Shaun Murphy made the first maximum ever at the Shoot Out yesterday. Given the format, this is a very remarkable achievement. Here it is, shared by ES on their YouTube channel
As well as the reactions afterwards
On snooker.org we had a discussion about wether it would count as an “official” maximum or not.
I went to the first editions of the Shoot Out – that was more than ten years ago – and at the time there were discussions regarding the centuries made at the event. Phil Yates and Clive Everton were involved, and the opinion that prevailed at the time was that they shouldn’t “count”. There were two main reasons behind this opinion: the variant rules and the fact that such a century could possibly start with a “ball in hand”. It worth noting that when this debate took place, none of the centuries made at the event had actually been initiated by a “ball in hand” situation. WST position at the time was that shoot-out centuries would not count. I’m not sure if that’s still the case, and I’m sure this 147 WILL count … if only because it’s Murphy and he’s close to the authorities 😉. Seriously, it should count, it started completely normally and it was an extraordinary achievement.
Now that the UK Championship is over, the draw1 and schedule for the Masters in January 2024 has been finalised.
Masters Match Schedule
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui will clash again in the first round of the Masters at Alexandra Palace in London next month, with the fixtures for snooker’s biggest invitation event now confirmed.
The tournament will run from January 7-14, 2024 …
World Champion Luca Brecel will face Jack Lisowski in the opening match at 1pm on Sunday January 7th. On Monday January 8th at 1pm, O’Sullivan will meet Ding in a repeat of the UK Championship final, which the Rocket won 10-7 to capture his 22nd Triple Crown title.
The full schedule is below, with seedings of the top eight in brackets.
Sunday January 7th 1pm: (2) Luca Brecel v Jack Lisowski 7pm: (7) Shaun Murphy v Zhang Anda
Monday January 8th 1pm: (3) Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ding Junhui 7pm: (8) Mark Williams v Ali Carter
Tuesday January 9th 1pm: (1) Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson 7pm: (6) Neil Robertson v Barry Hawkins
Wednesday January 10th 1pm: (4) Mark Allen v John Higgins 7pm: (5) Mark Selby v Robert Milkins
Quarter-finals Thursday January 11th 1pm: QF3 O’Sullivan or Ding v Robertson or Hawkins 7pm: QF4 Brecel or Lisowski v Murphy or Zhang
Friday January 12th 1pm: QF1 Trump or Wilson v Williams or Carter 7pm: QF2 Allen or Higgins v Selby or Milkins
Semi-finals Saturday January 13th 1pm: Winner of QF3 v Winner of QF4 7pm: Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF2
Judd Trump will be defending the title having beaten Mark Williams in last season’s final. As always, the field is packed with snooker’s greatest stars, as only the world’s top 16 earn the chance to compete for the Paul Hunter Trophy and £250,000 top prize.
In recent years the Masters has gained a reputation for its extraordinary atmosphere, with up to 2,000 fans packing the fabulous Alexandra Palace arena. And aside from the action on the baize, there is so much to experience for fans at the venue including interactive games, the chance to play snooker and receive free coaching in CueZone and the opportunity to watch the pros practising.
The Masters is one of snooker’s most historic events, first held in 1975 so this is the 50th staging of the tournament. It will be televised by BBC, Eurosport, CCTV5 and a wide range of broadcasters across the globe.
The draw was made during the 2023 UK Championship semi-finals but could only be finalised after the final ↩︎
Ronnie beat Ding Junhui by 10-7 yesterday night in York to win a record extending 8th UK Championship, bringing his tally of ranking titles to 40. This comes 30 years after he had won his first one in Preston in 1993 and became the youngest UK champion, yesterday he became the oldest.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan secured a record extending eighth MrQ UK Championship title with a 10-7 win over Ding Junhui in York.
O’Sullivan is already the youngest ever UK Champion and today’s victory sees him become the oldest. Just two days shy of his 48th birthday, O’Sullivan eclipses the previous record set by Doug Mountjoy, who was 46 years and 172 days old when he won the title in 1988.
The Rocket’s eighth crown comes 30 years on from the first. He was only 17 years of age when he defeated Stephen Hendry 10-6 to lift the famous trophy in the Preston Guild Hall in 1993. O’Sullivan went on to add further UK Championship wins in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2018, as well as his triumph this year.
Most UK Championship Victories
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 8
Steve Davis – 6
Stephen Hendry – 5
Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Neil Robertson – 3
The Englishman has now amassed an incredible 22 Triple Crown titles and today sees him capture a ranking event trophy for the 40th time in his career. Those statistical feats further cement his status as the greatest of all-time, with his nearest challenger Hendry sitting on 18 Triple Crown victories and 36 ranking titles.
Today’s final was a meeting between snooker’s two biggest global superstars. Whilst O’Sullivan shot to fame with his 1993 win, Ding rose to prominence when he followed up his 2005 China Open win with a maiden UK title later that year. The Chinese sporting icon added further victories in 2009 and 2019 to take his UK Championship tally to three.
O’Sullivan scoops the £250,000 top prize and consolidates his position as world number one. The £100,000 earned by Ding secures his place in the top 16 of the world rankings and qualification for the Masters, where he will face O’Sullivan in the first round.
The afternoon session saw Ding set up a grandstand finish, after he fought back from 4-1 down to level at 4-4 heading into tonight. O’Sullivan stopped the rot as the evening session got underway, firing in a superb 84 break to regain the lead at 5-4.
The pendulum continued to swing, with Ding restoring parity in the tenth, before O’Sullivan took charge with contributions of 87 and 79 to establish a 7-5 lead at the mid-session interval.
With the finishing line beginning to appear on the horizon for his opponent, 14-time ranking event winner Ding summoned a charge to get himself back into contention. Runs of 52 and 104 helped him to take two on the bounce and once again square the match at 7-7.
Typically, when the pressure was at its greatest, O’Sullivan found a way to push himself towards victory. Breaks of 100 and 74 moved him within one frame at 9-7. He then sent a raucous crowd into raptures in the 17th, with a spellbinding 127 break which was greeted with a standing ovation as he secured glory in York once again.
“I love it. I love competing, I love performing, I love playing and I love that I went out there tonight and I used my head. Because at the end of the day I have this thing in my head that people want me to play perfect snooker. My friend said to me the other day that they don’t. He said they love your thoughts and love all of the ups and downs of it. I just wanted to go out there today and try hard to be professional and honest. If I won great and if I didn’t then at least do my best,” said a delighted O’Sullivan.
“It was an honour to play Ding. He’s such a classy player and such a classy guy. To share the table with him in that venue and in that final was an honour. I know there will have been so many people in China watching that final supporting Ding and supporting me as well. We’ve put on a good show.
“You get a different appreciation for it. I am really experienced now so I don’t panic as much and I don’t worry. I get times when I think I’m 7-5 up and haven’t really flew. That is because my base level B and C game is still pretty high. You just have to focus, so now I think I use my head more and win matches with my experience more.
“It’s just bonkers isn’t it? That we’re 48 and still winning tournaments. I just don’t get it. Sheffield will be a hard thing to do, because it is 17 days. Physically that will be a tall ask of me, John (Higgins), or Mark (Williams) to win. These tournaments that are a week we can still do it.”
Ding said: “It was a very good week. I knew it was going to be very tough tonight. I missed a couple of shots to win frames in the first session. I tried to get more points and fight to win a frame then get another and see what happens. To be 4-4 was not too bad but he played better tonight.
“I have really taken the crowd here to heart. Thanks for the support every game. I love playing here.”
Here are the scores:
And Ronnie’s reaction on social media
Some videos shared by Eurosport on their YouTube channel:
Century in frame 15 …
The final frame …
Trophies…
Interviews on the floor
Interview in the ES studio
And this concludes an incredible week…
With this win, Ronnie has secured his place in this season World Grand Prix and Players Championship certainly, and most probably (I didn’t do the maths) in the Tour Championship as well. Csilla can relax … he won’t be out of the top 16 at the start of next season. 😊
Ronnie will face Ding Junhui in the Final of the 2023 UK Championship today at the Barbican in York. This is Ronnie’s 9th appearance in a UK Championship Final and he has won 7 of the 8 he’s played before. The task ahead for Ronnie isn’t easy though as Ding is a three times UK Champion himself and the man who beat him heavily in this tournament last season.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan scored a 6-2 win over Iran’s Hossein Vafaei to make the final of the MrQ UK Championship in York.
Tomorrow will see the Rocket take centre stage in the UK final once again, 30 years on from his maiden triumph. O’Sullivan famously won the 1993 UK Championship as a 17-year-old, becoming the youngest ever winner of a ranking event. Since then he has gone on to amass seven UK Championship wins and 39 ranking titles, both are record tallies.
O’Sullivan will take to the baize tomorrow in his ninth UK final. As well as in 1993, he’s lifted the famous trophy in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2018 and 2019. The only UK final he’s ever lost came in 2016 at the hands of Mark Selby.
O’Sullivan and Vafaei have a history against each other, after a war of words broke out ahead of their World Championship clash earlier this year. Tensions arose between the pair when O’Sullivan smashed the reds open from the break in a 5-0 win for Vafaei in 2022 German Masters. He returned the favour at the Crucible, but succumbed to a thumping 13-2 defeat at the hands of the Rocket, who had his retribution. After the match they appeared to have made up as they embraced walking out of the arena. Today saw O’Sullivan once again assert his authority in their rivalry.
Defeat for Vafaei ends his hopes of moving into the world’s top 16 and confirms that Jack Lisowski is safe in 16th position in the Race for the Masters. O’Sullivan will remain on top of the world rankings unless Judd Trump wins the event, he’s in action against Ding in this evening’s second semi-final.
Vafaei had the first chance in the opening frame, but failed to convert and O’Sullivan earned the advantage. A century run of 113 doubled O’Sullivan’s lead, before Vafaei responded with 112 to make it 2-1. The last before the interval went the way of the Iranian and they went in all-square at 2-2.
When play resumed, O’Sullivan took complete control of proceedings. Breaks of 60, 52, 50 and 90 saw him storm to four on the bounce and earn his place in the final.
“If he played like he did in the previous matches he probably would have beaten me today, but he missed a few balls and let me off the hook a few times,” said 47-year-old O’Sullivan.
“It is just survival. I think sometimes that is the difference with the chance of winning tournaments. If you can win when you aren’t playing your best you can win tournaments. I think that is what is happening with John Higgins, he isn’t winning when he’s having those bad matches. I think that is something we don’t really appreciate.
“I’m at that stage where I’m hanging around so people don’t get as good of a career. If I can beat Selby here and Judd there. I’m here to spoil there parties and ruin their CV!
“It was an amazing time (winning the 1993 UK Championship). The Preston Guild Hall, early in my career. It was an amazing venue and to win a tournament there. I played Steve Davis and then Stephen Hendry in the final. Beating my two heroes in the same tournament was weird. It was quite surreal and a good time.”
Vafaei said: “In front of my hero I don’t have that heart like I have with other people. I don’t know what is wrong with me but all of a sudden my body felt so heavy. I don’t know, I felt completely different. All of a sudden it was like somebody threw cold water on me. To be honest with you I had a good tournament. I started two weeks ago. It was a good run and it was only one man that could stop me, Ronnie O’Sullivan.”
Ronnie played better than he had all week so far yesterday. Here are the scores.
And some more images shared on social media by WST
Ding Junhui is through to his fifth MrQ UK Championship final after an epic 6-4 semi-final defeat of Judd Trump in York.
The UK Championship has provided some of the greatest moments in Ding’s career so far. The Chinese legend burst to prominence in 2005, when he followed his China Open win up by beating Steve Davis in the UK final to claim maiden Triple Crown glory. He claimed the title in 2009 and 2019, beating Scotland’s John Higgins and Stephen Maguire respectively. Ding was runner-up last year to Mark Allen.
Tomorrow’s showpiece clash will be a meeting between snooker’s two biggest global superstars. It is the first final between 39-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan and 14-time ranking title holder Ding since the 2018 World Grand Prix, when the Rocket prevailed 10-3. However, Ding won their most recent meeting at last year’s UK Championship, storming to a 6-0 victory.
This evening’s tie saw Ding take down the player of the season so far. Trump captured three consecutive titles at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open and was runner-up at the recent Champion of Champions, but fell short of another final this week.
The first four frames were shared, before Trump burst into life with a fine break of 124 to take the lead at 3-2. Ding controlled the sixth to restore parity and a century run of 110 saw him lead 4-3. Trump hit back with 105 to draw level once more, but it was Ding who edged towards the finish line with a fine break of 88 to lead 5-4.
The tenth frame saw Trump have the first significant contribution, but just as he looked set to force a decider he missed an unexpected red to the middle on 31. Ding stepped up with a match winning 84 to secure his place in the final.
“I have the feeling here (in York) that I can play well. It started in 2005,” said 36-year-old Ding. “I’m happy to see myself get back into form like this. Normally I don’t fight like this in a tough match. I did well today, I said come on to myself and I keep running and running.”
“I needed to play my best because he has had an amazing start to the season. He is confident and has done well in many tournaments.You can’t see anyone not playing well in a semi-final.
“It is great to play Ronnie in the final. We haven’t had that many chances to face each other. The Chinese fans especially love to see it. I love to play against Ronnie. I want to play well and maybe win the match. This is what I dream of, he was my hero when I was a little boy.”
Trump said: “I don’t feel like I played particularly well in the whole tournament. I was just scraping through and relying on my opponent missing. Ding didn’t really miss anything easy throughout the whole game. I was making little mistakes and the balls just weren’t going perfect like they were in the first couple of games. It is little fine margins.”
Of course I want Ronnie to win today, but I will be happy no matter the result as long as both play well. I like Ding, he’s a beautiful player and what he achieved when he started playing in the UK as a shy teenager is badly underestimated. Neil Robertson has often spoken about how hard it was for him to expatriate, it still is hard actually. Yet, he spoke the language and the cultural shock he faced wasn’t that huge. He was lonely, but at least he was able to communicate and I’m sure that he never faced racist abuse or prejudices from random passer-byes because of the way he looks.
I first met Ding around 2006/2007 at the Premier League events. He didn’t speak much English at all, and didn’t really want to speak by fear of embarrassing himself. He kept himself to himself. He was terribly shy.
I found back this video on Youtube of Ding playing Hendry in the Premier League in 2007. The quality isn’t great unfortunately.
Those of you who are old enough will remember what happened at the 2007 Masters. It was awful. Ronnie helped Ding on that day. Comforting a distraught young man was much more important than winning the title. It sealed their friendship and made Ronnie a hero in China, but nothing of that was on Ronnie’s mind there and then. He had walked out of a match at the UK championship only the previous month because he couldn’t cope mentally and emotionally and was in deep trouble with the authorities. He saw his young opponent on the verge of a similar breakdown and wanted to help him. That particular moment remains one of Ronnie’s career highlights for me, the reason I became his fan and will always be even if he never wins a thing again.
Ronnie won his 100th match at the UK Championship yesterday by beating Zhou Yuelong by 6-5. Think about it, winning100 matches in just this one competition! 100 matches over 31 years … and Ronnie didn’t actually play in every UK championship over that period. That’s, on average, more than three matches won in every instance of the event over 31 years. Indeed looking at the career stats, Ronnie has regularly reached the QFs or better in this tournament in tournament.
World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan scored a thrilling 6-5 win over Zhou Yuelong to set up a blockbuster semi-final showdown with Iran’s Hossein Vafaei at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
O’Sullivan and Vafaei were involved in a war of words in the build up to their meeting at the World Championship earlier this year. Tensions arose between the pair when O’Sullivan smashed the reds open from the break in a 5-0 win for Vafaei in 2022 German Masters. He returned the favour at the Crucible, but succumbed to a thumping 13-2 defeat at the hands of the Rocket, who had his retribution. After the match they appeared to have made up as they embraced walking out of the arena.
Today’s victory is O’Sullivan’s 100th match win in the UK Championship and sees him reach the 90th ranking semi-final of his career. It means Judd Trump must now make at least the final if he is to knock O’Sullivan from the summit of the world rankings.
This afternoon’s tie saw O’Sullivan get off to a blistering start. Breaks of 125 and 68 helped him on his way to establishing a 3-0 lead. However, Zhou kept in contention by taking a scrappy fourth to head in for the interval 3-1 behind.
When play resumed it was soon 4-1, after a break of 60 saw 39-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan regain his three-frame cushion. Despite struggling in the first half of the match, China’s Zhou found his feet and managed to claw his way back into proceedings and to the cusp of victory, with a four-frame burst to go 5-4 up.
O’Sullivan was staring down the barrel of defeat, but clicked back into gear just in time with runs of 77 and 122 to fight back and secure a thrilling 6-5 win.
“I’m technically all over the gaff. Out of desperation I started to play alright. When I was going through the motions and plodding away, I was just awful. I was steering the ball, trying to guide the ball in and I was twitching. I was doing all sorts. In the last two frames I thought, just commit,” said 47-year-old O’Sullivan. “I’ve had a result winning one match here. I said to my mate yesterday, we’ve done amazing so far to make the quarters. I’m pleased to be in the semis.
“He (Hossein) is playing great. I saw the breaks he was knocking in and I think he’s a fantastic player. He has that killer instinct and he’s not scared of anyone. He goes out there and attacks the game”
Vafaei earned his place in the last four with an impressive 6-4 win over International Champion Zhang Anda.
The world number 18 now knows that if Ding Junhui fails to make the semi-finals he will dislodge him and move into the world’s top 16, regardless of the scoreline against O’Sullivan.
For the second match in a row, Vafaei hammered home three centuries on his way to victory. He crafted runs of 120, 100 and 106 during this afternoon’s match.
“To be honest with you I don’t know what has clicked. Sometimes in life you need something to click. It gives you confidence and you start believing in yourself that you can do it. All of a sudden you find consistency without thinking. I’m so happy that I’m still in the tournament,” said Vafaei.
“I learned so much from that match (against O’Sullivan at the World Championship). If I didn’t put myself in that situation who knows where I would be. Maybe that is the reason I am here right now. I learned a lot from it and learned to control my mind, myself and my mouth!
“I’m looking forward to it. Any occasion playing your hero and legend and the greatest of all-time. Nobody can play snooker better than Ronnie O’Sullivan lets be honest. He is a genius at his work. I am so happy his documentary came out and people can watch it as well. It is such a good thing for our sport.”
Ronnie didn’t play well yesterday. He started well, finished well but, in between, he was awful. It’s a testimony of his will to win and persistence that he managed to get through. That is a quality that is often overlooked. People tend to remember the times when Ronnie had meltdowns, but he’s won his fair shares of hard ugly battles as well as deciders. Yesterday was one of these occasions, as Nick Metcalfe duly mentioned on twitter,
I won’t lie, I found it hard to watch as it happened but was very happy afterwards!
“When I look back at the first one, I think that it was so nice back then that no one knew me,” Ronnie O’Sullivan told the World Snooker Tour.
“I was just walking through my hotel, through the car park at the Preston Guild Hall. No one stopped me or spoke to me.”
“I could go and do my snooker, but obviously once I’ve won the tournament and gone home, your life changes a bit.
“I do remember just having the peace and quiet of just going and being anonymous.
“Loving the game and not having the pressure of people wanting a piece of you – that’s what I find hard now, people wanting a piece of me.
“I find it difficult when people see me and tell me I’m going to win this or win that. I feel like I just want to tell them to go away.
“I hate it. The more people tell me you can do this, the more I think I’m going to lose, because you get on my nerves.
“I just don’t like it. I just can’t handle it. I’d like to just turn up and play.
“I’ve won seven Masters, seven UKs, seven Worlds. ‘He’s got to win an eighth, he’s got to win a ninth.’ I can’t just have a bit of peace and quiet and enjoy it.
“What will be will be. I don’t find it that important really. I find it difficult, the pressure of what people expect from me. I don’t like it.
“That’s why I try to stay away from people to be honest, but it’s hard when you’re in a hotel. They just find you, you know.
“I just wish people wouldn’t say that to me. Just say hello and how are you doing? ‘How’s Ronnie? How’s Ronnie today?’ That’d be nice.”
…
The match against Vafaei today will not be easy but Ronnie is still in the draw, he’s still in with a chance to progress further and that looked very unlikely at times yesterday afternoon ! Whatever happens today, Ronnie will be 9th or better in the one year list at the end of the tournament. His spot in the World Grand Prix is safe.
I didn’t see a thing of the Hossein v Zhang match, so I can’t assess Hossein’s form but It’s probably very good and he will be very motivated too! Ouch!
Judd Trump held off a Mark Selby fightback to win 6-3 and earn his place in the semi-finals of the MrQ UK Championship in York.
Victory sees player of the season so far Trump remain in the hunt to dethrone Ronnie O’Sullivan and move to the top in the world rankings. Trump will claim the world number one spot if he wins his semi-final with Ding Junhui tomorrow and O’Sullivan is beaten in his last four clash with Hossein Vafaei.
The Ace in the Pack has already enjoyed a remarkable campaign, having become only the fifth player in snooker history to capture three consecutive ranking titles. Trump won successive silverware at the English Open, Northern Ireland Open and Wuhan Open. He was also runner-up to Mark Allen at the recent Champion of Champions. The 26-time ranking event winner is aiming to capture a second UK title this week. He won the event back in 2011 with a 10-8 win over Allen.
Defeat means that despite some strong showings, 22-time ranking event winner Selby will have to wait for his first title of the season. The Jester from Leicester was runner-up to Mark Williams at the British Open and lost semi-finals at the Shanghai Masters and European Masters.
Trump blitzed to a 4-0 lead this evening, making breaks of 100, 93 and 52 along the way. Selby replied by taking the fourth, but it was Trump who moved to the verge of victory with a run of 95 to make it 5-1.
Selby dug deep and took the seventh, before making 98 to pull within two frames at 5-3. However, Trump wasn’t to be denied and he took the ninth to get over the line and make his first semi-final in York since 2014.
“Whenever you have a big lead you are always relieved to get over the line. Especially when someone looks like they are back in form, like when he went 5-3. A lot of relief to get the win,” said 2019 World Champion Trump.
“It is horrible against anyone when you have that kind of lead. Unless you are really flying, you always feel like they can come back at you. Especially when there have already been shocks in the tournament, you don’t want to be added to that list.
“It is going to be amazing to be back in a semi-final here. It has already been a brilliant season, but until you prove yourself in these really big events then you can easily get forgotten about. You want to be delivering on the big stage as much as possible. It is nice to do it in some of the other events, but a lot of people watch these that don’t watch the other ones so it is nice to go out there and prove it again.”
Ding earned his place in the semi-finals with a thrilling 6-5 win over Welshman Mark Williams.
China’s Ding is a three-time UK Champion, having 2005, 2009 and 2019. His win this evening sees him move within two matches of a fourth title in the event and also secures his place in the top 16 for the upcoming Masters.
With Ding leading 4-3, the pair were involved in a landmark frame. Williams won the eighth by a scoreline of 101-94, making it the highest scoring frame in snooker history. The 195 accumulative points beat the previous record of 192 set by Dominic Dale and Peter Lines.
Williams took the next to make it 5-4, before Ding restored parity and forced a decider. Both players spurned chances in the final frame, but it was Ding who eventually fired in a century break of 105 to seal victory.
Mark Selby fought valiantly from 4-0 down but he had left himself far too much to do. He played awful before the MSI. He went on the practice table during and improved significantly but really It was too late.
I saw nothing of the other evening match.
Here is the end of the mammoth frame played between Ding and Willo … they only spent 20 minutes plus on the five last colours… 😮😲
Ding Junhui ended Tom Ford’s hopes of qualifying for the Masters and enhanced his own with a 6-3 win to make the quarter-finals of the MrQ UK Championship in York.
This afternoon’s clash was a straight shoot out between world number 17 Ding and world number 16 Ford. They came into the encounter knowing that the loser would no longer be in contention for a place at Alexandra Palace, with the seeding cut off a the end of the week.
The result leaves Ding in pole position to secure a return to the Masters, having missed out on qualification in the previous two seasons. Iran’s Hossein Vafaei has the best chance of pipping him, but he must at least make the semi-finals to stand a chance. Defeat for Ford ends his hopes of qualifying for the Masters for the first time.
Ding was runner-up to Mark Allen last year in York and he now finds himself just two wins away from a return to the final. Next up he faces either Mark Williams or Jamie Clarke in the last eight.
This afternoon’s match got off to a blistering start, as both players put on a break building masterclass. Consecutive runs of 126 and 110 saw Ding move 2-0 ahead. However, Ford hit back with breaks of 118 and 98 to restore parity at 2-2.
The fifth frame went the way of Ding, before a dramatic sixth. It came down to a safety battle on the final black after Ford failed to gain position on the final ball. Ding eventually fluked it to the green pocket to move 4-2 ahead. The next two frames were traded, before Ding got himself over the line with a break of 106 to wrap up the 6-3 win.
“When I got chances I went into the pack and opened the balls. I made centuries in those first two frames and I could have made more today. He also played good though,” said three-time UK Champion Ding.
“I didn’t think about the ranking points before the match. I just wanted to win the match. It can be up and down so quickly that I can’t really concentrate on the rankings before the match.
“I love to play here. I’ve always said that. I like the venue and the weather in the UK in November and December is the best for snooker. The tables are perfect and the temperature inside the venue is right for this big event.”
On the other table, Judd Trump blitzed to a 6-0 whitewash win over Jamie Jones as he continued his quest for a first UK title since 2011.
Trump defeated Mark Allen 10-8 in the final 12 years ago, but despite being to the final on two occasions since then he is yet to register a second UK Championship victory.
The Ace in the Pack is the form player of the season so far, having won three consecutive titles at the English Open, Wuhan Open and the Northern Ireland Open. He was ruthless in his demolition of Welshman Jones today, firing in breaks of 100, 59 and 51 along the way. Trump awaits the winner of Mark Selby against Barry Hawkins in the last eight.
Ding played really well indeed. Ford looked frustrated towards the end but he was again a really strong player on the day. Trump on the other hand wasn’t tested. Jamie Jones can be truly excellent on his day but yesterday was definitely not his day. He played poorly.
Mark Selby defeated his flatmate for the week Barry Hawkins 6-5 after a thrilling final frame decider in their last 16 clash at the MrQ UK Championship in York.
Selby and Hawkins have become close friends in recent years, but this evening’s encounter was contested fiercely right down to the final balls. Hawkins had a chance in the last frame to clear, but agonisingly snookered himself on the final blue. Eventually it was four-time World Champion Selby who potted a difficult blue bridging over the top of the black and then deposited the pink to get over the line.
Victory earns Selby a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown with player of the season so far Judd Trump, who won three consecutive titles at the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open. However, Selby can take confidence from the fact he won their most recent meeting at the 2023 Shanghai Masters 6-1.
The 22-time ranking event winner will be hoping that he can capture his first silverware of the season, having regularly knocked on the door. Selby has already made semi-finals at the Shanghai Masters and the European Masters and was runner-up at the British Open.
Selby fired in breaks of 142, 101, 76 and 70 on his way to establishing a 5-3 lead this evening. However, Hawkins replied with contributions of 84 and 88 to force a decider, where Selby eventually got over the line after a 58-minute final frame.
“I’m happy to win, but I’m exhausted. It was a tough game and it was always going to be tough. Barry gives you nothing out there. You basically have to play like that to beat him. He is a quality player,” said 40-year-old Selby.
“I just said I was sorry to him at the end. We are sharing an apartment together and the way he was going at the end I was thinking I’d rather he had beaten me 6-2. The way the match went for either of us it was going to be a horrible way to lose.
“Judd is the player of the season by a long stretch. He is definitely the man in form and the man to beat. I am going to be up against it. I’ll have to play somewhere similar to that or the performance against Mark Joyce to stand a chance. I will enjoy the challenge.”
On the other table, Mark Williams reached the 110th ranking event quarter-final of his career, after a 6-4 defeat of fellow Welshman Jamie Clarke.
Williams crafted three century runs of 138, 107 and 100 on his way to this evening’s victory. Next up the world number eight faces a last eight meeting with China’s Ding Junhui.
The Hawkins v Selby match was always going to be hard fought and difficult for both of them. You have to admire their professionalism under such circumstances. This was one of the very best matches so far this season but I doubt either if them enjoyed it.
Ronnie won his opening match at this year UK Championship yesterday, exactly 30 years after he won his first UK Championship, his first ranking tournament, in 1993, beating Stephen Hendry in the Final. He beat Anthony Mc Gill by 6-2, from 0-2 down.
Ronnie O’Sullivan got his 2023 MrQ UK Championship campaign underway with a 6-2 win over Anthony McGill in York and 30 years to the day since he first lifted the title in this event as a 17-year-old, he branded himself as a “born again snooker player”.
O’Sullivan’s maiden UK title back in 1993 came when he defeated Stephen Hendry 10-6 at the Preston Guild Hall. It made him the youngest ever winner of a ranking event and was the first of 39 ranking crowns to date.
The Rocket has established himself as the greatest player in the history of the sport in virtually all statistical categories, including his seven UK Championship victories. He’s off to a strong start in his bid for an eighth and will now await the winner of Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Robert Milkins’ last 32 clash this evening.
World number one O’Sullivan is currently engaged in a three-way battle for the summit of the world rankings. Both World Champion Luca Brecel and player of the season so far Judd Trump are in contention to usurp him. Trump must make at least the semi-finals, while Brecel has to win the event.
Defeat for Scotland’s McGill is a continuation of his unfavourable record against O’Sullivan. He’s now lost eight of their nine meetings, but did beat the Englishman on snooker’s biggest stage at the Crucible back in 2021.
It was McGill who made the fastest start this afternoon, firing in a break of 116 to take the opener. Having trailed in the second, he made a break of 56 to move two frames ahead. The Glaswegian had the first opportunities in the following two frames, but failed to capitalise and two breaks of 89 saw O’Sullivan make it 2-2 at the mid-session. When play resumed, further contributions of 66, 61 and 92 helped the seven-time World Champion make it six on the bounce and run out a 6-2 victor.
“When I was 35, I thought I was probably done and dusted. That is what usually happens. I’ve had my best ten years. I’m at that point where I thought everything Is a bonus and every year I get extra playing I appreciate it more. It is like having a second life in a way. I’m a born again snooker player,” said 47-year-old O’Sullivan.
“Anthony has played two games in qualifying and come here. It is always nice to have a couple of matches under your belt. At 2-0 down it was on me a little bit. I managed to play in and get involved in the game after that.”
On the other table, four-time Crucible king John Higgins scored a 6-3 win over Joe O’Connor to book his place in the last 16.
Victory for Higgins sees him move in front of O’Connor in the head-to-head standings, leading 3-2 having lost his first two matches against the Leicester cueman.
Higgins fired in breaks of 66, 76, 58, 122 and 66 on his way to victory and will now play either Neil Robertson or Zhou Yuelong.
Here is the end of the match …
And Ronnie’s post-match in the ES Studio also explaining why he was wearing trainers
Also some images shared on social media, including Weibo
Ronnie wasn’t at his best but those first round matches are never easy for the seeds who come against an opponent who has already at leat two matches under their belt and has already secured 10000 pounds and ranking points.
China’s Zhou Yuelong scored his first win over Neil Robertson, beating the Australian 6-2 on a night of tremendous entertainment in York at the MrQ UK Championship.
Defeat for Robertson ends an incredible 16-year streak. The 23-time ranking event winner won a professional title in each calendar year between 2006 and 2022, but failed to capture silverware in 2023. He now heads home to Australia for an extended break over the Christmas period.
World number 26 Zhou had lost all three of his previous meetings with the Thunder from Down Under. That included a 6-2 loss in the 2020 UK Championship semi-finals and a 9-0 defeat in the 2020 European Masters final.
Victory for Zhou sets up a last 16 showdown with four-time World Champion John Higgins, who he has previously said he would like to mentor him at some point in the future. The Chengdu cueman will head into that clash with the legendary Scot full of confidence, having already come through two matches in qualifying, including a 6-5 win over Ian Burns on Judgement Day.
Zhou fired in a break of 80 to take the opener this evening, before Robertson claimed a tight second to restore parity at 1-1. A break of 134 from Zhou in the third was bettered when Robertson hammered in a stunning 135 in the fourth to head in for the mid-session level at 2-2.
When play resumed an inspired Zhou burst clear to romp to the finish line. Runs of 67, 99, 136 and 74 saw him rack up four on the bounce to seal an impressive 6-2 victory.
Zhou said: “I felt confident today and I felt comfortable. I know Neil is a very good opponent. He is very strong so I needed to give him pressure and I needed to be perfect. I did that.
“John Higgins is my favourite player and also my idol. I will enjoy playing against him. When I was younger I always watched him and Ronnie and Mark Williams too. For many years he has always been in the top eight. He is a very tough player.”
On the other table, Robert Milkins came through a pulsating encounter with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 6-5 to book a meeting with world number one Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round.
Milkins was placed firmly on the back foot in the early stages of this encounter, when Un-Nooh composed breaks of 93, 127 and 85 to move 3-1 ahead at the mid-session interval.
The Gloucester cueman sprang into life after the break, embarking on a brilliant attempt at a 147. However, Milkins missed a tricky last red to end his run on 112. It was soon two on the bounce when he compiled a contribution of 99 in the seventh to make it 4-3. Un-Nooh then moved one from victory at 5-3, but Welsh Open champion Milkins refused to fade and hammered in a 121 to stay in touch at 5-4.
World number 14 Milkins then took a narrow tenth frame on the pink and claimed the decider to score an important victory which moves him to the verge of Masters qualification.
Zhou played really well indeed, but all the same this is another disastrous result for Neil Robertson who looked quite upset to me at the end of the match. Robertson confirmed to Eurosport that he will now take a break and travel to Australia to see his family, something he hasn’t done for four years. All this that he will not qualify for the World Grand Prix and, will really need some good results in the second half of the season if he wants to keep his place in the top 16.
Ronnie O’Sullivan: Seven-time world champion says he was asked to ‘consider future’ by governing body
By Steve Sutcliffe – BBC Sport
Ronnie O’Sullivan is currently chasing an eighth UK Championship title in York
Seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says snooker’s governing body asked him “to consider” his future in the sport in a recent letter.
O’Sullivan, 47, is facing disciplinary action for publicly criticising the World Snooker Tour over its stance on five players appearing in an exhibition event in Macau earlier this season.
He has also threatened to quit snooker over the row.
The WST has been asked to respond to O’Sullivan’s latest comments.
“The letter they’ve sent me has not been very nice,” the Englishman said.
“I think I’ve done a lot of good for this game. I’d expect someone to come out and say, ‘you know what, we think you’ve done great for the game, we love what you give‘.
“I never get a ‘well done’ letter. All I get is a letter saying I’ve done this and that wrong. I’ve not spoken to anyone at World Snooker for 10 years and I won’t ever reach out to them again because I know the culture is not for me.“
Disciplinary action against the five players – current world champion Luca Brecel, four-time world champions John Higgins and Mark Selby, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Ali Carter – was averted when the event in Macau, a special administrative region of China, was moved to December, with WST permission.
Current world number one O’Sullivan backed the players in their dispute with the WST in October.
More recently, Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen said he was hoping for a “peaceful resolution” to contract concerns when he and other players meet with snooker bosses during the UK Championship.
Specially organised events in East Asia are a lucrative proposition for stars such as O’Sullivan, who can attract large crowds whenever they play, and he believes that contracts to play on the main professional tour should offer more flexibility to allow that to happen.
“Sharing a slice of cake with 130 players [on the main tour] is difficult,” O’Sullivan said.
“When I go to China, they are paying me 10 to 15 times the amount I can get to play here. At this stage of my career, I have to think of what is right for my family. I want them to have a comfortable life.”
Let me just say that I find the whole situation quite baffling! Ronnie remains a major attraction to the fans, he puts bums on seats more than anyone else. Why not seek a solution that would meet both sides needs and concerns. Of course, a player who will turn 48 in a few days does consider his future and will be focused on securing the best possible future for their family. Everyone with some common sense would do the same. It’s not rocket science! They would do the same if they were in his shoes. He has brought a lot to the sport for over 30 years. It’s not his fault if they failed to market the younger players better and are still relying on veterans to sell their sport. And they really should ask themselves WHY there are no young players, other than from Asia, really coming through to the very top. I have touched that subject a few times in the past and won’t repeat it here … just a hint … ditch the money list, ditch the flat draw.
