. Today’s victory sees him reach the 60th ranking event semi-final of his career.

The four-time World Champion is gunning for a second European Masters crown. He took home the trophy back in 2020, when he edged out Martin Gould 9-8 in the final.

It was Lyu who took a hard fought 30-minute opening frame this evening, before Selby replied with a century run of 106 to restore parity at 1-1. The Leicester cueman then added a further two on the bounce to head into the mid-session interval 3-1 in front.

When play resumed a break of 64 helped 25-year-old Lyu claw back within a frame at 3-2. He then looked set to draw level when leading 65-8 in the sixth. A break of 51 saw 22-time ranking event winner Selby take the frame down to the black, where a safety battle ensued. Eventually Selby deposited the black to the green corner and moved one from the win. He then got over the line with a break of 74 in the seventh to clinch a semi-final berth.

“Barry is one of my best mates on the tour so it is great he is in the semi-finals as well. The positive out of the match is one of us will be in the final. We will both be trying to beat each other out there, but hopefully it is a good game and we both put on a good performance,” said 40-year-old Selby.

“Once you are out there you have a job to do. He will be thinking the same as well. We have been going out for food every day this week.  I’ll probably eat on my own tomorrow!

“I always say to win one tournament in a season, where the standard is now, you have to class that as a good season. If you can get it out of the way early doors then it would be great, you can relax for the rest of the season at that point.”

Hawkins earned his semi-final spot with a 5-2 defeat of Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham. The Londoner fired in breaks of 89, 52, 70 and 70 on his way to victory this evening in an impressive performance, having already beaten World Champion Luca Brecel 5-4 earlier in the day.

The Hawk is aiming to land silverware for the first time in six years this weekend. He last won a ranking title all the way back at the 2017 World Grand Prix. Since then he has been to four finals without getting over the line, including last year at the European Masters when he came up short against Kyren Wilson.

WST shared some images on Twitter (yeah I know it’s X now … how stupid!)

So then, as we arrive at the SF stage all players remaining on course are in the top 16, except for the Hawk and we all know that somehow his current ranking (19) is not a true reflection of his actual strength.

In other Snooker News …

The first Q-Tour event of the season started yesterday. You can follow the event here.

There are many former pros in the draw. It’s a shame those events are not streamed.

Someone who isn’t there despite being eligible is Bai Yulu … she has been sent to Russia to represent her country in a tournament featuring the BRIC nations (Russia, Brazil, India and China… a very democratic club is BRIC).

The event started with a group stage and has now reached the knock-out stage. Bai won all her group matches.

The following images were shared by Bai Yulu on weibbo:

It seems that no matter what there will be a Russian finalist… pure luck of the draw surely 😇.

Also this podcast is worth listening to … it explains how the enquiry ending in 10 Chinese players being banned started and unfolded. Reminds me… any news about Mark King?

Mink is the 2023 Women Snooker US Open Champion … and some serious food for thoughts about the future of snooker

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Congratulations to Mink who defeated On Yee Ng by 4-2 to win the 2023 Women Snooker US Open

Here is the report shared by WPBSA

Mink Downs On Yee in Seattle Thriller

Mink Nutcharut has defeated Ng On Yee 4-2 to win the WineCellars.com US Open for the first time her career following a high-quality final at Ox Billiards in Seattle.

The Thai star extends her career-title haul to six on the World Women’s Snooker Tour (WWS) since her maiden victory in 2019 and in doing so ensured that she will reclaim the world number one ranking following the tournament.

The second staging of the tournament welcomed four of the world’s top five players, with Mink and Ng both competing on US soil for the first time, while 2022 finalists Jamie Hunter and Rebecca Kenna both returned for another tilt at the title. The field included players from no fewer than eight countries, with Canada’s Maryann McConnell notably making her return to the circuit following a 28-year hiatus and sensationally reaching the knockout stages.

With the top four seeds having progressed to the semi-finals, it was Mink and Ng Yee who were the standout players throughout the event and defeated the defending champion Hunter and last year’s runner-up Kenna to reach the title match.

Three-time world champion Ng made the stronger start as she dominated the opening frame with runs of 55 and 47, before she claimed a dramatic second on the black to double her advantage.

Mink was not to be deterred, however, as she responded by winning the following two frames to draw level, before turning the tables with a black-ball steal of her own in frame five to take the lead for the first time. A high-quality contest with both players approaching 90% pot success, hopes of a deciding-frame for neutral watchers were to be dashed as Mink closed out victory with an impressive run of 56 in what would prove to be the sixth and final frame.

Success for Mink means that the 23-year-old has claimed the season-opening event for the first time and will replace England’s Reanne Evans at the top of the world rankings, after Evans had overtaken her following last season’s British Open. She also recorded her first century break of the season with a run of 107.

For Ng, the tournament nevertheless represented an impressive return to form as she reached her first ranking final of the calendar year, as well as having claimed the bumper $500 high-break prize on offer from tournament title sponsors WineCellars.com following her impressive run of 121 during Friday’s group stage matches.

Side-Tournaments

The Seniors side-tournament saw Hong Kong’s Jaique Ip Wan In defeat US player Kathleen Stanley to win her first Tour title in four years. The 43-year-old saw off Maryann McConnell and Diana Schuler in two hard-fought matches to reach the final match against home player Stanley, before scoring a 2-0 victory to earn her maiden Seniors crown.

In the Challenge Cup it was Germany’s Schuler who earned her second career WWS title following wins against US trio Frances Tso, Kaarin Lysen and Stanley to add to her success at last season’s Scottish Open Seniors tournament.

World Women’s Snooker would like to thank title sponsors WineCellars.com for their support of the event which helped ensure a significant increase in prize money from a year ago, as well as all of the team at Ox Billiards for their wonderful hospitality without whom the event would not be possible.

And some more pictures from yesterday’s action

Now about the future of our sports…

David Hendon has gone to see and talk to Barry Hearn at his home in Brentwood.

He discusses what transpired from this conversation in his latest podcast

Barry Hearn may be retired but he remains very active and very much involved in snooker. His ambition is to further develop the sport by bringing in more events and upping the prize money to 20 millions pounds next season. That’s ambitious but also typical Barry Hearn.

However to reach that goal snooker will have to go where the money is and currently the money is essentially coming from countries that are after sportswashing. Although the contract isn’t signed yet, it looks very likely that snooker will head to Saudi Arabia next season. I know that we live in world driven by money, not morals. I know that the players deserve to earn more from a very skilful and difficult sport. Yet, I can’t come to terms with the idea. You will tell me that China isn’t the most democratic/tolerant country either, that they don’t treat persons from some ethnic minorities as equal citizens. I know that, I don’t agree with it at all, but at least snooker IS played in China, the CBSA is a very active body. It’s not just about the money, it’s not just about sportswashing.

The other major theme in this conversation is the Crucible. WST contracts with the Crucible and with the BBC end in 2027. What’s next? Barry Hearn feels that for the sports to grow, the World Championship MUST move to a bigger venue. He is pressing Sheffield to build such venue, but if they don’t he’s ready to see the World Championship move away from the city. The truth is that – for all the sentimental attachment we have for that iconic venue – the Crucible isn’t a very suitable venue for the World Championship. It’s too small by today’s standards, it’s too cramped, it doesn’t offer enough proper facilities for hospitality. And it’s not true that you have the perfect view from every seat either, not if you are a 1m 67cm tall (or short) woman like me. Unless you are up in the rafters, you may well spend most of the session trying to peek around the head of the taller person(s) sat in front of you. David admits that he is now convinced that moving away from the Crucible is almost inevitable and that staying in it, as it currently is, would be unwise.

In a more immediate future … this from Sinosports on twitter today

The 2023/24 season starts tomorrow …

Monique News, Professional snooker tournament ,

and it’s not the best of starts …

Indeed it starts with the first day of the ranking 2023 Championship League Snooker and it doesn’t start in the best fashion …

Indeed this is the program for tomorrow as shared by the organisers

What was supposed to be the strongest group of the two has now been moved to table 2 as Neil Robertson and Liam Highfield are being replaced by Craig Steadman and Sean McAllister.

So we already lost one of the poster boys… and it’s a pretty horrible poster too TBH

McAllister is ranked 22 in the Q-School order of merit, Craig Steadman is ranked 25.

It’s also unclear whether we will have live scores ….

WST published this today

Sunday 25 Jun 2023 02:00PM

Later this year, we will be launching a new website and app, built by leading agency Urban Zoo.

In the interim period we will have a temporary match centre, which you can find here.

The new website and app, to launch later in 2023, will offer a much-improved experience for fans worldwide. We are working with new partners on building a digital offering which, once complete, will provide fans with new insights and opportunities to engage with snooker online.

Following the link to the temporary match centre currently sends you to this…

Well I suppose they still have the coming night to make it work …

in better news …

This was shred today on twitter …

It’s both good and not so good news actually

The good news is that Bai Yulu, who impressed at the Q-School shows again that she can certainly compete with the guys. She’s the best news ever (so far, of course) for those who support women in snooker. The not so good news is that she’s back in China and whether she may be able to compete in the Q-Tour – provided that she is invited in the first place – is far from certain.

Snooker News – 20 June 2023

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There isn’t much going on in snooker at the moment, although this is going to change in less than a week.

So, this is a bit of a “lazy” post sharing some news and suggestions to fill the “snooker gap”.

Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips is Stephen’s YouTube Channel and there is a lot of interesting stuff as Stephen interviews and “challenges” fellow snooker players.

One of the recent videos features Ronnie taking the “Tough Table Challenge”

Ronnie doesn’t do particularly well, bur maybe Stephen is a bit guilty of distracting him throughout. In deed the chat about how they go about break building, Luca Brecel’s and Judd Trump’s unusual technique and why it could become a trend, their cues and more… I was quite baffled to hear that Stephen keeps his cue in the boot of his car, no matter the temperature or humidity level. As a result the said cue is anything but straight … I know that Stephen allegedly never recovered from the loss of his original cue. It was bent as well, but still 🤔

WST has announced that BetVictor will sponsor no less than 8 tournaments this season, including The European and German Masters and the four Home Nations events. Those tournaments will once again form a “Series”. The money list leader after these eighth events will earn the £150,000 bonus.

Following the success of the three “Ronnie and Jimmy” exhibitions over the week-end, Snookerstars have announced a “Live Tour” with Kan Doherty, John Higgins and Mark Williams in 2024. They will play in Hamm and in Munich. The announcement did not mention the dates and, although it said that tickets were already available on the Snookestars website, I couldn’t find them. Anyway… this should be good!

An interesting multi-discipline initiative by the WCBS

WCBS Gears Up For Its First Ever Championship

The WCBS is all set to host its first-ever Championship in Ankara, Turkey from 20-23 July 2023.

A 4-day competition will see 6 teams compete against each other across the disciplines of Carom, 10-Ball Pool, Heyball, and Snooker.

Ahead of the competition, please refer to all the important information released by WCBS here –WCBS Championship Info_Updated_3rd May 2023

 Player List

 Match Schedule

WST is of course not involved, instead their “rivals” the IBSF are part of WCBS, World Confederation of Billiards and Snooker. All the same, I find the idea interesting and there are some familiar (amateur) names in the draw.

I must admit that I had never before looked at what Heyball (Chinese Pool) is like.

I must say that I was rather astonished reading the second “chapter” of the rules

2. Method Of Play

(a) Chinese Pool game is played with 15 object balls from No.1 to No.15 and the cue ball. If one player chooses No.1 to No.7 (solids) then the other player must choose No.9 to No.15 (stripes), and vice versa. The shooter remains at the table as long as he continues to legally pocket his group of balls, and he wins the rack by pocketing the 8 ball.

(b) When a male player encounters a female player, the female player receives a handicap that her last ball within a rack will be removed from the table by the referee; When a male player under the age of 14 encounters a female player, it shall be an even game with no handicap; When a male player under the age of 14 encounters a male player, it shall be an even game with no handicap.

So female players are “de facto” considered weaker than male players and it’s in the rules… 😮 🙄

2023 Q-School Event 1 – Day 2 + Snooker News

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Here is WST report on what happened yesterday at the Q-School as the first round concluded.

Bai Reaches Round Two With Crucial Break

Bai Yulu made a vital break of 78 in the deciding frame to beat Muhammad Aurangzaib 4-3 and reach the second round of Q School event one in Leicester.

China’s 19-year-old Bai, playing in Q School for the first time, will now face Craig Steadman on Monday morning. She has shown her potential on the World Women’s Tour in recent weeks, reaching the final of the World Championship and winning the British Open, and admits that earning a place on the professional tour is now her biggest goal.

After losing the opening frame against England’s Aurangzaib, she levelled with a run of 62. Bai lost the third but then made a 33 clearance to snatch the fourth, and a break of 49 put her 3-2 ahead. Aurangzaib forced a decider, but Bai’s excellent 78 secured her progress.

Former Shoot Out champion Robin Hull was smoking hot in a 4-0 win over Richard Pipe, compiling breaks of 114, 58 and 66. Joshua Cooper made a 132, the highest break of the event so far, during a 4-0 success over Abdul Raheem.

Gerard Greene, a former Players Championship finalist, eased to a 4-0 win over James Burrett. Liam Pullen, runner-up to Stan Moody in the WSF Junior Championship, came from 2-1 down to beat Mark Lloyd 4-2.

All the results are on snooker.org

There was clearly a lot of interest about Bai’s match yesterday. She will have learned a lot from that match yesterday. She had no previous experience to play in professional conditions. Also, it’s unlikely that the young Chinese lads she plays regularly in China have the type of game Muhammad Aurangzaib plays. He’s 51 and probably plays a more conservative game than the younger players. Bai coped with that. She handled the pressure well. She must have known that her match would followed by many. Craig Steadman will probably have too much for her, but, as she stated, she’s here to learn.

The deciding frame is on YouTube

There weren’t any big surprises yesterday.

That said, I thought that the 4-0 win by 19 years old Antoni Kowalski from Poland deserved a mention. Here is Antoni’s 2022/23 page on Cuetracker. Antoni won 49 of the 60 matches he played this season so far (counting yesterday win) and at 19 is the reigning Polish National champion.

Also worth mentioning is France’s Nicolas Mortreux win. Nicolas, who is only 20, has played a lot of good matches this season as his 2022/23 Cuetracker page shows. including on the Q-Tour. He’s shown serious dedication, traveling a lot to play, gain experience and improve. Nicolas will play Lee Shanker next. They have never played each other (according to Cuetracker) but I think that it’s a winnable match for Nicolas despite the superior experience of his opponent.

Snooker News shared by WST

Ding Steps Down

It has today been announced that Ding Junhui is to step down from his position on the WPBSA Players Board of Directors as of 31 May 2023.

Ding was elected as a founding director of WPBSA Players in December 2020, following the formation of the organisation as part of a major constitutional review of the WPBSA.

Following a season which has seen the former world number one lift the 6-Red World Championship title for a second time and notably reach a fourth UK Championship final, the 36-year-old has taken the decision to step down from the board of WPBSA Players to focus on his playing career at this time.

Ken Doherty, Chairman of WPBSA Players said: “Ding has made a positive contribution to the WPBSA Players Board over the past two and a half years. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank him for his input and wish him well for the future.”

I’m glad to read that Ding wants to focus more on his career again. He’s too good, and, at 36, too young to partially retire and if he feels that his duties as a member of the board are taking too much of his time and energy, then, this is surely the right decision for him. I can’t help though to wonder if there might be additional motives as well. It’s obvious that the image of Chinese snooker has been tarnished by the latest match-fixing scandal and many of the players involved were training at Ding’s academy. Maybe Ding feels that he now has a responsibility to try and restore a positive image of the state snooker in China and there is no better way than doing it on the table.

Huge Offer From Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation

The Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation will pledge £25,000 to Jessie May Children’s Hospital at Home IF Rob Walker can reach the same target during his Absent Friends Tour in June.

Our Master of Ceremonies is cycling 1,000 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End next month in order to raise money for WST’s official charity Jessie May, as well as the Brain Tumour Charity.

CLICK HERE for Rob’s Just Giving page where you can donate

And if the Jessie May tally reaches £25,000 then Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation will double it to a massive £50,000.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson, a trustee of the foundation, said: “This is an incredible challenge for Rob and we know how much it means to him personally. We’re delighted that he has chosen Jessie May as one of the charities who will benefit as these kind on donations are what keep them going. If Rob can complete the challenge and reach the £25,000 target then we will be thrilled to match it.”

The Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation was created to centralise the benevolent efforts of Matchroom Sport, the global sports promotion company headed by Barry Hearn. For over 30 years, Matchroom Sport has donated millions of pounds to a wide-range of charities throughout its many sporting activities, including sports and community charities, and a number of hospices for both children and adults.

Jessie May Nurses provide vital respite and palliative care for terminally ill children, and their families across the South West. For more information visit www.jessiemay.org.uk

Women’s snooker news – 15 May 2023

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It’s not often that I post about Women’s snooker but I feel compelled to do it today. The 2023 Women’s British Open was played over the week-end and its outcome was set to determine who, from Reanne Evans and On Yee Ng was going to regain a two years tour card starting next season. It was also only the second time that Bai Yulu from China was competing in a WWS event, and after coming runner-up to Baipat in the Women’s 2023 World Championship early March, Yu won the last event of this season yesterday, beating Reanne Evans in the final and On Yee Ng in the quarter-finals.

Here is the report shared by WWS

Brilliant Bai Wins British Open

Bai Yulu has defeated Reanne Evans 4-3 following a thrilling final to win her first world ranking event title at the Landywood British Open, held at the Landywood Snooker Club in England.

The 19-year-old was competing in only her second event on the World Women’s Snooker (WWS) Tour after she sensationally reached the final of the World Championship on her debut just two months ago, and duly added to her growing reputation as one of the most exciting talents in the women’s game with victory at the season finale.

From China, Bai becomes the sixth different player to win a main ranking tournament during the 2022/23 season, following glory for Evans, Mink Nutcharut, Jamie Hunter, Ploychompoo Laokiatphong and Baipat Siripaporn previously.

Having begun her campaign in the group stages, Bai defeated world number 10 Steph Daughtery and debutant Deb Major to reach the knockout rounds, before overcoming Daisy May Oliver, Keerath Bhandaal, Ng On Yee and Ploychompoo Laokiatphong to reach her second consecutive final.

Awaiting her in the title match would be record six-time British Open winner Reanne Evans, after the English star survived a hard-fought last 16 match against Bayarsaikhan Narantuya to win 3-1, before overcoming Maria Catalano and Rebecca Kenna to not only reach the final, but also secure her return to the World Snooker Tour next season. Combined with a surprise last 16 exit for Mink Nutcharut against Jamie Hunter, the result also means that Evans will reclaim the world number one ranking following the tournament.

A repeat of their semi-final at the World Championship in March, the final would prove to be a high-quality encounter as Bai claimed the opening frame before the pair traded breaks of 75 and 66 to see the teenager lead 2-1.

Back came Evans with a top run of 55 as she won two consecutive frames to lead for the first time at 3-2 and move to within a frame of the title, but it was to be Bai’s day as she drew level with a break of 40, before winning a nervy deciding-frame to secure her first major title on the WWS Tour.

Bai also compiled the highest break of the tournament with a run of 105 during her victory against Daisy Oliver on Saturday evening.

Now, I have to say that I feel pretty uneasy with the fact that Reanne will get her tour card back for finishing the year as number one, whilst Yu will have to go to Q-School. If by awarding tour cards to female players WPBSA wants to promote the women in the sport and encourage them to embrace the main tour, then it’s the best of them who should be given those tour cards and I don’t feel that, at this moment in time, Reanne is better than Bai. Bai only had the opportunity to play in two WWS events so far and that’s why she isn’t ranked at the top but… she was runner-up in the first event she played in, the 2023 World Championship, having beaten Reanne by 5-3 in the semi-finals, and she won the second, the 2023 British Open, beating Reanne again in the final.

Don’t get me wrong, this is nothing at all against Reanne who I respect and admire unreservedly. Reanne and Maria Catalano, as players, very much carried the women’s game throughout it worst period whilst Mandy Fisher kept it going against all odds as Chairwoman. They deserve massive credits for that. But, if it’s about giving a professional opportunity to the best female players at this moment in time then probably having Yu and Baipat on tour would be a better choice, especially as both are very young.

Ronnie O’Sullivan News – 5 May 2023

Monique News, opinion ,

Ronnie hasn’t had the best season but he wasn’t downbeat about it. Speaking to Phil Haigh he insisted that he enjoyed it once he was over his “post Crucible dark places”

Ronnie O’Sullivan reflects on ‘marvellous’ season after World Championship exit

Phil Haigh Wednesday 26 Apr 2023 9:02 pm

Ronnie O’Sullivan was not too downbeat after his Crucible exit (Picture: Getty Images)

Ronnie O’Sullivan looked back on a ‘marvellous’ season despite his shock World Championship exit at the hands of Luca Brecel, saying he has largely been happy after something of a low last summer.

The Rocket lost the final seven frames of the match to Brecel as the Belgian Bullet prevailed 13-10 in an incredible contest at the Crucible.

It was an unlikely defeat for the world number one, but it has not ruined his season, which he has largely enjoyed, winning both the Champion of Champions and the Hong Kong Masters this campaign.

O’Sullivan admits that he was down for some time after winning his seventh world title last year, but once he had recovered from that low, he has had a good time.

‘I think it’s been marvellous. Lots of smiley faces,’ O’Sullivan said of his season. ‘It started off a bit miserable, I’ve got to be honest, I was on a bit of a comedown from the World Championships.

‘So I didn’t really feel like playing much. I knew why, so I just took some time off the practice table, played the tournaments, and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve had a great season.

‘I judge my season on whether I was happy and I’ve been very happy.

‘May, June, July, August I just didn’t want to play, it was weird. I can only put that down to such a massive high. It might have been something else.

O’Sullivan was gracious in defeat to Brecel (Picture: Getty Images)

‘You go through periods like that, people fall in and out of love with what they’re doing. I just chose not to practice, took some time out and that was great.

‘I came back in January, put the time in and I’ve really enjoyed my practice and the tournaments I’ve played in.

‘Alright, I haven’t won as much but well-being, happiness, they’re the most important things. Snooker, that’s a bonus. If it goes great, I’ll take that. If it don’t go so great, alright. There’s always another tournament.’

Jason Francis, Ronnie’s manager, speaking to Phil Haigh expressed a completely different perception about the situation

Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘incredibly disappointed’ with early World Championship exit, believes manager

Phil Haigh Wednesday 3 May 2023 5:36 pm

Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a shock quarter-final exit from the World Championship this year (Picture: Getty Images)

Ronnie O’Sullivan was left ‘gutted’ by his quarter-final exit from the World Snooker Championship this year, believes his manager Jason Francis.

The Rocket was beaten by eventual champion Luca Brecel in the last eight, after downing Pang Junxu and Hossein Vafaei in his opening two contests.

The defending champion was looking good after battering Vafaei 13-2 and then leading the Belgian 10-6, but seven frames on the spin from the Bullet saw him shoot into the semis and oust the world number one 13-10.

O’Sullivan took the loss very graciously, heaping praise on the performance of Brecel and saying he has enjoyed a ‘marvellous’ season, but his manager says there was certainly a lot of disappointment over the defeat.

‘I think he was gutted,’ Francis told the Talking Snooker podcast. ‘I think that one thing I don’t have to tell you is he knew he was in a winning position.

‘But that takes nothing away from the way Luca played, I’ve never see anyone play like that against Ronnie here.

‘This place, Sheffield, it either makes you or it breaks you and I think the people who come through and can handle it, they become real champions.

‘People say it defines their career, if they’re successful here, but it can also define the way they play in the future, because there’s no harder place to play.

‘So I think he came up against someone who played unbelievably well, but I also think that he’s incredibly disappointed, because if you look from the outside there was an opportunity there this year.’

Francis has been working with O’Sullivan for the last decade, and explained that a huge part of his job is trying to keep people from distracting the Rocket when he should be focussing on snooker.

‘My role with Ronnie is filtering chaos and trying to put out fires before they come,’ he explained. ‘One of Ronnie’s faults is his generosity, so you can turn up at a tournament, it will start off being me and him but very soon the circus is in town.

‘Someone who’s a friend of Ronnie or wants to come and see Ronnie…what Ronnie probably should say is: “Look, I’m here to win the World Championship, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks for a dinner.” But he’s so generous, they want to come and see him, and suddenly we end up with an entourage.

‘Part of my job over the last 10 years has been managing that, but also be respectful that ultimately he’s the player, he has to decide. 

‘I don’t want anything I say to ever thought to have cost him a match. There’s nothing that I can do to make him win a tournament or lose a tournament. It’s the player and the table, but my job is to try and bring some stability, maintain relationships with people and be professional. I think that’s why it’s worked with Ronnie for as long as it has.’

The reasons Jasons put forward are quite interesting. Some players, like Luca f.i., seem to be able to switch in and out of their “zone” very easily and naturally, but I know that this is not the case for Ronnie.

That said … yes, this season has been poor but it’s been the case for many top players and it would be interesting to fully understand why. Ronnie ends the season still ranked number one and he’s 14th on the one year list as it stands today, despite missing some events because of the elbow injury. Judd Trump is 13th on it with only 7000 points more than Ronnie despite not missing any event. John Higgins (23d), Mark Williams (19th) and, very surprisingly, Neil Robertson (22d) are out of the top 16 on that list. It’s been a very bizarre season indeed and the only explanation I can think of is the shambolic structure of last season’s calendar with big gaps alternating with some very intense playing periods.