The 2024 World Grand Prix started yesterday featuring only the to 32 on the one year list.

Here is WST report on what happened yesterday evening

Mark Selby admits he was fortunate to survive a first round battle with Yuan Sijun at the Spreadex World Grand Prix, but the local favourite came through 4-3 to reach the last 16.

This event at the Morningside Arena in Leicester brings together the top 32 players from this season’s ranking list, in the first tournament of the 2024 Players Series….

Selby, looking for his first title since the WST Classic at the same venue ten months ago, built a 3-1 lead with top breaks of 85 and 68 but missed chances in the next two frames as China’s Yuan fought back to 3-3. The decider lasted 41 minutes and came down to the colours, Yuan eventually missing a difficult long green, handing Selby the opportunity to pot green, brown and blue for victory.

“I fell over the line,” said Selby, who now meets Wu Yize or Masters finalist Ali Carter. “I played ok to go 3-1 ahead but then blew a good chance to win 4-2. I didn’t deserve to win in the end, I was lucky. Yuan is a good player and when you don’t kill the match off, the game will come back and bite you. He was potting long balls and little nudges were going wrong for me, but that was my own fault for not finishing the match earlier.”

Judd Trump also had a tough opening draw but came from 2-0 down to beat Jamie Jones 4-2. Bristol’s Trump is looking for his fourth ranking title of the season, having won three in a row in October. 

World number 40 Jones made a strong start as a break of 103 gave him the opening frame, then the Welshman got the better of a scrappy second. But Jones scored just 11 points in the remainder of the match as Trump took four frames in a row with top runs of 80, 81, 45 and 77.

“Jamie started well although I didn’t do much wrong in the first two frames,” said world number two Trump. “I got into my rhythm from 2-0. I have a lot of experience in these best-of-seven matches and I know I don’t have to panic even at 2-0 down because once I get the momentum I can win three or four frames quickly.”

Last week, Trump suffered the disappointment of a 6-5 defeat against Carter in the quarter-finals of the Masters, when he was defending the title. “It wasn’t too hard to take because I had won a lot of close matches in the Masters and you can’t keep getting out of jail,” admitted the 34-year-old. “I gave it everything and I wasn’t quite good enough, you can’t be too hard on yourself. 

“I’m not one for setting targets and I have won three events already this season so any more would be a bonus. My only goal is to get my form back to where it was in October because I have gone off the boil a bit since then.”

Trump now meets China’s Lyu Haotian, who survived a Chris Wakelin fight-back to come through 4-3. Wuhan Open semi-finalist Lyu took a 3-0 lead with top breaks of 69 and 53, before Wakelin battled back to 3-3. A run of 68 gave Lyu the decider.   

Hossein Vafaei scored a 4-3 win over Matthew Selt with a top break of 134. 

The truth is that both players were struggling at the start of the Trump v Jones match, but Jamie eventually got the better of Judd in both occasions. In the third frame, Judd had the opportunity to find some fluency, got going and dominated from there.

I didn’t watch any of the later matches. I’m not a night owl and those matches eventually finished at past 2 am in my time zone. I can’t handle that. I’m unlikely to watch Ronnie’s match tonight for the same reason.

And finally … thanks to Kalacs who found this one ❤️

No Filter – Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter (2024 Masters) from RKRKRKRK on Vimeo.

Ronnie beat Ali Carter by 10-7 yesterday evening to become the Masters Champion for a record extending 8th time. He is now both the youngest and the oldest winner of the prestigious invitational event. Maybe a bit surprisingly, it’s the first time he wins the UK and the Masters in the same season

Congratulations Ronnie!

Here is the report by WST

Ronnie O’Sullivan became MrQ Masters champion for the eighth time in his career, after beating Ali Carter 10-7 in a thrilling final at Alexandra Palace.

At 48 years old, victory sees O’Sullivan surpass Stuart Bingham as the oldest ever Masters champion. Bingham was 43 when he defeated Carter in the 2020 final. That means O’Sullivan is now the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events.

After his win at the UK Championship in December, O’Sullivan has now given himself an opportunity to win all three Triple Crown events in a single season for the first time in his career. He will achieve that feat if he wins the World Championship at the Crucible in May.

It’s a record extending eighth Masters triumph for the Rocket, who surpassed Stephen Hendry’s previous record of six when he defeated Joe Perry in 2017. He’s now won an unparalleled 23 Triple Crown titles, five clear of Hendry’s 18.

German Masters champion Carter suffers his fourth defeat in four Triple Crown finals. As well as today’s result, and his loss to Bingham four years ago, he was runner-up in two Crucible finals to O’Sullivan in 2008 and 2012. Carter leaves North London with the consolation of the £100,000 runner-up prize.

The evening session began with Carter holding a 5-3 advantage, after emerging ahead following a rapid afternoon of play. He took the opener this evening to extend his cushion to three frames at 6-3.

At that point the Rocket hit the after burners, making breaks of 58, 64 and 53 on his way to three on the bounce and parity at 6-6. The pair then went in for the mid-session interval, which appeared to come at the right time for Carter, who needed to wrest back momentum.

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When play resumed, Carter regained his foothold in the tie, crafting a sublime 127 to edge back in front at 7-6. That century was his ninth of the tournament, which is a new record for the event. It moved Carter ahead of O’Sullivan who made eight in 2007 and 2009.

O’Sullivan responded by controlling the 14^th to draw level once more. There was then a dramatic frame which swung back and forth, before Carter crucially overcut a pink to the middle. That allowed O’Sullivan to pounce and hit the front for the first time since the opening frame of the match.

The 40-time ranking event winner then compounded that mistake from Carter with a steely 89 to move one from victory at 9-7. Carter had a number of chances in the 17^th, but failed to make any count, with the Rocket getting himself over the line for yet another momentous victory and the £250,000 top prize.

“I don’t know how I’ve won this tournament to be honest with you. I’ve just dug deep. I’ve tried to play with a bit of freedom and tonight I just thought I had to try to keep Ali honest. If he was going to win it, he was going to have to scrape me off the table. I just wanted to see if he had it at the end. That was what I was thinking coming into the evening session, could he get over the line?” 

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Eight-Time Masters Champion

O’Sullivan added: “Ali didn’t play great tonight. He played better this afternoon, but tonight he let me off the hook a few times. He was aggressive today, but tonight he didn’t take on some of the balls I thought he might take on. That just gave me a little bit of breathing space and I did what I could and I tried to make the most and see what happened.

“I’ve had an amazing career. I love playing and I love competing. The crowd have always been good to me over the years. That is the one thing that I take from my career, the support that I’ve had all around the world. Not just here in London. To all the snooker fans out there. Thank you for your support over the years. I’ll keep trying until I can’t pot any more balls.”

Carter said: “It was a good week. I’m gutted I lost the final. It is all about winning at the end of the day. Before I rocked up here last week I’d have taken the final. There’s a lot of good things to come for me and I’m heading in the right direction.”

Ali Carter also set a record during this Masters: with 9 centuries during the event he betters Ronnie’s previous record of 8.

The quotes I put in bold, that’s very encouraging for us fans. That said Ronnie also said that he will probably take some extended period of rest after the World Grand Prix. It’s unsurprising but it means that he will probably withdraw from the 2024 German Masters wich is disappointing for the fans in mainland Europe.

As Ronnie himself would put it … it is what it is.

Here are the scores

Here are more images shared on social media during and after the match.

And videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel

What many fans don’t realise is that Ronnie is not a naturally confident person and that makes his achievements even more remarkable.

Speaking to Eurosport he said this:

“When I was 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, I thought I was even better than I am now, to be honest,”

“Technically I was. Technically, I felt I was much better [with] more consistency. These days, I’m more in and out and it’s got better since 2001.

“I’ve had to work on the technical side just to keep things tight, as tight as I can. I have some good spells, good months, good years sometimes, but then I have some awful months and awful years.

“I just accept that’s how it is and I just try and play my way through it. Hopefully it comes good at some point but it’s quite a struggle the game for me at the moment, confidence-wise.”

Day 7 at the Masters is semi-finals day and the two players who emerged the winners of their semi-finals are Ronnie and Ali Carter. Here are the reports by WST on yesterdays matches:

ROCKET SET FOR 14TH MASTERS FINAL

Ronnie O’Sullivan remained on course for a record extending eighth MrQ Masters crown, after brushing aside Shaun Murphy 6-2 in the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace.

This afternoon’s showdown was the first time O’Sullivan and Murphy have crossed cues in the Masters, having surprisingly avoided each other in snooker’s biggest invitational event during their storied careers.

O’Sullivan’s win today enhances his already dominant head-to-head record against Murphy. He now leads his fellow Englishman 14-3 in meetings between the pair.

Despite his remarkable record in the Masters, 40-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan hasn’t lifted the title in North London since 2017, when he defeated Joe Perry in then final. His last trip to the title match saw him suffer defeat at the hands of Judd Trump in 2019.

Either Mark Allen or Ali Carter will now be standing in the Rocket’s way, when the tomorrow’s final takes place with a top prize of £250,000 and the Paul Hunter Trophy on the line.

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Defeat ends Murphy’s quest for a second Masters crown, following his victory in 2015. However, the Magician can reflect on a good week, which included fine wins over debutant Zhang Anda and Jack Lisowski.

Both players had chances in an edgy opening frame this afternoon, but it was O’Sullivan who eventually took it, before claiming the second to move 2-0 ahead.

Murphy fired in a sublime 131 to take the third frame and gain a foothold in the match. However, O’Sullivan won a 27-minute third to edge further in front at 3-1 heading into the mid-session.

After the interval, a break of exactly 100 pulled Murphy within a frame at 3-2, before O’Sullivan charged to the line. Runs of 90, 71 and 62 were enough to give him three on the bounce and wrap up a dominant 6-2 victory.

“I’m not going to sweat guts out there. I’m not going to make 20 or 30 and play safe. There is no point and I’m not going to enjoy it like that, so go for doubles and trebles. I’m not playing kamikaze shots, there is an element of safety, but I can’t leave the table when I think I should have cleared up. I can’t do it.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Seven-time Masters Champion

“I’m not going to be out there like Selby and Allen were last night. I’m not that hungry,” added 48-year-old O’Sullivan whilst speaking to BBC Sport.

“If I play Carter it will be a right nightmare, because he wants to get in my face. I can deal with him. Allen is good, solid and strong. Whoever it is, it is going to be tough. If they bring their game and their bottle, both of them should win. You never know I might find another clue tomorrow.”

Murphy said: “He was too good, as simple as that. Sometimes you can look at your own game. I missed a couple of shots here or there, but it felt like from my point of view that I played better in that match than I have in the previous two. I just thought Ronnie was superb. If he plays like that you may as well give him the trophy now.”

You will find more content about this match – notably by Eurosport – here.

CAPTAIN SETS UP O’SULLIVAN FINAL

Ali Carter is through to his second MrQ Masters final after an enthralling 6-3 semi-final defeat of Mark Allen at Alexandra Palace.

The Captain now faces a mouth-watering clash with old adversary and record breaking seven-time Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.

The head-to-head standings stack up heavily in world number one O’Sullivan’s favour, who leads by a 17-1 margin. Carter’s solitary victory against the Rocket came in a fiery World Championship encounter back in 2018.

Carter is hunting what would be a dream maiden Triple Crown title, having already appeared in three finals. Two of those were against tomorrow’s opponent O’Sullivan. He succumbed to an 18-8 defeat in the 2008 world final, as well as an 18-11 loss at the Crucible in 2012. Carter was runner-up to Stuart Bingham here at Alexandra Palace in 2020, after losing a pulsating final 10-8.

Allen falls short of appearing in his second Masters final. The Pistol fired to victory here in 2018, after beating Kyren Wilson 10-7 in the title match. However, he will have to settle for the last four this year. He has the consolation of heading to the Crucible knowing he is a maximum break away from scooping a massive £147,000 payout. Allen fired in the perfect break in yesterday’s semi-final with Mark Selby.

It was Allen who took a tight first frame this evening, before Carter produced a spellbinding burst to take charge. A break of 71 restored parity and he then fired in three consecutive century runs of 100, 101 and 105 to move 4-1 ahead.

Northern Irishman Allen continued the scintillating standard in the sixth frame, producing the match’s fourth consecutive century with a break of 101 to stay in contention at 4-2. A dramatic seventh swung one way then the other.

Carter looked set to move one from the win when an unexpected miss with the rest ended his break on 55. Allen stepped up to make a superb clearance of 39 to steal on the black and make it 4-3.

Essex’s Carter then moved one from the win at 5-3, but faced a gruelling 45-minute ninth frame. It came right down to the final blue, which Carter eventually cut into the top left ahead of depositing the pink for a famous victory.

“I got it going in the middle of the match. I played some really good stuff there. Mark made it tough and showed what a great competitor he is. I’m delighted to get through to another Triple Crown final.”

Ali Carter

German Masters Champion

“I have every confidence. I’ve just got to worry about my game and I’m relishing the challenge. What better than to play the greatest player of all time on the biggest stage? It doesn’t get any better,” said world number ten Carter.

“To not be in awe is the main thing for me to concentrate on tomorrow and to enjoy it. I need to enjoy the occasion. I probably didn’t enjoy the two world finals as much as I should have done looking back now I’d love to rewind the clock and just enjoy it. That is what I’m going to do tomorrow.”

Allen said: “Ali played very well tonight. That is the difference. Mark Selby and John Higgins had their chances and didn’t take them, Ali did. I played the way I have all week to be honest, I was really struggling for form. I gave it everything and I got myself back in the game at 4-3. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

This is Ronnie fourteenth Masters Final. He’s won seven of the previous thirteen. Can he make it eight? Will he dig in hard if needed? Going by his quotes yesterday, he won’t, but today is another day. What will he do when he will actually be at the table? I’m not sure. It would be great of course if he get an eight Masters title, but on the other hand that will only feed the “888 narrative” and add pressure come the World Championship.

Ali Carter played really well yesterday, as he did most of the week. He’s been the more consistent player in this tournament so far. He certainly has his chances today.

Ronnie beat Shaun Murphy by 6-2 this afternoon at Alexandra Palace to book his place in the 2024 Masters Final. This is Ronnie’s 14th Masters’ Final. He won seven of the previous 13. He’s going for a record extending 8th Masters crown, and a 23rd Triple Crown title.

It was a match in two halves. Ronnie looked quite out of sorts before the MSI, but played much better after the interval. Here are the scores:

This is the report on the match, shared by Eurosport.

MASTERS SNOOKER 2024: RONNIE O’SULLIVAN CONTINUES DOMINANCE OF SHAUN MURPHY TO REACH FINAL

BY ALEX LIVIE

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy did battle in the semi-finals of the Masters at Alexandra Palace on Saturday afternoon. The world No. 1 was not at his mesmeric best, but he produced a strong performance to get the better of Murphy and set up a meeting with either Mark Allen or Ali Carter in Sunday’s final. …

Ronnie O’Sullivan extended his exemplary record in Masters semi-finals with a 6-2 victory over Shaun Murphy.

In 14 previous semi-final appearances at the Masters, O’Sullivan emerged victorious on 13 occasions.

That run was extended at Alexandra Palace on Saturday afternoon, despite the seven-time winner of the event being well short of his best.

Murphy had chances to put pressure on O’Sullivan, but failed to take the big opportunities that came his way as the world No. 1 extended his winning run over Murphy to six in a row.

O’Sullivan opened up the match with a break of 30 before missing, but wrestled the initiative with a superb snooker that drew an error from Murphy.

He missed frame-ball red on two occasions, and was forced to get out of a host of snookers laid by Murphy before potting the blue and closing out the frame.

Murphy got a chance to steady the nerves after an O’Sullivan miss at the start of the second, but he lost position and eventually missed a black as his break came to a close at 32. 

O’Sullivan replied with 56, but failed to get on the final red. On this occasion, the 48-year-old had the upper hand in the safety exchange and cleared to the pink to open up a two-frame lead.

There were surprising misses from both players in the third. One from O’Sullivan proved the costliest as Murphy crafted a break of 131 to establish a foothold in the contest.

The misses in the third were surprising from O’Sullivan, but some of the shot choices in the fourth were alarming.

On a couple of occasions he took on high-tariff pots that did not look on, and on both occasions they were missed by a distance. But he seemed to regain composure as the frame developed and won a safety exchange to move 3-1 ahead at the interval.

Murphy would have been frustrated to be behind at the break and responded superbly – capitalising on a poor break from O’Sullivan to craft the 29th century of his Masters career to take the fifth frame.

O’Sullivan’s form was patchy before the interval, and the sight of a second Murphy ton in the fifth could have been a concern but he responded in superb fashion in the sixth.

He knocked in a superb long red to get underway and cued superbly – by far his best passage of play in the match – as a run of 90 restored a two-frame cushion.

Murphy got in first in the seventh but had awkward cueing on a blue and failed to make the pot. O’Sullivan did not look in the mood to pass up the invitation, and a run of 71 moved him to within one frame of victory.

O’Sullivan snuffed out danger in wins over Ding Junhui and Barry Hawkins earlier in the week, and did so in style against Murphy.

With the winning post in sight, he knocked in a fabulous red and raced through a break of 62.

The highlight was a stunning double to keep the break going on 40, but he missed a pot to the right middle to give Murphy a lifeline. He did not take it, missing a simple red to the bottom right corner which allowed O’Sullivan to return to wrap up the win and put himself one victory away from an eighth Masters crown.

Some images shared on social media by WST:

And here some videos shared by ES on their YouTube channel

Day 6 at the 2024 Masters at Alexandra Palace saw the conclusion of the quarter final stage and brought huge drama and excitement, as well as a second 147. It also saw the defending champion, Judd Trump, exit the tournament.

Here are the reports by WST:

CAPTAIN DOWNS THE JUDDERNAUT

Ali Carter earned his place in the semi-finals of the MrQ Masters, after sending defending champion Judd Trump packing by winning a thrilling encounter 6-5. 

Carter had looked destined for the exit himself when Trump had a chance at match ball at 5-4 ahead, he missed it and the Captain overhauled his opponent to score the sensational win. 
Victory sets up a semi-final showdown with either three-time Masters winner Mark Selby or 2018 winner Mark Allen, who contest this evening’s last quarter-final. 

World number ten Carter is gunning for his maiden Triple Crown title this weekend. He is a two-time Crucible finalist and made the title match here at the Masters in 2020, having been initially handed a place in the event due to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s withdrawal. In the end he was pipped by fellow Essex cueman Stuart Bingham 10-8.

Defeat ends Trump’s reign as champion. The Ace in the Pack lifted the Paul Hunter Trophy at Alexandra Palace 12 months ago after defeating Mark Williams 10-8 in the final. There will be no repeat in North London this year. 

Carter took an early 2-1 lead as breaks of 85 and 103 sandwiched a run of 80 from Trump. Frame four came down to the colours and Trump converted an excellent long pot on the yellow, setting up a clearance for 2-2.

After the interval, Carter regained the lead with a break of 71. In frame six, Trump trailed by 21 points when he missed a tricky pot on the final brown and his opponent capitalised for 4-2. Trump replied with a run of 129, then enjoyed a huge slice of fortune in frame eight as his attempted long pot on the final green missed its target, but he left Carter in a tough snooker behind the brown. That proved crucial as Trump later cleared for 4-4.

Carter attempted a risky red to a top corner when he trailed 8-30 and Trump punished him with 48 to go ahead for the first time. In frame ten, Trump was on the verge of victory, leading by 35 points when he over-cut an awkward pot on the penultimate red to a top corner. Carter fashioned an excellent clearance and pumped his fist as the scoreboard ticked to 5-5.

The final frame saw Carter crack in a red from long range and make a nerveless 64 to wrap up a famous victory

“It was a massive clearance in terms of where I was at in the match. To force a decider was really special,” said 44-year-old Carter.

“I I felt like I let my composure slip to go 5-4 behind. I couldn’t get my head together after that silly thing that happened with the green ball. To make the clearance (to go 5-5) was absolutely brilliant.

“To play Judd on a stage like that is a special win for me. I just want to get home and try to unwind, chill out then come back and do it all again tomorrow.

“Enjoying it and savouring the moment is all part of it. You don’t find yourself in the semi-final of a Triple Crown event every day. This is arguably over the World Championship for me with how big of an event it is. To be here come Saturday is really exciting. Hopefully I can convert and be here on Sunday.”

Trump said: “He played well throughout the game. I struggled. He should never have had that chance. It was terrible from me. I had two perfect chances to win the game and I am dissapointed, but I didn’t play well so I didn’t deserve to win.”

Actually Trump had the run of the balls for most of the match and it all culminated with this outrageous fluke. As himself admitted, Ali lost his composure after that.

MAXIMUM MAN ALLEN WINS EPIC

Mark Allen enjoyed a memorable evening at Alexandra Palace, making a 147 and winning a nerve-jangling decider to beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the quarter-finals of the MrQ Masters.

Allen pulled off a number of magnificent shots to keep his hopes of the perfect run alive in the third frame, including a difficult pink and black. After depositing the final ball the Alexandra Palace crowd were in raptures, with 2018 Masters champion Allen now trailing Selby 2-1.

However, that did little to turn the tide of the match and three-time Masters winner Selby took two on the bounce, making a break of 82 in the process, to move 4-1 ahead.  

Allen dug deep and breaks of 56 and 103 saw him claw his way back to 4-3 down. There was then a marathon 45-minute eighth which eventually went the way of the Northern Irishman, who restored parity at 4-4. He then made it five on the bounce, before Selby crafted 55 on the way to forcing a decider at 5-5.

It was 2022 UK Champion Allen who made the first significant contribution of the final frame, a run of 51, before missing a straightforward red and gifting Selby a path back. He edged his way into the frame, but missed a difficult final red to the top right. After a safety exchange, Allen stepped in and cleared with 23 to set up a semi-final showdown with Ali Carter.

This week’s run represents Allen’s first success at Alexandra Palace since beating Kyren Wilson in the 2018 title match. The Antrim cueman suffered first round defeats in all of his last five Masters appearances, until this week’s 6-5 win over John Higgins in the opening round. He’s now just two wins away from a third piece of Triple Crown silverware.

“It was a really strange game. The maximum probably didn’t deserve to be in that match, it was quite scrappy at times and there were a lot of balls missed. Pressure moments and turning points, but it was great for the crowd to experience that. The buzz that I got was something that I’ll never forget. There were hairs standing on the back of my neck.”

Mark Allen

Number Four Seed

Allen added: “I know it is going to sound so silly, but I genuinely wasn’t feeling the pressure in the last. I completely took my eye off the red on 51. That was unforgivable. It was one of two shots I played that match that I’d love to have back because I wasn’t ready for it. I felt really calm and to miss that I thought I’d lose 6-5. I potted some really good balls at the end.

“This is why I play. This is why we all play. You want to play in these big matches and big events in front of big crowds. Hopefully I can go out there, enjoy it and find some form.”

Here is Mark Allen 147, shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:

It’s quite remarkable that this is the 50th Masters and before this year there had been only three maximums at the event, all by non British players. This week we had two already, one by Ding in round one, his second at the event, and one by Allen yesterday evening. Both have been reffed by Desislava Bozhilova, lucky girl!

I also put some quotes of the winners in bold. It does confirm that what the top layers want is to play in big events, in front of big crowds in big cities. Ali goes as far as saying that the Masters is now bigger than the World Championship. The to players should be listen to, as they are the ones putting bums on seats and bringing the money in for everyone else. They didn’t get where they are by chance, they earned it, they had to work hard for it. They all started at the bottom.

Also, unsurprisingly, Shaun Murphy reacted to Ronnie’s complaints about the venue

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Murphy, who faces O’Sullivan in the first of Saturday’s semi-finals (13:00 GMT) is looking to claim his second Masters title.

And while he says he can understand some of his 48-year-old opponent’s complaints, it would be better if they were directed to snooker’s authorities rather than the press.

“It is very difficult to follow an event such as the PDC World Championship and it be absolutely crystal clear,” said Murphy.

“There obviously is evidence of a fortnight-long party here, there is no getting away from that but it is an entertainment venue.

“It is an old building, one of our historical buildings that we are proud to visit. Sometimes you have to be careful for what you wish for because we have criticised venues in the past that we no longer go to. 

“I think the venue is very, very good. Could it be nicer backstage? Yes of course. Every venue could be nicer backstage. The arena in Swansea [that hosted the Snooker Shoot Out] was unbelievable, state-of-the-art and brand new but we are not suggesting taking the Masters there.

“If Ronnie has criticisms and things he would like to constructively push he should come through the correct channels and make his voice heard.”

Knowing Shaun, who is a member of the board and definitely not someone to criticise the authorities, this is – in my view – as close as it comes to an admission that, indeed, things could and should be better. He is right that, in a perfect world, those criticism should be addressed to the authorities but he also should ask himself why players go public instead. Here is an answer for him: when I was around the tour, there was a strong feeling, especially amongst the older players, that speaking to the authorities never translates into any change and is therefore a waste of time. I’m not sure that anything has changed in recent years.

Yesterday was the first day of the quarter finals at the 2024 Masters.

First up were Ronnie and Barry Hawkins. Both of them apeared to struggle and how Ronnie eventually managed to win by 6-3, I don’t know! It was a very poor standard for most of the match. More about that match here.

Now I have been at Ally Pally a few times and it’s a peculiar venue. The arena is built in the middle of a vast hall, with a very high ceiling. It’s an old building, with a lot of glasses. The hall is like a greenhouse. It isn’t easy to heat it and the atmosphere is often rather damp, and chilly, especially at the start of play. Later, with a lot of people at the venue, it is still damp – particularly if it rains outside and people come in with wet coats – but it becomes hotter.

Ronnie, who wasn’t feeling too well as he’s fighting a cold, wasn’t happy with the venue as reported by Shane McDermott for “Metro”

“Everywhere’s just dirty, it’s cold, I’m freezing. I have to sit here in my coat. Everywhere you go, you’re going through car parks, it’s bins. I don’t know if you’ve seen over there [media catering area] there’s leftover food and stuff and it makes me feel ill to be honest with you.

“I’m a bit of a clean freak. Coming here gives me the heebie jeebies and I can’t wait to get out of here to be honest. I’m sorry, that’s just how I feel.”

The World Snooker Tour said: “We work alongside Alexandra Palace to provide the best possible conditions for players on and off the table. All other players have spoken with unanimous positivity about the venue. Fans love coming here.

“This is underlined by record ticket sales and the fact that all standard admission seats sold out ahead of this year’s tournament.”

While an Alexandra Palace spokesperson added: “We love hosting the Masters and welcoming all the players and fans to the Palace. We work tirelessly to provide an arena and atmosphere that this great event deserves.

“We’ve been proud of the overwhelming positive feedback the venue has received in recent years, and it’s obviously disappointing that Ronnie feels differently. We hope we can change his mind and that he enjoys the rest of his tournament here.”

Having been there myself, I as mentioned above, and having spent hours in the media room, it is true that it can be uncomfortably cold at times and it’s definitely damp. There are a lot of insects inside the building, and often birds too. They leave droppings of course. So I can see Ronnie’s point. That said, it is also true that the personnel at the venue do their best to keep it clean. It isn’t easy with hundreds of people coming and going everywhere. And if there are leftovers in the media room… it’s often because of of the “media people” aren’t as tidy as you’d wish for. Waiters are coming and tidying all the time, during normal working hours at least.

Ronnie will play Shaun Murphy on Saturday, as Shaun beat Jack Lisowski by 6-3 yesterday evening (WST report)

Shaun Murphy produced a stunning performance to beat Jack Lisowski 6-3 and booked a mouth-watering semi-final meeting with Ronnie O’Sullivan in the MrQ Masters in London.

Murphy and O’Sullivan will cross cues on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace for the first time ever in the Masters. Indeed, it is five years since the pair last faced each other in any event on the World Snooker Tour.

Despite that, they have enjoyed a storied rivalry throughout their career. In 2017 they met in two major finals, with O’Sullivan becoming UK Champion and Murphy earning the Champion of Champions crown. Overall, the Rocket leads the head-to-head 13-3.

The Magician is gunning for a first Triple Crown title since he claimed his maiden Masters victory here at Alexandra Palace back in 2015. On that occasion he thrashed Neil Robertson 10-2 in the final to secure the title.

Defeat leaves Lisowski still seeking his first title on the professional circuit. The supremely talented Gloucester cueman has made six ranking finals but is yet to convert one to silverware. Last year at the Masters he scored wins over John Higgins and Hossein Vafaei to make the semis, but was whitewashed 6-0 against Mark Williams.

This evening’s tie looked to be another one-sided occasion when Murphy came flying out of the traps. A break of 75 gave him the opener and although Lisowski levelled with 74 in the second, he was soon placed on the back foot. Runs of 131, 76 and 123 helped him to four on the bounce and a 5-1 lead.

At that point Lisowski did summon a fightback charge and claimed the next two frames to remain in contention at 5-3.

The ninth came right down the final ball and eventually Murphy was left a treacherous shot with the black close to the top left cushion and the white in baulk. He deposited it and saluted the capacity crowd after sealing his place in the last four.

“I was nervous if I’m honest. I got to 5-1 and I didn’t want to blow the lead. I wanted to run across the line. I played so well to get to 5-1, good scoring and good shot making. I wanted to win with style and that didn’t happen. The more the match went on I started to get a little bit edgy. It is a while since I’ve been in this position in a key Triple Crown event. I was nervous and in the end, it was a wonder shot on the black that got me into the next round.”

Shaun Murphy

Number Seven Seed

Murphy added: “If you get intimidated by playing in a stage like that then unfortunately you are in the wrong business and you should seek other employment. That is what you search for as a snooker player. That is what we dream of.

“I’ve been coming here 20 years and Ronnie a lot longer. Our paths have never crossed. We’ve played pretty much everywhere else, including the Crucible and the UK Championship. We’ve played a lot of finals over the years. We have both had the wins over each other stretching over a long time. We like to entertain, I’m sure we will put a great show on and I hope I am the last man standing.”

I have abandoned any hope in Jack Lisowski. I like the guy, I really do, and I had high expectations when he started on the main Tour, but no more… and I wasn’t please to see Peter Ebdon in the crowd again. I’m totally unconvinced that he’s the type of person Jack needs in his corner.

Ronnie booked his place in the semi-finals at the 2024 Masters at Ally Pally this afternoon despite not playing well at all for most of the match. He beat Barry Hawkins by 6-3.

Here are the scores:

And the stats thanks to Kalacs

And this is the report by WST (for now):

HAWK: RONNIE WAS THERE FOR THE TAKING

Ronnie O’Sullivan stepped up his bid for an eighth MrQ Masters title by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 2019, scoring a 6-3 win over Barry Hawkins who was left frustrated by missed chances.

Hawkins looked the stronger player when he led 3-2, but failed to take opportunities in each of the next four frames, and paid the price as O’Sullivan booked a match with Shaun Murphy or Jack Lisowski on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace. 

“Ronnie was there for the taking,” admitted Hawkins. “I had plenty of chances but I didn’t take them. I kept losing control of the cue ball and making it difficult for myself. I wasn’t intimidated – I felt good – but I just kept missing or running out of position. It’s frustrating but I didn’t deserve to win.”  

World number one O’Sullivan, who won this event in 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017, is through to the semi-finals for the 15th time. He is looking for his third title of the season having landed the Shanghai Masters in September and the MrQ UK Championship in December. 

“I must have gone through 25 cue actions then managed to find one that seemed to be ok,” O’Sullivan told BBC Sport. “I could pot a few balls and that settled me down. 

“I have played a lot and travelled a lot since September, and been backwards and forwards to China few times which takes it out of you at my age. I have had a cold for four weeks, and I lost my hearing for a while when I was in China. So I haven’t been well but I think everyone is the same – it’s January. 

“At the end I said ‘sorry’ to Barry because it was so bad. If I had played better than I’m sure he would have too and it would have been a good game. But it often seems that when I play badly, the other guy plays even worse. I didn’t feel pressure at all, maybe that’s why I played badly, you need to feel nerves to gee yourself up. Let’s see how it is on Saturday, it could be even worse. I need 12 pockets on the table instead of six.

“I’ll go Champneys and have a nice chill out tonight, have a massage and a pedicure, then come back on Saturday and hope for the best.”

And more quotes reported by Phil Haigh

By Ronnie:

‘I just feel sorry for Barry. He was playing good until he started playing me and I just dragged him down to the most awful standard of snooker,’ ‘So I’m really sorry about that today. I’m just lucky to get through.’ ‘I said sorry mate, I felt bad for him because if I’d have played alright, he’d have played alright,’ said the Rocket. ‘I’ve just got this ability that if I play bad they play even worse. Not everybody, some of the guys punish me, but it’s just how it is.’

By Barry:

‘I felt good going into the game today and I felt good out there,’ ‘For some reason your mind wanders a bit when you play Ronnie. I let him off the hook, I had enough chances. ‘Kept losing the white today, the cue ball wasn’t very good. I had plenty of chances, no complaints. It’s the way it goes.’ It’s just frustrating because normally all season you’d take them chances and win the frames, but when you don’t do it…it’s just frustrating‘

Here are the images shared on social media, by WST and by Ronnie himself

And some videos shared by ES on their YouTube Channel

This phase and the discussion in the studio once again illustrates the honesty of the snooker players in general. Here, Ronnie plays on the black – surely convinced it pots – then notices that it isn’t correctly spotted and asks Rob Spencer to re-spot it. Now it doesn’t seem to go and he’s got a problem…